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This article was published in the April 2005 issue of Environment:
Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, Volume 47,
Number 3, pages 8–21. © Robert W. Kates, Thomas M. Parris,
and Anthony A. Leiserowitz, 2005. For more information about
Environment, see http://www.heldref.org/env.php
WHAT IS
SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT?
GOALS, INDICATORS, VALUES, AND PRACTICE
By Robert W. Kates, Thomas M. Parris, and Anthony A. Leiserowitz
Sustainable development is. . .
Considering that the concept of sustainable development is now
enshrined on the masthead of Environment magazine, featured
1
on 8,720,000 Web pages, and enmeshed in the aspirations of
countless programs, places, and institutions, it should be easy to
2
complete the sentence. But the most widely accepted definition
is creatively ambiguous: “Humanity has the ability to make devel-
opment sustainable—to ensure that it meets the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of future generations
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3 nations should do to become richer,” and
to meet their own needs.” This malleabil- were often followed by global confer-
ity allows programs of environment or ences. Characteristic of these interna- thus again is automatically dismissed by
development; places from local to global; tional commissions was the effort to many in the international arena as being
and institutions of government, civil soci- link together the aspirations of human- a concern of specialists, of those involved
ety, business, and industry to each project kind—demonstrating how the pursuit in questions of “development assistance.”
their interests, hopes, and aspirations onto of one great value required the others. But the “environment” is where we live;
the banner of sustainable development. Sustainable development, with its dual and “development” is what we all do in
A brief history of the concept, along emphasis on the most recent concerns— attempting to improve our lot within that
with the interpretive differences and the development and environment—is typi- abode. The two are inseparable.9
common ground in definitions, goals, cal of such efforts.
indicators, values, and practice follows. The World Commission on Environ- As with previous efforts, the report
Taken together, these help explain what ment and Development was initiated was followed by major international
is meant by sustainable development. by the General Assembly of the United meetings. The United Nations Confer-
Nations in 1982, and its report, Our Com- ence on Environment and Development
mon Future, was published in 1987.7 It (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 (the
Antecedents was chaired by then–Prime Minister of so-called “Earth Summit”) issued a dec-
Norway Gro Harlem Brundtland, thus laration of principles, a detailed Agen-
In the last half of the twentieth century, earning the name the “Brundtland Com- da 21 of desired actions, international
four key themes emerged from the col- mission.” The commission’s member- agreements on climate change and biodi-
lective concerns and aspirations of the ship was split between developed and versity, and a statement of principles on
10
world’s peoples: peace, freedom, devel- developing countries. Its roots were in forests. Ten years later, in 2002, at the
4 the 1972 Stockholm Conference on the
opment, and environment. The peace World Summit on Sustainable Develop-
that was thought to be secured in the Human Environment—where the con- ment in Johannesburg, South Africa, the
postwar world of 1945 was immedi- flicts between environment and devel- commitment to sustainable development
opment were first acknowledged—and 11
ately threatened by the nuclear arms race. was reaffirmed. In the interim, sustain-
Throughout the Cold War, peace was sus-
tained globally but fought locally, often Although reinterpreted over time, peace,
by proxies for the superpowers. While
the number of wars has diminished over freedom, development, and the environment
5
the last decade, peace is still sought, pri-
marily in Africa and the Middle East. remain prominent issues and aspirations.
Freedom was sought early in the post-
war world in the struggle to end imperi-
alism; to halt totalitarian oppression; and in the 1980 World Conservation Strat- able development as a concept, as a goal,
later to extend democratic governance, egy of the International Union for the and as a movement spread rapidly and
human rights, and the rights of women, Conservation of Nature, which argued is now central to the mission of count-
indigenous peoples, and minorities. The for conservation as a means to assist less international organizations, national
success of many former colonies in attain- development and specifically for the institutions, corporate enterprises, “sus-
ing national independence was followed sustainable development and utilization tainable cities,” and locales.
8
by a focus on economic development to of species, ecosystems, and resources.
provide basic necessities for the poor- Drawing on these, the Brundtland Com-
est two-thirds of the world and higher mission began its work committed to the Definitions
standards of living for the wealthy third. unity of environment and development.
