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Definition: sustainable development from A Glossary of UK Government and Politics

Development capable of being maintained at a steady level without exhausting natural resources or causing severe ecological damage. The term was first developed by the United Nations Commission on the Environment and Development 1987, in its report ‘Our Common Future’, in which a sustainable society was defined as one that ‘meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’.


Sustainable Development

From Green Politics: An A-to-Z Guide
Sustainable development is a term that has come to define human and environmental interactions in the 21st century. Sustainable development is the promotion of developmental patterns that will enable current human generations to meet their needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The most popular definition of the term was coined by the United Nations Commission on Environment and Development in 1987. The report of the commission, Our Common Future, indicated that sustainable development was development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The concept embodies the consequences that the continued increase in human population and the uneven and inefficient use of natural resources have on the planet's environment. Sustainable development has become increasingly important in the last three decades in light of growing scientific acceptance that humanity's current…
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Introduction Development as Economic Growth: Is It Sustainable? Sustainable Development Conclusion Further Reading Glossary Biodiversity The variability among living organisms on the Earth, including the variability within and between species and within and between ecosystems. Deep Ecology The…
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Full text Article Sustainable development

From Palgrave Key Concepts: Key Concepts in Innovation
During his opening statement at the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg in 2002, Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, declared that the current paradigm for development benefits few and is flawed for many. A paradigm that harms the environment and leaves the…
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Full text Article Sustainable Development

From The Oxford Companion to International Relations
The concept of sustainable development reconciles three apparently contradictory goals—environmental conservation, economic development, and social justice—and brings them into a single policy framework. It addresses the deepening global environmental crisis and the increasing social and economic…
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Full text Article sustainable development

From The Macquarie Dictionary
economic development designed to meet present needs while also taking into account future costs, particularly impacts on the environment and depletion of natural resources The single most important factor in achieving sustainable development in Australia would be to increase efficiency in the…
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Full text Article Sustainable Development

From The A to Z of Corporate Social Responsibility
→ Corporate sustainability , Sustainability The most broadly used definition of sustainable development was coined by the → World Commission on Environment and Development 's report, Our Common Future (1987) as ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of…
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Full text Article sustainable development

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
In ecology, development that could continue, in theory, for ever without seriously damaging the environment or depleting the Earth's resources, while still meeting the needs of a community. The consequences of human activity on one part of the globe is assessed in terms of its current and future…
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Full text Article Sustainable Development

From Culture Wars in America: An Encyclopedia of Issues, Viewpoints, and Voices
“Sustainable development” is a contemporary term referring to human development that allows people to maintain or improve their standard of living without placing undue burdens on the environment. It also refers to development that nurtures a community's culture and political system, so long as the…
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Full text Article sustainable development

From Collins Dictionary of Sociology
economic development which ensures that environmental depletion and degradation does not occur. The term ecodevelopment has a similar although narrower meaning. Used primarily in the 1970s to refer to problems of agricultural development in the THIRD WORLD where certain forms, such as exploitation…
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The Brundtland Commission coined what has become the most often quoted definition of sustainable development as being development that “meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” A sustainable development policy is a model of…
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Full text Article Sustainable Development Goals

From Atlas of Sustainable Development Goals 2018
No poverty: End poverty in all its forms everywhere Zero hunger: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture Good health and well-being: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages Quality education: Ensure inclusive and equitable…
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