Introduction

It is very important to understand the word ‘Environment’ because it constitutes our

surroundings and affects our ability to live on the Earth. It comprises the air we breathe, the
water that covers most of the Earth’s surface, the plants and animals around us, and much more.
It is therefore, very important to understand and appreciate the importance of environment in our
daily lives. In recent years, scientists have been carefully examining the various ways by which
people affect the environment. They have found that we are causing air pollution, deforestation,
acid rain, and other problems that are dangerous both to the Earth and to ourselves.

The word ‘environment’ is derived from the French word ‘environner’, which means ‘to encircle’
or ‘to surround.’ Broadly speaking, environment means and includes the entire surroundings- the
land, water, air, noise, forests, wildlife etc. It is a composite term which consists of both living
and non-living elements in this planet and it is from the environment that all the necessities of
life are derived.

According to Section 2(a) of the Environment Protection Act, 1986 Environment includes
water, air and land and the inter-relationship which exists among and between water, air, land
and human beings, other living creatures, plants, micro-organisms and property.

Sustainable Development
In 1968, for the first time, the Swedish delegation proposed to the General Assembly of the
United Nations a global conference on the human environment. Accordingly, the United Nations
Conference on Human Environment was held in Stockholm (Sweden). The conference was the
first major attempt to address issues of environmental protection at the international level. The
main objective of the conference was to encourage and provide guidelines for governments and
international organisations for the protection of the environment. The conference adopted 26
principles (popularly known as the Stockholm Declaration) as the Magna Carta on Human
Development. The first few principles came together as the principles for sustainable
development. Even in the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (popularly
known as the Earth Summit or Rio Summit), various principles were discussed related to
sustainable development. Furthermore, in every international attempt to protect the environment,
the principles of sustainable development were given utmost importance.
The concept

As per the Brundtland Report (1987), “sustainable development is development that meets the
needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs”. Thus, sustainable development demands the protection of natural resources for the next
generation and not exploiting everything at once.

Scope of sustainable development

Sustainable development is observed as the mutually beneficial interaction between the legal
interest of a business and the economy, government and politics, and civil society, and culture.
However, these social interactions do not exist alone. On the physical and material side, the
society is bound by the carrying capacity of several ecosystems, landscape ecology, and
eventually the blosphere of the Earth or Nature. On the spiritual and psychological side, the three
fold functional differentiation of society is inspected by the caring capacity of an individual.
Therefore, we can say that sustainable development is a multidimensional concept, involving not
less than four dimensions.

Characteristics of Sustainable development

The basic characteristics of sustainable development can be observed in the following points:

 There should be an uninterrupted rise in real per capita income and economic welfare on
 A long-term basis. Sustainable development simply means that resources should be
naturally used in such a way that they are not over-exploited.
 Sustainable development aims at making use of natural resources and the environment for
improving the standard of people in such a way that the ability of future generations to
meet their own needs is not minimized.
 Sustainable development aims at promoting environment-friendly and biodegradable
products, while also making sustainable planning for replacement or replenishment of
resource usage.
 Sustainable development emphasis on eco-friendly building and developmental practices
like green architecture.
Three pillars of sustainable development

The three core elements of sustainable development are briefly discussed below:

Environmental Conservation: The primary focus of sustainable development is to protect the

environment so that the resources proided by it do not get destroyed.

Social Development: It aims to attain the well-being of an individual and society at large. It
entails the availability of necessary resources, proper healthcare, and good quality of life for
people.

Economic Progress: It encourages people to invest in sustainable efforts by persuading them

through its long-term benefits and supporting both the environmental and social elements of the
cause.

Primary goals of sustainable development

The three primary goals of sustainable development are:

 To minimize the expenditure of natural resources while creating new developments.

 To create an environment that can be maintained and sustained without-destroying-the
environment.
 To provide a method for rebuilding existing developments to make them eco-friendly.
Facilities and projects.

International organizations such as NGOs, United Nations, aid organizations, and even
Governments are making continuous sponsoring efforts to ensure that the goal of sustainable
development is achieved for every individual across the globe. Some other goals of sustainable

 Development set by these bodies are:

 Elimination of poverty across the world
 Ensure good health and well being Provision for clear water and sanitation Provision of
quality education for all Achieving Gender Equality

Allowing access to economical and clean energy Building up strong infrastructure, Supporting
Inclusive and Sustainable Industrialization and encouraging innovation.
Principles of sustainable development

The following principles/premises underlying the concept of sustainable development:

1. No Foverty: By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere.

2. Zero Hunger: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition by 2030.
3. Good Health and Well-being: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all al all
ages by 2030.
4. Quality Education: Ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality
primary and secondary education by 2030.
5. Gender Equality: To achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
6. Clean water and Sanitation: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and
sanitation for all by 2030.
7. Affordable and Clean Energy: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and
modern energy for all by 2030.
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth: Promote sustained. Inclusive and sustainable
economic growth.
9. Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure: Build resilient infrastructure, promote Inclusive
and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation by 2030.
10. Reduced Inequality: Reduce inequality within and among countries by 2030.
 11. Sustainable Cities and Communities: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe,
resilient and sustainable.
12. Responsible Consumption and Production: Ensure sustainable consumption and
production pallerns.
13. Climate Action: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
14. Life below Water: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources
for sustainable development.
15. Life on Land: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems.
Combat desertification and halt, biodiversity loss.
16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for
sustainable development; provide access to justice for all.
17. Partnerships to achieve goals: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the
global partnership for sustainable development.

Sustainable development is the alternative method for development, which by definition is eco-
friendly and resource-efficient..

There is a symbiotic relationship between consumer and producer’s natural systems.

The present generation should meet its needs without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs i.e to ensure that productive assets available to future
generations are not unfairly minimized.

Those who enjoy the fruits of economic development must not make the resources of future
generations worse by excessively degrading the Earth’s exhaustible resources and polluting its
ecology and environment.

The development should not focus only on growth, instead it should aim for broader goals of
social transformation.