“Sustainable development is the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” -World Commission on Environment and Development (the Brundtland Commission), 1987.
The eco-centric or “strong” interpretation of the above definition argues that continued economic and social development will harm future environmental capacity. Therefore, ecological preservation should over-ride current economic, social and political aspirations.
The “weaker” interpretation argues that very few ecological functions are vital to human survival. Hence, certain ecological values can be traded to achieve an economic, social and environmental balance.
“Why after all the definitions about sustainable development the last decade we are still discussing the meaning of it ???”
It is ironic that we still cannot define sustainability. The need of appliance nowadays is known all over the world, but its meaning is still under question. Maybe this is due to the fact that sustainable development refers to all aspects of human life. It is the link between the present and the future of humanity and that’s what makes it so difficult. People are trying to localize it in only one sector (i.e. economy) and they ignore the influence that sustainability can have in general (i.e. technology, science, everyday life, politics etc.).
In my opinion, the best definition that is given so far for sustainable development is:
S afe
U niversally accepted
S table
T echnology that benefits all
A nti-pollution
I mproves quality of life
N on-toxic
A wareness
B eautiful
I ndigenous knowledge
L east-cost production
I ncome
T otal quality
Y outh
However, sustainability is only achievable if there is some equality of experience and outcome. The problem is that the discourse of sustainable development is being concluded within the context of a global capitalist economy, which requires and demands the subordination of nations and social groups as an inherent part of accumulation. Therefore, economic equality is essential to achieve sustainable development.
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