Sustainable Development Essay -- Sociology Conservation Agriculture Es

Sustainable Development The term sustainable development was introduced in the 1987 report "Our Common Future". The World Commission on Environment and Development defined sustainable development as "development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". Different communities are organizing themselves to promote this ideology. They are combating the pressure of corporations’ economic practices, which damage the environment and living conditions. Corporations are taking over community farms. This is degrading the land due to the harsh agricultural processes used for mass production. The use of chemicals, found in pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides causes strain on the land. The meat industry is one of those corporations responsible for soil erosion and land destruction. McDonalds and Burger King use lethal poisons to destroy vast areas of Central American rainforest, to create grazing pastures for cattle, to be sent back to the states as burgers and pet food, and to provide fast food packaging materials. It takes 800 square miles of forest just to keep them supplied with paper for one year. In an interview in the meat production plant in Costa Rica, it was found that Montecillos Cooperative produces 20 to 24 tons of meat for hamburgers per month to export to fast-food restaurants in United States. ( S.D. "Sergio Quintana: Meat plant manager") Among other environmental and social problems is land use management. In Mozambique, for a family to own a small piece of land is a great privilege. Over 80 percent of Mozambique’s 17 million people are peasants whose survival depends on the food they grow. In the 1990’s a peace treaty was sign... ...tional ways to work with the land and to re-establish our lost connection with nature as in the Andean region example. These changes and visions for a sustainable future are happening in every part of the world. The goal of sustainable development is to create a sense of responsibility towards other humans and nature and to promote the awareness that we only have a limited amount of resources, which need to be properly distributed. The most important aspect of sustainability is taking action in reflecting these ideas. Bibliography Conca Ken, Geoffrey D. Dabelko, Green Planet Blues, Westview Press 1998. Sustainable Development "Les Cheneaux Economic Forum" Witness Statement "Sergio Quintana: Meat Plant Manager" OXFAM America "U.S. and African Farmers Creating Co-Opportunities" OXFAM America "The Founding of Chuyma Aru: Reviving Andean Culture"