Critique of Sustainable Development
Introduction
Sustainable development is that development that meets the demands of present generation without interfering with the demands of the future generation. Sustainable development has been possible through the United Nations coming up with sustainable development goals which each nation should work towards achieved. The subject has not been easy since it has faced various critics from other people who argue out that sustainability cannot be measured. Such people argue out that the consequences of development are discovered later after development has taken place and thus cannot be predicted. The environment continues to get depleted even after the sustainable goals have been put in place since most countries do not work towards achievement of these goals especially those countries that are not members of the United Nations. Sustainable development on the other hand is argued out to be useful since members of the United Nations have come together towards achieving the 17 sustainable goals. The goals have enabled that developed countries have worked together with developing countries in achieving these goals. Most of the developing countries have worked towards ensuring the goals are met thus utilizing the available resources effectively without compromising them for the purposes of the future generations. Therefore this paper will discuss sustainable energy as one of the sustainable development topics since energy is a major natural resource which needs to be conserved.
Sustainable energy is energy that meets the demands of the present generation without compromising the needs and demands of the future generation (Dinçer & Rosen, 2012). Technologies that support the sustainable energy include renewable energies such as hydropower, wind, solar, geothermal, bio and tidal energies which are all renewable sources of energy (International Conference on Sustainable Energy Technologies et al, 2014) Most of these renewable energy sources are economically and environmentally advantageous since they not only save the environment but are cost effective as well. Fossil fuels are being reduced since people are being encouraged to use the renewable sources of energy which are readily available and are cost effective in nature (Jennings, 2007). The renewable sources of energy reduce the emission of harmful gases to the environment since most of them are environmental friendly compared to the fossil fuels. Sustainability is about ensuring the environment remains safe and friendly for both the present and future generations. Renewable sources of energy are sustainable in nature since they are friendly and effective to use. The energies ensure that pollution is minimized and that fossil fuels are reduced since fossil fuels cause more harm to the environment and thus demote the principle of sustainable development (Gerstlberger et al, 2014). Most people have encouraged use of the fossil fuels while some especially those friends of the environment are against the use of fossil fuels since when burnt in air give out dangerous gases which eventually harms the ozone, depleting it and subjecting people to chronic diseases.
Renewable sources of energy encourage the issue of sustainable energies since they reduce the rate of the world’s dependency on the fossil fuels. Fossil fuels have been widely used and over used since the world depends on them as the main sources of fuels (Mcdade, 2015). Currently renewable energy sources have come up and are used on behalf of the fossil fuels as the world is going green. Going green, implies that the world is shifting its focus on harmful fossil fuels to using renewable sources of energy which are safe and environmentally friendly. Most research has been done in the energy sector where people have come up with alternatives energies such as wind, solar and bio energies which are more cost effective and readily available (Ignotas & Stasytytė, 2016). Wind energy was previously wasted in the earlier years where people did not think wind can be captured and used as an energy source. Though the renewable energies have their pros, the cons are more compared to those of the fossil fuels therefore indicating that these energy sources are effective and friendly to use. The renewable sources of energy cannot be depleted compared to fossil fuels which when over used will become depleted (Urbaniec et al, 2016). Most governments are appealing their people to use renewable sources of energy since they have environmental benefits thus promote sustainable development. Renewable sources of energy have advanced with people now using tidal energy which was not used before. This energy is efficient and has environmental benefits, which is the main principle of sustainable development.
Energy is said to be an important factor that will promote sustainable development and indeed lead to eradication of poverty especially in most developing countries. Most people still have no access to the modern sources of energy which means that poverty has not yet been eradicated in most developing nations (Olla, 2012). The energy demand is increasing and most governments are coming up with measures ensuring that most people benefit from the sources of energy. Cleaner and greener sources of energy are coming up which will ensure that energy is conserved as an important and scarce resource (Sharma & Kar, 2015). Sustainable energy is ensured by the United Nations by ensuring that modern energy sources reach all people. Improved energy sources will ensure that poverty is eradicated and this will ensure that sustainable development is achieved at the right time. Most countries have adapted to use renewable sources of energy since the non renewable energy sources are unpredictable and their costs vary with time (Ramos & Bashiri, 2013). These energy sources are not friendly to the environment and are not cost effective since the fossil fuels are effective and not readily available. The renewable sources of energy have ensured that many people get employment opportunities thus raise their living standards compared to those coal industries which require less human power. Wind power has ensured that electricity reach the rural areas therefore promoting and developing those areas where electricity would not reach before. Thus these energies are useful in ensuring nations develop and benefit both economically and environmentally and ensure sustainable development is promoted.
Conclusion
From the above discussion, it can be concluded that sustainable development is important even though it faces some critics since it has ensured that nations work hand to ensure they achieve the sustainable development goals. Non renewable sources of energy are more efficient, cost effective and friendly to the environment thus should be used in order to ensure that sustainable development is achieved. Sustainable energies have ensured that rural areas develop and most people in the rural areas get employment opportunities and indeed improve their standards of living. Sustainable energies ensure that poverty is eradicated since they are cost effective and ensure the living standards of people are improved. Thus people should ensure they promote sustainable development through using the renewable sources of energy more compared to how they use the fossil fuels.
References
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