From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sustainable development is a socio-ecological process characterized by the fulfillment of human needs while maintaining the quality of the natural environment indefinitely. The linkage between environment and development was globally recognized in 1980, when the International Union for the Conservation of Nature published the World Conservation Strategy and used the term "sustainable development."^[1][2] The concept came into general usage following publication of the 1987 report of the Brundtland Commission — formally, the World Commission on Environment and Development. Set up by the United Nations General Assembly, the Brundtland Commission coined what was to become the most often-quoted definition of sustainable development as development that "meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."^[3]. Although commendable, this definition is not operational and has created much antagonism and cognitive dissonance. Hence, the following operational definition.

The field of sustainable development can be conceptually broken into three constituent parts: environmental sustainability, economic sustainability, social-political sustainability.

Contents 1 Scope and definitions 2 Criticism of the term 3 Environmental sustainability 4 See also 5 Notes and references 6 External links

Sustainable development does not focus solely on environmental issues. More broadly, sustainable development policies encompass three general policy areas: economic, environmental and social. In support of this, several United Nations texts, most recently the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document, refer to the "interdependent and mutually reinforcing pillars" of sustainable development as economic development, social development, and environmental protection.

The Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity (UNESCO, 2001) elaborates further the concept by stating that "...cultural diversity is as necessary for humankind as biodiversity is for nature”; it becomes “one of the roots of development understood not simply in terms of economic growth, but also as a means to achieve a more satisfactory intellectual, emotional, moral and spiritual existence". In this vision, cultural diversity is the fourth policy area of sustainable development.

Green development is generally differentiated from Sustainable development in that Green development prioritizes what its proponents consider to be environmental sustainability over economic and cultural considerations. Proponents of Sustainable Development argue that it provides a context in which to improve overall sustainability where cutting edge Green development is unattainable. For example, a cutting edge treatment plant with extremely high maintenance costs may not be sustainable in regions of the world with less financial resources. An environmentally ideal plant that is shut down due to bankruptcy is obviously less sustainable than one that is maintainable by the indigenous community, even if it is somewhat less effective from an environmental standpoint.

Some research activities start from this definition to argue that the environment is a combination of nature and culture. The Network of Excellence "Sustainable Development in a Diverse World" SUS.DIV, sponsored by the European Union, works in this direction. It integrates multidisciplinary capacities and interprets cultural diversity as a key element of a new strategy for sustainable development.

Still other researchers view environmental and social challenges as opportunities for development action. This is particularly true in the concept of sustainable Enterprise that frames these global needs as opportunities for private enterprise to provide innovative and entrepreneurial solutions. This view is now being taught at many business schools including the Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise at Cornell University.

The United Nations Division for Sustainable Development lists the following areas as coming within the scope of Sustainable Development:^[4]

Sustainable Development is an ambiguous concept, as a wide array of views fall under its umbrella. The concept has included notions of weak sustainability, strong sustainability and deep ecology. Different conceptions also reveal a strong tension between ecocentrism and anthropocentrism. Thus, the concept remains weakly defined and contains a large amount of debate as to its precise definition.

During the last ten years, different organizations have tried to measure and monitor the proximity to what they consider sustainability by implementing what has been called sustainability metric and indices.

Environmental technology
Air pollution control Air pollution dispersion modeling Alternative energy Biofuel Composting Conservation biology Conservation ethic Ecoforestry Electric vehicle Energy conservation Energy development Energy efficiency Environmental design Environmental impact assessment Environmental preservation Green building Green computing Hydrogen technologies Industrial wastewater treatment Natural building Plug-in hybrid Recycling Renewable energy Renewable energy development Remediation Solid waste treatment Sustainable architecture Sustainable energy Sustainable development Waste water treatment Water purification Waste management
Environmental science

Many environmentalists have criticized some interpretations of the term "sustainable development" as an oxymoron, claiming that economic policies based on concepts of growth and continued depletion of resources cannot be sustainable, since that term implies resources remain constant. Recently, the term "developing sustainability" has been used. [Citation needed]

Another criticism of the term and application is that it effectively constitutes 21st century Western arrogance/imperialism towards the developing world since it impedes development and improvement of the human condition in poorer nations; e.g., "we got ours, but we don't want you to get yours because you'll pollute too much"^{[citation needed]}.

Other criticisms of the term include the suggestion that its implementation would mean a revertion to pre-modern lifestyles.^[5]

Others have criticised the overuse of the term:

"word sustainable has been used in too many situations today, and ecological sustainability is one of those terms that confuse a lot of people. You hear about sustainable development, sustainable growth, sustainable economies, sustainable societies, sustainable agriculture. Everything is sustainable (Temple, 1992)"^[6]

Further information: Environmental degradation

Environmental sustainability is defined as the ability of the environment to continue to function properly indefinitely. This involves meeting the present needs of humans without endangering the welfare of future generations. The goal of environmental sustainability is to minimize environmental degradation, and to halt and reverse the processes they lead to.

An "unsustainable situation" occurs when natural capital (the sum total of nature's resources) is used up faster than it can be replenished. Sustainability requires that human activity only uses nature's resources at a rate at which they can be replenished naturally. Theoretically, the long term result of environmental degradation would be local environments that are no longer able to sustain human populations to any degree. Such degradation on a global scale could imply extinction for humanity.

Consumption of renewable resources	State of environment	Sustainability
More than nature's ability to replenish	Environmental degradation	Not sustainable
Equal to nature's ability to replenish	Environmental equilibrium	Steady-state Sustainability
Less than nature's ability to replenish	Environmental renewal	Sustainable development

• Afrique verte
• Dashboard of Sustainability
• Development simulator (sustainable or not): lincity
• Ecologically sustainable development
• Living Planet Index
• World energy resources and consumption
• Strategic Sustainable Development

• WWW-Virtual Library Sustainable development - Links to sustainable development sources
• World Business Council for Sustainable Development - CEO-led, global association of some 200 companies dealing exclusively with business and sustainable development
• European Sustainable Development Network - ESDN - Sustainable development policies and strategies in Europe
• The Center for Sustainable Global Enterprise at Cornell University views environmental and social needs as business opportunities.
• Worldchanging - The leading global online magazine about sustainability
• Sustainable Development Commission - The government's independent advisor on Sustainable Development
• Sustainable Development in Scotland - more details of the sustainability of the Scottish nation
• Forward Scotland - Scotland's independent body championing innovative approaches to Sustainable Development
• Nobel Prize for Sustainable Development - International initiative for a Nobel Prize for Sustainable Development
• Appropedia - a Wiki focused on sustainable international development and poverty reduction
• Sustainable Development in Amazonia
• International Institute for Sustainable Development International non-profit organization for sustainable development.
• International Organization for Sustainable Development International organization that also offers SD educational programs.
• International Institute for Environment and Development International non-profit organisation for sustainable development.
• Debunking-myth-about-the-third-world UN databases presented with interactive data-mining tools and shows.
• World Bank World Bank's website on sustainable development.
• Foundation for Sustainable Development Foundation actively supporting grassroots efforts in South America, Asia and Africa.