1.2 Defining sustainable development

The Brundtland Report, also known as ‘Our common future’, alerted the world in 1987 to the urgency of making progress toward economic development that could be sustained without depleting natural resources or harming the environment.

Published by an international group of politicians, civil servants and experts on the environment and development, the report provided a key statement on sustainable development, defining it as:

development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

The Brundtland Report was primarily concerned with securing a global equity, redistributing resources towards poorer nations and at the same time encouraging their economic growth. The report argued that equity, growth and environmental maintenance are simultaneously possible and that each country is capable of achieving its full economic potential whilst at the same time enhancing its resource base.

The report also recognised that achieving this equity and sustainable growth would require technological and social change. The report was instrumental in the forming of the first Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992.

You can find the Brundtland Report at the Center for a Word in Balance website.

A simple summary can be found at the Atmosphere, Climate & Environment website (supported by Defra).

The Forum for the Future (a charity committed to sustainable development) defines sustainable development as:

‘sustainable development’ is a dynamic process, which enables all people to realise their potential and improve their quality of life in ways which simultaneously protect and enhance the Earth’s life-support systems.

The Sustainability Practitioners Association argues that sustainability offers an alternative vision for the future – one that recognises environmental, economic, social and cultural elements of our society, the need for a long-term view in decision-making and the collective responsibility we all have toward leaving a bright and prosperous legacy for future generations. Their website discusses sustainability and provides a discussion of what is happening internationally.

The International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives is an association of over 1000 local governments from 67 countries that are committed to sustainable development.

1 Sustainable development

1.3 Sustainability and climate change, biodiversity and poverty