Progress and the Biosphere: The Dialectics of Sustainable Development

Progress has become synonymous with economic growth and development. At the same time geographers and others have noted dramatic changes to the quantity and quality of the earth's resources, and evidence of increasing inequality in human welfare globally. New prescriptions for economic development have become commonplace. This paper explores the necessity for change in the relations between economic and environmental systems. Some of the major environmental deficiencies in the operation of our economic systems are analyzed to provide the basis for a fuller understanding of the logistics of growth and development. The genesis and evolution of the concept of sustainable development are then discussed. The core of the paper considers the dialectical relations between forms of economic development and changes to natural capital. An attempt is made to reconcile some of the more pronounced differences in the interpretations of and prescriptions for sustainable development. It is argued that the context of development, defined in spatial and temporal terms, ultimately influences the type and range of growth options available to societies. Improvements in general welfare can, however, be achieved through a convergence of new growth strategies for regions and countries across the development spectrum. It is through this new approach to growth that progress is redefined.