Sustainable development

Sustainable development is a way to grow and improve human development without harming the chances of people in the future. The aim is to make sure everyone has what they need while keeping the planet safe. This means finding a balance between the economy, the environment, and society, including fair health for all.

The Brundtland Report, published in 1987, helped make sustainable development well known. It is linked to the idea of sustainability, which UNESCO calls a long-term goal. Sustainable development focuses on how to reach that goal.

The Rio Process, which began at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, made sustainable development a global topic. It led to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), global goals set for 2030. These goals were adopted in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to address big challenges like poverty, climate change, and biodiversity loss.

Some people think the idea of sustainable development has problems. They wonder if true "development" can really be sustainable. Others feel that not enough progress has been made. Scholars also say the idea can be unclear and open to different meanings. Even though digital technology is often seen as a tool for sustainable development, it can sometimes harm the environment, even if it helps the economy and society.

Because of these issues, more money and research are needed to better understand and improve sustainable development.

Definition

In 1987, a United Nations group shared a report called Our Common Future. This report gave a definition for "sustainable development" that many people use today. It says sustainable development is about meeting the needs of people now without stopping future generations from meeting their own needs.

The idea includes two important parts: focusing on the needs of poor people and remembering that technology and society can limit how well we can care for the environment now and in the future. Sustainable development tries to balance growth in the economy, protecting nature, and making sure everyone is well off.

People think about sustainability in many ways, and it leads to many discussions about different plans for a better world.

Development of the concept

See also: Sustainability

The idea of sustainable development began with early thoughts about caring for forests. In the 1600s and 1700s in Europe, people noticed that trees were disappearing, and they started to think about how to manage forests wisely. One person, John Evelyn, wrote about planting trees to protect resources. Later, Hans Carl von Carlowitz wrote a book about managing forests so they could provide wood for many years.

Over time, people began to see that caring for nature was important for the future. Books and reports talked about how the world needs to grow in ways that don’t use up all its resources. In the 1970s, scientists created models showing that the world needed to find a balance to avoid running out of things. By the 1990s, meetings around the world helped create plans for a better future where nature, people, and the economy all work together. These ideas continue to change and grow today.

Global governance framework

The main plan for helping the world grow in a balanced way is called the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It has 17 goals to help people live better lives while taking care of our planet. These goals build on older plans from the year 2000 and focus on ending poverty reduction, protecting the environmental protection, and promoting peace.

Experts say people think about sustainability in different ways. Some believe we can grow the economy while still caring for our resources. Others think we need to change how power is shared between richer and poorer countries. Some worry about growing too much, while others want big changes to how the world works.

National implementation

Ireland

In Ireland, the government makes special plans to help create a better future for everyone. The Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment leads these efforts, with help from the Central Statistics Office to share progress.

Education is very important too. In 2022, a strategy called ESD to 2030 was made to teach students of all ages how to take care of our planet. This includes ideas to improve schools, train teachers, and encourage young people to help their communities.

Related concepts

Sustainability

Sustainable development helps us live well today without using up all the resources that people in the future will need. It means finding a balance between growing our economies, protecting nature, and supporting communities so that everyone can thrive. The goal is to meet our needs in a way that keeps the planet healthy for many years to come.

Dimensions

Main article: Sustainability § Dimensions of sustainability

Sustainable development is about finding a good balance between three important parts: the environment, the economy, and society. It aims to take care of our planet, our money, and our communities together. This balance helps us meet today's needs without hurting the chances of people in the future.

Pathways

Further information: Sustainability § Transition

Six important abilities help make sustainable development work well. These include measuring progress, making sure everyone has fair chances, adapting to changes, changing systems to be more sustainable, connecting knowledge with actions, and creating ways for people to work together.

During the years 2000 to 2015, the main focus was reducing poverty through economic growth and joining the global trade system. The newer goals, called the SDGs, take a broader view. Out of the 17 SDGs, many focus on fairness, equality, and including everyone.

Improving on environmental sustainability

Further information: Human impact on the environment and Ecological footprint

When we use nature’s resources faster than they can grow back, it isn’t sustainable. Sustainability means using resources at a pace where they can renew themselves.

Important ideas for sustainability were shared by Herman Daly. These include making sure we don’t take more from renewable resources than what can grow back, and finding replacements for resources that don’t renew.

In 2019, a big study about biodiversity and ecosystem services suggested that we need big changes. These include using sustainable agriculture, using less and wasting less, and working together to manage water.

Environmental problems are now being tackled with methods like sustainable agriculture, organic farming, and better sustainable business practices. Many groups work on sustainable food systems. These can include eating less meat, growing local food, and sustainable gardening.

Using materials sustainably means reusing them as much as possible, like how nature cycles things. This is called a circular economy. It uses ideas like reuse, sharing, fixing things, and recycling. The European Commission started a plan to make sustainable products normal.

Improving on economic and social aspects

Further information: Corporate sustainability and Sustainable business

Some believe that because of poverty and using too many resources, nature’s gifts should be seen as important parts of the economy, called natural capital.

Since the 1970s, sustainability has been described as an economy balanced with nature. In 1987, Edward Barbier showed that protecting the environment and growing the economy can support each other.

A World Bank study suggested ways to make policies better for sustainability. Some studies show that good policies for clean energy can improve people’s lives.

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development shared a Vision 2050 document in 2021. It talks about fixing damage to nature and cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Barriers

Sustainable development can be tricky because it must balance three big things: the economy, the environment, and society. Sometimes, these areas don't agree, making it hard to find good solutions for everyone. For example, growing the economy might need more resources, which can hurt nature. Finding the right balance is important so that both today’s people and those in the future can have a good life.

Assessments and reactions

Main article: Sustainability § Assessments and reactions

Further information: Weak and strong sustainability, Degrowth, and Eco-economic decoupling

The idea of sustainable development has had many questions and discussions. Some people think it is hard to use resources that cannot be replaced, like oil or minerals, without running out. They feel this makes the idea of the Industrial Revolution difficult to keep up forever.

Others think sustainable development is challenging because it tries to balance three big things: money, people, and nature. Nature’s gifts, like forests and clean air, are very important and cannot always be replaced by money. Even though we can sometimes replace some natural things, it is hard to replace what nature does for us, like protecting us or helping control the weather.

Society and culture

Sustainable development goals

Sustainable development is the main idea behind the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Policies to reach the SDGs are built around this idea.

Education for sustainable development

Education for sustainable development (ESD) is a term used by the United Nations. It means teaching people knowledge, skills, and values to help create a fair and balanced world for everyone. ESD helps today’s and future generations meet their needs while thinking about the economy, society, and the environment.

Agenda 21 was the first international document to say that education is key to achieving sustainable development. ESD is part of Sustainable Development Goal 12, which is about living in ways that don’t use up too many resources. One goal is to make sure that by 2030, everyone knows how to live in harmony with nature.

For UNESCO, education for sustainable development means including important topics in learning. This can include teaching about climate change, keeping safe from disasters, protecting plants and animals, reducing poverty, and using resources wisely. It also means teaching in ways that get people excited to make a difference.