The Sustainability Debate

Sustainable development is a dynamic process which enables all people to realize their potential and to improve their quality of life in ways which simultaneously protect and enhance our Earth's life-support systems. These, however, are the main poles of tension. Social inequity, the material disparity that accompanies it, as well as the question of why consideration for nature should come before the welfare of humans, are at the center of the sustainable development debate.

Ecological sustainability is the simple part of the sustainable development concept. While there is considerable debate over where exactly the limits are, there is general consensus that we must learn to live together within the means of nature. Socioeconomic sustainability, however, is a more difficult and potentially contentious concept. The question of "who gets what (and how)" raises the specter of potential conflict both within and between nations. The need for shared justice and the associated latent conflict is the most scary and politically taxing part of the sustainability question.

But instead of this polarity, think about sustainable development as achieving economic health, environmental protection, and social equity objectives in an integrated, comprehensive way. It is about equal consideration between economic development and environmental quality, between technological innovation and community stability, and between investment in people and investment in infrastructure. Because it is broadly based -- cutting across all dimensions of human life, including such issues as energy shortages, species extinctions, pollution, disease, breakdown in families, armed conflict, child abuse, poverty, and corruption -- sustainable development requires participation by all of society in moving beyond the conflicts of debate.