THE 4 MOST IMPORTANT DIMENSIONS OF SUSTAINABILITY - ENVIRONMENT - 2025

The dimensions of sustainability are those classifications that are given to balance and development based on the use of the resources of its environment, in aspects that go beyond the ecological or environmental.

Under these categorizations, sustainability becomes a responsibility of man in society.

The environment has proven its effectiveness in terms of the use and redistribution of natural resources to guarantee balance and life in its spaces.

Man, with the passage of time, has grown and developed socially, politically and economically, not always in the most equitable way.

The boom for new sustainable actions has launched the theoretical approach and development of these dimensions of sustainability, which are the following: environmental, social, economic and political.

In three of these four dimensions, man is the main protagonist, on whom fall the actions that must be taken to guarantee sustainable development.

Today all action must be observed from these dimensions to provide a better notion of the sustainable scope to be had, and its benefits for human and social development, without harming relevant scenarios such as the environment.

The dimensions of sustainability have been disseminated mainly by UNESCO, through its sustainable development programs for the future.

The theories of sustainable development throughout history have been the ones that address and develop the concepts around each of these dimensions.

The 4 main dimensions of sustainability

1- Environmental dimension

Also known as the ecological or natural dimension, its objective is the search and preservation of biological settings and all the aspects inherent to them.

For sustainable development, the basis of this dimension is found in its ability to provide the natural resources necessary for man.

The search for the protection and preservation of the environment is a crucial aspect of sustainable development in the global arena.

Man's performance in this dimension responds to the use and equitable distribution of natural resources. It also seeks to boost the capacity for renewal and the reduction of impact and disturbances on the environment.

The resources obtained from the environment work to guarantee the subsistence of human society, as well as to respond to the needs of population growth over the years.

2- Economic dimension

This dimension of sustainable development demands decision-making based on the equitable distribution of economic resources among members of society in a given geographic space.

In this way they will be able to respond to present generations without neglecting projections for future generations.

The economic dimension is also set as an objective to promote investment in new forms of development that involve less harmful technologies and equitable social benefits, which configure the economic scenario based on sustainable action.

For economic action, the other dimensions of sustainability must be taken into account, mainly social and environmental.

The reduction of the productive gap between urban and rural spaces strengthens not only an economic system but also a social one, and adds to development on the way to sustainability.

The same occurs with the correct use of available resources, adapted to each area in which they are found.

This dimension is one of the most vulnerable, since it is vitiated by the particular interests of certain political or business bodies.

Economic actions based on sustainability must come mainly from entities that have the necessary capital for investment, and these do not always respond in support of preservation and sustainable development.

3- Social dimension

It is the inherent dimension of man and his immediate environment, as well as his interaction with his peers and with higher levels of society.

The social dimension of sustainability encourages the adoption of values ​​and changes in the cultural sphere, in order to reconcile human action with the environment and optimize social relations for future generations.

It is about the reflection of the common social and cultural activities and behaviors up to now, in order to assess their impact on preservation and sustainable development.

The negative aspects that arise from cultural groups will be transformed through learning and awareness.

The elements of learning and appreciation that the cultural dimension promotes should be promoted through institutionalized actions in different societies.

At present, the cultural exchange between nations has been very important for the continued promotion of movements and activities based on sustainability.

Each culture maintains a particular relationship with the environment, the resources it provides, and the social bases on which its values ​​have been based.

Through the strengthening of values, this dimension also seeks to minimize the effects of poverty and demographic aberrations.

4- Political dimension

The political dimension is not always included when it comes to sustainable development, as it has implications closely related to the social and economic dimensions.

It seeks the promotion of democratization and governance processes based on an improvement of the conditions of preservation of the environment and optimization of sustainable development.

The main protagonist of this dimension is the State. Through its institutions and its own actions, it must be a guarantor that all citizens within its territories can be beneficiaries of the results of sustainable development.

The existence of a functional legal framework, efficient state institutions and integration between the communities of the same territory are the fundamental requirements for an effective sustainable development

It is also imperative to reduce the gap between citizen claims and state care.

The political dimension of sustainability is complemented by the social and economic dimension in that the great economic decisions and social effects of today usually come from the power exercised by governments.

References

1. Artaraz, M. (2002). Theory of the three dimensions of sustainable development. Ecosystems.
2. Corral-Verdugo1, V., & Pinheiro, J. d. (2004). Approaches to the study of sustainable behavior. Environment and Human Behavior, 1-26.
3. Guimarães, RP (2002). The ethics of sustainability and the formulation of development policies. In RP Guimarães, Political Ecology. Nature, society and utopia (pp. 53-82). Buenos Aires: CLACSO.
4. Hevia, AE (2006). Human development and ethics for sustainability. Antioquia: University of Antioquia.