Environment and Sustainable Development (2020)

Abstract

The topic of the environment has received extensive attention from sociologists in recent decades, especially following the worsening environmental problems that threaten human health, safety, and progress. The environmental dimension has become a fundamental pillar in the concept of sustainable development, which is the aspiration of the international community, local societies, and all specialists in the humanities. This theoretical study explores the relationship between environment and development, their mutual reflections, and how sustainable development can be achieved.

The current research relies on a descriptive-analytical approach by reviewing relevant literature on environment and development and analyzing key concepts using a deductive method based on collecting and analyzing information to demonstrate the relationship between environment and sustainable development.

The study concluded that there is a reciprocal, interactive, and integrative relationship between environment and development; they cannot be separated. There is no development without environmental preservation and vice versa. The success of any development depends on the degree of attention and preservation of the environment. Furthermore, strategic planning must be adopted in establishing developmental projects with consideration of the environmental dimension, as living in a clean environment is a right for future generations, which is the essence of sustainable development.