Question.
Define the concept of sustainable development.
(NCERT class 12 geography, India People and Economy, Chapter-9: Planning and Sustainable Development in the Indian Context)
Answer.
According to the Bruntland Report 1987, sustainable development is a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Sustainable development is not only the development of the people but it is also the development taking into account the environmental, social, and economic aspects.
Development of the concept of sustainable development:
The concept of development is dynamic and its meaning has been evolving from time to time.
After World War II, development meant only economic growth. At this time development was seen only in terms of economic development; Economic growth was measured in terms of gross national product (GNP) and per capita income or consumption per capita. But later, it was found that even in a country with high GDP growth, due to unequal distribution of wealth, the number of people in poverty increased.
In the 1970s, economic growth and equity were included in the definition of development. It was realized that the concept of development could not be confined to the economic sector only.
Until the 1980s, the concept of development included the improvement of the social and material well-being (economic) of the society.
Later, new terms evolved into the term sustainable development in which ecological perspective was added to the development concept. Therefore, sustainable development is the improvement of the quality of environmental, economic, and social sectors.
The notion of sustainable development emerged in the late 1960s following the general rise of awareness of environmental issues in the Western world.
The publication of 'The Population Bomb' by Ehrlich in 1968 and 'The Limit to Growth' by Meadows defined a new level of sustainable development.
With growing concern about environmental harm, the United Nations established the 'World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED)', which reported what is called the Brundtland Report or 'Our Common Future' in 1987.
Sustainable development takes into account the development of the entire human race which has a common future with the earth and the ecology.
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