What is Sustainable Development?

Introduction

The concept of sustainable development was emphasised by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), which defined it as development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

The definition's use of the term 'needs' refers to resource distribution. The seminal report, Our Common Future, which gave the above definition, explained sustainable development as meeting the basic needs of all and extending to all the opportunity to satisfy their aspirations for a better life.

The Brundtland Commission stresses the importance of preserving opportunities for future generations. This is consistent with the reasoning of environmentalists, who argue that we have a moral duty to leave the Earth in good condition for those who come after us. It fits the well known saying that we did not inherit the earth from our ancestors but have borrowed it from future generations, so we owe them a healthy planet. At the very least, we should leave the next generation a stock of 'quality of life' assets equal to or greater than what we received.

The current generation can promote development that improves the natural and built environment in ways that are compatible with:

• conservation of natural assets,
• preservation of the regenerative capacity of the world's natural ecological systems, and
• avoiding the imposition of additional costs or risks on future generations.

According to Herman Daly, a famous environmental economist, the following steps must be taken to achieve sustainable development:

• reducing the human population to a level that is within the carrying capacity of the environment;
• technological progress should be input efficient rather than input consuming;
• renewable resources should be extracted sustainably, that is, the rate of extraction should not exceed the rate of regeneration, while non-renewable resources should be depleted at a pace that does not exceed the rate at which renewable substitutes are developed; and
• pollution-related inefficiencies should be rectified.

India and the SDGs

In September 2015, 193 countries including India committed to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as detailed in the UN resolution 'Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development'. The SDGs comprehensively cover social, economic and environmental dimensions and build on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which covered the earlier fifteen year period from 2000 to 2015. India has been making steady strides towards achieving the social, economic and environmental goals covered under the SDGs. You can explore more study notes like this in our Environment and Ecology collection.

India's federal structure means that states must take charge to enable progress on the country's SDGs. The NITI Aayog SDG India Index is the world's first government led sub-national measure of SDG progress. It has been developed to capture the progress of all states and union territories (UTs) in their journey towards achieving the SDGs. The index recognises that action is required at all levels, and it is therefore based on the approach of cooperative and competitive federalism.

International Efforts

• LIFE (Lifestyle for the Environment): At COP 26 in Glasgow in November 2021, the Prime Minister suggested a one word movement in the context of climate: LIFE, or Lifestyle for Environment. This movement encourages people to come together through collective participation to advance a lifestyle for the environment, as a campaign and a mass movement for environmentally conscious living, in a way that touches many sectors such as fishing, agriculture, wellness, dietary choices, packaging, housing, hospitality, tourism, clothing, fashion, water management, and energy.
• International Solar Alliance: At the World Leaders' Summit in Glasgow in November 2021, the Prime Minister introduced the joint Green Grids Initiative, One Sun One World One Grid (GGI, OSOWOG). It proposes to develop a globally interconnected green grid on top of the current regional grid infrastructure, allowing solar energy to be produced in high potential locations and carried to demand centres. A combined GGI, OSOWOG Secretariat will be created within the ISA Secretariat to build political support for the project and provide technical assistance.
• Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC): India submitted its NDC under the Paris Agreement on a 'best effort basis', keeping its developmental needs in mind. India committed to (i) reduce the emission intensity of its GDP by 33 to 35 per cent by 2030 compared with the 2005 level; (ii) create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030; and (iii) achieve about 40 per cent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel energy sources by 2030.

Strategies for Sustainable Development

• Use of non-conventional energy sources: India is heavily reliant on thermal and hydropower facilities to supply its electricity demand. Both have negative environmental consequences. Thermal power plants release enormous amounts of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, and also create fly ash, which, if not handled properly, can pollute water bodies and land. Hydroelectric projects can inundate forests and disrupt the natural water flow of catchment regions and river basins. Wind energy and solar energy are two cleaner and greener sources that are yet to be used on a major scale.
• LPG and gobar gas in rural areas: Households in rural areas often use wood, dung cakes or other biomass as fuel. This has a number of negative consequences, including deforestation, reduced green cover, waste of livestock dung, and air pollution. Subsidised LPG is being offered to fix the problem, and gobar gas plants are being provided with low interest loans and subsidies. LPG is a clean fuel that significantly reduces indoor pollution. In a gobar gas plant, cattle dung is fed in to create gas, which is used as fuel, while the slurry left behind is an excellent organic fertiliser.
• CNG in urban areas and use of electric vehicles: The use of compressed natural gas (CNG) as a fuel in Delhi's public transport system has greatly reduced air pollution in recent years. FAME India, a part of the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan, encourages electric vehicles by providing subsidies.
• Wind power: In locations where the wind speed is often strong, windmills can supply power while having no negative environmental effect. The initial investment is significant, but the advantages are so compelling that the high cost is easily justified.
• Photovoltaic cells for solar power: India is naturally endowed with considerable solar energy in the form of sunshine. With the help of photovoltaic cells, solar energy can be converted into electricity. This technology is extremely useful for remote areas where supply through the grid is either not possible or very costly, and the approach is completely pollution free.
• Mini-hydel plants: In mountainous regions, streams can be found almost everywhere, and many are perennial. The energy from such streams is used to power small turbines in mini-hydel plants, and the power generated is used locally. These plants are ecologically sound because they do not alter the land use pattern of the region, and they reduce the need for large transmission towers, cables and transmission loss.
• Traditional knowledge and practices: Indians have traditionally lived close to their surroundings, seeing themselves as a part of the environment rather than a controller of it. Our agriculture, healthcare, housing and transport have traditionally been environmentally friendly. One example is healthcare: India is fortunate to have over 15,000 plant species with therapeutic potential, of which around 8,000 are in regular use across systems such as Ayurveda, Unani, Tibetan and folk medicine. These systems are once again in high demand for addressing chronic health issues, and many everyday products such as hair oil, toothpaste and face cream are now made from herbs.
• Biocomposting: In the drive to increase agricultural productivity over the past five decades, compost was largely ignored in favour of chemical fertilisers. As a result, large stretches of productive land have been degraded and groundwater has depleted. Many farmers across the country have now switched to compost made from organic waste. Earthworms can turn organic waste into compost, known as vermicomposting, faster than the standard process. This also helps civic authorities, who then have to dispose of a smaller quantity of waste.
• Bio-pesticides: Chemical pesticides are extremely harmful to health and the environment. To overcome this, more effective and natural pest control measures are being developed. One approach is the use of plant based pesticides, and neem plants have proven to be very useful, with several pest controlling compounds now derived from neem. Farmers have also benefited from mixed cropping and rotating crops on the same ground in successive years.

