Sustainable development: modern elixir or sack dress?

Abstract

Over the past two decades 'sustainable development' has grown from a term expressing concern for social and environmental problems to an international craze. The concept purportedly offers cures for the many and diverse problems afflicting modern society, and because it involves an integrated approach, the sustainable development fashion has resulted in much-needed collaboration between specialists from diverse backgrounds, to work on the complex problems involved in the interactions between society and environment. However, the term is rarely defined, and, being stylish and institutionalized, the 'sustainability movement' now directs the way much science and policy for biological conservation and development are designed, executed and evaluated. Occult, but basic, in nearly all discourses of sustainable development is the axiom of continual growth; and, in most cases, instead of offering a true solution to contemporary problems, the term is a source of confusion, contention and even deception. It is imperative that the use of this term, especially in multidisciplinary, international and scientific spheres, be based on clear understanding of its meaning, and that the issue of growth and the concept of limits be clearly incorporated into the core of the discussion.