"Sustainable development is the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
-Gro Harlem Brundtland.
The world, however, is in trying times when it comes to sustainability and sustainable development. How do we live today such that the future generations can survive and thrive tomorrow?
We cannot expect future generations to thrive when we live such unsustainable lifestyles. Half of us don't receive food at all while the rest eat too much. Half of us buy too many things while the rest barely have enough to survive.
As the population of our country is increasing, the resources needed to sustain us are shrinking. We are slowly starting to see the penalty for our reckless behaviour towards the environment. We clearly cannot turn a blind eye to this situation.
That being said, despite the many challenges faced in the country, the government is taking several steps and aspires to be more sustainable. It has shown leadership in combating climate change and meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's), as is reflected in many of its developmental schemes.
How can we as individuals contribute to make our nation more sustainable? It is quite easy. Firstly, as consumers, we should be conscious of the products we purchase and make sustainable choices. Buying things that can be reused multiple times or things that can be recycled is the first step to being more sustainable. We should avoid using plastic at all costs and reuse what we already have within our household or hand it over to a recycling facility instead of throwing it away in a dustbin from where it will stay in a landfill for thousands of years.
Most importantly, as the youth of this nation, we need to educate ourselves and others around us because our small actions today determine the lives of many generations to come.
And if we follow these simple steps, there is no way but forward on the path towards becoming sustainable.
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