Source: Our Environment Our Decision
By: Mr. T Lahon Mgr (Q/c) H.P.C
The term ‘Sustainable Development’ was brought in to common use by the world commission on Environment and development, the Brundtland and Commission in its seminal (1987) reports entitled “Our common future”. The idea is sustaining. The commission defined “Sustainable Development” as “meeting the needs of the present generation” without compromising the needs of the present generation. There must not be any difference between the goals of development policy and appropriate protection of the environment where development has to occur.

The concept of Sustainable Development dose not lends itself easily a precise a definition. It cannot be expected the all natural resources will be preserved during any development activity. Successful development will inevitably involve some amount of land clearing, oil drilling, river damming and swamp draining. One school of thought is that natural wealth should be preserved in some aggregate sense, with self compensating loss. This approach has helpfully focused attention on the need to estimate the value on the importance of protecting certain essential ecological system.

In the next century our world will be much richer in terms of technological advancement. But will the development make our environment much poorer?