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In Filipino, sustainable development is likas-kayang pag-unlad, which literally means ecological sustainable development. In Visayan, sustainable development can be literally translated as malungtarong kaugmaran, although kaugmaran already includes the concept of sustainability.
The central message of sustainable
development is the satisfaction of fundamental human needs for a long period of
time. Manfred Max-Neef identifies ten fundamental human needs: subsistence,
protection, affection, understanding, participation, idleness, creation,
identity, freedom and transcendence. These needs, in contrast to Maslow’s
hierarchy of needs, “are interacting in a systematic way...with the exception
of the need for subsistence which...has priority over the others (Reid, 1995:83).”
The idea that sustainable development
aims to satisfy fundamental human needs rather than basic or essential needs,
such as what the Brundtland Report suggests is a departure from the
conventional view of development “with its assumption that there is a simple
relationship between the production of material goods and the fulfilling of
human need (Ibid.).” As Max-Neef
argues, people-centered development must not only increase the material
standards of people but also better the quality of their lives.
The fulfillment of fundamental human
needs can only happen through a synergic satisfaction of such needs. A synergic satisfier is one which can
“satisfy a given need and also contribute to the fulfillment of other needs (Ibid.).” A good example of this is a
mother feeding her baby. In the process
of feeding, she does not only meet her baby’s need for subsistence but also the
need for protection, affection, and identity.
Fundamental human needs are inherent in
human beings. As long as a person is a
person, s/he is not devoid of natural wants or needs. The intrinsicality of
needs means that all human beings both in the present and future generations
have needs. In fact, needs “are the same
in all cultures and have been virtually the same throughout history, changing
only at the pace of the evolution of the human species (Ibid.).”
What this implies is that sustainable
development is a commitment to satisfy the fundamental human needs of the
present and future generations. Thus, sustainable development implies inter-
and intra-generational equity. Inter-generational equity means meeting the
needs of the present and future generations. Intra-generational equity means
the just and fair distribution of, and access to, resources among the existing
people of the world.
Reference
Reid,
David. Sustainable Development, An Introductory Guide. London: Earthscan Publications,
Ltd., 1995.
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