It is not uncommon to hear people speaking of sustainability. In fact, it was firstly described in the 1987 Bruntland Commission Report as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Even now, the United Nation (UN) along with other organizations and firms are putting emphasis on this overarching paradigm. This is because they have realized on the journey to achieve this ultimate goal, many countries can resolve lots of resilience problems along the way, for instance, poverty, famine, global warming, and so on.
To realize this vision, we need to foster a sustainable world through sustainable development. There are four intertwined facets of sustainable development, which are society, environment, culture and economy respects, and are divided into 17 sustainable development goals (SDG).
Sustainable development in the society
We must educate the younger generation in their understanding of their impact on our environment, aiming to change their mindset in this respect. Illiteracy is the cause of the lack of knowledge and understanding of the sustainable development goals. It is therefore vital to educate the public: from the local communities to nationwide.
Sustainable development in the environment
Climate change is always a threat to the environment. Reckless deforestation, indiscriminate energy consumption, intensive agriculture have had intensified global warming. Though these issues seem not to have been bothered us in Hong Kong, we have undeniably been affected as well. We must take action together in alleviating climate change worldwide.
Sustainable development in culture
Many countries, particularly patriarchal societies, have imposed measures to confine women’s autonomy. There, women can not express themselves freely and gender inequality prevails. We need to resolve inequality that limits everyone in exploring his/her potential. We aim to build a fairer system to make every place safe, sustainable and inclusive!
Sustainable economic development
We see improvement in the wider introduction of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in business enterprises. CSR can help strike a balance between profits and benevolence. Some companies even take a particular stance towards an issue, for instance, social discrimination. It is crucial that companies continue to engage in addressing social issues. They help the community to change its perception towards some social issues.
Let us work together to achieve sustainable development!
17 SDG Goals
