by Martin, Finlanson
(Ireland)
Sustainability means caring
When we say that we are able to sustain something it means that we can continue and keep going with what we have. But what really is sustainability?
This refers to how we can maintain our existence both as an individual and as a community. When we are faced with challenges, sustainability measures our ability to surpass the trials with sound decision making and capital allocation for the next generations. Our investment and consumption is the main driver of sustainability. We say that lack of resources prevents us investing in sustainable projects, but this is short sighted.
Sustainability takes care of our children’s well being, welfare and future. This is not limited to just allotment of budget and financing to make certain that future generations are comfortable and fulfilled. But how are we able to do that if we need financing for our well being today?
As we are all aware, many in the third world face problems in education, poverty, unemployment and financial hardship. There will always be a conflict whether we should live the way that we dream against preparing for our children and grandchildren’s needs in the future. From what I can see, we should choose to get our dreams started. Like most of the Western world who have had improved their material standard of livelihood this has impacted on our environment. This is already evident with the climate change that is happening to us today.
When listening to the world news, thunderstorms, hurricanes, flood, fires and other disasters are already happening. Not only this, has been news in Europe that some sea creatures like jellyfishes have risen from the depths to the upper sea level. We are experiencing this because of global warming and if we are already experiencing these effects today then we can conclude that we are in an unsustainable condition. If this continues our future heirs will have far worse to deal with.
Preventing global warming is not as easy as we think. It is not enough to completely shift our customs, attitude and behavior because we might end up sacrificing what we already have. It will be better if we do it gradually so that we are not compromising our lives. We can also find effective strategies that will improve our sustainability and at the same time take care of the environment. We need to balance both strategic benefits and costs so as to ensure the success of our chosen approach.
This is not a question of whether third world or the West needs to change. We all need to! Global warming leaves us with huge equity concerns. It will be better if first world countries can help other countries not only in environmental projects but also in developing awareness. All of us must understand the adverse effects of global warming and how we can avoid it.
At the end of the day, to stay away from dangers brought about by global warming, we have to make some very tough choices. But one thing is certain! We need to be careful with our decisions because our children will blame us because of their dim future.
