Sustainable development

Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs and choose their own lifestyles. The requirement to make this development "lasting" applies to all countries and their people.

However, sustainable development is more than just a contemporary buzzword: It is a new, long-term-oriented model for environmental, economic, employment, and social policy that extends far beyond governments and national borders. A healthy environment, economic prosperity, and social cohesion should be common goals of global, national, and local policy to ensure the long-term quality of life for all people. It is therefore also the answer to the challenge of responsibly managing social, economic, and ecological processes. This requires analyzing conflicting objectives and developing options for addressing them.

"Three Pillars" of Sustainability

In general, the term sustainability is composed of three components, also referred to as the "three-pillar model of sustainability."

• Ecological sustainability describes the objective of preserving nature and the environment for future generations. This includes the preservation of biodiversity, climate protection, the maintenance of cultural and landscape areas in their original form, and generally the careful use of the natural environment.
• Economic sustainability postulates that the economy is designed to provide a sustainable basis for income and prosperity in the long term. Of particular importance here is the protection of economic resources from exploitation.
• Social sustainability understands the development of society as a path that enables participation for all members of a community. This involves balancing social forces with the goal of achieving a sustainable, livable society in the long term.

Sustainable development means pursuing a common, sustainable ecological, social, and economic path – in everyday life, in civil society, in education, in administration, in all economic sectors, and in politics. The networking of sustainability actors from and in all these areas is an important basis for this common path.

The importance of this networking is also increasing at the global level due to the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).