A Non-Boring Definition Sustainable Development | SUSTAINABILITY

Summary

In this inaugural video, Kaylee delves into the foundational concepts of sustainability and sustainable development, highlighting their importance in addressing global challenges. She emphasizes the modern definition's roots in indigenous wisdom and the 1987 Brundtland Commission report. Kaylee outlines the definition of sustainable development as meeting present needs without compromising future generations' abilities, underscoring its simplicity, focus on intergenerational equity, and balance between people and planet. She distinguishes between sustainability as the end goal and sustainable development as the journey, advocating for transformative solutions to achieve a harmonious balance among social, environmental, and economic aspects.

Takeaways

• 🌱 The term 'sustainability' is rooted in traditional knowledge and practices of indigenous cultures, predating modern definitions by thousands of years.
• 📚 The modern definition of sustainable development was first introduced in the 1987 Brundtland Commission report, 'Our Common Future', emphasizing meeting present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet theirs.
• 🌐 The 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro was pivotal in popularizing the concept of sustainable development, where the term began to gain global recognition.
• 👍 The definition of sustainable development is appreciated for its simplicity, focusing on intergenerational equity, and balancing the needs of people with the health of the planet.
• 🔄 The distinction between 'sustainability' and 'sustainable development' is crucial: sustainability as the end goal of a balanced state, and sustainable development as the journey and actions taken to achieve that state.
• 🤔 Some critics argue that sustainable development is an oxymoron, suggesting that growth and sustainability are inherently at odds, but the video presenter remains optimistic about transformative solutions.
• 🌐 Sustainability is a systemic concept, meaning changes in one area can have widespread impacts, necessitating a holistic approach to address global challenges.
• 🌿 The 'Our Common Future' report highlights the interconnectedness of global crises, showing that environmental, developmental, and energy issues are not separate but part of a larger, complex system.
• 🌟 Sustainability encompasses three dimensions: social (meeting basic human needs), environmental (maintaining planetary boundaries and biodiversity), and economic (sustaining financial and marketplace health).
• 📊 The International Union for the Conservation of Nature's diagram illustrates the need to balance social, environmental, and economic aspects to achieve true sustainability.

Q & A

What is the main focus of Kaylee's channel 'Ipina Suit'?

The main focus of Kaylee's channel 'Ipina Suit' is sustainability, discussing topics such as climate change, gender equality, human rights, and decent work.

Why is the first video significant for Kaylee?

The first video is significant because it marks the beginning of her journey on the channel, and she goes back to the basics to discuss the definitions of sustainability and sustainable development.

What is the modern definition of sustainable development used in policy, academia, and media?

The modern definition of sustainable development is 'meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.'

When was the term 'sustainable development' first used in a modern context?

The term 'sustainable development' was first used in a modern context in a 1987 report titled 'Our Common Future' published by the Brundtland Commission.

What is the importance of the 1992 Earth Summit in the context of sustainable development?

The 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro was significant as it was where the term 'sustainable development' really started to take root and gain global recognition.

What are the three reasons Kaylee likes the definition of sustainable development?

Kaylee likes the definition because it is simple, focuses on intergenerational equity, and balances people and planet.

How does Kaylee differentiate between 'sustainability' and 'sustainable development'?

Kaylee differentiates between the two terms by considering 'sustainability' as the end goal or destination, and 'sustainable development' as the journey or the pathways and actions taken to reach that goal.

What does Kaylee believe is necessary for achieving sustainability?

Kaylee believes that transformative solutions and policies are necessary for achieving sustainability, allowing for development within the constraints of our planetary boundaries.

Why is sustainability considered a systemic concept?

Sustainability is considered a systemic concept because actions in one industry, sector, or region impact others, and achieving sustainability requires looking at the entire system.

What are the three major facets of society that sustainable development encompasses?

Sustainable development encompasses the social, environmental, and economic facets of society, focusing on people's basic needs, the planet's capacity to sustain life, and the economy's ability to support people financially.

What is the significance of the Venn diagram showing the intersection of social, environmental, and economic aspects?

The Venn diagram is significant because it illustrates that a livable and equitable society can only be achieved by balancing all three dimensions: social, environmental, and economic, which is essential for sustainability.

Outlines

00:00

🌱 Introduction to Sustainability

Kaley introduces the concept of sustainability and sustainable development, emphasizing their importance for understanding broader issues like climate change, gender equality, and human rights. She highlights the historical roots of sustainability in indigenous cultures and acknowledges the modern definition's origin in the 1987 Brundtland Commission report. The report's definition focuses on meeting current needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their needs, a concept that Kaley appreciates for its simplicity and emphasis on intergenerational equity. She also appreciates how the definition balances human needs with the planet's constraints.

