The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) defined sustainable development as development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of the future generation to meet their own needs’. 

The present generation must work on such development that is compatible with: 

• Conservation of natural assets
• Preservation of the regenerative capacity
• Avoiding the imposition of added costs or risks on future generations

According to Herman Daly, a leading environmental economist, other ways include: 

• Controlling the human population to a level where the environment can handle the capacity
• Technological progress should be efficient in giving back and not only input consuming
• The extraction of resources should be sustainable and not at the rate of extraction should not exceed the rate of regeneration
• Non-renewable resources should not let the rate of depletion exceed the rate of creation of renewable substitutes

Inefficiencies arising from pollution should be corrected. 

Stockholm Conference 1972

• Also known as the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment
• It was the first international declaration on environmental protection, held in Stockholm, Sweden from June 5–16, 1972
• One of the main topics that arose from the conference was the acceptance of poverty alleviation as a means of environmental protection
• The United Nations Environment Programme was founded by the United Nations General Assembly in response to the Stockholm Conference, and it has provided a basis for modern environmentalism

Nairobi Declaration

• The Nairobi Declaration was adopted in 1982 (10th anniversary of Stockholm) and endorsed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Governing Council in 1987

Brundtland Report

• Formerly known as the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) formed in 1987
• Brundtland Report, also known as ‘Our Common Future’
• The term “sustainable development” was coined to concentrate attention on strategies for promoting economic and social development while avoiding environmental degradation, over- exploitation, or pollution
• It also served to side-line less fruitful discussions about whether to prioritise development or the environment

United Nations Conference on Environment and Development- UNCED

• Also known as Earth Summit 1992, Rio Summit, the Rio Conference.
• Earth Summit resulted in the following documents:
  • Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
  • Agenda 21 and
  • Forest Principles
• Important legally binding agreements (Rio Convention) were opened for signature:
  • Convention on Biological Diversity
  • Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and
  • United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

Rio+5 (1997)

• The United Nations General Assembly convened a special session in 1997 to assess the status of Agenda 21 (Rio +5)
• The Assembly labelled progress as “uneven” and described key developments such as increased globalisation, widening income gaps, and continued environmental degradation
• The Declaration called for the establishment of a special commission to develop long-term environmental strategies for achieving sustainable development in the years leading up to and beyond the year 2000

Rio+10 (2002) or Earth Summit 2002

• In 2002, Rio+10, also known as Earth Summit 2002 or World Summit on Sustainable Development, was held in Johannesburg, South Africa
• The United Nations’ commitment to Agenda 21 and the Millennium Development Goals was reaffirmed at Rio+10
• The Johannesburg Declaration commits the world’s nations to sustainable development

Rio+20 (2012)

• Rio+20 (2012), also known as the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, was a 20-year follow-up to the 1992 Earth Summit and a 10-year follow-up to the 2002 Earth Summit
• Rio+20 was the 3rd international conference on sustainable development, and it was hosted by Brazil in Rio de Janeiro in 2012. It reaffirmed the commitment to Agenda 21
• PAGE, launched in 2013, is a direct response to the Rio+20 Declaration. Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE)
• To assist interested countries in designing, adopting, and implementing green economy policies and strategies, the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) was created

Conclusion:

Sustainable development aims at promoting such development that minimizes environmental problems and meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of the future generation to meet their own needs. Rapid human growth and development have put unprecedented pressure on the planet’s resources and modification in our current consumption method is contingent to ensuring a prosperous, equitable, and sustainable future. From the Stockhlom to Rio +20, we have come out a long way in understanding the concept and need for sustainable development and making efforts in that direction.