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SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT?
In 1987, the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development released the report Our Common Future, commonly called the Brundtland Report. The report included a definition of "sustainable development" which is now widely used Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains two key concepts within it:
- The concept of 'needs', in particular, the essential needs of the world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and
- The idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs
Sustainable Development Goals
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked objectives designed to serve as a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet now and into the future". The SDGs are: no poverty; zero hunger; good health and well-being; quality education; gender equality; clean water and sanitation; affordable and clean energy; decent work and economic growth; industry, innovation and infrastructure; reduced inequalities; sustainable cities and communities; responsible consumption and production; climate action; life below water; life on land; peace, justice, and
strong institutions; and partnerships for the goals. The SDGs emphasize the interconnected environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainable development by putting sustainability at their center.
Need and Importance
The need and importance of sustainable development are to balance our economic, environmental and social needs, allowing well-being for now and up- coming generations. Sustainable development encourages us to conserve and enhance our resource base, by gradually changing the methods in which we develop and use technologies. Countries must be allowed to meet their basic needs of employment, food, energy, water and sanitation. It implies those ways in which development activities does not cause damage to the environment. No doubt it sets certain limits on the human activities. When supply cannot be increased the needs must be reduced; there is no other way out. Sustainable development increased the use of perpetual natural resources and decreases that of the no n- renewable ones. It makes careful management of the renewable natural resources. Sustainable development brings harmony between human beings and nature. Needs of people are better fulfilled and it makes human consumers realize the value of nature. Sustainable development ensures the meaningful investment of capital and other means because development is smooth and durable, and the environment is protected.
India’s involvement in goal-setting and target-setting
India has vociferously pushed for the concerns of developing countries as a member of the Open Working Group (OWG) tasked with preparing a proposal on the SDGs. India emphasized the importance of quick and inclusive economic growth in moving large numbers of impoverished people out of poverty. It has also stated that, while much has been accomplished in terms of infrastructure development, bringing development to all segments of society remains a major problem. All developing countries around the world continue to face these issues. India has taken the position that the SDGs must be a development agenda. While poverty eradication and development through inclusive economic growth remain at the top of the development agenda, these massive challenges will necessitate extra resources and capacity-building activities. As a result, India has prioritized international collaboration to aid development, as well as suitable methods of execution, such as increased Official Development Assistance (ODA) and technology transfer on favorable terms to aid developing countries.
Measures taken for implementing SDGs in India
NITI Aayog Monitoring and evaluation The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
Growth in use of green technologies has put India on the green-building leader board with countries such as the US. "About 2-3 per cent of all construction in India is green, as good as (in) the US. In the next two or three years, we want to bring it up to 10 per cent, which will put us on top," as per the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC). The US$ 1.79 billion Indian lighting market is estimated to be growing at 18 per cent annually and switching rapidly to energy-efficient systems. In value terms, about US$ 425.58 million of the current market size belongs to the compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), according to Electrical Lamp and Component Manufacturers' Association of India (ELCOMA) statistics. On the back of the incentive package for electric vehicles announced by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, average monthly sales of electric two- wheelers has risen 20 per cent, according to Sohinder Gill, Director, Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles. Backing the ‘polluter must pay’ principle to deal with the issue of residual pollution, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has endorsed proper enforcement of regulatory standards to prevent green damage. He also inaugurated the 'Delhi Sustainable Development Summit' (DSDS), organised by The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI), on February 3, 201 1 National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO), the Navratna PSU, under the Union Ministry of Mines, Govt. of India, has become the first PSU in the country by implementing a pilot-cum-demonstration project on Carbon Sequestration in its captive power plant at Angul. The project is expected to go a long way towards addressing the issue of bringing down GHG, a NALCO spokesperson said. Currently, India has 18,655 MW of installed renewable energy, accounting for a total of 11 per cent of the total capacity of 168,954 MW. The target includes adding 20,000 MW of solar energy by 2022, which would take the share of renewable energy in the total electricity generation capacity of the country to 15 per cent, said Dr Arun Tripathi, a director and a scientist at the ministry. He added that the Indian government's goal is that renewable energy should account for 30 per cent share of the total electricity capacity by 2032.
Investments
India expects investments to the tune of US$ 55 billion by 2015 in the renewable energy sector which is expected to produce 35 giga watt (GW) of power, according to Mr Debashish Majumdar, Chairman and Managing Director, Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency Ltd (IREDA). According to a recent study on India attractiveness survey by Ernst & Young, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Renewable Energy in India witnessed a 105 per cent rise. Wind energy is the fastest growing renewable energy sector and the FDI inflow in the sector has been increasing over the years.
Private equity investment in renewable energy sector picked up pace in the country from 2004. According to a report by 3i Network – IDFC, from a private equity investment of US$ 851 million in 2005, inflows into the renewable sector in India soared to US$ 2,136 million in 2008. Separately, a study by the Word Resources Institute recently estimated a renewable energy market of over US$ 2 billion a year in India. Independent Power Producers (IPPs) in this sector appear to provide attractive investment opportunity for private equity funds as a result of policy and regulatory developments such as generation-based tariffs, renewable energy tariffs and the national solar mission. Companies such as Auro Mira Energy, Greenko, Orient Green Power and Green Infra have been cited in the report as some of the IPPs which received funding from investors such as IDFC PE, Axis PE, Baring PE and Global Environment Fund. With the proposed commissioning of a 50 MW tidal power project off the coast of Gujarat in 2013, India is ready to place its first “seamark” that will be a first for Asia as well. London-based marine energy developer Atlantis Resources Corporation, along with Gujarat Power Corporation Ltd, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Gujarat government to start this project.
REFERENCES:
https://blog.ipleaders.in/indias-position-in-sustainable-development-goals/ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324200471_Sustainable_Development_ Goals_SDGs-Challenges_for_India https://www.ibef.org/pages/sustainabledevelopment
