TOPIC

TO PREPARE A
PROJECT ON THE
IMPORTANCE OF
SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT

Nikita Suri
X1-C
Group-2
Session 2021-2022


INDEX
S.No Topic Page No.
1. Introduction 1-4
2. Economic Development and 5-8
Environment Degradation
3. Causes of Depletion of Resources 9-12
4. Measures taken by the Government of 13-18
India
5. Sustainable Development in Singapore 19-23
6. Analysis 24-25
7. Bibliography 26


INTRODUCTION
Meaning of Sustainable development:
The concept of sustainable development was described by the
1987 Bruntland Commission Report as “development that meets
the needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs.”

Importance of Sustainable development:

1. Provides Essential Human Needs -The explosion of
population means people will have to scramble for the limited
life essentials like food, shelter, and water. Adequate provision
of these basic needs almost entirely hinges on infrastructure
capable of sustaining them for a long time.If governments insist
on utilizing fossil fuel-based sources of energy instead of
renewable and sustainable options, the cost and environmental
effects of supplying these basic needs would become a tall
order.

2. Agricultural Requirement-A growing population means

agriculture must catch up. Finding ways to feed more than 3
billion people can be staggering. If the same unsustainable
cultivation, planting, irrigation, spraying, and harvesting
techniques are utilized in the future, they might prove to be
financially burdening considering fossil fuel resources are
projected to run out. Sustainable development focuses on
sustainable agricultural methods such as effective seeding
techniques and crop rotation to promote high yields while
maintaining the integrity of the soil, which produces food for a
large population.


Sustainable development

Importance of Sustainable development



3. Manage Climate Change- Climate change can be mitigated

by sustainable development practices. Sustainable development
practices seek to reduce the use of fossil-based sources of fuel
like oil, natural gas, and coal. Fossil fuel sources of energy are
unsustainable since they will deplete in the future and are
responsible for the emission of greenhouse gasses. Renewable
energy like solar, wind, biomass energy should be harnessed
except for using fossil fuels. Renewable energy is clean energy
and does not harm the environment or the living beings. Now
that we have increasingly innovative and less-expensive ways to
capture and retain wind and solar energy, renewables are
becoming a more important power source, accounting for more
than one-eighth of U.S. generation. The expansion in
renewables is also happening at scales large and small, from
rooftop solar panels on homes that can sell power back to the
grid to giant offshore wind farms. Even some entire rural
communities rely on renewable energy for heating and lighting.

4.Sustain Biodiversity- Unsustainable development and

overconsumption practices greatly impact biodiversity. The life
ecosystem is designed in such a way that species depend on one
another for survival. For instance, plants produce oxygen that
humans need for respiration. Humans exhale carbon dioxide
that plants need for growth and production. Unsustainable
development practices like emission of greenhouse gasses in the
atmosphere kill many plant species resulting in the reduction of
atmospheric oxygen. This is not good for humans. Sustainable
development practices encourage the use of renewable energy
resources and organic farming practices that do not emit any
greenhouse gas to the atmosphere.


Types of renewable energy

Loss of biodiversity


Economic
Development and
Environment
Degradation
• Air Pollution- Air is one of the most vital natural resource
required for sustaining life on Earth. An increase in
industries in urban and rural areas has led to increase in air
pollution. These industries discharge harmful and toxic
untreated gases into the atmosphere causing increase in air
pollution. Automobiles, thermal power plants, domestic
combustion are also a major source of air pollution. They
release harmful gases like carbon dioxide, carbon
monoxide, hydrocarbons sulphur oxides, etc and destroys
the balance of the ecosystem and also causes health
problems among humans.

