According to World Commission on Environment and Development (Bruntland Commission, 1987), Sustainable Development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The special emphasis is given on protection of environment and biodiversity.
The sustainable development concept poses some important questions:
- What needs to be sustained?
- What needs to be developed?
- What is the time horizon?
What needs to be sustained?
The sustainability implies preserving the earth, biodiversity, ecosystems and services, resources, environment, cultures, groups and places.
What needs to be developed?
The development entails improving child survival, Life expectancy, education, equity, equal opportunity, wealth, productive sectors, consumption, institutions, social capital, states and regions.
What is the time horizon?
The sustainable development activities should sustain over the long period of time keeping in mind country specific development goals.
Sustainable Development and India
- India took step toward sustainable development with priorities set out in twelfth five year plan for low carbon development path. The theme of twelfth five year plan was ‘faster, more inclusive and sustainable growth’
- India has signed the UNFCCC
- National Environment Policy, 2006 released by Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) aimed to address the clean energy needs of India.
- National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) was released in 2008 to handle the climate change effectively.
- Similarly many states launched State Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) since 2009.
Other International Programs on Sustainable Development
Some of the major international events under sustainable development are:
- United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in 1992.
- World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002.
- United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in 2012.
- Sustainable Development Goals were introduced in 2015 by United Nations to address the unfinished agenda of Millennium Development Goals (MDG)
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