Sustainable cities: from theory to reality
The word sustainable is already part of many people’s vocabulary. Even though this word can be defined in infinite ways, it is possible to divide it both in a theoretical and a factual context. The former refers to the consumer (individual or collective), or the scarcity of certain natural resources, such as water and petroleum. The latter, refers to putting into practice measures that will guarantee the use of these resources in a reasonable and productive way. If we are aware of the fact that these resources are not renewable, they should be used carefully.
It is really complex to use natural resources in an optimum way if we do not first understand why and what we do that for. This means that first of all, we should be conscious of the theoretical part and then pass on to the factual one. Nevertheless, even though many people are aware of the scarcity of resources, they choose for different reasons, not to use them as they should. A clear example of this situation is what happens in underdeveloped countries, which might be conscious of the scarcity of resources, but because of their serious economic and social problems, tend to leave aside environmental policies.
Taking all this into consideration, a sustainable city could be defined as one in which its public policies consider natural resources scarcity, and devote an important part of its budget to fighting greenhouse effect gas emissions, and the excessive use of non-renewable resources among other environmental issues.
Even though certain cities are known as sustainable, it is necessary to point out that the activities that are carried out in them are not. It is very frequent for these cities to carry out activities that are harmful for the environment in other parts of the world. This is the case of a renowned Canadian company, which has mega open-pit mining activities in different Latin American countries, polluting water and affecting the cities where these activities take place. Another example is that of multinational companies settled in China, which take advantage of the legal void as regards the environment in certain countries in order to develop their activities.
Not all the countries are equally rich in natural resources. While in some countries these are plentiful, in others they are really scarce. However, this does not mean that neither the latter cannot satisfy their subsistence needs, nor that the former distribute their natural resources consciously. In Israel, in spite of the fact that most of its territory is made up of desert, technological development has enabled this country to generate the necessary tools to fight the harsh characteristics of the area. The drip irrigation system is a clear example of this, as it not only enables the water to drip on plants, but different from traditional irrigation systems, it uses just the necessary amount of water that each type of soil needs. This system has proved to be so successful that it has been borrowed by many countries. As regards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations, such technology complies with goal 8.4, as it enables to “decouple economic growth from environmental degradation…”
Even though it was pointed out in the first paragraph that less developed countries do not tend to prioritize sustainable development, there are cases in which environmentally friendly techniques are used to cope with basic needs of society, such as access to hot water and electricity. An example of this is the installation of photovoltaic solar panels and solar collectors in certain slums in Argentina. One of the objectives of Goals 11 of the United Nations Sustainable Development is to “…ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.” Although such goal has not yet been thoroughly achieved, it is necessary to mention that this type of measures help improve people’s life quality.
Both drip irrigation and the installation of solar panels in slums are examples of growth in spite of difficulties, being faced with a complex situation (climate, social or environmental), sustainable strategies seem to be both a whole and efficient response. Even though these isolated cases do not make a city sustainable, these are suitable ways of facing the climate and social crisis that such cities go through, and at the same time, are a way of complying with the , mainly with goal 12.2 (“ … achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.”)
In conclusion, it is important to mention that our planet is just one and indivisible, and both pollution and the wrong use of natural resources will affect, sooner or later, everyone in the same way. In spite of the great effort made by certain countries in order to protect the environment, maybe it is time to start to work globally, putting aside individualistic of each country. After all, just an attempt to show sustainability is not what will bring about a long -term difference, but the promotion of environmentally effective measures for the whole planet Earth.
