"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without

compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

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.

Sustainable development 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.
Sustainable development 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.
The biophysical environment is the biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or
population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their
survival, development and evolution.[1] The biophysical environment can vary in
scale from microscopic to global in extent. It can also be subdivided according to
its attributes. Examples include the marine environment, the atmospheric
environment and the terrestrial environment.[2] The number of biophysical
environments is countless, given that each living organism has its own environment.
The term environment is often used as a short form for the biophysical environment,
e.g. the UK's Environment Agency. The expression "the environment" often refers to
a singular global environment in relation to humanity.
A human society is a group of people involved in persistent interpersonal
relationships, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or social
territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural
expectations. Human societies are characterized by patterns of relationships
(social relations) between individuals who share a distinctive culture and
institutions; a given society may be described as the sum total of such
relationships among its constituent members. In the social sciences, a larger
society often evinces stratification or dominance patterns in subgroups.
Insofar as it is collaborative, a society can enable its members to benefit in ways
that would not otherwise be possible on an individual basis; both individual and
social (common) benefits can thus be distinguished, or in many cases found to
overlap.
A society can also consist of like-minded people governed by their own norms and
values within a dominant, larger society. This is sometimes referred to as a
subculture, a term used extensively within criminology.
More broadly, and especially within structuralist thought, a society may be
illustrated as an economic, social, industrial or cultural infrastructure, made up
of, yet distinct from, a varied collection of individuals. In this regard society
can mean the objective relationships people have with the material world and with
other people, rather than "other people" beyond the individual and their familiar
social environment.
Economics
A sewage treatment plant that uses solar energy, located at Santuari de Lluc
monastery, Majorca.
See also: Ecological economics
It has been suggested that because of rural poverty and overexploitation,
environmental resources should be treated as important economic assets, called
natural capital.[34] Economic development has traditionally required a growth in
the gross domestic product. This model of unlimited personal and GDP growth may be
over.[35] Sustainable development may involve improvements in the quality of life
for many but may necessitate a decrease in resource consumption.[36] 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.[37]