1.1 Concepts and History [Kates, Parris & Leiserowitz 2005]

1.1 CONCEPTS/ HISTORY The definition of sustainable development that has wide acceptance is: “Humanity has the ability to make development sustainable—to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” The definition is actually creatively ambiguous and has encouraged alternative concepts of what is to be developed and what is to be sustained. Reading: Kates, R., Thomas M. Parris, and Anthony A. Leiserowitz. 2005. What is sustainable development? Environment 47(3):9-21. The Reading explores the different definitions, goals, indicators, values, and practice that taken together seem to explain what is meant by sustainable development, beginning with a brief history.

Kates_and_Parris_and_Leiserowitz_Envt_2005.pdf — PDF document, 1159Kb