HOW CAN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT CONTRIBUTE TO WORLD PEACE AND HARMONY BETWEEN NATIONS?

By Jean Faullimmel
Introduction Today 20% of the worlds population consumes 86% of the worlds natural resources. If all developing countries adopted the same model as the industrial nations, the planet resources would not be enough. Seven more planets of our size would be needed. Such development model would lead to the depletion of all natural resources, the destruction of the environment and bring about conflicts between nations. What quality of life do we have if the basic necessities of the world population, such as clean air, safe drinking water and food free from hazardous chemicals; cannot be met? Or what does economic development brings us if its resulting pollution brings about greater health problems and lowers our quality of life? The pollution cycle Pollution has no border, a local pollution can have a global impact because of poor treatment, industrial accidents and import/export of food. Air pollutants from smoke stacks and vehicules exhausts through rain can become water and soils pollutants. Land pollutants and/or illegal hazardous waste dumping; through rain can reach groundwaters. Untreated industrial wastewater contaminates rivers and lakes; and become unsafe drinking water. Finally hazardous chemicals (pesticides, heavy metals, carcinogenic substances, etc.) contaminate farmland, the seas and groundwaters. The pollution cycle finishes when pollutants return to the polluter himself, affecting the health of the population and the ecosystem, not just on a regional scale but also on a global scale. The consequences of all this is the development of different kinds of cancer and respiratory diseases, and ultimately reduces the quality of our lives. The source of these health problems come from the contaminated air we breathe, the contaminated water we drink and the contaminated food we eat. As an example, on a global scale, background air pollution has increasing in the last 100 years and more severely in the last 50 years. This is reflected in the concentration of ozone in the troposphere. Ozone is a very good indicator of air pollution, the greater the concentration of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds, coming from industries and road transport, the greater the formation of ozone. Ozone is a powerful oxidant formed via photochemical reactions. Its health effects are severe coughing; shortness of breath; decline in lung function

and increase in respiratory symptom. Its impact on the environment lead to the lowering of vegetation and crop yield, and it contributes to the greenhouse effect. Sustainable Development Sustainable Development is a solution to prevent pollution and over exploitation of natural resources. It states that economic, environmental and social developments are interdependent and should meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In other words, this generation should not deplete our planet of its natural resources and should not leave a polluted Earth to the next generation. Environmental Development requires better environmental management to reduce waste, whether gas; liquid or solid; and to reduce over exploitation of natural resources. A better environmental performance, through more efficient manufacturing processes, means reducing air; liquid and land pollution to a minimum. It promotes pollution prevention and the use of renewable energies to reduce greenhouse gases. It helps to implement better standards and appropriate environmental legislation. And it promotes environmental education. In the context of severe pollution major developing countries are facing, the standard of environmental education is inadequate. Higher Education institutions have an important role to play in helping the population to gain environmental awareness. No progress can be made without such awareness at all level of society. Conclusion It is estimated that today 20% of Chinese farmland is already contaminated. China has become an important exporter of seafood, fruits and vegetables around the world. So what was initially a regional pollution because of inadequate waste treatment and environmental legislation becomes, through food export, a worldwide pollution that ultimately will affect the health of the worlds population. The same situation exists in other developing nations, such as India having a fast economic growth, but investing little in environmental development and education, and ultimately having the same consequences on the population. In the context of todays economic globalization and the increasing interdependence between nations, collaborations between developing and developed countries become necessary to solve global environmental issues. Without access to clean air, to safe drinking water, to uncontaminated food, and without protection of human health and the eco-system, world peace and harmony between nations cannot be achieved.