THE CONCEPT OF SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainable development starts with major concerns with the capacity of natural systems to cope with all we want to do, and then looks at our economies and whether they are "sustainable" - ie can continue indefinitely, in the light of that. However for any long term sustainability, it is widely recognised there also needs to be social stability, that is not threatened by unequal use of resources and excessive exploitation of one group relative to another.

These three elements - the environmental economic and social need to be considered together to determine a balance that can be maintained for the long term

This can also be described as the Principles relating to People, the Planet and Profit.