Sustainable infrastructure
Also called: green infrastructure · Topic: Environment and Sustainable Development · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 7 "Physical Infrastructure"
Meaning
Sustainable infrastructure means roads, buildings, transport, power and water systems built with cleaner energy and eco-friendly materials. The aim is to cause less pollution and less harm to nature. It must also be inclusive, which means usable by everyone, including children, the elderly and people with disabilities. It matters because infrastructure lasts for decades, so today's choices fix pollution and access for a long time.
Example
Delhi uses solar street lighting, and its public buses and autos run on CNG (compressed natural gas, a cleaner fuel) since the early 2000s. A bus stop with ramps and seating for elderly and disabled people adds the inclusive part.
Don't confuse with
- Green infrastructure in the narrow sense: this often means natural or semi-natural systems, such as wetlands, mangroves and urban parks, used for flood control or cooling. Sustainable infrastructure is wider. It covers all built infrastructure and also requires it to be inclusive.
Related concepts
- Linear economy
- Circular economy
- Recycling
- E-waste
- Extended producer responsibility
- Urban mining
- Right to repair
- Porter hypothesis
- Sustainable consumption and production
- Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions