A look at the definition, history, achievements, goals and prospects of the Sustainable Development

1. Sustainable Development

2. Content
• Sustainability
• Development
• Sustainable Development
• Differences
• History
• SD in 21st Century
• Importance
• Obstacles

3. Content
• Current State
• Elements of Sustainable Development
• Our Role
• Quiz
• Structural Changes
• Action 2020 - Video

4. What is Sustainability?
• In ecology, sustainability describes how biological systems
remain diverse and productive over time.
• For humans, sustainability is the long-term management
capacity, which has environmental, economic, and social
dimensions.
• It’s about taking what we need to live now, without
jeopardizing the potential for people in the future to meet
their needs.

5. Sustainability

6. What is Development?
• Development is the accumulation of human capital and its effective
investment in the progress of an economy.
• Development entails improvement in the quality as well as quantity of
life.

7. Sustainable Development-Definition
"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the
present, without compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their own needs.“ ‘Our common future’ 1987

8. Sustainable Development
It is the harmonious integration of:
• a sound and viable economy
• responsible governance
• social cohesion
• ecological integrity
In order to ensure that development is a life-sustaining process.

9. Differences?
• Sustainability is the capacity to endure.
• Sustainable development is a pattern of urban, social & economic
growth with the ability to meet the needs of the present while
contributing to improve the future generations life by restoring the
previous ecosystem damage and resisting to contribute to further
ecosystem damage.
• Sustainability represents the great goal of life survival on Earth and it
is associated with biological and social systems resilience.
• Sustainable development is associated with how can we do it: the
strategy to achieve that ultimate goal.

10. History

11. History
1800 - The Industrial Revolution
- Since the Industrial Revolution, the governments aim was about produce as much as possible
- There were no concerns or knowledge about over polution and its consequences

12. History

13. History
1968 - The Club of Rome
- Non-governmental Organization (NGO)
- Devoted to the study of the “world problematique”
- Multidisciplinary and long term perspective
- Brought the ecological limits to economic and demographic growth to the door of world opinion
- Published The Limits to Growth

14. History
1972 - The Limits to Growth
- First Forecast (until 2100) about:
- Accelerating global industrialization
- Rapid world population growth
- Widespread malnutrition caused by poverty
- Dependence on nonrenewable resources and their accelerated depletion
- Deteriorating environment

15. History
1972- The United Nations Conference on the Human Environment
- For the first time issues of an ecological nature were added to the roster of international concerns
- Declaration of principles and action plan to fight pollution

16. History
1984 - The World Commission on Environment and Development
- First Definition of Sustainable Development
"Development that meets the needs of
the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet
their own needs."

17. History
1987 -World Commission on Environment and Development
“Brundtland Commission”
- Defined the modern meaning of the term “Sustainable Development"
- Published Our Common Future

18. History
1987 – Our Common Future
- Multilateralism and interdependence of nations in the search for a sustainable development path
- Aimed to discuss the environment and development as one single issue
- Led to 1992’s Earth Summit

19. History
1992 - United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
“Earth Summit”
- Systematic scrutiny of patterns of production
- Alternative sources of energy to replace the use of fossil fuels which are linked to global climate change
- New reliance on public transportation
- The growing scarcity of water
- Agreement on the Climate Change Convention
- Agenda 21

20. History
1992 - Climate Change
Convention
1997 - Kyoto Protocol
- No binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions
- Limits of emissions for developed countries
- Entered into force in 2005
- 192 States signed the protocol

21. History
1992 - Agenda 21
- Non-binding, voluntarily implemented action plan
- Social and Economic Dimensions
- Conservation and Management of Resources for Development
- Strengthening the Role of Major Groups
- Means of Implementation

22. History

23. Sustainable Development in 21st Century

24. Why is it Important?
• We live in an unequal world
• More than 1000 milion people live
with less than $1/3PLN per day
• Over 1000 milion people don’t have
acess to clean drinking water
• 80% of all diseases in developing
countries is caused by comsuption of
contaminated water
• Over 10 milion children die anually
before their fifth birthday

25. Poverty in The World

26. Importance
• The Ecological systems of the world are under stress
• In the last decades the global resources extraction has been growing
without control
• Air polution kills around 3 milion people mostly in poor countries
• Animal and Plant species are under threat of extinction
• Between 100 and 1000 species become extinct each year

27. Impact on Species

28. Impact on Humans

29. Obstacles
- Economical and Political Inertia
- Unequal Division of Resources(20% of world’s population consumes 75% of the resouces)
- Unequal quality of life
- Contrast in Prosperity
- How to manage resources sustainably
- Environmental problems worldwide(Greenhouse gas emissions, Global warming, etc)

30. - Most countries in the world have accepted that sustainable development is an essential
development pathway and are busy incorporating its principles into their own policies and
programmes
- The United Nations has taken sustainable development very seriously and it has established
specialist units to deal with the issue and to identify opportunities and activities to support this
development theory
- The challenge now is to mainstream sustainable development thinking and to find sensible and
simple solutions to our challenges
- The beauty about sustainable development is that it really is very simple and people have been
practicing it for centuries
Where are we now?

