I truly do not believe that sustainable development brings economic development. I would like to think of sustainable development as being a loss to the economy especially when it comes to a developing country like Nepal. Sustainable development has got its own benefits such as it is for the long term, it is socially inclusive and certainly environmentally friendly. For instance, if a rural village in Nepal is aimed at bringing reformation but after we consider sustainable development, we do not make that skyscraper that could probably save a lot of agricultural lands and opt-out for making many cement houses. This would mean that various compromises have to be made in all the initiated development projects and ultimately what it does is, makes it inconvenient for the people for who the project was initially designed.
If we looked at the developed nations like the United States, Canada, China, or even Russia, it hasn’t been long since they were really concerned about the implication of their activities. The rapid economic growth came at its own cost. All the huge unnecessary development projects only to realize how harmful it was for the environment. Now everything they do, they go through an environmental impact assessesment, are more considerate towards environment. The truth is, they are on this high level of development in all the aspects because they were able to manipulate all kinds of resources in such a way that they were able to generate maximum economic growth and assure a really comfortable life for the citizens. Now that they’ve achieved all of it, the only wise option is to look at how they can repay for the damage that they have caused which seems to be opting for the sustainable developmental ideas. If we have a different conclusion to reach to in terms of development unlike them, because let’s just be honest for a second, development means whatever development meant for them, and if economic development is justified for a developing nation like ours, social inclusiveness and environment sustainability can be achieved along with the economic development as the level of. Development we aspire to reach will be compromised.
We really need to compare and validate where they are at this race and where we are at. What is their starting point to finally adapt to this concept of sustainable development and where do we stand? Do we look for development or sustainable development? Sustainable development will come for a cost as it certainly will limit a state’s production affecting the economy. In terms of inclusiveness however, it is the only viable solution for most of the problems in not just few countries but all over the world. Sustainable development assures an environment that we seek for. We also cannot ignore the fact that this is the 21st century, most of us have had an upbringing that has made us more materialistic than ever, which means every country has the right to make every bit of facilities and services readily available to the public. It is only when we’ll be on the same level, all the countries can be equal and sustainable development is going to benefit all of us.
Some of us clearly lag so much behind and some of us are way too ahead on this race which means that it’s impossible to match each other so the best option would be to start right here and now no matter what country you are in. A deteriorating environment is affecting us all and will be even more lethal for the upcoming generation. Let’s begin here for better and long-term sustainability. Since we have started adopting sustainable development agendas, it has started empowering the marginalized for an equal world, social inclusion is more considered, and we have started to be responsible for our actions concerning the environment to name a few positive outcomes.
