Three Challenges Defining Social-political Sustainability

admin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 07:07:38 +0000

Copyright (c) 2008 Jackson Kern
The subtle difference between social development and socio-political sustainability is pure fundamental to the achievement of sustainable development. As the recent economic development if the results are announced unsustainable, so the social enrichment go hand in hand with a concerted effort to ensure their viability.
Open contested political spaces provide the only means of this endarenas you are contested. These three phenomena threaten the sustainability of our socio-political process, demanding specialized care.
1. The more insidious danger of all is the prevailing political apathy. If the general population can not be convinced that his destiny is sufficient to participate actively in the game, then the hope is surely lost. The causes of the apathy of many, the simplest is clearly inward looking people are more concerned with personal enrichment, social, or who believe that the benefits of social participation is not commensurate with the time and resources invested. This phenomenon can be compared with game theory and the concepts of political science of the “tragedy of the commons.” A case involving the political apathy is blind faith in social institutions and policies. But we must remember the accession of Sartre, who is loyal to a political and social set, and never stops to oppose it. “There is no contradiction in believing that the social and political processes of a nation are the best ever conceived by mankind, and is growing every day to challenge them. In fact, this is the very essence of democracy.
2. The existence of different social inertia of apathy. Human beings are creatures of habit. Although awareness and recognition of specific problems, which may be resistant spectrum to respond robustly through political mechanisms, if doing so involves a break with long-standing cultural tradition. In a 2006 survey, eighty-five percent of Americans expressed their belief that global warming is “probably happening,” while half said that the issue of global warming is “extremely important” to them. However, the spread of single-occupant vehicles on U.S. roads remain intact.
3. When the general public is involved and committed, this often can lead to problems of inefficiency and social policy. This problem can be especially serious in countries that are large in population and geography. The failure to reach consensus can sometimes lead to paralysis. Under an autocratic setting, the government may make changes in socio-political institutions at a speed that sometimes enviable. But this, of course, is advisory, political and social dimension of sustainability is guaranteed in the long term if it reflects the collective will. A different kind of political and social inefficiency occurs when there are obstacles to consensus, but when the channels to initiate change (particularly the judiciary) are forced, twisted or overload.
political apathy and social inertia can only be fought during the daily efforts to inform, arouse and provoke. Fortunately, political and social inefficiency can be addressed more methodically. Governments, businesses, nongovernmental organizations and nonprofit organizations to change and influence the state of our social and natural environment every day. Actors who try to bridge the gap between these entities and the general public and facilitate their interaction, aided by the extraordinary participation of new technologies have a significant role to play in the future sustainability of social-political.
The evocation of these challenges would be complete without an examination of the dynamic interactions generate political and social domain with other elements of sustainable development. Economics is the science of resource allocation, the study in ways that meet human needs and requirements. There is no more fundamental human need is food. In a telling example of the interdependence of sustainable development of the three components, increase in global food prices now constitute a serious threat to the sustainability of socio-political world. Just turn to the recent social unrest and political instability in Haiti, Egypt and the Philippines, to be sure. The increase in prices due to uncertainty about the sustainability of agricultural processes. To be precise, some are very explicitly mentioned in the West’s efforts to fund and promote production of biofuels as an inflationary factor leader (but growing middle class in India and China appear to be responsible for some other upward pressures on prices) . And all this as the viability of biofuels is part of a pervasive control.
These socio-political challenges of sustainability remain inextricably linked to the future of sustainability as a business.

Challenges and Mitigation Plans in Sustainability Implementation

admin — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:06:55 +0000

Sustainability is still in a premature stage and this is especially true for developing countries. There are common challenges that many people need to consider during the implementation of the concept. This article will explore these challenges and give suggestions on how to mitigate them. The challenges can be separated into three areas, namely internal, client, and government.

Internal challenges and mitigation

Internal challenge is the first thing that you need to face before you start implementing sustainability further. After all, if you do not clean up your backyard first, how you can convince other people to do the same. The common challenges from internal perspective are lack of support, lack of knowledge, and “more works” attitude.

The first thing that you need to do before implementing sustainability in your organization is to gain top management support and commitment. Without this support and commitment, sustainability implementation will not achieve a successful outcome. This may sound easy, but the reality can be different. It is important for you to explore the benefits of sustainability for the organization. Then you need to explain these benefits in term of economic value whenever possible. This is the best way to convince your top management to approve the implementation.

Sometimes, even if top management has agreed to implement the concept, the problem is nobody understand how to do it. Lack of knowledge is a big issue, especially because sustainability concept is relatively new for many people. In this case, you need to prepare awareness programs to increase the knowledge and understanding of people in your organization. You need to explain implicitly the necessity of sustainability for the organization as well as the earth in general. You also can give external trainings to certain people so they can support you to implement the concept.

Another problem is “more works” attitude. When people hear that the organization will implement a new concept, the first thing that comes to their mind is I have to do more works because of this. Again your awareness programs should be able to tackle this issue as long as you can explain the importance of sustainability. Another strategy is to make a sustainability performance review. For example, people who have a good performance in terms of sustainability implementation will receive financial reward or other benefits.

Client challenges and mitigation

Clients can become a huge source of challenges, especially in construction industry, because they are the ones who pay for your service. The common challenges from client side are cost and cynicism. Sometimes it is very difficult to convince clients to spend more initial investment for sustainability implementation. You can mitigate this problem by explaining the benefit of sustainability in terms of life-cycle cost. You need to make them understand that sustainability will bring benefits in the long run. Another strategy is to show previous case studies and what they have achieved because of their sustainability commitment.

Government challenges and mitigation

The challenges related with government are lack of regulation and enforcement concerning sustainability, sustainability is still in premature stage and not a priority because to some countries, they may have more urgent issues. Actually, this situation can become an opportunity for you. You can attract government attention because of your sustainability implementation. You can collaborate with them and become a good example, which will increase your organization marketing value significantly. Another opportunity is to become the first in something sustainable. For example, the first building to have solar panel, the first zero carbon neutral organization, the first green certified office, etc.

Reconstituted Technologies » Challenges

Three Challenges Defining Social-political Sustainability

Challenges and Mitigation Plans in Sustainability Implementation