Page 125 - Built Expressions - Online Construction Magazine - November 2014 Issue

Techno-Crate Climate change impacts are being felt in terms of erratic weather and coastal erosion, and the country has little in the way of climate preparedness, especially for the poor who will be worst affected or well-being, is called for. If, as • The integrity of natural ecosystems, indicated by the outcome document wildlife populations, and biodiversity of the United Nations Conference on must be safeguarded by reducing and Sustainable Development (Rio+20) of eventually eliminating resource and Each of these goals contains 2012,ecological sustainability has to biodiversity loss, and regenerating specifc targets and actions, and be a major basis for such a framework, degraded ecosystems and populations. requires indicators to assess levels of then a new set of global goals could • All people must have access to success and failure. include, among other things, equitable safe and adequate resources to access to nature and natural resources fulfll basic needs, in ways that Poverty, Development, Equity and to all peoples and communities, are ecologically sustainable and Environment including the conservation and culturally appropriate. Sixty fve years after gaining resilience of ecosystems, ecological • All families and communities must independence, it is clear that we are cycles and functions, and biodiversity; have access to dignifed livelihoods very far from achieving the basic access to adequate and safe food, water, that are ecologically sustainable and objectives any society or civilization energy, and settlements/habitat; access culturally appropriate. should aim for—security of food, to conditions of good health, learning/ • All production and consumption shelter, water, health, and clothing, education; and, in all these, meeting the must be ecologically sustainable and and fulfllment of human potential special needs of women and children. socio-economically equitable, using a through educational, socio-cultural, Such a framework needs to be based mix of incentives and disincentives. and political opportunities. Depending on a set of universal principles, namely, • All infrastructure development must on which measure one takes and respecting ecological integrity and be ecologically sustainable and socio- whose estimates one believes, limits, equity and justice, meaningful economically equitable. anything between a quarter and three- participation, responsibility, diversity, • All service and welfare sectors must quarters of India’s population suffers collective commons and solidarity, integrate principles and practices of from deprivations of one or the other the rights of nature, resilience ecological sustainability. kind. This includes economic poverty, and adaptability, subsidiarity and • Macro frameworks of economy and malnutrition and under nutrition, lack ecoregionalism,and interconnectedness. polity must be geared to ecological of safe drinking water and sanitation, A set of principles can be feasible sustainability, human security, and unemployment or underemployment, for the desired sustainability goals: socio-economic equity. inadequate shelter, and other such Vol: 3 Issue: 11 November 2014 Built Expressions PG125