ABSTRACT

Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. A development path that is sustainable in a physical sense could theoretically be pursued even in a rigid social and political setting. Sustainable development requires meeting the basic needs of all and extending to all the opportunity to satisfy their aspirations for a better life. Living standards that go beyond the basic minimum are sustainable only if consumption standards everywhere have regard for long-term sustainability. Meeting essential needs depends in part on achieving full growth potential, and sustainable development clearly requires economic growth in places where such needs are not being met. Hence sustainable development requires that societies meet human needs both by increasing productive potential and by ensuring equitable opportunities for all. Sustainable development involves more than growth.