An Essay on the Meaning of Sustainable Development
ASSIGNMENT 1.
AN ESSAY ON THE MEANING OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.
Introduction:
In this essay I will discuss what sustainable development means? I will also discuss weak and strong approaches to sustainability and how this is related to sustainable development. Finally I will discuss how Isaac Construction in Christchurch has adopted sustainable development practices. In order to somewhat understand what sustainable development means, you must first separate the two words and view them both individually.
Development and sustainability discussion:
Firstly, development can be seen as progress and growth which builds over time at both societal and individual levels. There are also three senses in which the word development is used. They are; a vision/measure, an historical process and lastly a deliberate effort for development (Thomas A., 2000, p. 29). An example of this is when using economic development in the context of the three senses: a vision of economic wealth for a country, capitalism creating growth over time and lastly a development company that deliberately helps to create growth. Most importantly though, development means reaching full human potential (Thomas. A., 2000, p. 32-33). Sustainability can be more difficult to explain because the word has no consensual definition, much like concept words “liberty’’ and “justice” (Sustainability, Wikipedia). It is best to first consider the many meanings of the word sustain to help simplify things. A few examples of sustain meanings are; to support, to bear, to keep up or keep going (Sustain definition, Dictionary.com). With that in mind and when used in context with environmental and economic for example we get an idea of what sustainability means. Environmental sustainability and economic sustainability for example both depend on the ecological carrying capacity, because sustainability was originally “associated with maintenance of environmental quality” (as cited in Bell, S.,
AN ESSAY ON THE MEANING OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.
Introduction:
In this essay I will discuss what sustainable development means? I will also discuss weak and strong approaches to sustainability and how this is related to sustainable development. Finally I will discuss how Isaac Construction in Christchurch has adopted sustainable development practices. In order to somewhat understand what sustainable development means, you must first separate the two words and view them both individually.
Development and sustainability discussion:
Firstly, development can be seen as progress and growth which builds over time at both societal and individual levels. There are also three senses in which the word development is used. They are; a vision/measure, an historical process and lastly a deliberate effort for development (Thomas A., 2000, p. 29). An example of this is when using economic development in the context of the three senses: a vision of economic wealth for a country, capitalism creating growth over time and lastly a development company that deliberately helps to create growth. Most importantly though, development means reaching full human potential (Thomas. A., 2000, p. 32-33). Sustainability can be more difficult to explain because the word has no consensual definition, much like concept words “liberty’’ and “justice” (Sustainability, Wikipedia). It is best to first consider the many meanings of the word sustain to help simplify things. A few examples of sustain meanings are; to support, to bear, to keep up or keep going (Sustain definition, Dictionary.com). With that in mind and when used in context with environmental and economic for example we get an idea of what sustainability means. Environmental sustainability and economic sustainability for example both depend on the ecological carrying capacity, because sustainability was originally “associated with maintenance of environmental quality” (as cited in Bell, S.,
References: 1. Patterson, M. (2002). What is sustainability? In Headline indicators for tracking progress to sustainability in New Zealand (pp. 8-23). Wellington, New Zealand: Ministry of the environment. 2. Thomas, A. (2000). Meanings and views of development. In T. Allen & A. Thomas (Eds). Poverty and development into the 21st century (Rev. ed., pp. 23-48). Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press. 3. Sustainability. (n.d.). Retrieved April 4, 2011, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainability. 4. Sustain definition. (n.d.). Retrieved April 4, 2011, from Dictionary.com: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sustain. 5. Bell, S., & Morse, S. (1999). Two roots of sustainability. In Sustainability indicators: Measuring the immeasurable (pp. 6-18). London, England: Earthscan. 6. Carrying capacity. (n.d). Retrieved April 5, 2011, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrying_capacity. 7. The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand. (Rev. Jan. 2009). 72194 Sustainable development and New Zealand. Table 1.2 (p. 40). Lower Hutt, New Zealand. 8. Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment. (2002). Creating our future. In Section 2: Setting the scene (sections 2.1 and 2.2). Wellington, New Zealand. 9. What is strong sustainability? (n.d.). Retrieved April 5, 2011, from Phase2: http://sites.google.com/site/strongsustainability/what-is-strong-sustainability. 10. The World Commission on Environment and Development. (1987). From one earth to one world: An overview by the World Commission on Environment and Development. In Our Common Future (pp. 1-23). Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. 11. The Isaac Wildlife Trust. (2009). Isaac Conservation Park Management Plan. (pp. 1-68). Christchurch, New Zealand: Canterbury Copy Service. 12. Sustainable development. (n.d.). Retrieved April 4, 2011, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_development#cite_note-1.