Throvic

Environment & Ecology

Sustainable development

Mode of human development

Tap a concept
Expand in explorer

Overview

Sustainable development is an approach to growth and human development that aims to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The aim is to have a society where living conditions and resources meet human needs without undermining planetary integrity. Sustainable development aims to balance the needs of the economy, environment, and society. Equitable health access is a pillar of social sustainability. The Brundtland Commission Report, published in 1987, helped to make the concept of sustainable development better known.

Source: Wikipedia — Sustainable development (CC BY-SA)

Key concepts

How Sustainable development connects to the ideas, people and events around it.

  1. The United Nations is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1945 to promote peace and cooperation. It coordinates global initiatives on sustainable development through its agencies and conferences.

  2. Our World in Data is an online publication that presents research and data visualizations on global development. It provides extensive statistics on sustainable development indicators.

  3. The Brundtland Report, formally the 1987 World Commission on Environment and Development report, coined the term sustainable development. It defined development that "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

  4. Climate change

    threatened by

    Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns caused largely by human greenhouse‑gas emissions. It poses a major threat to achieving sustainable development goals.

  5. Renewable energy

    supported by

    Renewable energy includes power generated from sources such as solar, wind, and hydro that are naturally replenished. Expanding renewable energy is essential for low‑carbon sustainable development.

  6. Poverty alleviation aims to reduce extreme poverty and improve living standards for the poorest. It is a core objective of sustainable development to ensure inclusive growth.

  7. A circular economy is an economic system aimed at eliminating waste through reuse, repair, and recycling. It aligns with sustainable development by decoupling growth from resource consumption.

  8. The ecological footprint measures the biologically productive area required to sustain a population's consumption. It provides a quantitative gauge of environmental pressure in sustainable development assessments.

Revise Sustainable development

Flashcards and a quick quiz, built from this map.

1 / 8

Questions about Sustainable development

What is Sustainable development?

Sustainable development is an approach to growth and human development that aims to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The aim is to have a society where living conditions and resources meet human needs without undermining planetary integrity. Sustainable development aims to balance the needs of the economy, environment, and society.

What are the key concepts related to Sustainable development?

The main concepts connected to Sustainable development include United Nations, Our World in Data, Our Common Future, Climate change, Renewable energy, Poverty reduction, Circular economy, Ecological footprint. Each is linked on the map above with its own summary.

Which exams cover Sustainable development?

Sustainable development is part of Environment & Ecology, which appears in the syllabus of UPSC CSE, UPSC CAPF, SSC CGL, SSC CHSL, SSC MTS, SSC GD and 43 more exams.