"Sustainable development refers to the development that meets the need of the present generation without compromising the ability of the future generations, to meet their own needs." The above mentioned definition has been given by . (Choose the correct option to fill in the blank)
"Sustainable development refers to the development that meets the need of the present generation without compromising the ability of the future generations, to meet their own needs." The above mentioned definition has been given by . (Choose the correct option to fill in the blank)
Options
The correct option is (B) United Nations Committee on Environment and Development.
This famous definition of sustainable development comes from the 1987 report Our Common Future (also called the Brundtland Report), prepared by a UN-constituted body on environment and development, chaired by Gro Harlem Brundtland. It links the phrase to 'Environment and Development' — not merely 'Protection of Environment' — which rules out options (C) and (D).
Marking Scheme
- 11 mark for selecting Option (B); no partial credit for MCQs.
Hint
This is the famous Brundtland Report (1987) definition — note the body's name pairs 'Environment' with 'Development', not 'Protection of Environment'.
Quick Oral Answer
This definition of sustainable development — meeting present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet theirs — comes from the 1987 Brundtland Report, 'Our Common Future'.
Analysis & Explanation
This is a direct recall question from the chapter on Environment and Sustainable Development.
Why (B) is correct
- The quoted definition is the standard Brundtland definition of sustainable development, attributed to the UN body constituted to study environment and development issues together, which released its report in 1987.
Why the distractors fail
- (A) 'Conference on Environment and Development' refers instead to the 1992 Rio Earth Summit (UNCED), which produced Agenda 21 — a related but separate milestone, not the source of this definition.
- (C) and (D) both narrow the scope to 'Protection of Environment' only, omitting the 'Development' dimension that is central to the sustainable development concept.
Students commonly confuse the 1987 Brundtland body/report with the 1992 Rio Conference because both deal with environment and development — the key distinguishing detail is that the quoted definition predates and is distinct from the Rio Earth Summit.
Common Mistakes
- 1Confusing the source of this definition with the 1992 Rio Earth Summit (UN Conference on Environment and Development), which is a later, separate event.
- 2Selecting options that say 'Protection of Environment' instead of 'Environment and Development', missing that sustainable development is about balancing both, not environment protection alone.
Interesting Facts
The Brundtland Report, 'Our Common Future', was published in 1987 and is named after Gro Harlem Brundtland, the Norwegian Prime Minister who chaired the commission.
This single-sentence definition of sustainable development remains the most widely cited definition in environmental economics and policy documents worldwide, nearly four decades after it was written.
The 1992 Rio Earth Summit (UN Conference on Environment and Development) built on this definition and led to Agenda 21 and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who first defined sustainable development in this way?
The definition comes from the 1987 report 'Our Common Future', prepared by the UN-constituted commission on environment and development chaired by Gro Harlem Brundtland, hence commonly called the Brundtland Report.
Is this the same as the 1992 Rio Earth Summit?
No. The Rio Earth Summit (UN Conference on Environment and Development, 1992) came five years later and built upon this 1987 definition; it produced Agenda 21, not the original definition itself.