Resource information
This report builds on the consensus
developed at the August 2002 Johannesburg World Summit on
Sustainable Development. It draws on the effort to achieve
the Millennium Development Goals by 2015. And it looks
beyond, to 2050, to envision a future that is far more
prosperous and more equitable than today. This work raises
some hard questions: How do we ensure that the progress
achieved by 2015 is sustainable? What quality of growth will
be required to attain this vision? Long-term thinking is
essential in dealing with sustainability issues (economic
change, ecological threats). A consensus has emerged about
the need to move toward a new development path, one that
integrates economic growth with environmental responsibility
and social equity. The World Bank has been advocating this
vision of responsible growth, together with the concept that
poverty reduction is not just an end in itself but also a
precondition for peaceful coexistence and ecological
survival. The report examines the drivers of
growth-agriculture, trade, energy, water, innovation, human
development, and social development, as well as the global
environment, in particular, forest preservation. It also
considers challenges and constraints for socially balanced development.
