ABSTRACT
This chapter shows how various articulations of Sustainable Development (SD) have played a role in the development of new technologies and in the construction of technological systems. It explains various different articulations of SD play a role in technology development and that this may lead to paradoxes, but also to new possibilities. The different perceptions and articulations of SD lead to dilemmas and paradoxes. The concept of SD emphasises that there is a joint responsibility to provide for all. The SD concept does not give us a recipe for our future: rather, it demonstrates the interconnection of problems, the importance of longer-term analysis and the need to develop joint solutions. The SD articulations involved in technology development are implicit, especially in cases in line with normal optimisation-driven practices in technological design—reducing energy consumption and/or materials use is normal practice in engineering design.
