What is the Importance of Sustainable
Development

If you are interested in living as green as possible, you have probably wondered, What is the importance of sustainable development?

This question cuts right to the core of many intersecting issues in contemporary culture. Being as most western countries now operate as free market capitalist societies, the idea of development is essential for the continual expansion of new markets that capitalism requires. Despite the economic issues, there are very real human issues created when issues of development are considered. As the planet becomes more and more urbanized and people continue to move away from the agrarian life, cities are becoming megacities and towns are becoming cities. People need places to live and eat and work, so the more people move to populated areas the more those areas need to be developed. The underlying facet of this is what does all this growth and development mean for the environment? It is this last issue that makes the question, What is the importance of sustainable development? so important. This article will discuss some of the major concerns behind the need for sustainable development.

The main reason people are concerned with sustainable development is because of the fact that the world is a place of finite materials. One only needs to recall the buffalo that used to range across the vast majority of the American plains or the giant redwoods and sequoias that used to tower over the mountains of the west to understand that there are not endless quantities of resources on the planet. Sustainable development aims to establish a system of resource consumption that both meets the needs of human life and leaves the environment healthy enough to continue to produce the resources future generations will need.

The scope of sustainable development is massive, and many areas of life can fall under this broad umbrella. The following are some of the most important issues to sustainable development, but bear in mind that this is a very limited list:

• Fresh Water – This is one of the most essential issues facing the species since humans have walked on the earth. Of the planet's water, 97.5 percent of it is salt water and of the 2.5 percent that is fresh, 2 percent of that is frozen in the polar ice caps. This means all of the humans and animals on the world survive on less the 1 percent of the planet's total water supply. The problem is that the population is increasing the demand for water while the supply is decreasing due to issues like pollution. In order to become more sustainable, humans need to take action. Agricultural systems must become more efficient worldwide and some subsidies on water that make it very inexpensive in certain areas should be lifted to allow the price to rise, which will encourage conservation.

• Finance – It might sound a bit too much like Karl Marx for some people's liking, but one of the main issues of sustainable development is figuring out how to best distribute the world's wealth. In the United States, for example, 10 percent of the population controls 71 percent of the wealth. The top 1 percent of American citizens control 38 percent of the country's wealth, which leaves the poorest 40 percent controlling less than 1 percent of the wealth of the nation. In a free society, disparities are always going to exist, but the problem confronting the future is that these numbers are trending towards the wealthy owning more and more. A truly sustainable society would be interested in increasing all its citizens' access to resources.

• Health – Health is inextricably linked to sustainable development. In areas where poverty is rampant and resources are not provided equally to all members of society, the individuals at the lower levels suffer tremendously in terms of health. Nutritious food is limited in these areas as well as access to adequate medicine and medical health professionals. When infectious diseases like AIDS are brought into the mix, this issue quickly becomes an epidemic.

These three issues are some of the most important issues to sustainable development, but other areas like agriculture, technology, sanitation, human settlements, biotechnology, and many others also play a role.

For those interested in learning more about this issue and seeing what government agencies and private industry is doing about the issue, check out the following links:

• Operation Fresh Start – This great organization is dedicated to rebuilding more sustainable communities in the aftermath of natural disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes.

• The United Nations – The United Nations' Division for Sustainable Development has a wealth of information on the issue.

• USDA – The United States Department of Agriculture has a great website that sets out to advance the goals of sustainable development.

There are many, many ways that people can impact the cause of sustainable development. No matter what you do for a living, there is some way in which your labor could be tweaked and performed in a more sustainable manner. Read up on as much of the issue as you can and try to figure out where you can make a difference.

• Ways to Prevent Global Warming
• 50 Specific Actions of Green Living
• Examples of Sustainable Development

• United States Recycling Statistics
• Types of Pollution
• Air Pollution Statistics
• Effects of Water Pollution
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Biofuels

• Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment
• Green Sustainable Magazines
• Recycling for Kids
• Developing Sustainable Communities
• Category:Low-Impact Living