On Sustainable Development
July 23rd, 2004 at 7:59 am (Environment)
In a Third World or developing (to be politically-correct) country like ours, the environment oftentimes take the back seat. There is an assumed, albeit imaginary, friction between poverty alleviation and sustainable development. Most people perceive sustainable development as out and out preservation of the environment, thereby minimizing the resources which can be used for poverty alleviation and development.
On the contrary, the ideal but utopic concept of sustainable development, pushes for inter- and intra-generation EQUALITY. Sustainable development aims for inter-generation equality through the prudent use of resources and preserving the environment. This scares a lot of people since they assume that this means scrimping on everything and depriving people of resources. What people fail to see is that sustainable development also advocates and ensures equality of access to and usage of resources among all socio-economic classes within a generation or what is called as intra-generation equality. This is not so different from poverty alleviation. Intra-generational equality dictates that every person of all socio-economic classes should have equal access to resources.
Although the concept of sustainable development is admittedly utopic and therefore, most probably unattainable, we have nothing to lose but everything to gain by aiming for it. What the poor or the economically-challenged or even the middle- and upper-classes fail to see is that there are more than enough economic gains to environmental protection. Recycling of materials in production is definitely less expensive. Cleaner production methods are generally, more cost-effective if done properly. Materials recovery of product containers are also cheaper than continually producing products pakaging. Eco-tourism has been proven to be a profitable bussiness. Environmental causes such as the much-overdone tree-planting can also lead to tax cuts.
Even when done in small-scales, people can earn money through environmental preservation and protection. Proper segregation of wastes, materials recovery and selling of recyclables, are simple but profitable environmental actions. Lessing electricity and water usage also cost less. Regularly having vehicles tuned-up lessen air pollution. There are a thousand ways an indicidual can help the environment, if only he thinks he can do it.
If only people are aware of how their small and big choices and decisions can help the environment and lead to economic gain, sustainable development would be easier to attain.
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