PSY 145 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Brundtland Commission, Psych
Document Summary
Sustainable definition of human development: first, a concept of sustainable development that works is crucial to define. The brundtland commission concept, however useful it may be, is more of a slogan than of an action mechanism. The commission has described sustainable development as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising future generations "capacity to meet their own needs" Developing countries are not happy with their existing consumption levels, so they have no intention of sustaining poverty. However, developing countries do not have an unlimited right to an 85 percent share of world income and maintain their current consumption patterns. In fact, sustaining the current global environment poses serious questions regarding the distribution of global income and assets. There is no straightforward or clear connection between the needs of the present and future. The brundtland study recognizes these issues but its definition of sustainable development is largely unchanged: what we need to live is human life.
