Population Growth Pressures On World Resources

“Many current discussions about sustainability focus on the ways in which human activity...can be maintained in the future without exhausting all of our current resources… there has been a close correlation between the growth of human society and environmental degradation - as communities grow, the environment often declines” (603).

The most commonly used definition of sustainable development is still that given in the report of the World Commission on Environment and Development (1987), i.e. sustainable development is ‘a process to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’ Sustainable development is therefore about creating a better life for all people in ways that will be as viable in the future as they are at present. In other words, sustainable development is based on principles of sound husbandry of the world’s resources, and on equity in the way those resources are used and in the way in which the benefits obtained from them are distributed (Making Tourism More Sustainable, 2005).

Sustainable development is defined as “Development that meets the needs of the present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (IISD, par. 1 ).

“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. (Brundtland Report,

Sustainable development is the improvement that addresses the issues of the present without bargaining the capacity of future eras to address their own issues. It consists of two key ideas:

The word sustainability has been defined ‘as the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their needs’ (Mansdorf, 2010).

Since 1940, the world population has nearly tripled. With this nearly exponential growth in population came a major growth in economic and financial activity that is increasingly more global and complex (Ayres et al., 2013). To compensate for this growth in population and economic and financial activity, the use of natural resources has risen at a similar rate. Although continuous economic growth is the primary goal of an economy, the finite amount of resources constrained by the capabilities of the ecosphere makes continuous exponential economic and population growth impossible. Currently, resources are being extracted and used at an unsustainable rate. This overuse of resources has led to problems such as deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and the depletion of the richest reserves of nonrenewable energy resources (Brown et al., 2014). This problem, if left undiscussed by global economic and environmental policymakers, will lead to immense consequences for current and future generations. The key issue hindering this discussion is the debate on the best strategy to retain a viable level of economic growth while managing environmental sustainability. In other words, what development can be executed to solve the current economic and environmental problems without threatening the capabilities of future generations? Although the specifics of this question are disputed, the general consensus is that in order to maintain sustainable economic growth and a supportive environment,

Of the various definitions for “sustainability” and “sustainable development” put forth by Agyeman, Bullard, and Evans, the most compelling and useful defines one sustainability as “the need to ensure a better quality of life for all, now, and into the future, in a just and equitable manner, while living within the limits of supporting ecosystems (Agyeman et al., p. 2). This definition is particularly suitable to sustainability because it captures its social justice component rather than portraying it as a solely environmental issue. Another key part is the mentioning of intra-generational equity which is crucial because many people fighting for sustainability will not be able to see the fruits of their labor but must still

Sustainable development means “ meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”

During an UN Commission meeting in 1983, Norwegian Prime Minister Brundtland came to express a stand amongst the most thorough meanings of sustainability: 'helping the present without trading off the capability of future eras to help 's (WCED Report, 1987).

After Brundtland Report, the term "Sustainable development" gained popularity and mainstream use (Brundtland, 1987). Sustainable development preaches that socio-economic-ecological progresses are concomitantly attainable within

“Sustainable development (SD) is maintaining a delicate balance between the human need to improve lifestyles and feeling of well-being on one hand, and preserving natural resources and ecosystems, on which we and future generations depend” (Authorstream, 2010, p 1: ¶ 1). In concurrence, the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) asserts that SD is, “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Authorstream, 2010, p 1: ¶ 2). This essay concentrates on how population growth and poverty issues are interrelated with each other as well as being related to the concept of sustainable development.

The concept of sustainable development has become a major topic among intellectuals from various fields. Sustainable development has gone through various changes in its definitions and at present does not have a commonly accepted definition. The origination of the concept of sustainable development is debatable. In 1974 at a conference on Science and Technology for Human Development by the World Council of Churches the concept of a “sustainable society” is believed to have been first noted. This early concept focused on equitable distribution of scarce resources and the need for democratic decision making. In 1980 the currently used term of sustainable development emerged in the

Sustainable development is the theory of the relationship between the environment and economic growth (Asefa, 2005: 1-18). According to the Brundtland Commission’s report, sustainable development can be defined as the “ability to make development

Sustainable development is to maintain a balance between the human needs to improve lifestyles and feeling of well-being on one hand, and preserving natural resources and ecosystems, on which we and future generations depend. Sustainable development implies economic growth together with the protection of