WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT??

HERE'S A SUMMARY OF THE ARTICLE "WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT?"

THIS ARTICLE IS QUITE IRRELEVANT TO OUR PROJECT AS IT TALKS ABOUT NATIONAL ISSUES ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY DEVELOPMENT AND NON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS SEEKING TO ALLEVIATE POVERTY AND OTHER WHAT-NOT GOALS WHICH HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH OUR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AIM IN PULAU UBIN

BUT ANYWAY I'LL OMIT THOSE SECTIONS AND PROVIDE A MORE COMPREHENSIVE PERSPECTIVE TO THIS ARTICLE AND POINT OUT THE SLIGHTLY MORE RELEVANT POINTS...

A SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT IS TO MAKE DEVELOPMENT SUSTAINABLE --TO ENSURE THAT IT MEETS THE NEEDS OF THE PRESENT WITHOUT COMPROMISING THE ABILITY OF FUTURE GENERATIONS. THERE ARE FOUR DISTINCT WAYS TO DEFINE SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT, NAMELY: GOALS, INDICATORS, VALUES AND PRACTICE.

1)GOALS: THREE SET OF GOALS NEED TO BE EXAMINED: SHORT TERM, TWO-GENERATION GOALS, AND FINALLY, THE LONG TERM GOALS (TWO GENERATIONS AND BEYOND)

2)INDICATORS:HOW IS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT MEASURED? COMBINING GLOBAL, NATIONAL, AND LOCAL INITIATIVES, THERE ARE LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF EFFORTS TO DEFINE APPROPRIATE INDICATORS AND TO MEASURE THEM--MEASUREMENT OF RELATIVE PROGRESS OT THE LACK OF PROGRESS TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.

3)VALUES:ANOTHER WAY OF DEFINING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IS THROUGH THE VALUES THAT REPRESENT OR SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. VALUES HAVE MANY MEANINGS--IN GENERAL, THEY ARE EXPRESSIONS OF, OR BELIEFS, IN THE WORTH OF OBJECTS, QUALITIES, OR BEHAVIOURS. THEY OFTEN INVOKE FEELINGS TO DEFINE AND DIRECT US TO FRAME OUR GOALS, ATTITUDES AND STANDARDS AGAINST WHICH INDIVIDUALS AND SOCIETIES CAN BE JUDGED. AS SUCH, THEY OFTEN OVERLAP WITH SUSTAINABILITY GOALS AND INDICATORS.

4)PRACTICE: THIS INCLUDES THE MANY EFFORTS AT DEFINING CONCEPTS, ESTABLISHING GOALS, CREATING INDICATORS, AND ASSERTING VALUES. ALSO, IT INCLUDES DEVELOPING SOCIAL MOVEMENTS, ORGANIZING INSTITUTIONS, CRAFTNG SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, AND NEGOTIATING THE GRAND COMPROMISE AMONG THOSE WHO ARE PRINCIPALLY CONCERNED WITH NATURE AND ENVIRONMENT.

IN CONLUSION, THE CONCRETE CHALLENGES OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ARE AT LEAST AS HETEROGENOUS AND COMPLEX AS THE DIVERSITY OF HUMAN SOCIETIES AND NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS AROUND THE WORLD.

Zan-Yang (23)