What is sustainable development?

The notion of sustainable development is an evolution of the old concept of development, since it contemplates economic and material progress, but in balance with social welfare through the responsible use of natural resources. In this way, it reconciles the three fundamental axes of sustainability: economic, ecological and social.

The traditional concept of economic development refers only to the production and distribution of goods and wealth, without considering the environmental balance as a source of quality of life. The concept of sustainable development is based on the fact that this development model has put the ecosystem at risk and, with it, the quality of life and human survival.

The objective of sustainable development is to achieve a certain level of material progress without compromising the environment, natural resources and the quality of life of human beings. In this way, it is proposed to address the social, economic and environmental spheres based on viability, sustainability and equity.

The implementation of a sustainable development program depends largely on the will of governments to formulate public policies that favor the awareness and participation of citizens and companies on issues such as reducing pollution, saving energy resources, using renewable energies, etc.

Principles of sustainable development

Wind power plant in coexistence with areas of agricultural exploitation

Depending on the approaches, the principles of sustainable development can be based on different theories and manifestos. Based on the Rio de Janeiro Declaration of 1992, they can be summarized as follows:

• The human being as the center: the survival and quality of life of human beings is at the center of interest of sustainable development.  

• Principle of equity for the eradication of poverty: implies equitably distributing resources to meet basic needs (food, clothing and housing) and provide equal opportunities.
• Principle of solidarity with future generations: sustainable development takes into account the commitment to the well-being of future generations.
• Preservation of natural resources and the environment: the preservation of the environment and the resources it provides is a fundamental condition for quality of life and survival.
• Common but differentiated responsibility: we are all co-responsible for caring for the environment according to the degree to which we affect it.
• State Responsibility: States must put limits on environmental overexploitation and reduce and eliminate unsustainable patterns of production and consumption.
• International cooperation: States must cooperate with each other by sharing knowledge for the protection of the environment and the scope of sustainable development. Likewise, the international community should help guarantee the sustainable development of all countries.

Types of Sustainability

Sustainable development reconciles three axes or fundamental types of sustainability: economic, ecological and social, which are interconnected with the viable, sustainable and equitable criteria. These are areas of sustainability inherent in the concept of sustainable development, strongly related to each other.

• Social sustainability: social growth must correspond to bearable rates for the environment and must be based on co-responsibility in the distribution of wealth. This implies seeking proportional demographic growth and eradicating poverty.
• Economic sustainability: economic growth must be viable in relation to the environment, that is, it must not exceed the regeneration capacity of natural resources. Likewise, it must be committed to social equity in the distribution of resources.
• Environmental sustainability: refers to guaranteeing the existence of natural resources over time. Environmental sustainability seeks to guarantee society conditions for it to support itself and, therefore, seeks to guarantee the viability of economic growth.

Examples of sustainable development

Solar panels to obtain electrical energy.

• Use of clean or alternative energies. Wind, solar, and geothermal energy, among others, are energy sources that generate less impact on the environment than hydroelectric plants.
• Replacement of fossil fuels with biofuels. Fossil fuels generate large CO2 emissions, which have an impact on global warming. In addition, its way of obtaining energy is very invasive and the recovery time of fossil fuels is so high that it is considered a non-renewable resource and, therefore, could run out.
• Recycling involves the use of materials that have already been manufactured. It is a way to contain and reduce pollution produced by garbage.
• Reduction of intensive agriculture. It aims to make an adequate use of agriculture that does not exhaust the capacity of the soil to provide nutrients.
• Consists on replanting a piece of land with plants and trees when such land has been intervened by humans to obtain resources.
• Reduction of energy consumption. The less energy we consume, the more energy production levels are reduced, which means less environmental impact and more economic savings.
• Development of sustainable cities and sustainable buildings, such as The Edge building, Amsterdam and the BBVA Bancomer Tower, in Mexico City.

History of sustainable development

The history of sustainable development dates back to 1950, when the consequences of environmental overexploitation and pollution began to be discussed, accentuated by the Second World War.

A milestone in the debate was the publication of the book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson (1962), which denounced the environmental and health impact of pesticides used in agricultural production. Despite the fact that it was the object of scientific questioning, the work inspired concrete environmental policies and gave basis to the principles of sustainability.

In 1972, the debate reached international organizations with the so-called Stockholm Conference or United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (UNCHS) and, since then, it has been a constant concern  in the debates held by the United Nations Organization ( UN).

In 1987, the UN World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) presented the Brundtland Report, named after the commission’s chair, Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland. According to the report, sustainable development implies:

“meeting the needs of present generations without compromising the possibilities of future generations to meet their own needs”.

The concept of sustainable or sustainable development became the axis of subsequent international conferences on the environment and economic development, such as:

• Rio de Janeiro, 1992: United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, which resulted in the Rio Declaration.
• New York, 1997: Earth Summit +5.
• Johannesburg, 2002: World Summit on Sustainable Development, also known as Rio +10.
• Rio de Janeiro, 2012: United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, known as Rio +20.
• New York, 2015: United Nations Summit on Sustainable Development, whose final document was Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

This last conference (New York, 2015) set an agenda of seventeen sustainable development goals for the year 2030, the first of which is the eradication of poverty. It also includes access to health, quality education and work; social and gender equality; action for the environment and responsible production and consumption, among others.

Sustainable development in Mexico

BBVA Bancomer Tower, Mexico City. Illuminated with wind power.

Sustainable development is a relatively recent concern in Mexico. Despite the fact that its Magna Carta already expressed in article 27 an interest in “regulating, for social benefit, the use of natural elements susceptible to appropriation, in order to make an equitable distribution of public wealth, take care of its conservation , achieve a balanced development of the country and the improvement of the living conditions of the rural and urban population”, it was not until 1988 that the General Law of Ecological Balance and Environmental Protection (LGEEPA) was created.

In the same way, in 1994 the current Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) was formed, with the aim of creating and enforcing current regulations on environmental matters. It includes monitoring the conscious and responsible use of natural resources, without neglecting the quality of life of the population and economic development. Mexico is undoubtedly a country with an enormous wealth of natural resources, however, like many others, it still needs to improve in efforts that materialize the institutional intentions of the State.Mexico’s current challenge is to continue its economic growth under an ethic of social justice and the rational and efficient use of natural resources, as well as the preservation of an ecological balance.