INGENIEUR
Figure 2 : UN Sustainable Development Goals
associated with actions and processes that aim to maintain a balanced planet ecosystem and still provide a respectable quality of life .
Adding on to the concept of development , the term sustainable development has a universally agreed definition , the most commonly familiar one being that of the Brundtland Commission of the United Nations on March 20 , 1987 , which states : Development that meets the needs of the present , without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs . At the 2005 World Summit , it was noted that this requires the reconciliation of environmental , social , and economic demands , known as the “ three pillars ” of sustainability .
In summary , Professor Jeffrey Sachs , President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network describes the meaning of sustainable development as economic development that is socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable . It is a holistic concept , involving economics , social justice , and environmental management – cutting across many intellectual disciplines Each of these three areas too imply cross-cutting knowledge . For example , environmental management requires familiarity with Earth Sciences ( climate , geology , oceanography , and ecology ), applied fields ( agronomy , conservation , and urban planning ), and environmental engineering ( energy systems , hydrology , and industrial ecology ). 4
Whichever way we look at it , the concept revolves around the need to make improvements
pertaining to over exploitation of natural capital , industrial activities particularly energy use and pollution , consumption patterns and lifestyles . It also points towards the need to be looking at growth of innovations in technology , institutional changes in governance and finance .
To be able to implement the concept on a practical level needs action . Thus , the ratification of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ) by UN members in September 2015 is a call for universal actions to tackle inequality while leaving no one behind . The 17 goals are wide ranging and apply to all people and requires the partnerships among all stakeholders from public and private sectors to make it work ( see Figure 2 ).
The major sustainable development challenges include ending poverty and hunger ( SDGs 1 and 2 ); universal access to key services such as health ( SDG 3 ), education ( SDG 4 ), water and sanitation ( SDG 6 ), renewable energy ( SDG 7 ), decent work ( SDG 8 ); environmental sustainability ( SDG 11 – 15 ); and inclusive societies with reduced inequalities of life conditions and lifetime opportunities ( SDGs 5 , 10 , 16 , 17 ). 4
SDGs and the Chemical Industry
It is widely acknowledged that while the SDG agenda is ambitious , it is also transformative and universal . Strategic alignment with the
16 VOL 86 APRIL-JUNE 2021