One of the most common definitions for sustainable development is based on the report of the Commission on Environment and Development, commonly known as the Brundtland report (1987) - ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’. This definition basically means that we-as a generation-should not take more than our fair share of natural resources.

Our economy depends on adequate supplies of natural resources and depends on the natural environment to assimilate the waste that we generate from production and consumption practices. If we do not use natural resources efficiently or if we generate too much waste, future generations will not be able to meet their needs. At the moment we are using the planet’s resources faster than they can be renewed. In fact, the amount of resources that we use in a year exceeds the planet’s ability to regenerate by about 30 per cent. If we continue to release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere at the same rate as the present, we will impose huge burdens for future generations (http://www.panda.org/about_our_earth/all_publications/living_planet_report/).

Sustainable development is, importantly, based on the three pillars of environmental, social and economic development. One fundamental element of sustainable development is the integration of these three pillars into thought and development processes. Actions which do not strike a harmonious balance between the three objectives may undermine the system as a whole, even if progress is made in one particular area. Comhar, the Sustainable Development Council (SDC), has developed Principles for Sustainable Development that outline the issues considered integral to sustainable development.

Policy Background

Following the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, 178 UN countries committed, under the title of Agenda 21, to take action globally and locally to promote sustainable development, focusing on such issues as addressing poverty, protecting the environment, maintaining biological diversity, promoting human health and equality. This was reaffirmed in a further World Summit in Johannesburg in 2002 (http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/agenda21/res_agenda21_36.shtml).

EU Sustainable Development Policy
The revised European Sustainable Development Strategy (EU SDS) sets out a path for European members states to meet commitments from the Rio and Johannesburg Earth Summits. The EU SDS sets out objectives and actions under seven priority areas including- climate change and clean energy, sustainable transport, sustainable consumption and production, conservation and management of natural resources, public health, social inclusion and global poverty and development issues (http://ec.europa.eu/sustainable/welcome/index_en.htm).

National Sustainable Development Policy
National Sustainable Development Policy Ireland published its first National Sustainable Development Strategy (NSDS) in 1997, which was revised in 2002 in the run-up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. Following the adoption by the European Union of a revised EUSDS in 2006, Ireland is currently preparing a revised NSDS. The revised NSDS will serve as a statement of national policy and a roadmap for future action (http://www.environ.ie/en/Environment/SustainableDevelopment/). In 2007 Comhar published a set of comprehensive recommendation for the revised NSDS (http://www.comharsdc.ie/_files/42628%20Comhar%20strategy.pdf)

Timeline for Sustainable Development in Ireland

• 1987 Our Common Future/Brundtland Report- This report was published by the World Commission on Environment and Development. It draws social, economic, cultural and environmental issues together and sets out the most common definition for sustainable development.
  
• 1992 Earth Summit- In 1992 a UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) was held in Rio de Janeiro. The conference set out Agenda 21, a comprehensive plan outlining actions to be taken globally, nationally and locally to move towards more sustainable development.
  
• 1997 Sustainable Development: A Strategy for Ireland- This was the first Irish strategy for sustainable development to be published. It sets out national priorities and commitments to sustainable development.
  
• 1999 Comhar established- The national council for sustainable development was founded.
  
• 2001 A Sustainable Europe for a Better World- At the Gothenburg Summit in June 2001, EU leaders launched the first EU sustainable development strategy.
• 2002 Making Ireland’s Development Sustainable- This was the second national sustainable development strategy for Ireland.
  
• 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development- This summit was held in Johannesburg, South Africa. It assessed global change since the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in 1992.
  
• 2006 European Sustainable Development Strategy- The second EU Sustainable Development Strategy was published which aimed to take account of progress made, tackle shortcomings and deal with new challenges.