Sustainable Development
Sustainable development is basically about whether people’s relationship with the natural environment is one of respect or disrespect and exploitation. At the moment, we are using the planet’s resources in ways which are wholly unsustainable and this is having catastrophic impacts on the natural world: ecosystems are breaking down and the resulting loss of wildlife is alarming.
The
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, published at the turn of the century makes stark reading. It concludes that “human activities have taken the planet to the edge of a massive wave of species extinctions, further threatening our own well-being”. SWT believes that looking after wildlife has never been more important and our very future depends on redefining our relationship with the natural world and the planet’s finite resources.
SWT is involved with a number of partner organisations in promoting sustainable development in Scotland. Some of the policy areas we are involved in include:
- promoting greener energy policies e.g. encouraging energy efficiency measures and renewable energy;
- fighting for the protection of vulnerable marine wildlife and overexploitation of marine resources;
- promoting sustainable agriculture practices and measures to reduce diffuse pollution from agriculture;
- promoting forestry policies which encourage more native wildlife and the production of quality hardwood timber;
- promoting a biodiversity-led approach to urban building and greenspace design;
- protecting wildlife from destruction from inappropriate development and transport infrastructure;
- encouraging members and staff at SWT to reduce their own ecological footprint by reducing waste, re-using goods, recycling materials, buying sustainable products and cutting carbon usage.