GR: They can’t. “Sustainable development” is a nonsense term used to green-wash the destruction of nature. To sustain nature we must reduce our population and our overuse and abuse of natural resources. This cannot happen until our economic system embraces negative growth and nature restoration. Look at this current story from the Guardian to see the size of the problem.
Q & A item from the Guardian: “Traditionally, the environment and the development sectors have worked separately, but the era of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement on climate change calls for a shift in approach.
Profit motive drives human behavior.
In ratifying the Paris Agreement, countries have pledged to limit the increase in average global temperature to below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. Meanwhile, protection of the environment features heavily in the SDGs: countries commit to creating sustainable cities and communities, promoting responsible consumption and promotion, and taking climate action – all measures that could help fulfil the Cop21 agreement.
“What’s exciting about the SDGs is the interconnectedness,” said Archana Patkar, networking and knowledge management programme manager for WSSCC, at an event organised by the Guardian alongside the UN General Assembly in September.
“So how can the development and environment sectors collaborate and align their efforts in achieving these interconnected goals? Where can parallels be found between the two sectors? How can efforts to improve economic growth be made without harming the environment? And which “dynamic new ways of working” can environment and development professionals adopt to achieve the SDGs?” — Katherine Purvis.
GarryRogers Nature Conservation 