Sustainable development

Sustainable development

Sustainable development

(

SD

) is a pattern of

resource

use, that aims to

meet

human

needs

while

preserving

the

environment

so

that

these

needs

can

be

met

not

only

in

the

present,

but

also

for

generations

to

come

(sometimes

taught as

ELF

-Environment, Local people, Future). The term was used by

the

Brundtland Commission

which coined what has become the most

often-quoted definition of sustainable development as

development

that

the

needs

of

the

present

without

compromising

the

ability

of

future

[1][2]

generations to meet their own needs.

Sustainable development ties together concern for the

carrying capacity

of

natural systems

with the social challenges facing humanity. As early

as the 1970s

economy

equilibrium with basic ecological support systems.

[3]

Ecologists have

pointed to

The Limits to Growth

[4]

, and presented the alternative of a

steady state economy

[5]

in order to address environmental concerns.

The

field

of

sustainable

development

can

be

conceptually

broken

into

three

constituent parts:

environmental

sustainability

,

economic

sustainability and

sociopolitical

sustainability.

In

1987,

the

United

Nations

released

the

Brundtland

Report

,

which

included

what is now one of the most widely recognised definitions:

present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet

their own needs. It contains within it two key concepts:

the concept of 'needs', in particular the essential needs of the

world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and

?

the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and

social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and

future needs.

[8]

?

The United Nations

2005 World Summit

Outcome Document refers to the

development as economic development, social development, and

environmental protection.

[9]

Indigenous

peoples

have

argued,

through

various

international

forums

such

as the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the

Convention on Biological Diversity, that there are

four

pillars of

sustainable development, the fourth being cultural.

The Universal

Declaration on Cultural Diversity

(

UNESCO

, 2001) further elaborates the

concept by stating that

humankind

as

biodiversi

ty

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.

A

useful

articulation

of

the

values

and

principles

of

sustainability

can

be found in the

Earth Charter

. It offers an integrated vision and