05:01

🔄 The Journey vs. The Destination: Sustainability vs. Sustainable Development

Kaley discusses the nuanced difference between sustainability and sustainable development, likening them to a journey and a destination, respectively. Sustainability represents the end goal of living in harmony with the planet and its resources, while sustainable development encompasses the actions and policies that guide us towards that goal. She addresses the paradoxical nature of combining 'sustainable' with 'development' and expresses optimism about the possibility of growth that is also sustainable. Kaley emphasizes the systemic nature of sustainability, noting that changes in one sector can affect others, and refers to the interconnected crises of environment, development, and energy as evidence of this.

10:03

🌐 The Three Pillars of Sustainability

In the final paragraph, Kaley clarifies that sustainability is not solely an environmental issue but also includes social and economic dimensions. She references a diagram by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature to illustrate how social, environmental, and economic factors must be balanced for true sustainability. Kaley stresses the importance of systemic change across all sectors to achieve sustainability and highlights the need for transformative solutions and policies. She concludes by inviting viewers to engage with the content, seek further information, and support organizations working towards sustainability.

Keywords

💡Sustainability

Sustainability refers to the ability to maintain a certain process or state indefinitely. In the context of the video, it is the end goal of achieving a state where human activities can continue without depleting natural resources or harming the environment. The video emphasizes that sustainability is not just an environmental concern but also encompasses social and economic aspects, aiming for a balance that allows for human well-being without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

💡Sustainable Development

Sustainable development is defined in the video as the journey towards sustainability. It involves the policies, actions, and pathways taken to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The video highlights that sustainable development is about balancing the needs of people and the planet, ensuring that economic growth and social development occur within the limits of what the environment can support.

💡Intergenerational Equity

Intergenerational equity is the concept of fairness between generations, ensuring that the actions of one generation do not compromise the well-being of future generations. The video uses this term to underscore the importance of considering long-term impacts when making decisions today, particularly in the context of environmental protection and resource management. It is closely tied to the idea that sustainability requires considering the needs of future generations.

💡Planetary Boundaries

Planetary boundaries are the limits of Earth's natural systems beyond which changes may become irreversible or lead to unacceptable environmental impacts. The video mentions these boundaries in relation to sustainable development, indicating that development should occur within these limits to ensure the long-term health and resilience of the planet.

💡Climate Change

Climate change is a significant theme in the video, referring to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns, primarily due to human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels. It is discussed as one of the critical issues that sustainability and sustainable development aim to address, highlighting the need for immediate action to mitigate its impacts and ensure a habitable planet for future generations.

💡Gender Equality

Gender equality is briefly mentioned in the video as one of the in-depth concepts that sustainability encompasses. It refers to the equal rights, opportunities, and treatment of individuals, regardless of their gender. The video implies that gender equality is an essential aspect of creating a just and sustainable society, where everyone has the opportunity to contribute to and benefit from development.

💡Human Rights

Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms to which all individuals are entitled. The video touches on human rights as part of the broader sustainability agenda, suggesting that respecting and promoting human rights is integral to creating a fair and sustainable world where everyone's needs are met.

💡Decent Work

Decent work is a concept that includes opportunities for work that is productive and delivers a fair income, security in the workplace, and better quality of life. The video mentions decent work as one of the areas that sustainable development aims to improve, emphasizing the importance of creating jobs that are not only economically viable but also socially and environmentally sustainable.

💡Indigenous Cultures

Indigenous cultures are highlighted in the video as having a long history of sustainable practices and knowledge. The video suggests that these cultures have valuable insights into living in harmony with the environment, which can inform modern approaches to sustainability and sustainable development.

💡Systemic

The term 'systemic' is used in the video to describe the interconnected nature of sustainability issues. It implies that changes in one area can have widespread effects on others, and true sustainability requires a holistic approach that considers the entire system. The video uses this term to argue for the need to look beyond individual sectors or issues and to address the root causes of environmental and social problems.

💡Our Common Future

Our Common Future is the title of the 1987 report by the Brundtland Commission that first introduced the modern definition of sustainable development. The video discusses this report as a pivotal moment in the history of sustainability, setting the stage for global discussions and actions aimed at balancing economic, social, and environmental concerns.

Highlights

Introduction to the concept of sustainability and sustainable development.

Emphasis on the importance of understanding sustainability's basic definitions.

The historical roots of sustainability in indigenous cultures.

