Sustainable development

- is a process for meeting human development goals while sustaining the ability of
natural systems to continue to provide the natural resources and ecosystem
services upon which the economy and society depend. While the modern concept of
sustainable development is derived most strongly from the 1987 Brundtland Report, it is
rooted in earlier ideas about sustainable forest management and twentieth century
environmental concerns. As the concept developed, it has shifted to focus more
on economic development, social development and environmental protection.
- is the organizing principle for sustaining finite resources necessary to provide for the
needs of future generations of life on the planet. It is a process that envisions a
desirable future state for human societies in which living conditions and resource-use
continue to meet human needs without undermining the "integrity, stability and beauty"
of natural biotic systems.
- has been described in terms of three dimensions, domains or pillars. In the three-
dimension model, these are seen as "economic, environmental and social" or "ecology,
economy and equity"; this has been expanded by some authors to include a fourth pillar
of culture, institutions or governance.
Scheme of sustainable development:

Social development
- may refer to the notion of social progress or sociocultural evolution, the
philosophical idea that society moves forward
by dialectical or evolutionary means. It may refer to a paradigmatic change in the
socio-economic structure, for instance a shift away from feudalism and
towards capitalism. Accordingly, it may also refer to social revolution, such as
the Socialist revolution presented in Marxism, or to other social movements, such
 as Women's suffrage or the Civil rights movement. Social change may be driven
by cultural, religious, economic, scientific or technological forces. Developmental
psychology can play a role in social change.
- refers to an alteration in the social order of a society. Social change may include
changes in nature
Environmental protection
- is a practice of protecting the natural environment on individual, organizational or
governmental levels, for the benefit of both the natural environment and humans.
Due to the pressures of population and technology, the biophysical
environment is being degraded, sometimes permanently. This has been
recognized, and governments have begun placing restraints on activities that
cause environmental degradation. Since the 1960s, activity of environmental
movements has created awareness of the various environmental issues. There is
no agreement on the extent of the environmental impact of human activity, and
protection measures are occasionally criticized.
- academic institutions now offer courses, such as environmental
studies, environmental management and environmental engineering, that teach
the history and methods of environment protection. Protection of the environment
is needed due to various human activities.ref. Waste production, air pollution,
and loss of biodiversity (resulting from the introduction of invasive species and
species extinction) are some of the issues related to environmental protection.
Environmental protection is influenced by three interwoven factors:
environmental legislation, ethics and education. Each of these factors plays its
part in influencing national-level environmental decisions and personal-level
environmental values and behaviors. For environmental protection to become a
reality, it is important for societies to develop each of these areas that, together,
will inform and drive environmental decisions.
Economic development
- is a term that economists, politicians, and others have used frequently in the 20th
century. The concept, however, has been in existence in the West for
centuries. Modernization, Westernization, and especially Industrialization are
other terms people have used while discussing economic development.
Economic development has a direct relationship with the
environment and environmental issues.
- whereas economic development is a policy intervention endeavor with aims of
economic and social well-being of people, economic growth is a phenomenon of
market productivity and rise in GDP. Consequently, as economist Amartya
Sen points out, "economic growth is one aspect of the process of economic
development".
Dimensions
Environment
- the ecological stability of human settlements is part of the relationship between
humans and their natural, social and built environments. Also termed human
ecology, this broadens the focus of sustainable development to include the
domain of human health. Fundamental human needs such as the availability and
quality of air, water, food and shelter are also the ecological foundations for
sustainable development; addressing public health risk through investments
in ecosystem services can be a powerful and transformative force for sustainable
development which, in this sense, extends to all species.
- environmental sustainability concerns the natural environment and how it
endures and remains diverse and productive. Since natural resources are
derived from the environment, the state of air, water, and the climate are of
particular concern. The IPCC Fifth Assessment Report outlines current
knowledge about scientific, technical and socio-economic information concerning
climate change, and lists options for adaptation and mitigation. Environmental
sustainability requires society to design activities to meet human needs while
preserving the life support systems of the planet. This, for example, entails using
water sustainably, utilizing renewable energy, and sustainable material supplies
(e.g. harvesting wood from forests at a rate that maintains the biomass and
biodiversity).
Economics
- it has been suggested that because of rural poverty and overexploitation,
environmental resources should be treated as important economic assets,
called natural capital. Economic development has traditionally required a growth
in the gross domestic product. This model of unlimited personal and GDP growth
may be over. Sustainable development may involve improvements in the quality
of life for many but may necessitate a decrease in resource
consumption. According to ecological economist Malte Faber, ecological
economics is defined by its focus on nature, justice, and time. Issues
of intergenerational equity, irreversibility of environmental change, uncertainty of
long-term outcomes, and sustainable development guide ecological economic
analysis and valuation.
- As early as the 1970s, the concept of sustainability was used to describe
an economy "in equilibrium with basic ecological support systems." Scientists in
many fields have highlighted The Limits to Growth, and economists have
presented alternatives, for example a 'steady-state economy'; to address
concerns over the impacts of expanding human development on the planet. In
1987 the economist Edward Barbier published the study The Concept of
Sustainable Economic Development, where he recognised that goals of
 environmental conservation and economic development are not conflicting and
can be reinforcing each other.
Politics
- A study concluded that social indicators and, therefore, sustainable development
indicators, are scientific constructs whose principal objective is to inform public
policy-making.The International Institute for Sustainable Development has
similarly developed a political policy framework, linked to a sustainability index for
establishing measurable entities and metrics. The framework consists of six core
areas, international trade and investment, economic policy, climate change and
energy, measurement and assessment, natural resource management, and the
role of communication technologies in sustainable development.
- The United Nations Global Compact Cities Programme has defined sustainable
political development is a way that broadens the usual definition beyond states
and governance. The political is defined as the domain of practices and
meanings associated with basic issues of social power as they pertain to the
organisation, authorisation, legitimation and regulation of a social life held in
common. This definition is in accord with the view that political change is
important for responding to economic, ecological and cultural challenges. It also
means that the politics of economic change can be addressed. They have listed
seven subdomains of the domain of politics:

