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What is Sustainable Development?

Environmental, economic and social well-being for today and tomorrow
Sustainable development has been defined in many ways, but the most frequently quoted definition is from
Our Common Future, also known as the Brundtland Report:[1]
"Sustainable development is development that 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."
All definitions of sustainable development require that we see the world as a systema system that connects
space; and a system that connects time.
When you think of the world as a system over space, you grow to understand that air pollution from North
America affects air quality in Asia, and that pesticides sprayed in Argentina could harm fish stocks off the
coast of Australia.

IISD's SD Gateway
Introduction to SD (2002)
Glossary (2002)
Acronyms (2002)
Principles (2002)
Timeline (2002-2009)

Video

And when you think of the world as a system over time, you start to realize that the decisions our
grandparents made about how to farm the land continue to affect agricultural practice today; and the
economic policies we endorse today will have an impact on urban poverty when our children are adults.
We also understand that quality of life is a system, too. It's good to be physically healthy, but what if you are
poor and don't have access to education? It's good to have a secure income, but what if the air in your part
of the world is unclean? And it's good to have freedom of religious expression, but what if you can't feed your
family?
The concept of sustainable development is rooted in this sort of systems thinking. It helps us understand
ourselves and our world. The problems we face are complex and seriousand we can't address them in the
same way we created them. But we can address them.
It's that basic optimism that motivates IISD's staff, associates and board to innovate for a healthy and
meaningful future for this planet and its inhabitants.

IISD staff and board talk about sustainable

development.

Contents
Twenty Years After Brundtland
This conference was held in Ottawa, Ontario, October 18-19, 2007 to reflect on the past twenty years
of sustainable development in Canada since the publication of the Brundtland report in 1987. The
presentations are now available as well as information from the conference.
Ten Years After Rio: Successes and Failures
Looks at the most important successes and failures in SD in the decade following the 1992 Rio Earth
Summit. Published in 2002 to coincide with the World Summit on Sustainable Development in
Johannesburg.

Further Reading
IISD's Reporting Services is building a sustainable development knowledge base in preparation for
Rio+20. Click here to follow international policy developments on sustainability.

Archives
Tokyo Declaration (1987)
WSSD Briefcase (2002)
Developing Ideas Digest
(1996-1999)
Five years after Rio (1997)
Canadian planning (1996)
SD on campus (1996)
Women and SD (1995)
Youth and SD (1995)
Indigenous peoples
(1992-2000)
Agenda 21 (1995)

The Sustainable Development Timeline

Silent Spring was published in 1962. The book's release was considered by many to be a turning point in our understanding of the
interconnections among the environment, the economy and social well-being. Since then, many milestones have marked the journey toward
sustainable development. The Sustainable Development Timeline captures some of the key events. The original version was published in
1998 with the support of the International Development Research Centre.
A second edition was published in 1999. The 2002 version, available in English and French, was published for the World Summit on
Sustainable Development with the support of Environment Canada. The 2006 version, available in English and Mandarin, was funded by
the Canada School of Public Service and the Canadian International Development Agency. The 2007 version, available in English (PDF - 1.1
MB) and French (PDF - 1.1 MB), was supported by Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth. The latest version (2009), is also available
in English (PDF - 3.5 MB) and French (PDF - 3.5 MB).
For our views on how the field of sustainable development is evolving, click here to read IISD's commentaries.

[1] 1. World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED). Our common future. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987 p. 43.

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