Meeting needs of current and future generations, while taking into account considerations of fairness and limits of the environment, is a complex challenge. To represent this complexity three interrelated target dimensions are used. These are: environmental responsibility, economic efficiency, and social cohesion.
Each of the target dimensions has equal importance, reflecting that in the long term none of the dimensions can be achieved at the expense of any other. For example, economic development can only be sustainable if it is accompanied by healthy ecosystems and well-trained people. The target dimensions reflect the balancing act that needs to take place in order to ensure a development path is sustainable.
Additional information
Measuring New Zealand’s Progress Using a Sustainable Development Approach: 2008 (www.stats.govt.nz/sustainabledevelopment).
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Email: sustainabledevelopment@stats.govt.nz
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Citation
Published in July 2009 by Statistics New Zealand
Tatauranga Aotearoa
Wellington, New Zealand
ISBN: 978-0-478-31597-4 (print)
ISBN: 978-0-478-31596-7 (online)