Barriers to Sustainability: Reflections on Social and Environmental Dimensions

Objective: To address issues related to the impacts of development strategies on society and the environment based on the principles of sustainable development and public participation, as established in the Aahrus Convention in 1998. Theoretical framework: The importance of integrating concerns with ethical, social and environmental dimensions when planning and implementing infrastructure is addressed. Method: The methodology is based on bibliographical research to explore and combine the issues that represent mandatory requirements to meet the objectives of sustainable development, as well as to analyze the discrepancies between economic interests and the need to protect environmental and social values using water resources projects as an example. Results and conclusions: The fact that decision-making regarding the implementation of infrastructure is predominantly based on merely “technical-economic” aspects constitutes one of the barriers to sustainability. It is urgent to adopt feasible measures that aim to give due weight to environmental, social, cultural, ethical aspects and all those whose balance is likely to be affected by human interventions. Implications of the research: The research carried out highlights the relevance and urgency of integrating the ethical and social dimensions in the training of technicians (e.g., engineers whose activities raise significant environmental and social aspects) as a way of ensuring multidisciplinary content in their training and, thus, facilitating the understanding of the imperative nature of transdisciplinarity in the design and implementation of infrastructures that structure development. Originality/value: The work constitutes a reflection on the adaptations that urgently need to be implemented to enable territorial planning actions that holistically integrate the environmental, economic and social dimensions of sustainability.