Understanding Sustainable Development: Balancing Present Needs and Future Growth 🌱

The term sustainable development was given its most concrete definition in 1987, as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” <br />Development in this context is economic, cultural, environmental and societal. Examples include; eradicating extreme poverty, advancing and promoting gender equality, reversing climate change and reinforcing peace, justice and democracy. In 2015, the United Nations renewed its sustainable development targets for its 'Agenda 2030'. These updated and renewed objectives deal more comprehensively with environmental degradation and durable advancements which do not extract more out of the Earth than is put in. <br />These targets are interconnected but may sometimes present themselves as conflicting. For example, eradicating poverty and hunger could put pressure on natural resources as people will need more food and fuel. But the growing use of sustainable agricultural practices and renewable energies could mean that the poorest people's well-being improves in step with, or even as a result of such developments. What's essential is that these conflicts between objectives will only be minimised when structural adjustments reconstitute how the planet and its inhabitants organise themselves.