Sustainable development: the history and evolution of a concept

Abstract

This paper examines the conceptual and theoretical foundations of the concept of sustainable development. As well as the criticisms linked to this concept. First, we will attempt to differentiate between the concepts of development and growth, then we will try to explain the historical background to the birth of sustainable development, reviewing the various definitions and characteristics of sustainable development. The analysis we have conducted demonstrates that sustainable development is a concept characterized by semantic ambiguity, and that its application in the field requires a great many initiatives and public commitment in order to guarantee its operationalization. As a result, we are considering the green economy model as a contribution to achieving the goals of sustainable development.