Sustainable Development

[Sebiwert]

I was wondering if you guys heard about Sustainable Development.

It's the UN's try to shift our world twards the good of all beeings.
They defined specific goals and now scientists & politicians are trying to figure out ways to achieve them. The whole venture has a really system-oriented/transdisciplinary/stage-yellow flavor to it. Somehow the arising global problems seem to force scientists and politicians to reflect on themselves. I still miss the spiritual aspect, but maybe that's as good as we get in mainstream science at the moment.

If you never heard about it, you should definitely check it out and do a little research on it:

https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org

Otherwise please let me know what you think about it
 

Edited October 9, 2019 by Sebiwert

[MuddyBoots]

Hi  @Sebiwert thanks for the post .  The concept of sustainable development (SD) has been around for some time, I can remember it from the '80s but I think it's much older. And the UN didn't invent this idea, but has come on board now, if this clip is representative. It's a good idea because, even if you don't buy into the climate change agenda, our current technologies of fossil fuels and nuclear power won't last forever, they rely on mining  non-replacible resources out of the ground. 

However, the UN video bundles social justice (SJ) into the same mix as SD. While I think they're both very worthwhile values, they aren't the same thing and SD won't automatically lead to SJ. After all, European medieval culture was pretty much sustainable environmentally, compared to us now, but there certainly wasn't fairness, equality and justice for all! 

Nick. 

Edited October 10, 2019 by MuddyBoots

[Sebiwert]

Hey @MuddyBoots - thanks for the reply!

As I understand this, the UN takes part in the normative section of Sustainable Development. And they acknowledge that social problems must be solved hand in hand with the environmental problems to be successful. Therefore SJ is now seen as also part of Sustainable Development (Economic + Social + Environmental). I think the inclusion of all these factors is what makes Sustainable Development so promising.

Some selected quotes form the UN:

"2. Eradicating poverty is the greatest global challenge facing the world today and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development. In this regard we are committed to freeing humanity from poverty and hunger as a matter of urgency."

"4. We also reaffirm the need to achieve sustainable development by promoting sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth, creating greater opportunities for all, reducing inequalities, raising basic standards of living, fostering equitable social development and inclusion, and promoting integrated and sustainable management of natural resources and ecosystems that supports, inter alia, economic, social and human development while facilitating ecosystem conservation, regeneration and restoration and resilience in the face of new and emerging challenges."

(UN General Assembly 2012: https://rio20.un.org/sites/rio20.un.org/files/a-conf.216l-1_english.pdf)

Or for those who prefer videos, a very short intro to the Sustanable Development Goals (SDGs):