Is Sustainable Development an Oxymoron?

As modern society increasingly becomes a single, globalized civilization, the quality of life that post-industrial nations have come to expect is now is becoming achievable around the world. Living on a planet of finite resources, widespread development can only last so long; it

For continued progress to become sustainable, the metrics we use to evaluate it must be changed. The economic development that drives modern society will need to be reflective of environmental and social concerns and hold corporations accountable for the costs they externalize. This is a method of evaluating known as the triple bottom line. Adapting this concept would mean resource-intensive businesses would no longer be profitable and our contemporary lifestyles would be unaffordable.

Climate change is looming just over the horizon, social disparity remains out of control and the world economy is in recession. There is no blanket solution that will solve these but a step in the right direction would be