Why it still matters today

Sustainable development is not just a definition to memorise. It is being measured, argued over and acted on right now. In July 2025 the United Nations released its Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025. It found that only about 35 per cent of the SDG targets are on track or making moderate progress, while nearly half are moving too slowly and around 18 per cent have actually slipped backwards. The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, called this a 'development emergency', but insisted the goals are still within reach if countries act with urgency. With only a few years left until the 2030 deadline, this is one of the biggest live debates in the world.

India's own scorecard tells a more hopeful story. In the NITI Aayog SDG India Index 2023-24, released in July 2024, India's composite score rose to 71, up from 66 in 2020-21 and just 57 in 2018. The sharpest jump was in Goal 13, Climate Action, where the score climbed from 54 to 67, moving India into the 'Front Runner' category. Numbers like these are exactly the kind of essential, real world knowledge we gather on the Learnacy Hub, and you can follow the story further through our other study notes. The point for a student is simple: the ideas in this article, from the Brundtland definition to India's clean energy strategies, are the very tools the world is using to try to close that gap.

Conclusion

Sustainability enhances the quality of our lives by protecting the ecosystem and conserving natural resources for future generations. In the business world, it is linked to a company's holistic approach, which considers everything from manufacturing to logistics to customer service. Going green is not just good for a firm, it also strengthens the long term benefits of an environmental focus. We all share a moral commitment to each other, to future generations, and to other species to sustain the world, regardless of who we are, where we live, or what we do. Our present decisions and behaviours have far reaching, long term consequences. Sustainability helps ensure that we make ethical choices that provide a secure and liveable future for everybody. If we exhaust the Earth's resources, future generations will suffer. There is a relevant old saying worth remembering: we do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.

Sources

1. United Nations, The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2025
2. NITI Aayog, SDG India Index 2023-24

Key takeaways

• Sustainable development is defined as meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
• The Brundtland Commission emphasized preserving opportunities for future generations and meeting the basic needs of all people.
• Environmental economist Herman Daly proposed four steps: reducing population to carrying capacity, using input-efficient technology, extracting resources sustainably, and correcting pollution inefficiencies.
• India committed to the SDGs in 2015 and tracks progress through the NITI Aayog SDG India Index, the world's first government-led sub-national SDG measurement tool.
• India's climate commitments include reducing emission intensity by 33-35%, creating 2.5-3 billion tonnes of carbon sink, and achieving 40% non-fossil power capacity by 2030.

Test yourself

What is the definition of sustainable development according to the Brundtland Commission?

Development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

What are Herman Daly's four proposed steps to achieve sustainable development?

Reducing human population to within the environment's carrying capacity; ensuring technological progress is input efficient rather than input consuming; extracting renewable resources sustainably while depleting non-renewables at a pace matching substitute development; and correcting pollution-related inefficiencies.

What are the three components of India's Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement?

Reducing emission intensity of GDP by 33-35% by 2030 compared to 2005; creating an additional carbon sink of 2.5-3 billion tonnes through additional forest and tree cover by 2030; and achieving about 40% cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030.

Frequently asked questions

What is the core definition of sustainable development according to the Brundtland Commission?

Sustainable development is defined as development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, emphasizing both resource distribution and the preservation of opportunities for posterity.

How does the Brundtland Commission's definition of sustainable development relate to environmental ethics?

The definition aligns with environmentalists' moral duty to leave the Earth in good condition for future generations, encapsulated in the idea that we have borrowed the planet from those who come after us and owe them a healthy environment.

What are Herman Daly's key steps for achieving sustainable development?

Daly proposes reducing the human population to within environmental carrying capacity, prioritizing input-efficient technological progress, sustainably extracting renewable resources, depleting non-renewable resources only as fast as renewable substitutes can be developed, and correcting pollution-related inefficiencies.

Why is the NITI Aayog SDG India Index significant in India's sustainable development efforts?

The index serves as the world's first government-led sub-national measure of SDG progress, capturing the efforts of all Indian states and union territories while promoting cooperative and competitive federalism to advance the country's SDGs.