When it comes down to us being sustainable and meeting sustainable development goals it’s harder than first thought. Its easy to say I’m going to be more sustainable by driving more eco friendly or maybe even give up the car, have a composter, recycle, use less water and electricity ect. But the fact is we don’t all stick to these goals. For example some people might give up the car and use public transport. But then they discover how much a train ticket and bus fair can cost, and the added time to there journey. So they give up using public transport and go back to using the car as it’s a lot more convenient and can even work out cheaper.
People who start recycling and get composter may think they are being sustainable and help the environment. But then when the cold weather comes along on its dark and raining heavy, they think twice about going outside to the composter, and just but the waste in the normal household bin.
But then we are told to cut down on the amount of electricity and water we use. But come to think of it, cutting back isn’t going to make hardly any difference at all, as thousands of new homes are being built each year to accommodate for the increasing population in the UK, and in fact the increasing population around the world which is even worse for the environment. So we are not being given much motivation to be more sustainable because we might be able to reduce carbon emissions in the UK, but then in developing countries the carbon emissions are being dramatically increased and they are developing e.g. China. And then we get even less motivation for being more sustainable by looking at America, which are doing practically nothing to be kinder for the environment.
So overall I think the main threats to sustainable development in this country are people’s attitude, motivation and not really seeing the benefits of being sustainable. Also when it comes to transport and cutting down on private car use, people are not really being encouraged to use public transport, or decide against it, as in my opinion its far too expensive and inconvenient.