Sustainability – Why Is It So Important?

The term “sustainable development” is on the lips of politicians, environmentalists and representatives of responsible business. But do you know what it really means? Why does it get talked about so much and how does it affect our daily lives?

What is sustainability?

Most people intuitively associate sustainability with environmental protection. This is not a mistake, just a gross oversimplification. In fact, it is about the balance between three factors of civilizational progress: social, economic and environmental.

According to the most popular definition, sustainable development is a way of managing our planet so that the well-being of people today does not limit the satisfaction of the needs of future generations. Colloquially speaking, we should leave the earth to our children at least as good as we got it from our ancestors.

It is worth emphasizing that thinking about the future does not mean making sacrifices or restrictions in the present. The goal of sustainable development is to manage the available resources in a way that fully meets the needs of modern society. Is this even possible?

A Brief History Of The Idea

The inspiration for the concept of sustainability was forestry. People have needed and exploited wood in great quantities for thousands of years. At some point, however, they realized that the key to survival was to keep cutting and planting at such a rate that the forest would always have a chance to regenerate itself.

In a global context, the concept of “sustainability” first appeared in 1987 as part of J. Brundtland’s “Our Common Future” report to the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED). As a revolutionary and unequivocally necessary thought, it also dominated the 1992 UN conference widely known as the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Its outcome was the famous document “Agenda 21,” which formulated the basic principles for the implementation of sustainable development in the world, especially in the context of local life.

Two more decades have passed, and the topic has become even more relevant and serious. At the Johannesburg summit in 2002, known as “Rio 10+,” a partnership plan for achieving the development goals was developed. Ten years later, again in Rio (“Rio 20+”), UN representatives focused on the institutional framework and the so-called green economy.

The principle of sustainable development is also taken into account in the current Constitution of the Republic of Poland from 1997.

Goals Of Sustainable Development

Even the most beautiful ideas mean little if they are not reflected in actions. That is why the latest UN document, known as the 2030 Agenda, articulates 17 tangible and concrete goals to be achieved through sustainable development policies. 

They address key issues such as:

1. Reducing poverty, hunger and promoting health care;
2. Ensuring access to education and gender equality;
3. Sustainable management of water resources and energy;
4. Supporting economic development and reducing unemployment;
5. Making cities safer;
6. Confronting climate change and water pollution.

For each of these goals, there is a detailed implementation plan with postulates regarding the expected results in 2030. Among them you can find specific recommendations, such as reducing waste production, the restoration of degraded areas. They also mention, among other things, the reduction of illegal financial flows or an end to poaching and trafficking of protected species of animals and plants.

A very important aspect of today’s plan for implementing sustainable development is global partnership. The signatories of the 2030 Agenda are committed to financial development aid, the transfer of environmentally friendly technologies, and the promotion of open, fair trade.

Sustainability In The Chemical Industry

The chemical industry was one of the first in the world to base its business on the implementation of sound and lasting sustainability principles. Clean and safe technologies, state-of-the-art environmental programs, and product certification are just some of the measures taken to bring chemistry closer to the environment.  From adapting to local and international standards to individual strategies, companies like the PCC Group are incorporating more and more environmental aspects into their operations plan.

In joining the green revolution, the PCC Group has identified a number of important aspects of sustainable production that it is implementing at its chemical plants.  Among these we can point out the limitation of waste production, the limitation of hazardous substances, as well as the use of energy-saving production technologies and the use of renewable energy sources.  The PCC Group also offers a number of environmental products designed in accordance with the principles of sustainable development, among which we can highlight the PCC Greenline® line.

Can One Person Make An Impact On Sustainability?

All of the goals and guiding principles mentioned above clearly apply to the activities of governments and international organizations. So do an individual’s choices and habits have anything to do with sustainable development? It turns out that they do.

On the one hand, it is the institutional, legal, and economic framework that determines people’s lives, so the blame for negative global change can be placed on the constituent actors.  In his presentation at the 1995 Manchester International Conference on Sustainable Development, the Australian scholar M. A. Kahn gave an interesting example of this interdependence.

Kahn described a hypothetical person from a certain geographic area who is unemployed and because of this is poor and socially excluded.  Desperate, he resorts to cutting down trees and burning them to survive.  Other poor people follow in his footsteps, leading to deforestation and soil depletion. The food grown on them is less rich in minerals, so the local population does not eat enough healthy food to meet the challenges of progress and education. As a result, the entire region is economically stagnant, leading to further unemployment and poverty.

How Can You Contribute To A Sustainable Planet?

Suppose, however, that you have a job, are able to take care of your family and provide your children with an adequate education. As a holder of free will, you make decisions every day that are within the legal limits, but leave you a great deal of freedom. You may or may not, for example, follow environmental management guidelines.

Meanwhile, the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals depends not only on national governments, but also on the daily decisions of their citizens. In particular, they can protect the environment by:

• Using energy-saving light bulbs and appliances and turning off unnecessary lights;
• Separating garbage;
• Saving water in the kitchen and bathroom;
• Reducing meat consumption in favor of plant-based foods;
• Using reusable containers;
• An overall reduction in unnecessary shopping.

But the human role is not limited to ecology. According to the idea of sustainable development, people educated and endowed with natural talents will help others by sharing their knowledge and skills. Solving local problems, volunteering, or developing innovative economic activities are aspects on which the well-being of society and its future depend.

A Critique of the Concept of Sustainable Development

The UN’s lofty principles may seem impeccable. But critics point to the three most important shortcomings of the idea of sustainable development: it is too boring, too general, and also too late.

According to detractors, the concept itself is not attractive enough to win people’s hearts.  The rational management of dwindling resources does not appeal to the imagination, nor does the idea of “less pollution. Plans for “prosperous development” or an ecological revolution are likely to generate more positive reactions.

Nor does the generality of wording, which is difficult for the average person to interpret. Sustainable development is often perceived as a beautiful slogan without specific content. Some critics even suggest abandoning the concept of improving all aspects of human life and focusing primarily on protecting the environment.

Finally, there is a growing argument that it is too late for sustainable development. Many ecosystems have been destroyed, thousands of species are extinct, and climate change has gone too far. Shouldn’t we start talking about survival instead of sustainable development?