World Comission on Environment and Development

This article goes into depth about sustainable development and what is required for development to be considered sustainable. "Sustainable development is what meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two key concepts: "The concept of "needs", in particular the essential needs of the world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs". "A world in which poverty and equity are endemic will always be prone to ecological and other crisis." The fact that much of the world can't satisfy their basic needs means that they will always value their lives and those of their families above ecological integrity. This requires economic growth in places were there is none. "But growth by itself is not enough. High levels of productive activity and widespread poverty can coexist, and can endanger the environment. Hence societies meet human needs both by increasing productive potential and by ensuring equitable opportunities for all."
Sustainable development also means minimizing the amount of human intervention on the natural systems that supports life on earth. "Economic growth and development obviously involve changes in the physical ecosystem. Every ecosystem everywhere cannot be preserved intact. A forest may be depleted in one part of a watershed and extended elsewhere, which is not a bad thing if the exploitation has been planned and the effects on soil erosion rates, water regimes, and genetic losses have been taken into account." Conservation is also very important because more extinction means less diversity for the future meaning less options.
"In essence, sustainable development is a process of change in which exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development, and institutional change are all in harmony and enhance both current and future potential to meet human needs and aspirations." Individuals need to be persuaded to take sustainable action but that can be difficult so the benefits must be presented, benefits in the short term or present are usually more effective than those in the long term.
"The common theme throughout this strategy is sustainable development is the need to integrate economic and ecological considerations in decision making. They are after all, integrated in the workings of the real world. This will require a change in attitudes and objectives and in institutional arrangements at every level."

Citations:
Towards Sustainable Development by: The World Commission on Environment and Development.

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