Difference between sustainable and sustainable development

We are going to start talking about sustainable development, since it is the most used term and, therefore, it is more familiar and easier to explain in most cases. When we speak of sustainable development we are referring to a type of development or growth that consumes natural resources below the rate of regeneration.

In other words, the relationship that exists between the human consumption of a specific resource in a specific time and the regeneration of said specific resource in the same period of time, is a relationship that will result in a positive balance. That is, it will not be exhausted and there will be surpluses of said resource.

This is so because the consumption that is made of said resource in that given time allows the resource to regenerate quickly enough so that it continues to exist in the long term. In this way, sustainable development constitutes development that does not deplete resources , but uses them responsibly, ensuring that they survive for future generations.

Now that we are clear about what sustainable development consists of, it remains to solve the question about what sustainable development is and if they are synonymous, as many people believe. Sometimes they are used interchangeably, but as we will see below, they are not the same and should not be.

If we consult the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy we will observe that these two terms are not synonymous, therefore, when we talk about sustainable or sustainable development we are not talking about the same thing.

Sustainable is also an adjective, however, it is something that ” can be defended with reasons ” or “supported and physically sustained so that it does not twist or decay”. Based on this definition, sustainable development is one whose idea can be defended from a rational point of view or whose application requires measures of any kind so that it does not decline.

The first thing to say regarding sustainable development is that, according to the authors consulted, we can find those who consider that there is no difference between sustainable and sustainable development, and other authors who consider that there is. The reality is that they are two different things, however, there is a reason why they have been mistakenly used as synonyms .

In 1987 the Brundtland Report was published, a study in which the different positions about economic development and its relationship with environmental sustainability are addressed. 5 years later, in 1992, the so-called Earth Summit was held in Brazil, a conference organized by the United Nations on Environment and Development that, among its resolutions, adopted the idea that sustainable development should be approached from a single point of view. from a legal point of view. At that summit was talk of ” sustainable development ” and ” Desenvolvimento Sustentável “, ie sustainable development, both in English and Portuguese.

A translation error caused people to start talking about sustainable development instead of sustainable, as if they were synonyms, an error that has dragged on to this day and that complicates the interpretation of the terms.

A sustainable development would be something other than sustainable, sustainable means that it needs someone or something to sustain or maintain it in order to function. When we speak in ecological terms, the normal thing is to refer to sustainable development.

If you want to read more articles similar to Difference between sustainable and sustainable development , we recommend that you enter our category of Sustainability and sustainable development .