Thanks for a sane post among the [[[[[[[[[gery that this thread has been normally experiencing. Sustainable Development should be defined as in this:
Sustainable development calls for improving the quality of life for all of the world’s people without increasing the use of our natural resources beyond the earth’s carrying capacity. While sustainable development may require different actions in every region of the world, the efforts to build a truly sustainable way of life require the integration of action in three key areas:
DD: No it isn't. We are talking about the real world, not this poster's Utopian vision. Sustainable, as used in this thread means what is sustainable in the long term. Not sustainable means self destructive, without a future, in a nutshell.
Economic Growth and Equity – Today’s interlinked, global economic systems demand an integrated approach in order to foster responsible long-term growth while ensuring that no nation or community is left behind.
DD: Okay Thomas Friedman, you were wrong, the world is flat after all. Anyone who keeps up with current events knows that the global economy, with all it's free capital and just in time shipping seems to have no future. Tell me, how are we going to stay interlinked, and keep that fleet of warehouses on wheels going with skyrocketing oil prices? Who is Asia going to sell it's slave wage products to when the U.S. and E.U. is bankrupt and out of credit? Who is going to keep the countries with slave wage labor from revolting when the U.S. and E.U. is powerless, and the oil producers have much less lucrative oil to use as bargaining chips?
Conserving Natural Resources and the Environment – To conserve our environmental heritage and natural resources for future generations, economically viable solutions must be developed to reduce resource consumption, stop pollution and conserve natural habitats.
DD: So, the argument is that we could spend billions building new green buildings, build new green power plants, and build millions of electric cars, all to sustain the unsustainable [[suburbia), or... we could do what I'm saying and simply move to urban settings. I fail to see why you think your idea is better, but even if it was, it's unrealistic.
Your view is unrealistic for three reasons.
- We as a country are going down the road of extreme debt. What makes you think we are going to be able to afford all this new green technology?
- It will take at best twenty years to develop anything of worth, we started way too late.
- The scale really doesn't seem to add up. Not even taking into account the soon to be car buying populations in Asia, all the green roofs, green power plants, and electric cars combined will not be enough to power the suburban model. It's that wasteful!
Social Development – Throughout the world, people require jobs, food, education, energy, health care, water and sanitation. While addressing these needs, the world community must also ensure that the rich fabric of cultural and social diversity, and the rights of workers, are respected, and that all members of society are empowered to play a role in determining their futures.
DD: I don't think we do that now, and that has nothing to do with long term sustainability. Again, your Utopian vision sounds beautiful, but here in the real world, Western civilization is utilizing sweat shops, is utilizing illegal immigrant labor, and was operating on a ponzi scheme economy that was the mortgage industry. Families are losing their jobs and living in tent villages, while many countries face civil unrest and outright bankruptcy.
While I long for a utopia much like yours, I think recent events have shown that we are going the other way, and the world is heading towards more instability than many in the worlds largest gated community [[The U.S.A.) are used to.
Some of the most important challenges facing the world today include:
- Alleviating poverty, especially in rural communities, where the majority of the world’s poor live.
DD: Again, we will be worrying about ourselves for awhile while the U.S.A. is knocked down a few pegs and the world exists without a super power.
Improving the ability of all countries, particularly developing countries, to meet the challenges of globalization, including greater capacity building and the transfer of financing and environmentally friendly technologies.
DD: Again, globalization isn't really going to be an issue much longer, if it isn't dead already.
DD: Like, oh I don't know, living and building up a dense urban environment and utilizing mass transit in existing cities?
DD: Well, we likely wont, so how will everyone else?
DD: Agreed, this is a big one.
DD: Agreed, but I really think we aren't going to be able to help the poor and destitute when we are one of them.
From: World Summit on Sustainable Development brochure, 2002
DD: Well I just saw that you got this from a brochure. No wonder it was filled with such Utopian dreaming and cheer leading drivel. Great source!
All of which Detroit isn't doing much of. And the suburbs are, to a greater extent.
Explain to me, Detroit Daddyo, how Detroit's skyscrapers can become LEED certified?