Sustainability and population density - Dissertation Example

The chief issue in such a situation is the creation of effective governance by the various State authorities that must necessarily work towards maintaining a sustainable development (SD) program, and apply adequate restraints on the human demand for natural resources, in order to protect the natural supply. 1.1 Sustainable development Sustainable development (SD) refers to use of natural resources that aims at satisfying human needs, while safeguarding the environment, in order to create a developmental plan that aims that aims at meeting not only the requirements of the present generation but also that of the future generations.

The term sustainable development was first coined by the Brundtland Commission, which defined it as the word as "which implies meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (United Nations, 42/187 Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987; WCED, 1987). Fig 1: Sustainable Development: Components, Scenarios, Consequences, this diagram shows the path of sustainable development that creates a link between the past, present, and future generations (Winograd and Farrow, 2002, 4). . Sustainable development links the concerns that arise out of bearing the total capacity of the natural resources along with social pressures.

In 1970, we find that the term "sustainability" was used to characterize an economy that was "in equilibrium with basic ecological support systems" (Stivers, 1976). SD can be divided into three basic parts: environmental protection, social sustainability, and economic progress (fig 2). Fig 2: A Visual Representations of Sustainable Development through pillars and circles, showing the three basic components (Adams, 2006, 2). Sustainable development is a quantitative variable and can be measured through observations on how well a community is adhering to the needs and conjectures of the present and future citizens.

There are various indicators to measure the SD within a community. 1.2 Sustainability indicators Indicators are essential part of any process that helps to evaluate how much of the work done has achieved the desired target, while also indicating how much work remains to be done. An appropriate indicator makes one aware of an existing problem, and helps to assess the various measures to fix the problem. Indicators of a sustainable development refer to the areas that form a weak connection between environmental protection, economic development, and social sustainability.

Sustainability indicators reflect the close interrelation that exists between the three different dimensions for SDs, which are represented in the figure below: Fig 3: A diagram showing the close interactions between environment, the economy, and social sustainable measures of SD (Sustainable Measures, What is an indicator of sustainability? 2010). As seen in the above diagram the environmental or natural