Sustainability and sustainable development are terms we find used increasingly. What do they mean and why are they so important?
The United Nations (UN) defines sustainability as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, ensuring a balance between economic growth, care for the environment, and social well-being", in Brundtland Report, 1987.<br> This is where the idea of sustainable development was born as a mode of progress that maintains this delicate balance today without endangering the resources of tomorrow. We must not forget the future!
From sustainable development we can expand to other concepts such as
- environmental sustainability, which emphasizes the preservation of biodiversity without having to renounce economic and social progress;
- economic sustainability, which ensures the profitability of activities aimed at environmental and social sustainability; and
- social sustainability, which is aimed at the cohesion and well-being of the population.
Global engagement is imperative.
Sustainability presupposes global awareness. All people must understand that we live on a shared planet and that our actions have repercussions for the world in general, not only on for that part which directly surrounds us. Achieving sustainable development requires individual and collective effort. BBVA is committed to this goal and provides help to its clients through sustainable financing and investments.
Step by step
We often avoid change because we think that it will require too much time, economic investment, or that its impact will not be significant. However, we can perform small gestures at home and in our daily lives that help us become more sustainable and create less harm to the planet. Read our recommendations and be part of building this new, more sustainable world.