Foundations for failure

As mentioned in one of my earlier blogs, the most recognised definition of sustainability to date is that of the Brundtland Report

“development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two key concepts: 1) the concept of 'needs', in particular the essential needs of the world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and 2) the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs.” 

It is fine as a broad definition but lacks focus on the more modern outlook of the different pillars of sustainability as discussed by the World Summit in 2005. This outlook of sustainable development needs to be embraced by mass governing bodies such as the IPCC, that is measurable and more encompassing of the three pillars which are defined by Thwink.org as:

      

Consequences of choice

Perhaps the more current movement towards accepting climate change is in line with the old idiom 'fail to plan, and you plan to fail'. As previously mentioned, sustainability is a part of the larger context of climate change. The following video expresses the importance of choosing sustainability in preparing for climate change, whether or not one has chosen to believe in the latter. 

In order to prepare for the worst case scenario, that climate change is real, we need to take action; we need to positively influence the climate by changing our behaviour and technologies to a path that our future generations will not be plagued to walk along. My next blog will endeavour to explain what sustainability means for policy and development and what has stopped us from achieving it. If you would like to read more about this topic from a societal point of view, the Huffington Post summed it up rather well just last week! You can read their article here.

A recent study has found that by 2040, there will not be enough fresh water on the planet to satisfy human thirst and continue with current energy and power programmes. Just for basic survival, we need to seriously reconsider our perceptions, behaviours and goals. 

Welcome to my blog!

Following years of denial since its discovery, climate change is finally being accepted as a certainty and global threat to humanity, requiring immediate action. The threat is not however that of extinction. We have survived and surpassed all expectation by overcoming previous disasters and will continue to dominate the Earth. The threat surrounds a loss of wealth of life.

Since 01 September 2016 - 10 October 2016 approximately 1.5 million people have been displaced by natural disasters globally (IDMC, 2016)