What is development?
1.
The systematic use
of
scientific
and technical knowledge to
meet
specific objectives or requirements.
OR
2.An extension of the theoretical or practical aspects of a concept, design, discovery,
or invention.
OR
3. The process of economic and social transformation that is based on complex cultural
and environmental factors and their interactions.
Or
4.The process of adding improvements to a parcel of land, such as grading, subdivisions,
drainage, access, roads, utilities.
It is somewhat easier to say which countries are richer and which are poorer. But indicators of
wealth, which reflect the quantity of resources available to a society, provide no information
about the allocation of those resourcesfor instance, about more or less equitable distribution of
income among social groups, about the shares of resources used to provide free health and
education services, and about the effects of production and consumption on peoples
environment. Thus it is no wonder that countries with similar average incomes can differ
substantially when it comes to peoples quality of life: access to education and health care,
employment opportunities, availability of clean air and safe drinking water, the threat of crime,
and so on. With that in mind, how do we determine which countries are more developed and
which are less developed?
Recent United Nations documents emphasize human development, measured by life
expectancy, adult literacy, access to all three levels of education, as well as peoples average
income, which is a necessary condition of their freedom of choice. In a broader sense the notion
of human development incorporates all aspects of individuals well-being, from their health
status to their economic and political freedom
Sustainable Development
Sustainable development is a term widely used by politicians all over the world, even though the
notion is still rather new and lacks a uniform interpretation. Important as it is, the concept of
sustainable development is still being developed and the definition of the term is constantly
being revised, extended, and refined. Using this book, you can try to formulate your own
definition as you learn more about the relationships among its main componentsthe economic,
social, and environmental factors of sustainable developmentand as you decide on their
relative significance based on your own system of values. According to the classical definition
given by the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development in 1987,
development is sustainable if it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability
of future generations to meet their own needs. It is usually understood that this
intergenerational equity would be impossible to achieve in the absence of present-day social
equity, if the economic activities of some groups of people continue to jeopardize the well-being
of people belonging to other groups or living in other parts of the world. Imagine, for example,
that emissions of greenhouse gases, generated mainly by highly industrialized countries, lead to
global warming and flooding of certain low-lying islandsresulting in the displacement and
impoverishment of entire island nations Or consider the situation when higher profits of
pharmaceutical companies are earned at the cost of millions of poor people being unable to
afford medications needed for treating their life-threatening diseases. Sustainable development
could probably be otherwise called equitable and balanced, meaning that, in order for
development to continue indefinitely, it should balance the interests of different groups of
people, within the same generation and among generations, and do so simultaneously in three
major interrelated areaseconomic, social, and environmental.