Chapter1: The Nature of Sustainable Development

Lesson1: Definition of Sustainable development and sustainability

Lesson2: Pillars of Sustainability
Lesson3: 17 Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction
This chapter discusses about the definition of sustainable development and sustainability, the
Pillars of Sustainability and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

At the end of an independent study, the students must be able to:

1. Define sustainable development and sustainability;
2. Know the importance of sustainable development;
3. Identify the pillars of sustainability;
4. Determine and distinguish the 17 sustainable development goals.

Let’s Understand

Sustainability vs Sustainable Development

Sustainability is a word that comes from the word sustain. It means the ability to sustain. Sustain
means to endure, support or to hold for a long time. There is also a concept called sustainable
development that confuses many. This is because of the overlapping and similarities between the
two. However, sustainable development has a deeper meaning for our environment, culture,
economy etc. that makes it a concept far more important for the human race. The differences
between the two concepts will be talked about in this lesson.

What is Sustainability?

Sustainability is a state of living that is able to continue for long. It applies to ecosystems and animal
kingdom also but since late 80’s sustainability has been increasingly talked about in terms of human
beings and their future on planet Earth. Mankind has been living on Earth for thousands of years, but
in the last few thousand years, there have been changes in the environment and ecosystems brought
about by the manner in which human beings have exploited natural resources. Humans have made
use of agriculture to fulfill its requirements and needs. All this has led to massive changes in not just
the economy, society, and the environment, but also left indelible carbon footprints on ecosystems,
and the ability of Mother Earth to replenish itself.

Today, the word “sustainability” has become very common and used in daily lives by most of us. We
tend to talk about sustainable energy, sustainable ecosystems, and sustainable development, and so
on to imply the concern for the environment and planet earth in general.
What is Sustainable Development?

The concept of sustainable development came to the limelight with Brundtland Declaration of 1987. It
defined sustainable development as a pattern of growth and development that meets the needs and
requirements of the present, without compromising with the ability of our future generations, to meet
their requirements and needs. It became evident that the world community was concerned at the
state of affairs in the field of exploitation of natural resources and the manner in which infrastructure
was sought to being developed at the cost of environment and ecosystems.

With every passing decade ever since the world witnessed industrial revolution and used natural
resources of energy (read fossil fuels) for its growing energy requirements, the world has today come
to the brink of over exploitation. There is every danger of leaving little for our future generations. This
means that; we are compromising with the ability of future generations to meet their needs, to fulfill
our needs, rather wants, and even luxuries.

What is the difference between Sustainability and Sustainable Development?

• Sustainability is the ability to endure or hold on while sustainable development is a strategy to

achieve development without compromising with the ability of our future generations to fulfill their
needs

• Sustainability looks at saving the environment as the primary objective while sustainable
development focuses on development of infrastructure, keeping the environment clean, to achieve
growth

• Since the world is not unanimous on defining the needs of human beings (often confusing between
needs and wants), it is hard to correctly differentiate between sustainability and sustainable
development

• Sustainability is the ability to sustain and hence the desired end product of a lifestyle whereas
sustainable development is a growth strategy to minimize carbon footprints to leave the planet for the
use of future generations.

The Three Pillars of Sustainability:

In 2005 at the World Summit on Sustainable Development three core areas in relation to
sustainability were highlighted: social needs, economic issues, and the environment. These became
known as the three “pillars” of sustainability. They were created to serve as the basic guidelines and
groups to address various core problems. The summit agreed to address its goals by catering
towards current needs in all three categories, without sacrificing the ability of future generations to
meet their own needs.
Environmental pillar: It was previously known as the primary reason for sustainability. It continues to
play a major role and has been further integrated into the corporate environment.

Economic pillar: The economic pillar has the most innovative potential to combine sustainable
practices, technology, and money-making tools.

Social pillar: The social pillar is focused on health, wellness, and education of the people with the
quality of life as one of the major priorities.

Everyday Sustainability Initiatives and how the three pillars are interrelated:
• Plant more fruits and vegetable gardens around the house reduces agriculture pollution in
waterways and reduces water treatment costs. Less gas is spent for store trips and
transportation from different countries and fields. Less money is also spent at the store. Money
is spent on vegetation maintenance. It also improves physical and mental health and saves
healthcare costs.

• Planting trees, especially around a home, decreases the temperature of the house, which
leads to decreased air conditioner use. It also increases the value of the home and reduces
carbon dioxide. Kids will play in a more diverse landscape. It also provides homes for small
rodents, birds, and insects. Money will be spent on maintaining size and branches of trees.
• Use renewable power sources to reduce carbon footprint and decreases utility bills.
• Conserving and cleaning our natural environment reduces water treatment costs, improves
outdoor recreation, and air quality. It provides habitats for other living organisms.

With all the money saved by being sustainable, individuals are able to spend on other areas. For
example, they could go on trips, renovate their home, pay back debt, or make stock investments in
other more innovative areas.

Importance of Sustainable Development

Environmentally sustainable economic growth is another name to the concept of Sustainable
Development. The goal of which is to achieve harmony between environmental sustainability,
economic sustainability, and socio-political sustainability. Sustainable development always
encourages us to conserve and enhance our resources, by gradually changing the manners in
which we develop and use technologies. All Countries should meet their basic needs of
employment, food, energy, water, and sanitation. Everybody is rightful to a healthy, safe, and
clean environment. This can be easily achieved by reducing pollution, poverty, and
unemployment.

Today we are using about 40% more resources every year than we can put back, an alarmingly high
and unsustainable amount. However, sustainable development encompasses more than just the
environment as it also includes the overall health of our society. It requires studying the
consequences of the actions people are taking today and finding ways to improve these outcomes.
The main goal of sustainability is to protect the planet so that future generations don’t have to suffer.
Ultimately, we only have finite resources on this planet, but we’re currently not being considerate of
that.

Our actions now shouldn’t be at the expense of our fellow creatures or humans, so it’s important to be
aware of sustainability in our daily lives so we don’t cause more irreparable (impossible to repair)
damage to Earth.

Sustainable Development Goals

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States
in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into
the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call
for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. They recognize that
ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and
education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and
working to preserve our oceans and forests.

The Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more
sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including those related to
poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice. The 17 Goals are
all interconnected, and in order to leave no one behind, it is important that we achieve them all by
2030.

The 17 Goals are as follows:

• GOAL 1: NO POVERTY
✓ End poverty in all its forms everywhere.
✓ Economic growth must be inclusive to provide sustainable jobs and promote
equality.
• GOAL 2: ZERO HUNGER
✓ End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote
sustainable agriculture.
 ✓ The food and agriculture sector offers key solutions for development and is
central for hunger and poverty eradication.
• GOAL 3: GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
✓ Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
✓ Ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being for all at all ages are
essential to sustainable development.
• GOAL 4: QUALITY EDUCATION
✓ Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong
learning opportunities for all.
✓ Obtaining a quality education is the foundation to improving people’s lives and
sustainable development.
• GOAL 5: GENDER EQUALITY
✓ Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
✓ Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary
foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.
• GOAL 6: CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION
✓ Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for
all.
✓ Clean, accessible water for all is an essential part of the world we want to live
in.
• GOAL 7: AFFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY
✓ Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.
✓ Energy is central to nearly every major challenge and opportunity.
• GOAL 8: DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH
✓ Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and
productive employment and decent work for all.
✓ Sustainable economic growth will require societies to create the conditions
that allow people to have quality jobs.
• GOAL 9: INDUSTRY, INNOVATION, AND INFRASTRUCTURE
✓ Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable
industrialization and foster innovation.
✓ Investments in infrastructure are crucial to achieving sustainable
development.
• GOAL 10: REDUCED INEQUALITIES
✓ Reduce inequality within and among countries.
✓ To reduce inequalities, policies should be universal in principle, paying
attention to the needs of disadvantaged and marginalized populations.
• GOAL 11: SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES
✓ Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.
✓ There needs to be a future in which cities provide opportunities for all, with
access to basic services, energy, housing, transportation and more.
• GOAL 12: RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION
✓ Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
✓ Responsible Production and Consumption.
• GOAL 13: CLIMATE ACTION
✓ Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
✓ Climate change is a global challenge that affects everyone, everywhere.
• GOAL 14: LIFE BELOW WATER
✓ Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for
sustainable development.
✓ Careful management of this essential global resource is a key feature of a
sustainable future.
• GOAL 15: LIFE ON LAND
✓ Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems,
sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land
degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
✓ Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land
degradation, halt biodiversity loss.

• GOAL 16: PEACE, JUSTICE AND STRONG INSTITUTIONS

✓ Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development,
provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive
institutions at all levels.
✓ Access to justice for all, and building effective, accountable institutions at all
levels.
• GOAL 17: PARTNERSHIPS
✓ Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership
for sustainable development.
✓ Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.

https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/
https://sdgs.un.org/goals
 https://tykn.tech/sdgs-sustainable-development-goals/

What does it take for the SDGs to be achieved?

• Since all 17 goals are big challenges, it will require a lot of effort from both the international
community but also from the citizens of the world.
• Here are 5 recommendations from Ortwin Renn, Managing Scientific Director at Institute for
Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) Potsdam, as to how to achieve these goals:
✓ Take it step-by-step.
✓ Think regional, not global.
✓ Work from bottom-up.
✓ Strategically balance conflicting objectives.
✓ Use stories to drive change.
• In summary, it will take a lot of continuous efforts, funding and perseverance for the SDGs
to be achieved.

How can I help the SDGs?

• Goals such as fighting for equality, stop climate change and eradicate extreme poverty can
be overwhelming. It is easy to feel very small and powerless when facing these 17 goals.
But change starts with you and with little actions that all of us can undertake every day.
• On the individual level, you too can help achieve the SDGs. Here are, from the UN’s Lazy
Person’s Guide to Saving the World, just a few of the examples you could partake in:
✓ Turn off the lights when you don’t need them.
✓ Speak up to your local governments to engage in new initiatives that don’t harm the
people or the planet.
✓ Recycle.
✓ Replace old appliances with energy-efficient models and light bulbs.
✓ Donate what you don’t use.
✓ Use refillable water bottles and coffee cups.
✓ Voice your support for equal pay for equal work.
✓ Encourage your company to work with the civil society and find ways to help local
communities achieve their goals.
https://tykn.tech/sdgs-sustainable-development-goals/

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Prepared by:

Mrs. Pamella Joy Torres- Juanica

pamellajoy.torres@antiquespride.edu.ph
CTE Office/ Library