Sustainable Development
Sustainable development is an
organizing principle that aims to
meet human development goals.
While also enabling natural
systems to provide necessary
natural resources and ecosystem
services to humans.
The desired result is a society where living
conditions and resources meet human
needs without undermining the planetary
integrity and stability of the natural system.
The Brundtland Report in 1987 defined
sustainable development as "development that
meets the needs of the present generation
without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs".[2][3] The
concept of sustainable development nowadays
has a focus on economic development, social
development and environmental protection for
future generations.
Sustainable development was first
institutionalized with the Rio Process initiated at
the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. In
2015 the United Nations General
Assembly (UNGA) adopted the Sustainable
Development Goals (2015 to 2030) and
explained how the goals are integrated and
indivisible to achieve sustainable development
at the global level.[4] The UNGA's 17 goals
address the global challenges,
including poverty, inequality, climate
change, environmental degradation, peace, and
justice.
Sustainable development is interlinked with
the normative
concept of sustainability. UNESCO formulated
a distinction between the two concepts as
follows: "Sustainability is often thought of as a
long-term goal (i.e. a more sustainable world),
while sustainable development refers to the
many processes and pathways to achieve
it."[5] The concept of sustainable development
has been criticized in various ways. While some
see it as paradoxical (or as an oxymoron) and
regard development as inherently
unsustainable, others are disappointed in the
lack of progress that has been achieved so far.
[6][7]
Part of the problem is that "development"
itself is not consistently defined.[8]:
1
Sustainability is a social goal about the ability of
people to co-exist on Earth over a long time.
Specific definitions of this term are difficult to
agree on. They have varied with literature,
context, and time.[10][9] Experts often describe
sustainability as having three dimensions (or
pillars). These are environmental, economic,
and social.[9] Many publications state that the
environmental dimension is the most important.
[11][12]
So in everyday use, sustainability often
focuses on countering major environmental
problems. These include climate
change and loss of biodiversity. They also
include loss of ecosystem services, land
degradation, and air and water pollution. The
idea of sustainability can guide decisions at the
global, national, and individual levels
(e.g. sustainable living).[13] A related concept is
sustainable development, and the terms are
often used to mean the same thing.
[14]
UNESCO distinguishes the two like this:
"Sustainability is often thought of as a long-term
goal (i.e. a more sustainable world),
while sustainable development refers to the
many processes and pathways to achieve it.
Sustainable development has its
roots in ideas regarding sustainable
forest management, which were
developed in Europe during the 17th
and 18th centuries.[16][17]: 6–16 In
response to a growing awareness of
the depletion of timber resources in
England.
