Sustainable development (SD) is a process for meeting human development goals while sustaining
the ability of natural systems to continue to provide the natural resources and
ecosystem services upon which the economy and society depend. While the modern
concept of sustainable development is derived most strongly from the 1987
Brundtland Report, it is rooted in earlier ideas about sustainable forest
management and twentieth century environmental concerns.
Sustainable
development is the organizing principle for sustaining finite resources
necessary to provide for the needs of future generations of life on the planet.
It is a process that envisions a desirable future state for human societies in
which living conditions and resource-use continue to meet human needs without
undermining the "integrity, stability and beauty" of natural biotic
systems. The main objectives are Efficient Use of Natural Resources, No
Reduction in the Quality of Life of the Future Generation, No Increase in
Pollution. In 1992, the UN Conference on Environment and Development published
in 1992 the Earth Charter, which outlines the building of a just, sustainable,
and peaceful global society in the 21st century. The action plan Agenda 21 for
sustainable development identified information, integration, and participation
as key building blocks to help countries achieve development that recognizes
these interdependent pillars. It emphasizes that in sustainable development
everyone is a user and provider of information. 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. Inherently the concept of sustainable development is intertwined
with the concept of carrying capacity. Economic development has traditionally
required a growth in the gross domestic product. This model of unlimited
personal and GDP growth may be over. Sustainable development may
involve improvements in the quality of life for many but may necessitate a
decrease in resource consumption.
