A Discussion on Sustainable Development

Abstract

After many years in the experiences of world development, it has become obvious that proper development approaches have to be pursued. Capitalism as a dominant perspective has come with a mixture of successes but major setbacks. The setbacks include inequality and a widening gap between rich and poor. The result has been rampant increase not just in crime but radical and organised crime eg. terrorism. Youths are being radicalized and because they suffer from youth unemployment, become very willing to participate in crime. “We have nothing to loose” they say. The situation has been complicated further in that, educated unemployed youths have become very remorseful and feel that the world owes them a living. A concept of sustainable development must remedy social inequities and environmental damage, while maintaining a sound economic base. What is becoming clear is the fact that the rich will not enjoy their wealth in peace, not when others are crying for basic needs.These has forced the opinion drivers of the world especially the Bretton wood institutions and the United Nations (UN) to adopt other sustainable development approaches and with this, came the birth of sustainable development. This is development that considers that social upheavals will always distract economic achievements when the two are not in equilibrium. Furthermore, populations have also tended to turn back to the environment to fulfill basic social needs eg. illegal logging, poaching etc... Natural environment is finite and plays a major part in the equation too. The three systems of SOCIAL, ECONOMIC and ENVIRONMENT are interlinked and their solutions will always come from these relationship. The world agenda has shifted focus to sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which hope to be achieved by the year 2030. Chief among them is the provision of social safety nets like youth employment. This has not been achieved under current development paradigms. It is only by balancing the delicate equations that the entire global development agenda will be achieved. The players do not have a choice, as time has proved that unwelcome consequences for say, civil unrests and crime, affect everybody and pose a risk to the globalized development economics. This paper discusses these various issues in brief and credits the concept of sustainable development as having potential to rally global development to a new phase in world history.