ABSTRACT
Sustainable development is a debated concept that came into common usage in international agreements after the Brundtland Commission published its report in 1987. A new term for a new approach became the concept known as "sustainable development," without losing an environmental content. The Brundtland Commission pointed out that sustainable development must take place in all countries—developed and developing. Sustainable development could be described as representing a compromise between economic interests and environmental interests. Sustainable development is rapidly becoming the basic standard against which international environmental activities are being appraised politically. Using sustainable development as the new goal, the principles in the non-binding Rio Declaration stipulate general rights and obligations with respect to the protection of the global environment. Intergenerational equity and especially intra-generational equity, were at the core of the Rio Conference in 1992 and formed the basis of many of the instruments adopted there. Sustainable development inherently implies intergenerational equity, as do the international environmental agreements that are negotiated.
