About sustainable development

Jonathon_Porritt

"For those of us closely involved in the Sustainable Development Stakes, it's nail-biting stuff - even though this is a race being played out over decades rather than minutes. The stakes could hardly be higher: can we reach that point in our evolutionary history where we start to live sustainably on this Planet before we inflict irreversible damage on the life-support systems that sustain us? Or will we remain hell-bent on testing those systems to destruction (and beyond)?" -Jonathon Porritt, Chair, SDC in 'Progress'

Exactly what is sustainable development? For those not so familiar with the sustainable development debate, or who would like a quick reminder, we set out in this section a brief guide to the issues.

- Securing the Future - UK Government sustainable development strategy (opens in new window)
- The principles of sustainable development

» History
The beginning of sustainable development is commonly attributed to the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, however it stretches back much further than Rio.

» Definitions
There are many definitions of sustainable development, including the Brundtland Report’s classic definition.

» Strategies
Strategies are increasingly being developed by national governments and organisations worldwide. The progress of the Government in implementing its current sustainable development strategy, Securing the Future, will be principally assessed by the SDC.

» Indicators
Indicators provide an important means for quantifying and measuring progress towards sustainable development. They also help to create a ‘picture’ of what sustainable development is and means.

 

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