The social sustainability It is a concept that refers to individuals and societies that, in the course of their coexistence, reach agreements to develop development models taking into account the limited resources of the places they inhabit and of the planet in general..
Another definition is that provided by the World Commission on Environment and Development, which states that "a sustainable society is one that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".
In practice, social sustainability starts from the balance that societies must achieve in different areas between their development and that of future generations. Thus, it encompasses areas such as health, education, the economy or the environment. In recent years, more abstract concepts such as happiness and well-being have also been incorporated..
Among the benefits of achieving a society of this type are the increase in the well-being of citizens in all senses. Thus, caring for nature offers a clean environment and prevents diseases, while access to education gives greater opportunities to all individuals..
There are three fundamental principles from which social sustainability starts. The first is to recognize the limitation of the planet's resources, while the second recalls that the human being is one more component of nature and that, therefore, is subject to its laws..
The last principle maintains that human beings should not control nature, but learn and cooperate.
Achieving the balance between the human lifestyle, the conservation of resources, the personal development of each individual and the organization in society is increasingly complicated.
Social sustainability is presented as the basis for achieving this balance. It is about improving life and building more harmonious societies.
Social sustainability is also characterized by the need for citizens to acquire a socially responsible attitude. The objective is that the new generations receive a world with stability.
To achieve the objectives of social sustainability it is necessary to prioritize the common good. This includes valuing peace and social justice.
In a world that seeks social sustainability, economic activities must stop being based solely on obtaining profits. This not only affects companies, but individuals also have to pay more attention to values such as education or culture.
Social sustainability does not depend only on economic growth or achieving a low environmental impact. The existence of disadvantaged social groups is always a breeding ground for convulsions or even wars to occur.
The best way to avoid the imbalances caused by the existence of these groups is to improve their quality of life and their access to food, health and education. This is only possible with social sustainability.
By its very definition, achieving social sustainability means reducing the excessive consumption of natural resources.
The objective is that these resources are not wasted irrationally and that they can be made available to new generations..
Responsible resource management also means ensuring that human activity does not destroy the environment of the communities in which it takes place. This will allow, among other things, that these communities have assured their permanence in their traditional places, as well as their lifestyles and cultures..
The indicators on social sustainability seek to measure various aspects related to the subject. Among them are those related to the environment, those that measure social progress or those related to the economy..
It is an index that measures the proportion of people of working age who cannot do so because they cannot find someone to hire them.
Measures the percentage of the population whose income is considered below the threshold that defines poverty.
This index is dedicated to providing information on the inequality of income, consumption expenditures and other variables within a country..
There are various indicators related to education. These range from the percentage of the population without literacy to citizens with access to secondary education, passing through those who can receive primary, secondary or vocational education..
Like the previous one, there is no single indicator on health. Thus, meters can be found on access to public health in rural areas, on the number of doctors per inhabitants of a place or on the health coverage that each person can receive, among many others..
In addition to measuring the consumption of resources, there are also indicators on aspects such as traffic, pollution, water quality or garbage recycling..
This indicator provides information on how a specific activity, whether individual or business, affects the environment. An example would be the measurement of the CO2 released by a plane trip.
One of the most used examples of social sustainability refers to traditional agriculture and other artisan activities.
All of them are activities typical of rural communities, which also tend to have a rich cultural heritage..
The maintenance of these activities allows, in this way, not only to provide food to these communities, but also prevents them from disappearing..
The use of private transport, especially cars, is a major environmental problem in many countries due to the pollution it produces.
To achieve social sustainability, we try to promote the use of public transport, as well as other non-polluting ones such as bicycles..
Many experts believe that the control of drinking water will be the cause of future wars. It is important, therefore, not to waste that element.
This control must not only be done at the individual level, but also by companies. These, in addition, should avoid contaminating the aquifers.
On the other hand, it is essential to provide infrastructures that allow less favored or isolated groups to have access to water. The lack of this, in addition to causing direct deaths, is responsible for the appearance of diseases.
Recycling and reusing are two actions that anyone can take to achieve a more sustainable world.
Choosing to buy products that are produced nearby has a double positive effect for social sustainability. On the one hand, it avoids the contamination that occurs when transporting food and products from distant places.
On the other, it contributes to the maintenance of the local economy and the producers' way of life does not disappear..
There are other measures for social sustainability that do not depend on individual actions but on state ones. Among them is developing policies so that the population can have a decent standard of living, as well as have access to education or health.
In addition, equality between men and women must also be guaranteed, legislate to guarantee the dignity of jobs or facilitate cultural diversity..
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