This volume is the most comprehensive textbook on sustainable development. It has been developed with students and professionals from around the world specifically for those who need a thorough grounding in the subject. Coverage includes: background to sustainable development and global environmental issues; measurement and sustainability indicators; environmental assessment, management and policy; approaches and linkages to poverty reduction; impacts and infrastructure development; economics, consumption, production and market failures; governance; participation; disaster management; international financial institutions; international environmental agreements; and the role of civil society.

The contested nature of sustainable development is explored through a detailed consideration of changing ideas and practices within environmentalism and development thinking.

This revised and updated third edition provides an invaluable introduction to the characteristics, challenges and opportunities of sustainable development. The book's primary focus is on the developing world where conditions such as rising poverty and mounting debt combine to present particular challenges of sustainability. A key text, An Introduction to Sustainable Development includes: an analysis of the origins of sustainable development a discussion of the impact of past development processes on people and the environment details of the steps taken at a variety of levels to ensure sustainable development is identified a discussion of the particular challenges and opportunities of sustainable development in urban and rural contexts in the developing world a summary of the ongoing challenges of sustainable development for the global community. In the five years since the first edition there have been important shifts in development thinking. These shifts are reflected in this revised edition which considers the outcomes of Rio Conference, and contains many more insights into best sustainable practice on the ground. In this latest edition, the breadth and depth of the material has increased, and a new larger format enables the use of a more accessible design and use of student-friendly features e.g. boxed examples, discussion questions and further reading and glossary. Overall, this new edition of a classic text is a must-read for all those studying disciplines where sustainable development is key.

This text examines the complex challenges presented by the goal of sustainable development at the local and global level. Areas covered include the challenges and opportunities for the developing world in the search for sustainable development.

""Introduction to Sustainable Development" provides an overview of and insights into the major challenges to sustainable development; encourages and enables the readers to participate in the sustainability transition. Sustainable development is increasingly identified as more of a necessity than an option or a luxury. Being multidisciplinary in nature, it requires the knowledge of scientific, economic and social sides of the problems and solutions, and how they interact. This book presents a critical account of our strengths and weaknesses in the pursuit of sustainability, with special reference to developing world perspective. It motivates the readers to work towards making truly inclusive and environmentally sustainable choices. It also inspires them to be engaged as 'change-makers' for more sustainable types of development in their families, companies and communities. The book has been divided into three parts: Part 1 makes the case for sustainable development and paints the overall vision; Part 2 presents stakeholders and tools that are needed in the transition to a sustainable future; and Part 3 contains application areas that help the reader to see how the lines from the previous parts come together in the major issues of contemporary times"--

The challenge in teaching an introductory course on sustainability is there are many ways to teach it, and many issues to cover. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals offer a cohesive and interconnected set of topics to help address this problem – indeed the SDGs are now the guiding framework for planning and implementing sustainability through 2030. They are the focus of international development efforts, and the lingua franca of sustainability as a field of study, the international consensus on “what is sustainability?” As such, the UN SDGs present an ideal framework for an introductory level textbook because taken together, they integrate the “Three Es”—environment, economic development, and equity—that are the core definition of sustainability. This book introduces students to sustainability structured around the 17 UN SDGs. Through a global perspective, with attention given equally to how sustainability challenges the highest income countries of the Global North, as well as to the moderate- and low-income countries of the Global South, Benton-Short synthesizes basic environmental science, policy, and interdisciplinary perspectives while investigating key challenges to developing a more sustainable future through the SDG framework. Readers will easily tackle this complex set of topics through an accessible writing style, comprehensive scholarship, and diverse perspectives. Guided by a lush art program, complete with numerous maps, figures, and photos to enliven the presentation, students will develop a greater understanding of the important trends in sustainability in the twenty-first century. The broad arguments highlighted through numerous case studies and boxes prepare global citizens to grapple with the environmental, social, economic, and political challenges that face our collective future. Features of this exciting, brand-new text include: Chapter opening learning objectives to guide students’ course goals Helpful study aids such as key terms—bolded in the text and compiled both at the end of each chapter and in a comprehensive glossary End-of-chapter questions for discussion and activities to promote active learning A stunning art program, with detailed maps, figures, tables, and photos, to engage students as visual learners Critical Perspectives and Expert Voice boxes to present the diverse perspectives in sustainability Interconnections boxes to help students tie together ideas across the issues Key Terms and Concepts and Understanding the Issue boxes to go in-depth on important topics Making Progress and Solutions boxes that show students hopeful trends toward seemingly intractable problems SDGs and the Law boxes that provide a legal and governance context.

With population resources, economics and environment inextricably linked, this introductory text examines the complex challenges presented by the goal of sustainable development at the local and the global level.

This book develops a supporting structure for sustainable development, following a natural set of steps to reach an established goal. It provides the tools to navigate this Road to a Better Future by explaining concepts, giving ideas, proposing methods, and suggesting actions. To illustrate the utilization of techniques there are many examples, applied to a variety of activities, and to wrap up concepts, the last chapter is dedicated to the analysis of a community in search of a sustainable environment. A thematic index has been designed to help a person quickly find information on relevant topics.