Striking a balance between preserving our limited natural resources and overcoming poverty
In 2002 the World Summit on Sustainable Development was held in Johannesburg. For the second time (the first summit was in Rio) the world came together to see how the planet’s resources could be sustained while at the same time sufficient development could take place to overcome poverty and underdevelopment.
There are serious resource constraints in the world. Fresh water, clean air, fish stocks, land for food production and living space are all under pressure because of the world population’s increasing consumption and pollution. Economic development and consumerism also threatens natural resources like forests, minerals and rivers.
There are no simple answers to how to build sustainable development whilst overcoming poverty. South Africa has many examples of problems we face to make development sustainable. We are rapidly increasing the access to water and electricity for poor people. This will greatly increase the amount of water we use and the amount of electricity we have to produce. As the economy grows there will be increasing pollution and pressure on natural resources. Government has to balance the need for development with the sustainable use of resources.