Conceptual Analysis of Sustainability and Sustainable Development

Abstract

Understanding contemporary issues of social-ecological systems in environmentally sensitive areas is very complicated and requires careful and extensive research. The approach of “sustainability” is highly applicable to this task because it demands both social and ecological perspectives and it projects contemporary practices into the future. The World Commission on Environment and Development (1987) defined sustainable development as “the use of environment and resources to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. This reiterates Karl Marx’ suggestion that people make their own history, built on the past, and it becomes their future. In this sense, what we do today is the future of human society. The ultimate objective of this article is to discuss the concepts of sustainability and sustainable development which helps to generate new knowledge by creating a framework for sustainable development in environmentally sensitive areas of Sri Lanka. To achieve this objective, it is essential to employ a multifaceted and multidimensional methodology.