Previous Year Question
Sustainable development is described as the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In this perspective, inherently the concept of sustainable development is intertwined with which of the following concepts?
Social justice and empowerment
Inclusive growth
Globalisation
Carrying capacity
Correct Answer: D
Detailed Solution
The definition of sustainable development given in the question is associated with the Brundtland Commission’s 1987 report, ‘Our Common Future’.
This definition emphasizes meeting present needs while protecting the needs and resources of future generations.
Carrying capacity means the maximum level of population, resource use or human activity that an environment or ecosystem can sustain over the long term.
If resource use exceeds the carrying capacity of an ecosystem, resource degradation and environmental imbalance occur.
Sustainable development attempts to keep human development and consumption within the ecological limits of the Earth.
Therefore, development projects should remain consistent with the regenerative capacity of natural resources and the waste-absorption capacity of the environment.
The rate of use of renewable resources should not exceed their natural rate of regeneration.
The rate of emission of pollutants should not exceed the capacity of the environment to absorb or neutralize them.
Non-renewable resources should be used prudently and together with the development of their substitutes.
Sustainable development includes intergenerational equity along with intragenerational equity.
Its three broad dimensions are economic development, social equity and environmental protection.
Social justice, empowerment and inclusive growth are important social aspects of sustainable development, but the inherent ecological basis asked in the question is carrying capacity.
Globalisation is a process of economic integration and is not an essential foundational concept of sustainable development.