31. PEOPLE
ENVIRONMENT ECONOMY

32. Elements of Sustainable Development
• Economical
• Ecological
• Technological
• Political
• Socio-cultural
• Institutional

33. Elements of Sustainable Development
Economical
Ecological
• Maintaining a sustainable population
• Maintaining productivity and profitability of
environment and natural resources
• Adopting environmental management
weapons in policy and decision making
• Protecting the environment and conserving
natural resources

34. Elements of Sustainable Development
Technological
Political
• Promoting proper management of wastes and
residuals
• Adopting environment-friendly technologies
• Empowering the people
• Maintaining peace and order

35. Elements of Sustainable Development
Socio-Cultural
Institutional
• Promoting resource access and upholding
property rights
• Promoting environmental awareness,
inculcating environment ethics and
supporting environment management
action
• Improving institutional capacity/
capability to manage sustainable
development

36. We can help!? How to do it?

37. As individuals

38. Companies

39. What can we do as future engineers?

41. 1. One_______ of the world’s population lives in urban slums or shanty
towns.
A. Percent
B. Half
C. Third
D. Fourth

42. 1. One_______ of the world’s population lives in urban slums or shanty
towns.
A. Percent
B. Half
C. Third
D. Fourth

43. People living in slums

44. 2. Deforestation causes between 16 and 25 percent of human-related
greenhouse gas emission?
A. True
B. False

45. 2. Deforestation causes between 16 and 25 percent of human-related
greenhouse gas emission?
A. True
B. False

46. Impact of Deforestation

47. 3. How many people in the world do not have access to clean drinking
water?
A. Less than 1 million.
B. Between 3 and 4 million.
C. Around 27 million.
D. Over 1,000 million.

48. 3. How many people in the world do not have access to clean drinking
water?
A. Less than 1 million.
B. Between 3 and 4 million.
C. Around 27 million.
D. Over 1,000 million.

49. Acess to Clean Water

50. 4. The world population in 2011 reached 7 billion people. According to
the UN, the world population in 2050 is estimated to be?
A. 8.1 Billion
B. 8.7 Billion
C. 9.2 Billion
D. 10.8 Billion

51. 4. The world population in 2011 reached 7 billion people. According to
the UN, the world population in 2050 is estimated to be?
A. 8.1 Billion
B. 8.7 Billion
C. 9.2 Billion
D. 10.8 Billion

52. Population Growth

53. 5. Recycling one ton of paper saves?
A. 3 trees
B. 10 trees
C. 13 trees
D. 17 trees

54. 5. Recycling one ton of paper saves?
A. 3 trees
B. 10 trees
C. 13 trees
D. 17 trees

55. Recycling

56. 6. How much energy is saved by recycling an aluminum can as opposed
to creating a new one?
A. 50%
B. 75%
C. 85%
D. 95%

57. 6. How much energy is saved by recycling an aluminum can as opposed
to creating a new one?
A. 50%
B. 75%
C. 85%
D. 95%

58. Recycling

59. 7. Which of these light bulb types use the least amount of energy?
A. Incandescent
B. Halogen
C. Compact Fluorescent

60. 7. Which of these light bulb types use the least amount of energy?
A. Incandescent
B. Halogen
C. Compact Fluorescent

61. Light Bulb and Energy Saving

62. 8. Each person creates about ___ kilograms of waste every day.
A. 1
B. 1.5
C. 2.1
D. 3.3

63. 8. Each person creates about ___ kilograms of waste every day.
A. 1
B. 1.5
C. 2.1
D. 3.3

64. Waste

65. 9. Which country currently emits the most greenhouse gases?
A. India
B. United States
C. China
D. Russia

66. 9. Which country currently emits the most greenhouse gases?
A. India
B. United States
C. China
D. Russia

67. CO2 Emissions

68. 10. How long does it take carbon dioxide to disperse in the
atmosphere?
A. 6 months
B. 5 years
C. 50 years
D. 100 years

69. 10. How long does it take carbon dioxide to disperse in the
atmosphere?
A. 6 months
B. 5 years
C. 50 years
D. 100 years

70. CO2

71. Structural Changes
• Avoiding the use of Environmentally Harmful raw
materials, processes and products
• Gradual substitution of Non-renewable resources with
Renewable resources
• Cleaner Technologies of Production
• Recycle and Reuse Technologies
• Biotechnological Applications of Renewable Resources

72. • Resource Optimization
• Improvement in Quality of Life
• Corporate Social Responsibility
• Mass awareness campaigns to involve People
• Proper Evaluation of Options toward the sustainable
development considering all aspects

73. Action 2020

74. Thank you!
Stay Green!