Big Picture of Sustainable Development

Development projects, which help people living in poverty, can’t just be good for today. They have to be good for the future as well, so that people start to be able to meet their own needs.

What Is Sustainable Development?

Sustainable development means making sure people have what they need to survive—things like food, clean water and a place to live—in ways that also protect our environment.

It also describes projects that make sure people are healthy and supported enough to break out of poverty.

For example, the development of clean drinking water or clean toilets keeps people from getting diseases. But today, 20 percent of the world’s population doesn’t have clean drinking water and about 40 percent don’t have a clean place to go to the bathroom (that’s called “sanitation”).

Sustainable development gives kids these basics for now and into the future, so they can focus on learning and growing.

The Basics of Sustainable Development

Sustainable Development: We Can Do It Together

There’s only one world, and we’ve all got to share it. That’s why sustainable development is a global issue that’s important to everyone.

We all have to work together to make sure the Earth stays healthy so we can all keep getting what we need in the future.

It’s sad to think about, but we all make decisions sometimes that make life even harder for people in developing countries.

For example: If a company builds a factory in Sri Lanka that uses chemicals that pollute the environment and poison workers, then Sri Lankan people are not being empowered to break the cycle of poverty. In fact, that factory is making it even harder for them to get ahead.

Cows are one example of an alternative income project

Sustainable development projects, like clean water wells or alternative income programs, help families stay healthy and support themselves. These projects give people the power to work for and realize their dreams.

Alternative Income Projects

An alternative income project gives people in developing countries the resources they need to earn money for their families. For example, if a family living in poverty is given a cow, they can milk that cow, sell the milk to make money and use that money to send their kids to school.

Sustainable Development and the Millennium Development Goals: Targets We Can Meet

The two Millennium Development Goals that relate to sustainable development are:

Goal: Meet People’s Basic Needs While Protecting Our Environment

The Challenge

• The richest 15 percent of people account for 56 percent of the world’s total energy use; the poorest 40 percent account for only 11 percent.

Goal: Make Sure Rich and Poor Countries Work Together to Support Development

The Challenge

• Only five countries are giving away the amount of aid to developing countries that’s needed to meet the Millennium Development Goals.

Causes: Why Is Sustainable Development Important?

There are many reasons why sustainable development is needed around the world.

In Need of Basics

Clean water and a clean place to go to the bathroom are needed to improve health over the long term so people are strong enough to support themselves.

Skills

Without a basic education, kids don’t learn the skills they need to be empowered. Part of sustainable development is training in skills that help people get ahead.

Debt

Developing countries spend too much money paying back loans. Most developing countries have loans, but in Africa especially, these loans are very large. Some African countries are paying so much money toward their loans that they can’t pay for needs like health care or education. Developed countries can forgive these loans so developing countries can spend more on things like clean water, housing, health care, jobs and education.

Environment

Environmental problems like climate change are examples of how the way we live is hurting our earth. Sustainable development supports people in a way that doesn’t hurt the environment.

These are a few of the main reasons why sustainable development is needed, but there are many more.

North America: In a Position to Help

Playing our part in sustainable development means looking at the advantages we have and thinking about how our actions affect the rest of the world.

World Gap in Resources

Almost all North Americans can get clean water and sanitation. Compare this to the world’s least developed countries, where only 59 percent of people have clean drinking water and only 36 percent have a clean place to go to the bathroom.

Environmental Record

Every day, industries and households contribute to pollution, which causes global warming and climate change. In 2004, the average American created more than 20 tons of carbon emissions (the polluting gases we create when we do things like drive cars or heat our homes).

The pollution we create doesn’t just affect us; it affects the global environment. Everyone suffers when we use too much. We’ve got a lot of work to do cleaning up our own backyards so the rest of the world doesn’t suffer from our actions.

We also have access to things—like clean water—that less developed countries should have too. We need to lend a hand and create a better world for everyone.

Global Status: Where the World is Now

Sustainable development is needed in developing regions right away.

Facts About Global Sustainable Development

• Two million children die each year from infections spread by dirty water or unclean toilets.
• 1.2 billion people don’t have safe drinking water and 2.4 billion people don’t have a clean place to go to the bathroom.
• Breathing polluted air from cooking fires causes more than 900,000 deaths from pneumonia in kids under five and nearly 700,000 deaths in adults. Women suffer the most.
• 924 million people are living in slums—that’s about one-seventh of the world’s population. Slums are overcrowded places where public toilets are shared by hundreds of families. These places are not safe, especially for girls and women, who are in danger of being assaulted.

A Story You Should Hear About Sustainable Development

Take Action for Sustainable Development

There are many actions you can take to support sustainable development in the developing world. Try these as a start.