The modern definition of sustainable development from the 1987 Brundtland Commission report.

The 1992 Earth Summit as a pivotal moment for the term 'sustainable development'.

Definition of sustainable development: Meeting present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their own needs.

Three reasons why the given definition of sustainable development is favored.

Intergenerational equity as a crucial aspect of sustainable development.

Balancing people's needs and the planet's boundaries as part of sustainable development.

The difference between sustainability as a destination and sustainable development as the journey.

The paradox of sustainable development and the challenge of growth within sustainability.

Sustainability as a systemic concept affecting multiple sectors and communities.

The importance of considering the entire system for achieving sustainability.

Sustainability's three major facets: social, environmental, and economic.

The necessity of balancing social, environmental, and economic dimensions for true sustainability.

The role of transformative solutions and policies in achieving sustainable development.

Encouragement for viewers to engage with the content, ask questions, and support related organizations.

Transcripts

hey guys it's kaylee and welcome to

ipina suit where every week

i talk about sustainability because i

dream of a world where people care more

about the planet than instagram models

i am so so excited because it is my very

first video

and because it is the first one i'm

going back to basics

starting at the very beginning and i'm

going to go over the definitions of the

term sustainability and sustainable

development

understanding these terms will really

help in

understanding the more in-depth concepts

i'll go into later on this channel like

climate change gender equality human

rights decent work

you name it so without further ado let's

kick off

in this video i'm going to focus on the

modern definition

of sustainable development used in

policy

academia and media but i think it's

really important to note

that while this modern definition has

gained popularity in kind of the last

30-ish years

the concept itself way predates that it

goes back

hundreds if not thousands of years and

is very much the root and basis of

indigenous cultures we talk about it

like it's this thing that was invented

in the un but

really it comes from traditional

knowledge and practices and i don't want

us to forget that

as we move forward and talk about what

exactly it is

all right so let's get into the history

of the modern definition

so the first time we saw the definition

of sustainable development in a modern

context was in a 1987 report

titled our common future published by

the bruntland commission

so basically the context at that time

was people were starting to get more

conscious of

poverty and also environmental

destruction and the un

assembled this group of 22 global

experts

under the leadership of grow harlem

bruntland who was the former

prime minister of norway to come

together and to start to

explore how we could address

multiple crises at once they published

their report in 1987 and the definition

was included there

but really where it started to gain

steam was at the 1992

earth summit which was quite a famous

event so you might have heard of it

it took place in rio de janeiro and

there was another one 20 years later rio

plus 20

but the first one in 1992 was where the

term sustainable development really

started to take

root and the definition as

found in that report and at that summit

was as follows

meeting the needs of the present without

compromising the ability

of future generations to meet their own

needs

as with any definition or big concept i

think

people will probably write in the

comments or say oh no

that's not the definition i use or

there's a better definition

or it needs more nuance and and that

could totally be true but i see this

definition as the most widely used

generally accepted definition of

sustainable development that's kind of

withstood the test of time so it may not

be completely comprehensive or

everything but it really gets at the

idea and that's why i'm

focusing on that particular definition i

also really happen to like this

definition and there's three reasons why

first thing i really like about it is

it's simple it doesn't use big

words and jargon it boils it down into a

concept i think most people can

understand

it reminds me a lot of that gandhi quote

the world has enough for everyone's

needs but not everyone's greed

to me that is really what this

definition encompasses and that's a

simple thing for people to understand

and grasp so i really like that the

second thing i like and

this to me is is crucial is that it

focuses on

intergenerational equity so i just

finished saying

i like it because it doesn't include

jargon and then i put throw in this big

word that makes no sense

but let me explain intergenerational

equity is essentially

fairness between generations and

right now and for the last few years

with the fridays for the future

campaign led by greta tunberg we have

absolutely seen

this idea of intergenerational equity we

see young people around the world

saying to their leaders you are making

decisions that are going to make our

lives harder

in the future and this definition

encompasses that idea

that intergenerational equity idea which

i think is is so

beautiful and important the third thing

i really like is

that it balances people and planet there

are kind of two schools of thought in

sustainability or

kind of factions that go against each

other which is

you know humans are ruining everything

and we need to

pair everything back or you know we have

a lot of people in poverty

and they need to develop regardless of

what this means for

the planet and that's a little bit

simplistic but you get the idea

the cool thing about this definition is

that i think it brings in this idea of

people's needs but also what's possible

within the constraints of our planetary

boundaries

and so for me that is a really crucial

part because it brings both dimensions

together as opposed to pitting them

against each other so now that you have

the big picture of the definition and

why i think it's a good definition

