The Positive Impacts Of Sustainable Development

The universal definition of Sustainability, defined in the Brundtland Report back in 1987 and quoted by Mulder (2007) is “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.

Sustainable development is defined as 'development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs' (Brundtland Report, 1987). Essentially, sustainable development advocates the wise use and conservation of resources in order to maintain their long-term viability (Eber, 1992, p. 1).

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 ).

However, despite this shift in societal values, the International Panel of Climate Change (ICCP) has indicated that the time to implement sustainable practices is running short. Based on climate change reports, our consumption rates are categorised within the “A1 Scenario”; this is where there is an emphasis on societal development through economic growth. Consequently, this has lead to a neglect of the environmental front, resulting in issues such as high carbon emissions, rising temperatures and scarcity of non-renewable resources. In order to combat this issue, the IPCC suggests that managers must simultaneously focus on both growth and sustainability, otherwise known as the “B1 Scenario”.

If we actually do it, the undertaking will be absolutely unique in humanity 's stay on the earth [Ruckelshaus 1994: 348].

"Sustainable development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" -The World Commission on Environment and Development, United Nation,1987, where it points out the necessity of resources for future generation and presenting a responsibility to us to be aware and careful about their consumption. We are utilizing resources faster than the rate they are regenerated and frequently dependent on fossil fuels. If we see for sustainable societies, their assumption of development is thoroughly dependent on reducing and eventually eradicating our contribution to the methodical accumulation of materials from the earth's crust, to the systematic accumulation of substances given by the society, the ongoing physical degradation of nature, to that systematically undermine people capability to meet their basic needs,

Over the course of the past few decades, humans have truly started to understand and study issues that threaten our environment in great depth. Modern environmental sustainability is defined as “the link between the health of nature and society, population growth, distribution of wealth and the combined approach to development, equity and conservation not new to social and environmental policy” (Oiamo 23). The definition of sustainability has transformed over time along with our knowledge and continually evolving understanding of the word. Sustainable development is a process that goes hand in hand with sustainability, however the definition is widely deliberated. Nonetheless, the most accepted definition was coined from the Brundtland Report in 1987 is “development that meets the needs of today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs” (Oiamo 28). Succinctly, sustainable development is only using the essentials needed to preserve ourselves as of right now, and nothing more. What lead to this present-day concept of environmentalism and sustainability were economic, environmental and social shifts prior to the 1970s.These are known as the three pillars of sustainability and were contrived by environmentalists such as Ebenezer Howard and Rachel Carson.

Sustainability is defined by The Brundtland Report as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,” which is an ongoing issue that many strive to improve (lisd.org, 2015). Through the three pillars of sustainability, a balance is constantly worked towards through attempts to efficiently manage social equity, the environment and the economy (lisd.org, 2015) (EPA.Gov, n.d.).

According to the Brundtland Report, sustainable development is defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” In this definition, two challenges are worth nothing: meeting the needs of world’s poor, as well as the environmental limitations brought about by technological advancements and social organizations. According to Ruzevicius (2010), “a country’s social and economic development should be oriented such that the satisfaction of our present day needs would not affect the opportunities for satisfying the needs of future generations”. In the Brundtland Commission’s 1987 report

“Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”

I would like to start off with a saying by Gro Harlem Brundtland, the prime minister of Norway. She defines sustainable development as “the development which fulfills the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs.”(1) This statement supports both economical and environmental development particularly for people with a low standard of living. When we talk about sustainable development, we also contemplate sustainable energy. Let’s see how this plays a vital role in sustainability.

"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." (Brundtland Commission, 1987)

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

The most widely quoted definition of sustainable development is the one provided by the Brundtland Report, the report says that “sustainable development is development that meets the needs of present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,” ( World Commission on Environment and Development,1987,p.43). According to Wall(1997) and Hunter(1995), two important ingredients are included in this statement: human needs and environmental limitations. For the World Commission, the major objective of development is to satisfy human needs and aspirations for a better quality of life for all people. In other words, sustainable development means long term economic sustainability within a framework of long term ecological sustainability plus

Sustainable development is defined in many methods, but the official definition is explained through Our Common Future: “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains 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.” From my point of view, there are three key points existing in this explanation: the needs of each class in the society, the limitation of development as well as the demands of present and future generation. These three points will be analyzed in detail below.