What is Sustainable Development?
One common definition of sustainable development is:
“Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”
The UK government strategy for sustainable development, “Securing the Future”, states that its aim is “to enable all people throughout the world to satisfy their basic needs and enjoy a better quality of life without compromising the quality of life of future generations.”
There are other definitions, but all embody the concept that in planning for a better quality of life, economic, social and environmental aspects must be considered together, and more attention be paid to the long-term impacts of human activity than in conventional policy development.
There has been an increasing realisation that the current model of development is unsustainable. We are living beyond our means. Our consumption patterns have increased over time, and increasing pressures are being placed on our natural resources and environmental systems such as water, land and air. These are having a detrimental effect on our environment and the climate which cannot continue.
We need to make a significant move toward more sustainable lifestyles and developing a sustainable economy. Sustainable development allows people to meet their basic needs and enjoy a better quality of life, without compromising the quality of life for future generations.
We need to do this now, and we need to do this together.
Sustaine has produced a short document summarising our vision and how that vision can be realised. Please look in our Resources section.