The society can develop if it has good plan for the future generation. The needs for today’s generation as well as the future generation are equally important. According to (Brande & Happaerts 2011) sustainable development is the main agenda in global development in order to achieve economic growth.
Policies are of great importance and everybody should ensure that they follow them strictly. However, it is important to note that policies are not enough measures of ensuring sustainable development.
The change of our thinking or approach in matters concerning the economy, which include production, consumption and social pattern, are important in ensuring sustainable development. “The social development and the ecological agendas are trumped by the economic development and they are very important in every nation” (Pallemaerts & Azmanova 2006).
EU commission in the year 2009 adopted the 2009 review of EU SDS. According to this review, emphasis was that the EU had set up a wide range of policies for sustainable development. In particular, the review stated that the EU was very keen in the issue of climate change.
This is the reason why the EU would take lead in the global struggle against climate change to set an example for the others to follow. The EU had also to take a leading role in the promotion and use of green energy or the establishment of low-carbon economy.
As noted by Pallemaerts & Azmanova (2006), protecting the environment was to be the key agenda in sustainable development, which was the first priority. Some unsustainable trends were persistent in many areas of the economy and therefore there was need to get solution to the situation.
In December the year 2009, the European Council emphasized that, sustainable development remained as one of its main objective as in Libson Treaty. The emphasis was that the 2009 review on sustainable development long-term vision would remain as its main objective.
The long-term policies were also to form the basis for the union’s strategies and policies. However, there were unsustainable trends of interest that needed urgent attention
“Unsustainable trends still persist and the EU needs to intensify its efforts” (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2011), where the rating of the energy sector was the most affected by these trends. These unsustainable trends were termed as the main cause of change in climate and for this reason; there was need for drastic measures to combat climate change.
Adapting to the effects of the change in climate was to be the first step followed by implementation of measures aiming at combating the change. Transport sector was the one that consumed most energy and if people tackled the issue of the change in climate, then there was need to reduce consumption of energy in the sector.
The problem of changing climate relates to the global loss of biomass currently experienced in the globe and this trend had to be reversed (Koutrakou 2004).
There is no comparison between the future economy and today’s economy because the sustenance of future economy will be possible if it is low-input economy. The plan had to start in the present and for this reason trade in the EU had to be in line with the union’s development strategies.
Priorities were important in the evaluation, monitoring and following up to ensure that the EU was a global example in implementing trade policies that were sustainable.
References
Brande, K & Happaerts, K, 2011. Keeping sustainable development alive, The Broker. Web.
Koutrakou, V, 2004, Contemporary issues and debates in the EU, Manchester University Press: Manchester.
Pallemaerts, M & Azmanova, A., 2006, The European Union and sustainable development: Internal and external dimensions, Asp / Vubpress / Upa: Brussels.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2011, Sustainability and the U.S. EPA. National Academic Press: Washington.