Sustainable development

The report Our Common Future defined sustainable development as development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

The economist Barbier stressed that it means raising the material standard of living of the poor at the grass roots: their income, real income, education and health.

There is also a moral obligation: we should leave the next generation at least the same 'quality of life' assets (clean air, water, forests, soil) that we inherited.

The economist Herman Daly set out conditions for sustainable development:

• Keep the population within the environment's carrying capacity. He compared this to the plimsoll line on a ship, which marks how heavily it can be loaded before it is in danger of sinking.
• Use input-efficient technology, which produces more from less.
• Use renewable resources no faster than they regenerate (for example, cut no more trees than grow back).
• Use non-renewable resources no faster than renewable substitutes can be found.
• Correct the damage from pollution.

The United Nations has set 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to be achieved by 2030, covering poverty, hunger, health, education, clean energy, climate and more.

Sustainable development does not mean stopping growth. It means growing in a way the earth can sustain: leaving it no poorer than we found it.