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Sustainable development, care for the environment and the need to reduce emissions are goals that feature prominently in most companies and organisations today.
This is a growing trend thanks to public support and the publication of reports such as the Brundtland Report, which changed the social landscape in the last decades of the 20th century.
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The Brundtland Report is a publication by the United Nations (UN) that seeks to respond to growing concern about environmental degradation and the use and exploitation of resources without negatively affecting the needs of future generations.
Published in 1987 by the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development, it is named after Gro Harlem Brundtland, Prime Minister of Norway and, at the time, chair of this international organisation's committee.
To reflect on the global situation, Brundtland brought together political representatives and, in particular, scientific and environmental experts from a total of 21 countries over a period of three years. This commission produced the well-known report, initially called Our Common Future, a guide to taking policy action today with an eye to tomorrow.
Specialists in environmental sustainability who have studied the Brundtland report in depth and how it has changed international policies highlight a series of clearly identified objectives in the text itself.
The main intention was to raise awareness among society at the time, regardless of lifestyle or ideology, about a problem with the pace of life: the indiscriminate use of resources was destroying the environment and increasing poverty rates across the planet.
This conclusion led to the need to define lines of action to mitigate the negative impact of humans on the planet. Specifically, the concept of sustainable development was introduced, which is associated with actions such as the circular economy, the reuse of resources and a commitment to renewable energy, among other regional and national actions.
The Brundtland report also proposed new forms of cooperation between governments of different nations and established that the concept of development should not only be related to underdeveloped countries: the richest nations on the planet also had to face a shift towards a more ecological system of production and consumption.
The plurality of voices involved in the development of the Brundtland report and the rigour with which the problem was addressed meant that the document was used as a model for numerous local, national and international government initiatives.
One of the most notable is the universal call for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This campaign, also known as Agenda 2030, is developed by the UN General Assembly itself and proposes ‘17 global goals to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all’.
These goals, which address issues as complex and necessary as ending poverty, creating sustainable cities and promoting responsible consumption, are directly inspired by the Brundtland report.
The SDGs have been one of the biggest changes in recent international politics and are now indispensable guidelines for all professionals involved in sectors such as urban mobility. Indeed, many companies across the world have implemented corporate sustainability measures based on those goals.
Although in the current context the concept of sustainable development is perfectly integrated into society, it is interesting to ask why the Brundtland report was developed in the 1980s.
To answer this question, we need to understand the context of the time: the world was emerging from a series of wars that lasted until the middle of the century. In the decades that followed, national and international policies focused on restoring societies and industrial engines and preserving peace.
The UN emerged at this time as a joint effort by different countries to create a better world. The observations of various leaders of the United Nations gave rise to a growing concern for environmental ethics, which took the form of various actions aimed at raising awareness among society and leaders. The Brundtland report is simply the result of this evolution in international socio-political thinking.
Today, many professionals work in fields such as nature conservation and the development of sustainable environments, where comfort and access to services are complemented by maximum care for the environment.
If you are interested in the environment, biodiversity and everything related to environmental development, you can access the various degree programmes and master's degrees offered by the School of Sustainability at Universidad Europea.