Sustainable Development Essay

Submitted By ps7678
Words: 1880
Pages: 8

Sustainable Development in India and China
Background
Since the beginning of the industrial age, the ability to connect and use different forms of energy has changed the living standards for billions of people, allowing them to take advantage of comfort and mobility in human history, making them to perform task efficiently and easily. However, humanity now finds itself confronting the challenge of saving this earth from unsustainable exploitation of natural resources.
Even though these forms of energy have provided the opportunity for mobility and comfort, it has come at a cost. Natural resources are being carelessly exploited, and are becoming exhausted (Debroy, 29). The global population is rapidly increasing, which could lead to food shortage. Deforestation and poaching have lead to the extinction of many species of plants and animals. Many sources of air and water have become polluted, which has negative health affects on any organism that is exposed to the pollution. These issues do not only affect one area or population, but rather the entire earth. Everyone is going to suffer in one way or another, and everyone is responsible for it.
During the last quarter of the 20th century, people started to become concerned about the uncertainty of natural resources. People began to rethink development and reexamine traditional development based on industrialism, focusing on sustainability (Haque 198).
Introduction
According to the Brundtland Report, sustainable development is “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (What is sustainable Development, 2012). It focuses on improving the quality of life for all without harming natural resources. Since 1987, the definition of sustainable development has evolved. There are many ways to interpret sustainable development. However, sustainability is not a new concept. Many cultures around the world have identified the core needs of the environment, society, and economy. It is important that we share these ideas of sustainability in the context of global industrial and information society (What is sustainable Development, 2012).
Different people have different views on the concept of sustainable development. In this regard, there are several scholars who tried to identify more specific measures or indicators of sustainable development. Kadekodi’s list of sustainability indicators includes: land and water related measures, natural resources related indicators, population and quality of life measures, environmental indicators, welfare and living standards indicators, and institutional and legal indicators (Morgan).
The main concern of sustainable development is actually environmental and ecological concerns: the rapid exploitation of natural resources that harms future generations, the excessive waste that harms the biosphere, increasing extinction of biological diversity, redundancy of basic goods and services produced in the name of economic growth, and internal and international inequalities effecting environmental outcomes (Morgan).
Sustainable Development in India
India is the one of the largest countries in the world. India’s economy is booming, which makes sustainable development even more important. According to a UN report, the population of India is about 1.2 billion, and is expected to grow by 300 million more within the next 20 years. There is a major shift in India in which people are leaving the rural part of the country for employment opportunities in the big cities. This causes an imbalance in population between rural areas and urban areas. This rapid growth in cities area bring challenges (Seimens).
To meet these challenges without the exploitation of environment, it is crucial to plan for sustainable development. Therefore, Siemens, a contractor working for India, has identified sustainable growth by applying innovative technologies.
Sustainable Power Supply in the