Definitions
Sustainable development is becoming a watchword of recent times. The concept has been adopted across the globe and by a wide variety of organisations from national governments and multi-national businesses to local authorities and community groups.
The term sustainable development first came to prominence in 1987 when the World Commission on Environment and Development (the Brundtland Commission) produced a report for the United Nations called ‘Our Common Future’. Its definition of sustainable development - "development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" – is commonly referred to as the ‘original’ or ‘classic’ formulation of the term. It is from this definition that most interpretations of sustainable development emanate.
Differences in interpretation mostly stem from how each of the three goals or ‘pillars’ of sustainable development – environment, society, and economy – are emphasised. The concern with balancing the needs of present and future generations – the intergenerational dimension – is also a point of difference. Many, for example, consider it to wrong to make assumptions about future human needs beyond basic biological ones.
Thus there can be profoundly different understandings of what sustainable development stands for. Some see it as a radical “green” call for a fundamental organisation of social, economic, and political life, while others see it as a means to emphasise “business as usual’ patterns of economic growth in the name of social and environmental progress.
There will always be those who argue over the exact interpretation. However, it is important not to get bogged down in a definitional quagmire. There are enough common elements that most agree on as central to a sustainable development approach. Essentially this means that we can make progress towards a world where we seek to simultaneously progress economic and social and environmental goals and policies in ways that develop and maintain a good quality of life for us all and enable future generations to do the same.
In the UK, the UK Government and Devolved Administrations have clearly set out in the new Shared Framework what sustainable development means for them and the approach they will take to pursue their goal. They offer the following interpretation:
“The goal of sustainable development is to enable all people throughout the world to satisfy their basic needs and enjoy a better quality of life, without compromising the quality of life of future generations…
…for the UK Government and the Devolved Administrations, that goal will be pursued in an integrated way through a sustainable, innovative and productive economy that delivers high levels of employment; and a just society that promotes social inclusion, sustainable communities and personal wellbeing. This will be done in ways that protect and enhance the physical and natural environment, and use resources and energy as efficiently as possible.”
To provide a clearer picture of what they mean in practice, such definitions are often underpinned by key principles that serve to guide policy-making and decisions. As such, the UK Government and the Devolved Administrations have agreed to a shared set of guiding principles for sustainable development which must be respected in order for a policy to be sustainable.
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» Find out more about the World Commission on Environment and Development
» Read the shared UK framework for sustainable development One Future, Different Paths
» Read the UK Government’s Sustainable Development Strategy Securing the Future
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