Essential Sustainable Development Library
BRUNDLAND REPORT (1987): World Commission on Environment and Development. Our Common Future. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987. Also known as the Brundtland Report, this is the book that defined sustainable development as development that "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. ""Our Common Future serves notice that the time has come for a marriage of economy and ecology, so that governments and their people can take responsibility not just for environmental damage, but for the policies that cause the damage. Some of the policies threaten the very survival of the human race. They can be changed. But we must act now." Read it HERE.
EARTH CHARTER (2000): Earth Charter International Secretariat. The Earth Charter. San José, Costa Rica: Earth Charter Secretariat, Earth Council, 2000. The Earth Charter is an international declaration of fundamental values and principles considered useful by its supporters for building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society in the 21st century. The Earth Charter's ethical vision proposes that environmental protection, human rights, equitable human development, and peace are interdependent and indivisible.Read the Earth Charter HERE Take action and participate in the Earth Charter Initiative HERE.
AGENDA 21 (1992): United Nations, and United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. Agenda 21: The United Nations Programme of Action from Rio : Earth Summit. New York, NY: United Nations, 1993.
Agenda 21 is a comprehensive plan of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally by organizations of the United Nations System, Governments, and Major Groups in every area in which human impacts on the environment.
Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and the Statement of principles for the Sustainable Management of Forests were adopted by more than 178 Governments at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janerio, Brazil, 3 to 14 June 1992.The Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) was created in December 1992 to ensure effective follow-up of UNCED, to monitor and report on implementation of the agreements at the local, national, regional and international levels. Read Agenda 21 HERE. Read also the Rio Declaration HERE and the Commission on Sustainable Development HERE
JOHANNESBURG SUMMIT (2002): Global Challenge Global Opportunity: Trends in Sustainable Development. [New York]: United Nations Dept. of Economic and Social Affairs, 2002. The World Summit on Sustainable Development, WSSD or Earth Summit 2002 (Rio+10) which took place in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2002 produced important declarations in relation to the Millennium Development Goals. However, the post 9/11 priorities and the absence of the US president obfuscated the objectives and relevance of the declaration. Read the text of the declaration HERE
UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Read more essential documents and declarations on the United Nations Division on Sustainable Development (DSD) HERE. Look also at a full list of essential UN documents related to international sustainable development HERE. Some important documents include United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2002);
Agenda 21 is a comprehensive plan of action to be taken globally, nationally and locally by organizations of the United Nations System, Governments, and Major Groups in every area in which human impacts on the environment.
Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and the Statement of principles for the Sustainable Management of Forests were adopted by more than 178 Governments at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janerio, Brazil, 3 to 14 June 1992.The Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) was created in December 1992 to ensure effective follow-up of UNCED, to monitor and report on implementation of the agreements at the local, national, regional and international levels. Read Agenda 21 HERE. Read also the Rio Declaration HERE and the Commission on Sustainable Development HERE
- United Nations Framework Convention on Climate ChangeThe text of the original 1992 UNFCC is available online, as are the 1997 Kyoto Protocol and the 2009 Copenhagen Accord.
- World Bank. World Bank Development Report 2010: Development and Climate Change. Washington, DC: World Bank, 2009.Emphasizes the impact of accelerating climate change on developing economies; assesses strategies for adaptation and mitigation. Accessibly written and well produced, featuring lucid charts, maps, and photographs. Useful as both an upper-division textbook and as a primary source on World Bank policy.
NOTABLE BOOKS ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (sorted by relevance)
Please follow the links to see the publications on Google Books:
Mark Mawhinney - 2002
This book offers a clear overview of the debates and sets out the various theories, providing an accessible introduction for all who now need to understand how sustainable development affects their working practices.
Jurgen Schmandt, Calvin Herbert Ward - 2000
Prominent authors discuss what changes must occur to ensure a successful transition to sustainability.
Sustainable development: linking economy, society, environment
Tracey Strange, Anne Bayley - 2008
A succinct examination of the concept of sustainable development: what it means; how it is impacted by globalisation, production and consumption; how it can be measured; and what can be done to promote it.
Susan Baker - 2006 - 245 pages
Drawing on a myriad of global case studies such as Central Africa, India and New Zealand, this book introduces students to the issues involved in the promotion of sustainable development in a theoretically informed and critical way. 
Rumen Gechev - 2005 - 262 pages
By its nature, sustainable development is a multidimensional category; therefore, it requires an interdisciplinary approach. This study is focused on the economic aspects of sustainable development.
C. A. Brebbia, S. S. Zubir - 2011
This study showed the importance of analysing environmental and economic aspects before implementing a system with rainwater utilization; thus better choices regarding the materials used in the systems, aiming at sustainability.
Sustainable development: economics and environment in the Third World
 | Arturo Escobar - 2011 - 312 pages
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