Environmental Law Principles - Sustainable Development
The term “sustainable development” is defined as development to achieve the needs of present generation without compromising future generation’s needs, while we are misusing the resources in a very vital manner, which is not good for the present generation and as well as to the future generation. "Future Generations" are mainly related to the environmental problems of resource consumption and pollution and their distribution over long time horizons.
Sustainable development is most commonly defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” World Commission on Environment and Development, Our Common Future (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987). In short tautology, it means "development that is sustainable." Development can be defined as a collective process of change toward improvements in quality of life for human beings and their communities, and sustainability can be seen to refer to the need for development to be integrated, socially, economically and environmentally sound, oriented to the long-term, and hence, able to last.
The concept of sustainable development, in international law, requires accommodation, reconciliation and integration between economic growth, social justice (including human rights) and environmental protection objectives, towards participatory improvement in collective quality of life for the benefit of both present and future generations. The term "sustainable development law" describes an emerging corpus of international legal principles and instruments which address the intersections between international economic, environmental and social law (including human rights law), towards development that can last for the benefit of present and future generations.
Sustainable development, at present time is a most concern phenomena. Globally, every country, including most developing country like India and China, thinks very much about it because they realize that their future generation must suffer the lack of resources, which is obviously most central to survive. This phenomenon comes after Second World War. The concept of sustainable development is not related only to future generation but also with the present generation. Firstly, it is important to know the conceptual meanings of sustainable development. It is a way of thinking by which we can secure our present and future generations. The right to development means the right to improvement and advancement of economic, social, cultural and political conditions that can be improved in the global quality of life. Improvement of global quality of life means the implementation of changes that ensure every person’s life of dignity and at same time, citizens realize their human rights. These changes must include the eradication and alleviation of wide spread conditions of poverty, unemployment and inequitable social conditions
This is a briefer about the sustainable development principle.