What is Sustainable Development?

“Sustainable development means survival” Prime Minister of Bhutan, Lyonchen Jigme Y. Thinley said in his opening speech in Rio, Brazil during the recent UN conference on Sustainable Development. He also added that ‘sustainability, wellbeing and happiness are still within our reach’, ‘sustainability is absolutely necessary and not a choice’ (Kuensel, 22^nd June 2012).

Sustainable development, according to the World Commission on Environment and Development: “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Sustainable development means bringing prosperity, improvement in the quality of life, meeting our desires and aspirations by reducing pollution and waste, without damaging the prospects of future generations and by helping our neighbors preserve common resources. Time has really become crucial for all of us to work in partnership with one another towards sustainable development. Every individual, every business, and every government must play their distinctive parts.

To my understanding and to put it in the simple words; sustainable development means using available resources judiciously, remaining satisfied with what we have, not crave for something that is not ours and think and leave a share for the future generations. 

If we play our part and take care of our own premises, I feel the world will take care of itself automatically.