FORMULA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

CARMEN M. FLORES

The Earth is sick and the environment is in pain. It is a statement that caught my attention for it entails worries and fears to this soft heart of mine. But instead of watching and waiting its fast deterioration, I believe human race can do something to cure and prevent such illness.

It may be noted that lots of these environmental problems have increased as the result of human activities and unplanned management of the technological development those interference ecosystems. Therefore, a dispute between the importance of conservation and preservation of ecosystems to protect environment and the necessity to satisfy human desire by sacrifice the environment has been aroused across the world.

Little did everyone know that such can be resolved by entertaining the idea of total mind set. It may sound novel but I tell you this move will surely cure our aching Mother Earth. Sit back, relax and enjoy this wonderful solution which I named… Formula: Pres + Cons= Sustainable Development. To make it clear allow me to spell it out. The proper Preservation coupled with Conservation which will lead to the attainment of Sustainable Development.

Two of the major points of view include conservation and preservation of the environment. People often use these two terms interchangeably, when in fact these are two very different views and methods for managing our dearest habitat, Earth. How they vary from one another and as main parts of the formula will be explored.

On CONSERVATION… nowadays protection of the environment is really imperative as the world is moving into a new era without considering any of the major problems of pollution with rapid industrialization. The best way to protect the environment is conservation. From my vast encounters in the different printed rendezvous, I learned that Conservation is the philosophy and policy of managing the environment to assure adequate supplies of natural resources for future as well as present generations.

The ever-increasing loss of plant and animal species represents a major conservation concern. Habitat loss, especially in tropical forest areas, is the greatest threat. Some species, such as whales and eagles here in our country, are threatened by overexploitation. Any improvement and protection of human and natural resources in a wise manner, ensuring derivation of their highest economic and social benefits on a continuing or long-term basis deal with conservation. Conservation is achieved through alternative technologies, recycling, and reduction in waste and spoilage, and (unlike preservation) implies consumption of the conserved resources.

Our habitat should be managed by the method of conservation, meaning that the environment and its resources should be used by humans and managed in a responsible manner. In this scenario, one sees the value of the environment as the goods and services that it can provide to people.

This viewpoint requires that the environment be used in a way that is sustainable, and it ensures that the natural resources will be used in a manner that will meet the present day needs for the resource without jeopardizing the supply of the resource for future generations.

By using the environment sustainably, the environment and the natural resources it provides will not be depleted or destroyed permanently - and will be available for human use for a very long time. If people do not manage the land properly and the resources are not being used sustainably, then the environment can be destroyed, and the conservation method will have failed.

The other view point is PRESERVATION… It refers how to effectively manage public land. The method of preservation is much stricter than the conservationist approach. Under preservation of the environment, lands and their natural resources should not be consumed by humans and should instead be maintained in their pristine form. Preservationists believe that humans can have access to the land, but they should only utilize it for its natural beauty and inspiration. They think that the value of the land is not what you can use from it, but instead that land has an intrinsic value, meaning that it is valuable in itself simply by existing.

One of the most famous preservationists in U.S. history is John Muir. John Muir was a Scottish immigrant who lived from 1838 to 1914 and had a large admiration for California’s Yosemite Valley. Similar to Gifford Pinchot, Muir was motivated by the deforestation and destruction of land as the human population moved west across the country. Muir was a strong advocate for the complete protection of land and believed that people should only use the environment for enjoyment and not as a resource for goods.

Lastly, doing and living with these two points of view can reap SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT which remains an elusive dream of all nations. The importance of maintaining the ecological balance has been increasingly becoming clear. It has now become necessary for all countries in the world to recognize this fact and plan what is known as ‘sustainable development’. The United Nations World Commission of Environment and Development in 1987 has defined sustainable development as “a process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development and the institutional change are in harmony and enhance both current and future generations to meet their needs.”

This means that the requirements of the present generation in terms of economic growth and community development (to provide for basic needs like food, water, shelter, education, etc) are met without compromising on environmental protection. This will ensure that every generation will leave clean air, water and soil resources for the future generations.

To judiciously use resources, restrict the use of endangered species restrict and increase awareness about the concept of sustainable development and ensure that the people understand its full meaning. If environment protection is ignored, then the very basis of developmental processes (the natural resources) will get exhausted which will spell doom for mankind. On the other hand, one cannot ignore development and only think of environmental protection. However, it is necessary to strike a balance between the two.

Towards this end, every individual has to make his actions eco-friendly. This is possible only if man stops thinking of himself as the supreme creation and enjoys only the benefits. It is high time man realizes that he is an integral part of the environment. He should also realize that because he is at the pinnacle of evolution and has also more responsibility towards maintaining the environment.

--oOo-The author is Teacher III Pulung Santol Elementary School