According to the Brundtland Commission report, sustainable development calls for “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Long before the report was published in 1987, Native American indigenous cultures lived by the proverb, “we have not inherited the earth from our fathers, we are borrowing it from our children.”This is perhaps the earliest evidence of sustainable planning.The actual term came about after humankind realized the impacts of a growing human population which can no longer be ignored. Natural resources are being depleted faster than are being replenished. While sustainable development “creates and maintains conditions under which man and nature can exist in productive harmony,” the key to making it work is timely and proper implementation of the 17 sustainable development goals by 2030. As set by the United Nations in September 2015, these goals incorporate dignity, prosperity, justice, partnership, planet and people into practices for a better world and healthy environment that can sustain an ideal quality of life for all. On January 1, 2016, these goals have finally come into effect and while they are not legally binding, we can only hope the U.S. chooses to take the lead.
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