Have you heard of the term “sustainable development”? It literally means to keep moving forward in a better direction. It sounds like continuous growth, but there have been different interpretations from various viewpoints for a very long time. Currently, sustainable development can be defined as:

 

“Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

 

In other words, it is development that satisfies the needs of the present generation to the extent that it does not disturb the lives of future generations without harming the global environment. There are three main areas where emphasis is given: society, the environment, and the economy. In the early days when the concept of sustainable development was first introduced, it was explained from the viewpoint that economic growth should be balanced with social and environmental goals. Recently, however, the concept has been changed to the viewpoint that economic welfare and social justice should be realized within the framework of ecology and environment. Such change can be illustrated as follows:

 

As for sustainable development, people are also a key factor. Accordingly, education has become an important part of sustainable development. Agenda 21, adopted at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992, also emphasizes the role of education in sustainable development. In 2002, the United Nations General Assembly designated the years 2005 to 2014 the World Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). In this regard, Korea is also making various efforts at different levels for ESD.

 

Now that you know what sustainable development is, think about what we can do for sustainable development and how we can do it.

 

Source: Eco-generation Korean Website