Sustainability
Introduction
Sustainability is a broad and complex concept that encompasses a variety of disciplines, including environmental science, economics, and social science. It refers to the ability to maintain or improve standards of living without damaging or depleting natural resources for present and future generations. Sustainability is often broken down into three main pillars: environmental, economic, and social, also known informally as planet, profit, and people.
Environmental Sustainability
Environmental sustainability involves making decisions and taking actions that are in the interests of protecting the natural world, with particular emphasis on preserving the capability of the environment to support human life. It is concerned with the preservation of the natural environment and the decision-making processes that affect it. Most definitions of environmental sustainability involve a healthy environment not being used at a rate that exceeds its capacity to regenerate itself.
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is a key component of environmental sustainability. It refers to the variety of life on Earth, including the number of species of plants, animals, and microorganisms, the enormous diversity of genes in these species, the different ecosystems on the planet, such as deserts, rainforests, and coral reefs. Biodiversity is important because it boosts ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small, all have an important role to play.
Renewable Energy
Renewable energy is another crucial aspect of environmental sustainability. It includes resources that rely on fuel sources that restore themselves over short periods of time and do not diminish. Such fuel sources include the sun, wind, moving water, organic plant and waste material (biomass), and the earth's heat (geothermal). Unlike fossil fuels, such as coal, gas, and oil, renewable energy sources are considered to be clean and have a much lower environmental impact.
Economic Sustainability
Economic sustainability involves using the assorted assets of the company efficiently to allow it to continue functioning profitability over time. This includes the efficient use of natural resources, personnel, and the environment. The company aims to manage its operations in ways that are economically viable, environmentally sound and socially responsible.
Green Economy
A green economy is one of the aspects of economic sustainability. It is an economy that aims at reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities, and that aims for sustainable development without degrading the environment. It is closely related with ecological economics, but has a more politically applied focus.
Sustainable Business Practices
Sustainable business practices are another aspect of economic sustainability. These practices are those that provide economic benefits such as profitability, while protecting the environment and ensuring social responsibility. The goal of sustainable business practices is to create a business model that is not only successful in the short term but also has long-term sustainability.
Social Sustainability
Social sustainability involves issues such as human rights, labor rights, and corporate governance. In common with environmental sustainability, social sustainability is the idea that future generations should have the same or greater access to social resources as the current generation, while there should also be equal access within the current generation.
Social Equality
Social equality is a state of affairs in which all people within a specific society or isolated group have the same status in certain respects. This includes areas such as civil rights, freedom of speech, property rights, and equal access to social goods and services. Promoting social equality is a key aspect of social sustainability.
Sustainable Development Goals
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a collection of 17 global goals set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 for the year 2030. They are part of the Resolution 70/1 of the United Nations General Assembly, the 2030 Agenda. The SDGs are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.