Sustainable Development

What is it about?

Definition/Description Sustainable development is a widely used concept, and it has been described in many different ways. In the Brundtland Report, it is defined as follows (WCED 1987, p. 46): “[S]ustainable development is a process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development, and institutional change are all in harmony and enhance both current and future potential to meet human needs and aspirations.” More recently, it has been given a broader definition which conveys that there are three principal dimensions: an ecological or an environmental dimension, a social, and an economic one. The social dimension is often split into social and cultural dimensions. The goal of the ecological dimension is the conservation of all living things, resources, and life-supporting systems. The social dimension involves people living together with the goals of peace, equality, and human rights. The economic dimension comprises jobs and income – as a goal their appropriate development. In addition to these three dimensions, some researchers speak also about the fourth one, the political dimension (Fien et al. 2009), but some of them argue that it is not a dimension – instead it is an aspect what has to do with politics, policy, and decision-making as a goal of democracy (Wolff et al. 2017).

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Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Summary Initially, the concept of sustainable development was associated with ecological sustainability, but it was soon used to describe social and economic sustainability, too. The greater popularity the concept gained through the Brundtland Report and Agenda 21. Sustainable development is mostly perceived as a socioeconomic system that enables human needs but also a long-term progress toward the well-being and improvement of overall quality of life in accordance with environmental constraints. The essence of the concept of sustainable development derives from the triple bottom line framework, which implies the balance between three dimensions of sustainability: ecological (environmental) sustainability, social sustainability, and economic sustainability. In the core of sustainable development are eco-efficiency, inter- and intra-generational social justice, and participation in decision-making. Thus to understand sustainable development requires understanding of the behavior of systems in general and of human and environmental systems in particular because the ecological, social, and economic dimensions of sustainable development include several different aspects which are interrelated with each other. Systems thinking is a way of thinking that helps people see their role from a holistic point of view. Systems thinking and systems dynamics can be taught without involving sustainability, but sustainability cannot be taught without involving systems thinking. Beside systems thinking, the capacities to think systematically, to understand ethical issues, to cope with unexpected problems, and also problem-solving and collaboration skills are needed when modifying and shaping the future of society in a sustainable way. Sustainability is, thus, not only an environmental issue to be controlled by scientists, it is a multifaceted and interdisciplinary issue related to both local and global circumstances and past events as well as future prospects. There is a growing need for effective international cooperation to manage ecological, economic, and social interdependence. Thus the term sustainable development encompasses the concerns of people working in a wide range of disciplines from sociology to engineering, from geology to mathematics, not only today but also in the future.