Portal:Sustainable development

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Scheme of sustainable development: at the confluence of three preoccupations. Clickable. Sustainable development has been defined as balancing the fulfillment of human needs with the protection of the natural environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but in the indefinite future. The term was used by the Brundtland Commission which coined what has become the most often-quoted definition of sustainable development as development that "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." The field of sustainable development can be conceptually divided into four general dimensions: social, economic, environmental and institutional. The first three dimensions address key principles of sustainability, while the final dimension addresses key institutional policy and capacity issues. More about sustainable development and sustainability... Template:/box-footer World map indicating Human Development Index (2007). The Human Development Index (HDI) is a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education, and standard of living for countries worldwide. It is a standard means of measuring well-being, especially child welfare. It is used to determine and indicate whether a country is a developed, developing, or underdeveloped country and also to measure the impact of economic policies on quality of life. The index was developed in 1990 by Indian Nobel prize winner Amartya Sen, Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq, with help from Gustav Ranis of Yale University and Lord Meghnad Desai of the London School of Economics and has been used since then by the United Nations Development Programme in its annual Human Development Report. The HDI measures the average achievements in a country in three basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, as measured by life expectancy at birth; knowledge, as measured by the adult literacy rate (with two-thirds weight) and the combined primary, secondary, and tertiary gross enrollment ratio (with one-third weight); and a decent standard of living, as measured by the log of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP) in USD. Agritourism is a style of vacation in which hospitality is offered on farms. The Foundation for International Community Assistance (FINCA International) is a non-profit, microfinance organization, founded by John Hatch in 1984. Sometimes referred to as the "World Bank for the Poor" and a "poverty vaccine for the planet," FINCA is the innovator of the village banking methodology in microcredit and is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of modern day microfinance. With its headquarters in Washington, DC, FINCA has 21 affiliated host-country institutions (affiliates), in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Along with Grameen Bank and Accion International, FINCA is considered to be one of the most influential microfinance organizations in the world. Pioneered by FINCA, village banking is arguably the world’s most widely-imitated microfinance methodology. A village bank is an informal self-help support group of 20-30 members, predominantly female heads-of-household. Among US-based non-profit agencies alone there are at least 31 microfinance institutions (MFIs) that have collectively created over 400 village banking programs in at least 90 countries. And in many of these countries there are host-country MFIs—sometimes dozens—that are village banking practitioners as well. Ernst Friedrich "Fritz" Schumacher (16 August 1911 – 4 September 1977) was an internationally influential economic thinker with a professional background as a statistician and economist in Britain. He served as Chief Economic Advisor to the UK National Coal Board for two decades. He is best known for his critique of Western economies and his proposals for human-scale, decentralised and appropriate technologies. According to The Times Literary Supplement, his 1973 book Small Is Beautiful is among the 100 most influential books published since World War II. Schumacher's basic development theories have been summed up in the catch-phrases Intermediate Size and Intermediate Technology. Schumacher's other notable work is the 1977 A Guide For The Perplexed, which is a critique of materialist scientism and an exploration of the nature and organisation of knowledge. Schumacher was a known friend of Professor Mansur Hoda, whom he had known for many years. He founded the Intermediate Technology Development Group (now Practical Action) in 1966. June 19, 2014: A report shows that 22% of global electricity production in 2013 was from renewables. (Wall Street Journal) May 12, 2014: IRENA report shows 14% global employment growth in the renewables sector in 2013, led by China. (The Guardian) April 22, 2014: Apple announces that 94% of its buildings and 100% of its data centres are now powered by renewable energy. (The Guardian) April 13, 2014: According to the UN's Fifth IPCC Report the most realistic option for the future is to triple the use of renewable energy. (The Guardian) March 19: Interfaith Climate and Energy Conference at the Mishkenot Sha’ananim Conference Center in Jerusalem August 1 - August 8: European Permaculture Conference Escherode/Kassel, Germany Template:/box-footer Template:/box-header ...that the waste hierarchy (pictured) refers to the "3 Rs" reduce, reuse and recycle, which classify waste management strategies according to their desirability? ...that the United Nations Brundtland Commission was created in 1983 to address the human environment, natural resources, economic and social development? ...that Biglow Canyon Wind Farm is the largest planned wind farm in the U.S. state of Oregon? Template:/box-footer Sustainable development Development: Development studies • Economic development • Energy development • Fair trade • Human Development Index • Informal economy • Information and communication technologies for development • International development • Least developed countries • Make Poverty History • Microfinance • Multilateral development banks • Poverty • World Bank Group Sustainability: Anaerobic digestion • Appropriate technology • Biodegradable plastic • Carbon negative fuel • Ecological economics • Ecological modernization  • Economics of biodiversity • Ecovillage • Energy conservation • Environmental design • Energy development • Environmental technology • Environmental law • Low-carbon economy • Permaculture • Population  • Recycling • Renewable energy • Social sustainability • Sustainable agriculture • Sustainable city • Sustainable design  • Sustainable tourism  • Sustainable transport  • Waste management • Water Human/World Population: Human overpopulation • Optimum population • Overshoot (ecology) • Population ageing • Population density • Population pyramid  • Tragedy of the commons   List of countries by population:  List of countries by population growth rate • List of countries by population density • List of sovereign states and dependent territories by birth rate Sustainable development Development: Country classifications (Least Developed Countries) • Development charities • Development specialists • Development studies • Economic development (Informal economy, Microfinance, Poverty)  • Energy development • Fair trade • Foreign aid by country • Human Development Index • International development • Make Poverty History • Multilateral development banks • Rural community development • Supranational banks (World Bank) • Water supply and sanitation by country  Sustainability: Advocates • Alternative energy • Anaerobic digestion • Appropriate technology • Biodegradable plastics • Biofuels • Carbon diet • Economics of sustainability • Ecovillages • Energy conservation • Environmental design • Low-carbon economy • Permaculture • Recycling • Renewable energy • Sustainable agriculture • Sustainable technologies • Waste management • WaterTemplate:/box-footer Attention: Environment pages, PRiSM Cleanup: Bioeconomics, Biofuel, Development aid, Appropedia Expand: Zero carbon city, International development, Zero-emissions vehicle, Solar-powered_aircraft Expert attention: Biodegradable plastic, International development Merge: Aid ← Development aid Neutrality: Energy economics, World Bank Group, Sustainability Requests: Aerobic digestion, Development charities (redirects), Sources: Appropriate technology, Biodegradable plastic, Energy development, Green politics, Recycling, Socially responsible investing, Sustainable agriculture, World Bank Group Spam cleanup: Sustainability, Sustainable development Stubs: Community-led total sanitation, Migration studies, Rural community development, More... 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