Development (i.e. economic, environmental, social) that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

 - UN World Commission Report on environment and development 1987 Our Common Future Oxford University Press Geneva Switzerland.

Sustainability

The key dimensions of sustainable development were defined in the United Nations 1987 Report on environment and development –Our Common Future.

In 1992, the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, best known as The Earth Summit, brought together world leaders and launched worldwide initiatives of The Framework Convention on Climate Change, The Convention on Biological Diversity and A Statement on Forest Principles.

Since then much has been done to find ways of applying the concept of Sustainability to everyday life. The concept of the Triple Bottom Line links the environment, the economy and society into Sustainability and encourages businesses to consider their overall corporate social responsibilities, not just their financial bottom line.

The concept of good governance has been added to the Triple Bottom Line to make the four key dimensions of Sustainability; environment, society, economy and governance.

These four key dimensions reveal the interdependence of the health of the environment and the health and wellbeing of our economies and societies.