The term of "Sustainable Development" plays a major role in the debate on a future-oriented social development. It denotes a concept whose central element consists in the linkage of economic progress to the conservation of our natural environment and to maintaining social justice. The starting point for this debate is the statement that, although the development in the past has brought prosperity for many people, a much greater proportion of mankind still lives in poverty and in underdeveloped conditions. Closely related to this status description is the view that both the nature of present-day economic activities and the current patterns of behaviour and consumption in the industrialized countries are not suited as a model for future development, but may rather lead to serious disturbances in ecological, economic and social subsystems. The concept of sustainable development thus links the issue of conserving the natural basis for life for future generations to the claim for economic prosperity and social development of the people living at present.
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