• Global warming and volatile weather- Global warming

refers to the increase in average temperature of the earth
resulting from emission of green house gases especially
carbon dioxide that trap the heat of the sun. An increase in
toxic gases like carbon dioxide which is the main gas
responsible for global warming, from industries,
automobiles, thermal power plants has greatly damaged
the environment and has increased the global temperature.
This has further caused the glaciers to melt and there has


Air pollution

Brutal effect of global warming on earth



been a subsequent rise in sea levels also threatening

biodiversity and increasing the risk of floods

• Soil erosion- The increasingly high demand of a growing

population for commodities such as coffee, soybean, palm
oil or wheat is clearing land for agriculture. Unfortunately,
clearing autochthonous trees and replacing them with new
tree crops that don’t necessarily hold onto the soil
increases the risks of soil erosion. Setting up buildings and
roads also have their share of responsibility when it comes
to soil erosion as they don’t allow for the normal
circulation of water. Instead, it runs off to flood nearby
lands, speeded up erosion in these areas

• Loss of biodiversity- Economic growth leads to resource

depletion and loss of biodiversity. This could harm future
‘carrying capacity of ecological systems’ for the economy.
Though there is uncertainty about the extent of this cost as
the benefit of lost genetic maps may never be known.

• Long-term toxins- Economic growth creates long-term

waste and toxins, which may have unknown
consequences. For example, economic growth has led to
increased use of plastic, which when disposed of do not
degrade. So there is an ever-increasing stock of plastic in
the seas and environment – which is both unsightly but
also damaging to wildlife.

• Water Pollution- Industries across the world are a major

contributor to water pollution. Many industrial sites
produce waste in the form of toxic chemicals and
pollutants, and though regulated, some still do not have
proper waste management systems in place. In those rare
cases, industrial waste is dumped into nearby freshwater
systems.


Soil erosion

Water pollution


CAUSES OF
DEPLETION OF
RESOURCES
1. Overpopulation-The total global population is more than
seven billion people. Still, there is a consistent increase in the
overall earth populace and this has been a critical factor in
accelerating the depletion of natural resources. An increase in
the populace expands the need for resources and conditions
necessary to sustain it. In addition, it contributes to increased
ecological contamination. Research further indicates that
developing countries are using more and more resources to
industrialize and support their ever-increasing population.
Hence, the depletion of natural resources will continue as
long as the world population increases.

2. Poor Farming Practices-Humans are causing a lot of stress

to land resources due to the over-reliance on food production
for daily nutritional requirements. Poor irrigation practices,
for example, is a key contributing factor to salinization and
alkalization of the soil that sustains plant growth. To meet the
increasing demand for food farmers are practicing
monoculture that harms the soil and leaves the soil barren
without any nutrients.

3. Logging-Humans are also cutting down trees to make space

for residential complexes and multiplexes.


Overpopulation is a major cause of depletion of resources

Poor farming practices like monoculture damage soil which

leads to its depletion


Through deforestation, the planet not only loses tress but also
thousands of animals and great plant biodiversity due to the
destruction of their natural habitats. Moreover, increased
logging activities lead to soil erosion that degrades natural
soil minerals.

4. Overconsumption of Natural Resources- The 1760

industrial revolution saw large-scale mineral and oil
exploration and the practice has been gradually growing,
leading to more and more natural oil and mineral depletion.
And together with the advancements in technology,
development, and research in the contemporary era;
exploitation of minerals has become easier and humans are
digging deeper to access different ore. The increased
exploitation of different minerals has led to some of them
entering into a production decline.For example, minerals such
as Gasoline, Copper, and Zinc production are estimated to
decline in the next 20 years. Plus, oil mining continues to rise
due to the upsurge in the number of engines that use
petroleum thereby magnifying its depletion. The peak oil
theory supports this fact by putting forward that it will come
a time when the globe will experience uncertainties on
alternative means of fuels owing to the over-harvesting of
petroleum.

5. Pollution-An increase in population and modern

anthropogenic activities is a major contributor to the disposal
of pollutants into the natural environment and as such, the
value of natural environments is gradually exposed to
degradation. The soil, air, lakes, and seas are being
contaminated with sewage, radioactive, materials, and toxic
chemicals among other pollutants. Uncontrolled release of
carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, sulfur oxide, and carbon
dioxide, for example, have resulted in the degradation of
the ozone layer and global warming – environmental changes
with their resultant depletive impacts on different natural
habitats.