Finally, it is only in the past 40 years that As Brundtland argued: The Brundtland Commission’s brief
the environment (local to global) became definition of sustainable development as
a key focus of national and international The environment does not exist as a sphere the “ability to make development sustain-
law and institutions. separate from human actions, ambitions, able—to ensure that it meets the needs
Although reinterpreted over time, and needs, and attempts to defend it of the present without compromising the
peace, freedom, development, and the in isolation from human concerns have ability of future generations to meet their
environment remain prominent issues given the very word “environment” a 12
own needs” is surely the standard defi-
and aspirations. In the 1970s and 1980s, connotation of naivety in some political nition when judged by its widespread use
world commissions of notables6 circles. The word “development” has also and frequency of citation. The use of this
were
created to study such international con- been narrowed by some into a very lim- definition has led many to see sustainable
cerns, producing major documents that ited focus, along the lines of “what poor development as having a major focus on
1010 EENVIRONMENTNVIRONMENT AAPRILPRIL 20052005
intergenerational equity. Although the The concept of sustainable development assemble under the sustainable devel-
brief definition does not explicitly men- does imply limits—not absolute limits but opment tent, also created a veritable
tion the environment or development, limitations imposed by the present state industry of deciphering and advocat-
the subsequent paragraphs, while rarely of technology and social organization on ing what sustainable development really
quoted, are clear. On development, the environmental resources and by the ability means. One important study—by the
report states that human needs are basic of the biosphere to absorb the effects of Board on Sustainable Development of
13
and essential; that economic growth— human activities. the U.S. National Academy of Scienc-
but also equity to share resources with es—sought to bring some order to the
14
the poor—is required to sustain them; In the years following the Brundtland broad literature its members reviewed.
and that equity is encouraged by effec- Commission’s report, the creative ambi- In its report, Our Common Journey:
tive citizen participation. On the environ- guity of the standard definition, while A Transition toward Sustainability, the
ment, the text is also clear: allowing a range of disparate groups to board focused on the seemingly inher-
ent distinction between what advocates
Figure 1. Definitions of sustainable development and analysts sought to sustain and what
they sought to develop, the relationship
between the two, and the time horizon of
the future (see Figure 1 on this page).
Thus under the heading “what is to
be sustained,” the board identified three
WHAT IS TO FOR HOW LONG? WHAT IS TO major categories—nature, life support
BE SUSTAINED: 25 years BE DEVELOPED: systems, and community—as well as
“Now and in intermediate categories for each, such
the future” as Earth, environment, and cultures.
Forever Drawing from the surveyed literature,
NATURE PEOPLE the board found that most commonly,
emphasis was placed on life support
Earth Child survival systems, which defined nature or envi-
Biodiversity Life expectancy ronment as a source of services for the
Ecosystems Education utilitarian life support of humankind.
Equity The study of ecosystem services has
Equal opportunity strengthened this definition over time.
In contrast, some of the sustainable
LIFE SUPPORT LINKED BY ECONOMY development literature valued nature
Ecosystem Only Wealth for its intrinsic value rather than its
services Mostly Productive utility for human beings. There were
Resources But sectors also parallel demands to sustain cultural
Environment And Consumption diversity, including livelihoods, groups,
Or and places that constitute distinctive and
threatened communities.
Similarly, there were three quite dis-
COMMUNITY SOCIETY tinct ideas about what should be devel-
Cultures Institutions oped: people, economy, and society.
Much of the early literature focused
Groups Social capital on economic development, with pro-
Places States ductive sectors providing employment,
Regions desired consumption, and wealth. More
recently, attention has shifted to human
development, including an emphasis on
values and goals, such as increased
SOURCE: U.S. National Research Council, Policy Division, Board on Sustainable life expectancy, education, equity, and
Development, Our Common Journey: A Transition Toward Sustainability opportunity. Finally, the Board on Sus-
(Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1999). tainable Development also identified
calls to develop society that emphasized
the values of security and well-being of
VOLUME 47 NUMBER 3 ENVIRONMENT 11
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