that has stood the test of time let's go

into the difference between

sustainability and sustainable

development

because these terms are often used quite

interchangeably which

is okay but they are slightly different

and for me the way i think about them

differently

is one as the journey one as the

destination

so i think of sustainability as the end

goal

what we're trying to reach to be

sustainable is to be in a state

that can be sustained forever so

that we could continue in that fashion

which means that we would be living in

harmony with each other and with the

planet and with what

resources can be replenished that's the

idea of reaching a sustainable

state so that's sustainability the other

side is the journey

how we get there the pathways the

policies the actions that we take that

allow us to get there and that's

sustainable development one thing i

should say here

is that there are people who believe the

idea of sustainable and development

being brought together in one term is is

completely

uh contrary it doesn't work it's a

paradox

and they say this because they say

there's no way to develop

to grow to to build in a way that is

sustainable

and while i see the point because if you

look at our systems right now and

you know even just what we experienced

in 2020 with going into lockdowns and

everything shutting down

we really saw that a huge amount of

economic activity needed to cease for

you know a seven percent emission

reduction i think it's hard to envision

how we could grow

and develop as a society without having

massive implications on the planet

but me i'm an optimist i do believe with

transformative

solutions and policies we can find

new ways of thinking through our systems

that allow us to develop

in a sustainable way all right i

promised this definition would be

non-boring so i'm gonna start to wrap it

up but i just have two more

really quick things to touch on i wanted

to note that sustainability

is an inherently systemic concept

and what i mean by that is that

anything that's done in one industry

sector community city province

state country region impacts others

and this is something where i think

we're not set up as a society to deal

with very well

because we're very much in silos in many

forms of the word whether that be

government ministries

or different countries and to truly

achieve sustainability we need to look

at the entire system

the our common future report has a

really great quote that i think is worth

just reading here really quick because

it very much encapsulates this

systemic idea it says until

recently the planet was a large world in

which human activities and their effects

were neatly compartmentalized within

nations within sectors

and within broad areas of concern these

compartments have begun to dissolve

this applies in particular to the

various global crises

that have seized public concern

particularly over the past decade

these are not separate crises an

environmental crisis a development

crisis

an energy crisis they are all one

what i think is so interesting is this

was written in 1987

and if you think about just what we've

experienced in 2020 we saw a

global health crisis completely rock our

world and

create a global economic crisis

completely

change the way so many of us live

and work and everything

i think this goes to show just how

systemic these issues really are

and how much one impact can have a

ripple effect across

entire systems and the very final thing

that i wanted to mention

about understanding the definition of

sustainability

is that it is not strictly an

environmental concept and i've touched

on this previously when i was talking

about balancing people and planet

but i want to come back to it

sustainability as we know it today

sustainable development is about three

major facets of society the social

the environmental and the economic the

social being people's ability to meet

their basic needs

such as shelter food education

health environmental being what our

planet can hold and sustain

the planetary boundaries our

biodiversity the climate etc

and the third one being economic our

economy our global marketplace

how we trade goods receive goods how we

work

how we sustain ourselves financially

that's another part of sustainability

so again the concept of sustainability

it's systemic and it balances multiple

dimensions

not just environmentalism it's about

social environment and economic and

there's this great

diagram that was done by the

international union for the conservation

of nature i'm just going to pop it up

here

that shows how these three things work

together you might have

a livable society you might have an

equitable society a bearable one

but without balancing all three of those

dimensions you

you don't have a sustainable one you

don't have one that can continue in

perpetuity

this is a really important concept

because i think a lot of governments for

example

will take sustainability or hear the

word and say okay that's with the

environment ministry

but it's not it's about balancing all

those dimensions if we don't

fundamentally transform the way our

economies work

we won't achieve environmental

sustainability or

create an equitable future for so many

people where there's not poverty

where they have good health care etc so

you can see how all three of these

things really do need to be balanced

to create a sustainable world and that's

it

that's all i've got for you today thank

you so much for tuning in to my first

video i really hope you learned

something in this video and if you have

any questions or comments

please pop them in the box below and i

will do my best to respond and provide

resources where i can

i also always prepare a blog post that

summarizes this concept in writing

and includes links to my research and

places you can go to

learn more and i include one to two

charities

or organizations that work on this topic

if you're interested in supporting them

or knowing more

about their work i post content here

every single wednesday related to

sustainability

so if that interests you please do

subscribe to the channel and give this

video a like it helps me out a ton

thank you so much for watching keep

fighting the good fight and i'll see you

soon bye

[Music]

bye