1. Organization and governance

2. Law and justice
3. Communication and critique
4. Representation and negotiation
5. Security and accord
6. Dialogue and reconciliation
7. Ethics and accountability
Culture
- Working with a different emphasis, some researchers and institutions have
pointed out that a fourth dimension should be added to the dimensions of
sustainable development, since the triple-bottom-line dimensions of economic,
environmental and social do not seem to be enough to reflect the complexity of
contemporary society. In this context, the Agenda 21 for culture and the United
Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) Executive Bureau lead the preparation of
the policy statement "Culture: Fourth Pillar of Sustainable Development", passed
on 17 November 2010, in the framework of the World Summit of Local and
Regional Leaders – 3rd World Congress of UCLG, held in Mexico City. although
some which still argue that economics is primary, and culture and politics should
be included in 'the social'. This document inaugurates a new perspective and
 points to the relation between culture and sustainable development through a
dual approach: developing a solid cultural policy and advocating a cultural
dimension in all public policies. The Circles of Sustainability approach
distinguishes the four domains of economic, ecological, political and cultural
sustainability.
- Other organizations have also supported the idea of a fourth domain of
sustainable development. The Network of Excellence "Sustainable Development
in a Diverse World", sponsored by the European Union, integrates
multidisciplinary capacities and interprets cultural diversity as a key element of a
new strategy for sustainable development. The Fourth Pillar of Sustainable
Development Theory has been referenced by executive director of IMI Institute
at UNESCO Vito Di Bari in his manifesto of art and architectural movement Neo-
Futurism, whose name was inspired by the 1987 United Nations’ report Our
Common Future. The Circles of Sustainability approach used by Metropolis
defines the (fourth) cultural domain as practices, discourses, and material
expressions, which, over time, express continuities and discontinuities of social
meaning