Sustainable development

Sustainable development is an approach to growth and human development that tries to meet the needs of today without taking away the chance for future generations to meet their own needs. The goal is to create a society where living conditions and resources satisfy human needs while protecting planetary integrity. This idea aims to balance what we need for the economy, the environment, and society, including fair access to health for everyone.

The Brundtland Report, published in 1987, helped make the idea of sustainable development well known. It is connected to the idea of sustainability, which UNESCO describes as a long-term goal, while sustainable development focuses on the ways to reach that goal.

The Rio Process, starting at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, brought sustainable development into global discussions. It became the foundation for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are global goals set for the year 2030. These goals were adopted in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to tackle big challenges like poverty, climate change, and biodiversity loss.

However, some people argue that the idea of sustainable development has problems. Some believe that true "development" cannot be sustainable. Others feel that not enough progress has been made. Scholars also note that the idea can be vague and open to different interpretations. Even though digital technology is often seen as a tool for sustainable development, studies show 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 the idea of sustainable development.

Definition

In 1987, a United Nations group shared a report named 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 started with early thoughts about taking care of forests. In the 1600s and 1700s in Europe, people noticed that trees were running out, and they began to think about how to manage forests wisely. One person, John Evelyn, wrote about planting trees as a duty to protect resources. Later, Hans Carl von Carlowitz wrote a book about managing forests so they could provide wood for many years.

As time went on, people began to see that taking care of nature was important for the future. Books and reports started talking 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, worldwide meetings 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 includes 17 important 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 have found that people talk about sustainability in different ways. Some believe we can grow the economy while still being careful with our resources. Others think we need to change how power is shared between richer and poorer countries. Some worry that we cannot keep growing without hitting limits, while others want big changes to how the world works.

National implementation

Ireland

In Ireland, efforts to support a better future for everyone are guided by special plans made by the government. These plans are led by the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment, with help from the Central Statistics Office for sharing progress with the world.

Education also plays a big role. A strategy called ESD to 2030 was created in 2022 to teach students at all levels about taking care of our planet. This includes ideas for improving schools, training teachers, and encouraging young people to help make a difference in their communities.

Related concepts

Sustainability

Sustainable development is about making sure we can live well today without using up all the resources that future people 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 generations 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. Just like sustainability, it aims to make sure we take care of our planet, our money, and our communities all at the same time. This balance helps us meet today's needs without harming 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, with one goal just on reducing inequality between different places.

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. This idea connects closely with how much the Earth can handle.

Important ideas for sustainability were shared by Herman Daly in 1990. These include making sure we don’t take more from renewable resources than what can grow back, finding replacements for resources that don’t renew, and not creating more waste than the environment can handle.

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, setting limits on fishing, and working together to manage water.

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

As the world’s population grows and people have more money, we use more materials. By 2050, we could use three times more materials than we do now unless we change how we grow the economy.

Using materials sustainably means moving from using them once to 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, making them new again, remanufacturing, and recycling. The European Commission started a plan in 2020 to make sustainable products normal in the EU.

Improving on economic and social aspects

Further information: Corporate sustainability and Sustainable business

Some believe that because of poverty in the countryside and using too many resources, nature’s gifts should be seen as important parts of the economy, called natural capital. Traditional economic growth may not be the best way forward. Sustainable development might mean better lives for many but could need using fewer resources. “Growth” often ignores how the environment affects our well-being, while “development” considers it.

Since the 1970s, sustainability has been described as an economy balanced with nature. Scientists and economists have talked about limits to growth and ideas like a 'steady-state economy'. In 1987, Edward Barbier showed that protecting the environment and growing the economy can support each other.

A World Bank study from 1999 suggested ways to make policies better for sustainability. Some studies show that good policies for clean energy and less pollution can improve people’s lives and lead to a balanced steady state.

A review in 2002 found that there wasn’t enough clear knowledge about what sustainability policies should do. A 2007 study found that in many places, natural resources haven’t been replaced by knowledge, health, and education. It’s been suggested that making sure future generations have fair chances should be part of decisions about sustainable development.

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development shared a Vision 2050 document in 2021. It imagines a world where more than 9 billion people can live well within planetary boundaries by 2050. This plan was highlighted by The Guardian as one of the biggest corporate plans for sustainability. It talks about fixing damage to nature, cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and moving societies toward sustainable farming.

Barriers

Sustainable development can be difficult to achieve because it needs to balance three important areas: the economy, the environment, and society. Sometimes, these areas have conflicting goals, making it hard to find solutions that work for everyone. For example, economic growth might require using more resources, which can harm the environment. Balancing these needs is key to creating a world where both current and future generations can thrive.

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 faced many questions and debates. Some people argue that it is impossible to use resources that cannot be replaced, like oil or minerals, without running out eventually. They believe this makes the whole idea of the Industrial Revolution unsustainable.

Others say that sustainable development is tricky because it talks about balancing three important things: money, people, and nature. Nature’s resources, like forests and clean air, are very important and cannot always be replaced by money alone. While we might find ways to replace some natural things, it is very hard to replace services that nature provides, like protecting us from harmful sunlight or helping control the climate.

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.