Overconsumption of natural resources like wood



MEASURES
TAKEN BY THE
GOVERNMENT
OF INDIA
Some of the measures taken by the Government of India
towards sustainable development in recent years are:

• Swachh Bharat Abhiyan- It was launched by the

Government of India to solve the problems of sanitation
and waste management in India by ensuring hygiene
across the country. The main aim of the project is to create
sanitation facilities for all and provide every rural family
with a toilet by 2019.Prime Minister Narendra Modi has
directly linked clean India with the economic health of the
country. This mission has provided a source of
employment to many people, contributed to the GDP
growth, and reduced health costs to an extent. There is no
doubt that cleanliness is interlinked with the country’s
tourism and global interests. More tourism will bring more
revenue.

• Beti Bachao Beti Padhao- the program is working to girl

children access to survival, safety and education, while
ending regressive mindsets by celebrating the girl child,
fighting gender bias with inclusiveness. These aspects can
end India’s female infanticide and foeticide incidents.
With access to education comes a transformation in
decision-making. Research has shown that girls who


Increasing forest cover in Uttar Pradesh

Action plan for removing Air pollution



• complete their high school education are less likely to

experience underage pregnancy. Today, in contrast, one
million girls under the age of 15 get pregnant every year.
Along with delivery-related complications, their children
are born with a low survival rate of 50%. 60 million girls
will lose their lives or a chance at education by 2020.

• Smart Cities Mission- Smart Cities Mission was launched

by the Hon’ Prime Minister on 25 June, 2015. The main
objective of the Mission is to promote cities that provide
core infrastructure, clean and sustainable environment and
give a decent quality of life to their citizens through the
application of ‘smart solutions’. The Mission aims to drive
economic growth and improve quality of life through
comprehensive work on social, economic, physical and
institutional pillars of the city. The focus is on sustainable
and inclusive development by creation of replicable
models which act as lighthouses to other aspiring cities.

• Sampanna Bharat Samriddha Bharat - India strives to

become a USD 5 trillion economy by 2025 following an
inclusive and sustainable growth trajectory. India is
pursuing aggressive reforms to stimulate manufacturing,
build infrastructure, spur investments, foster technological
innovation and boost entrepreneurship. Major reforms
include a single Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime,
FDI liberalization , Insolvency and Bankruptcy legislation,
Ease of Doing Business Reforms and programs like Make
in India, Startup India and Skill India.

• The Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan or ‘self-reliant

India movement’ – It was launched by the honorable
Prime Minister during his address to the nation on may 12,
2020.Short term and long-term measures to ensure that no
one is left behind are- additional INR 400 billion for
MGNREGA to generate 3 billion person days of
employment. Scheme for affordable rental housing



• complexes for migrant workers and urban poor. INR 50

billion credit facility for street vendors. INR 300 billion
additional emergency working capital for farmers.

• UP Population Policy- Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath

unveiled a policy aimed at stabilising the population
in Uttar Pradesh and reducing maternal and infant
deaths in a time-bound manner as he termed rising
population a “hurdle in development”. The Uttar
Pradesh Population Policy 2021-2030, unveiled on
the occasion of World Population Day, also aims at
bringing down the gross fertility rate among women
to 2.1 by 2026 and to 1.9 by 2030. One of the key
points in the new policy is to make comprehensive
arrangements for the care of the elderly, apart from better
management of education, health, and nutrition of
adolescents between 11 to 19 years.

• The Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana

(PMGKAY) - In March ‘20, the Government of India
announced additional free food supplies for two-thirds of
the population as part of its effort to mitigate the impact of
the COVID-19 lockdown. The Pradhan Mantri Garib
Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) was to support families
from April-June using the existing network of Fair Price
Shops with the additional provision of 5 kg food-grain
plus 1 kg pulses per month. The latest government data
shows that 91 per cent of the quantity allotted by the
Centre was procured and lifted by the states, and
transported via a record number of railways rakes and
trucks. Of the procured quantity, 84 per cent has already
reached the intended beneficiaries via the fair price
shops.Most large states managed to distribute over 60 per
cent of the allocated food grains, with some exceptions —
Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu
— lagging.



SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
IN SINGAPORE
• Singapore Green plan 2030- The Singapore Green Plan
2030, or the Green Plan, is a whole-of-nation movement to
advance Singapore’s national agenda on sustainable
development. The Green Plan charts ambitious and
concrete targets over the next 10 years, strengthening
Singapore’s commitments under the UN’s 2030
Sustainable Development Agenda and Paris Agreement,
and positioning us to achieve our long-term net zero
emissions aspiration as soon as viable. Climate change
is a global challenge, and Singapore is taking firm actions
to do our part to build a sustainable future. The Green
Plan’s Key Targets are the following -
- Plant 1 million more trees
- Quadruple solar energy deployment by 2025
- Reduce the waste sent to landfill by 30% by 2030
-At least 20% of schools to be carbon neutral by 2030
- All newly registered cars to be cleaner-energy models

• Singapore’s Pledge to Reduce Emissions- Prior to the

UNFCCC Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in
2009, Singapore pledged to reduce our greenhouse gas
emissions by 16 per cent below business-as-usual (BAU)
levels in 2020. In line with the agreement adopted in Paris
in December 2015, Singapore has made a further
commitment to reduce our Emissions Intensity by 36 per
cent from 2005 levels by 2030, and stabilise our
greenhouse gas emissions with the aim of peaking around


Singapore Green Plan 2030



• 2030.On 31 March 2020, Singapore submitted its

enhanced Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and
Long-Term Low-Emissions Development Strategy
(LEDS) document to the UNFCCC. Singapore’s enhanced
NDC now states an absolute emissions target to peak
emissions at 65 MtCO2e around 2030. Singapore’s LEDS
builds on the enhanced NDC by aspiring to halve
emissions from its peak to 33 MtCO2e by 2050, with a
view to achieving net zero emissions as soon as viable in
the second half of the century.This pledge is an ambitious
one given our limited access to renewable energy and will
require concerted effort by all stakeholders, including the
Government, businesses, households and individual.

• Singapore's contribution to the SDGs- Singapore has

been sharing our experience on sustainable development
with fellow developing countries through technical
assistance More than 131,000 officials from over 170
countries have participated in SCP courses in areas such as
water and sanitation (SDG 6), sustainable cities (SDG 11),
and climate action (SDG 13). Nonetheless, the
unprecedented scale and ambition of the 2030 Agenda
requires renewed commitment and enhanced partnership
from all stakeholders. Additionally, the COVID-19
pandemic threatens to stall or even reverse progress on the
SDGs. Singapore and other countries will need to work
together to intensify efforts as we embark on this Decade
of Action. Singapore undertook our first Voluntary
National Review (VNR) of the SDGs at the 2018 UN
High-Level Political Forum in July. More information on
our SDG efforts and our first VNR can be found on
the official UN SDGs website .To track our progress in
achieving the SDGs, the Singapore Department of
Statistics (DOS) launched an SDG webpage in September
2019. Most recently, we have also collaborated with
fellow ASEAN Member States through the ASEAN
Community Statistical System’s Working Group on SDG


Indicators to develop ASEAN-specific indicators in order

to better track progress at the regional level.

• Sustainable living environment- Our pioneer generation

had a vision for a clean, green and sustainable Singapore
for all Singaporeans. They instilled in all of us the
consciousness that this little island is all that we have, and
we have to look after it well. Over the past 50 years, we
have seen vast improvements in our housing, water, public
health, and sanitation. Today, we are a City in a Garden
with about 47 per cent green cover in Singapore. More
than 80 per cent of households are within a 10-minute
walk from a park. We have 72 hectares of rooftop gardens
and green walls today, and aim to triple this by 2030.
These plans are outlined in our Sustainable Singapore
Blueprint. I have also just launched the Public Sector
Sustainability Plan, which will increase the speed of
sustainable practices, generate demand for green products
and services, and encourage our public officers to think
green. These initiatives will achieve a green and
sustainable living environment for all Singaporeans.

