At the heart of sustainable development is the need for society to sustain itself by enabling people to develop skills, knowledge, innovation and creativity, while at the same time protecting natural resources and safeguarding health, so that future generations are not compromised by the decisions and actions we make.
Sustainable development is a way to tackle many issues simultaneously and to mutual benefit, including local regeneration, community relations and service delivery. Of central importance is developing ways to involve local communities in the decisions which affect them. District councils in Northern Ireland must address the challenges of sustainable development to deliver multiple benefits to the authority, the rate payers and the communities.
Sustainable development is based on balancing social, economic and environmental costs and benefits to ensure the best future. It is about looking at long term as well as short term costs and consequences, and about looking at global as well as local aspects of any decision.
Put simply, sustainability occurs when human activities do not irreversibly damage the environment;
In which natural habitats, the global abundance and diverity of flora and fauna are maintained;
In which the extraction and use of natural resources is within their natural replacement rates;
In which natural cycles or process are maintained; and
In which human impacts can be repaired by the Earth's natural and biological process.
By taking a bit of time to look at the 'big picture' it is possible to find areas where work will not only fulfil several of these goals, but also become easier and save money in the long run. Identify a few of these 'win-win' situations, put them into practice and realise that it's actually going to be of great benefit. To take just one practical example, by instituting an energy efficiency audit and reduction programme it is possible to address climate change issues, tackle several targets within the sustainable development strategy, decrease direct costs and provide a good example for citizens to follow.
The impacts of climate change and our efforts to avoid its worst effects on ourselves and the rest of the world must be a key priority for all of us in the next decade. District councils have major roles to play through direct action - energy consumption, transport, waste management - and through the ways they encourage citizens to behave. By prioritising these issues and acting upon them the council will also fulfil many of the commitments and targets in the Northern Ireland Sustainable Development Strategy.
The sustainable development principles should be the core of all decision making processes.
