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In the ever-evolving 21st century, where technical innovation is inevitable, countries are investing billions to foster solutions for persisting problems. The quest is further accelerated by the race among the developed economies, where with every passing year, one nation outpaces another with its unprecedented research and innovation. This race ensures that science and technology keeps advancing with time, but as hindsight of this, several economies and a significant section of the society are forced to battle against the drastic consequences. Hence, it is the need of the hour to focus on Sustainability and Sustainable Development.
What is Sustainability?
Sustainability (derived from sustain and ability) is the property of biological systems to remain healthy and productive indefinitely. In more general terms, it is the endurance of systems and processes against changes that take place around them. Sustainability includes four crucial domains: ecology, economics, politics and culture. In simpler terms, the development which doesn’t harm the ecology and doesn’t disturb the ecosystem is termed as ‘Sustainable Development’.
Several MNCs have channelized funds to achieve the objective of Sustainable Development. According to the figures of UN, 1.6 billion people, or 300 million households, do not have access to electricity. They earn less than 2 dollars per day. And from them:
- 50 million live in India;
- 100 million live in Indonesia, and a similar number in Bangladesh;
- 70 million live in Nigeria;
- And more than 100 million live in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Due to financial constraints and energy crisis, majority of the residents in these regions are deprived of a basic human right- electricity. This restricts their growth at multiple levels and shuts down the door of development for them. Also, the adverse impacts of rapid modernization of the neighboring nations results in unprecedented levels of pollution. It disturbs their ecosystem, which further affects their growth and development.
What is happening today?
To counter all the aforementioned problems, several MNCs and energy giants have taken numerous steps to ensure that Electricity becomes a fundamental right for everyone and at every place. Schneider Electric, a global leader in Energy Management and Automation had shown keen commitment towards Sustainable Development. It launched its sustainability approach in 2002 by creating a department for the Group. By signing 10 Principles of the Global Compact. It then mobilized the corporate community around sustainability objectives, so that the employees stay trained and careful in all their professional projects and don’t hamper with the rights of others. And the entire corporate community reported to the corresponding stakeholders about the recent innovations in the field.
A sustainable future is necessary to resolve three issues that are very much dependent on one another:
1) Fossil fuel depletion,
2) Climate change due to CO2 emissions, and
3) The increasing costs of energy and water.
So, it’s imperative at the part of the global leaders to think of alternatives for fossil fuels, because sustainable alternatives are a one-step solution for all the aforementioned problems.
By our Student Contributor:
Abyakta Patra, Campus Ambassador of SE at NIT-Rourkela and acts as a liaison between the institute and Schneider Electric. Currently pursuing B.Tech. in Electronics and Communication Engineering at NIT, Rourkela.