• Sustainable development for our people- Our people are

our precious and only resource, and investing in them is of
utmost importance. Since the 1960s, we have worked to
achieve mass education at the primary, secondary, and
tertiary levels. Our next frontier is mass continuing
education to prepare for the future of work. Rapid
technological advances will change the nature of work and
the skills required. The knowledge and skills we acquire
through conventional pre-employment education during
the first 20 years of our lives will need to be refreshed to
last a working life of over forty years. Our workers must
be prepared to constantly skill and reskill, and move into


new jobs and industries several times in their working

lives. Skills Future Singapore will work closely with our
associations, unions, and companies to support our
workers to deepen and refresh their skills at key points in
their careers.

• Sustainable economy- Economic growth generates the

resources to invest in education, research and
development, security, infrastructure, and public services.
With no natural resources, Singapore has had to be
resourceful to make a living for ourselves. This has
entailed finding ways to create and add value, producing
goods and services that are in demand by others, and
making careful use of resources. This has required
integrated and long-term planning to optimize resources
such as budget, land, manpower, energy, and more
recently, carbon emissions, to ensure sustainable growth.
We made early choices to turn away very polluting
industries and took early action to switch to natural gas,
the cleanest form of fossil fuel, for power generation.
Today, we are among the 20 most carbon efficient
countries in the world. We will intensify our efforts as we
work towards achieving our commitment under the Paris
Agreement. We will reduce emissions intensity by 36 per
cent from 2005 levels by 2030, and stabilize emissions
with the aim of peaking by then.


ANALYSIS
1. Pollution- The pollution levels in India are much higher
than in Singapore.

Pollution India vs Singapore

India Singapore
Improve Data Improve Data
Air Pollution High 72.71 Low 34.12
Drinking Water
Very
Pollution and Moderate 56.69
Low 13.97
Inaccessibility
Dissatisfaction with
High 71.53 Low 24.13
Garbage Disposal
Very
Dirty and Untidy High 68.32
Low 19.79
Noise and Light
High 62.54 Moderate 50.00
Pollution
Water Pollution High 73.05 Low 24.20
Dissatisfaction to
Spend Time in the High 65.95 Low 26.47
City
Dissatisfaction with
Green and Parks in Moderate 55.58 Low 20.96
the City
Contributors: 5000 297
Index India Singapore
Pollution Index: 79.88 33.31
Pollution Exp
141.28 56.49
Scale:


2. Gross Domestic Product: According to the International

Monetary Fund (IMF), on a per capita income basis, India
ranked 145th by GDP (nominal) and 122nd by GDP (PPP)
whereas Singapore ranked 38th (nominal) and 37th (PPP).

3. Energy Transition Index: Singapore is the leading Asian

country on the latest World Economic Forum Energy
Transition Index (ETI) which measures progress towards a
more inclusive, sustainable, affordable, and secure energy
system. It was placed 21st globally. India has been ranked
at the 87th position among 115 countries in the Energy
Transition Index (ETI). The ETI assesses the performance
of each country’s energy systems across three dimensions-
economic development and growth, environmental
sustainability and energy security and access indicators
and their readiness to transition to secure, sustainable,
affordable and inclusive energy systems

4. Smart City Index: The 2020 Smart City Index (SCI) was
topped by Singapore. In the 2020 Smart City Index,
Hyderabad was placed at the 85th position (down from 67
in 2019), New Delhi at 86th rank (down from 68 in 2019),
Mumbai was at 93rd place (in 2019 it was at 78) and
Bengaluru at 95th (79 in 2019). 4.Sustainable
Development Report: The Sustainable Development
Report (formerly the SDG Index & Dashboards) is a
global assessment of countries' progress towards achieving
the Sustainable Development Goals. Singapore is ranked
76th while India is ranked 120th in the Sustainable
Development Report.

5. Carbon Emissions: India is now the planet’s third-largest

emitter of carbon dioxide, although it is still well behind
China, the world’s largest emitter, and the United States.
Measured per person, however, India’s emissions are
ranked 140th in the world while Singapore ranks 28th.


BIBLIOGRAPHY
The Content for this project has been taken from the following
websites:

1. youmatter.world
2. sdgs.un.org
3. www.un.org
4. www.undp.org
5. www.greenplan.gov.sg