Sustainable Development

What is Sustainable Development?

Within Geography, which covers maps, landforms, weather, climate, population and settlements: understand how our planet and people connect, this topic explains Sustainable Development. Geography explains how places, people and natural processes connect, so each topic here combines a clear definition with a visual model.

Check that you can explain Sustainable Development in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.

Understanding Sustainable Development helps you explain patterns on maps and in the news, and make reasoned decisions about places and environments.

Sustainable Development in detail

Sustainable development means meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It balances three pillars: economic growth, social wellbeing and environmental protection.

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set 17 targets, including ending poverty and hunger, clean water, affordable clean energy and climate action. Examples include renewable energy, recycling, fair trade, sustainable farming and eco-towns. Challenges include cost and conflicts between short-term needs and long-term benefits, so action is needed from individuals, businesses and governments.

How the interactive helps you understand Sustainable Development

Watch the cycle in the interactive. Use any sliders or buttons it offers to change the values and see how the cycle responds.

Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of Sustainable Development.

Real-life uses and examples

• Interpret a graph or map that shows Sustainable Development and say what it suggests.
• Describe a real place where Sustainable Development can be seen, using a map or photograph.
• Explain how Sustainable Development affects people, jobs and land use in a region.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Mixing up cause, effect and consequence when you explain Sustainable Development.
• Writing general statements without a named place or example.
• Learning the definition without testing it. Use the quiz and the interactive to check that you can apply the idea.