The definition of sustainable development

Med-O-Med, cultural landscapes of Mediterranean and Middle East, shares the concept of development, as UNDP (United Nations Programme for Development), defines it: the process of enlarging people’s choices and building human capabilities, enabling them to live a long and healthy life, have access to knowledge, have a decent standard of living and participate in the life of their community and the decisions that affect their lives.

Environment is an element without life is not possible, and it represents a real limit to the economic development. Med-O-Med supports that development cannot be infinite, and economic growth must have a limit, because in a world with limited resources, we cannot support the fallacy of an infinite sustainable development.

That is why, “confirmed the impossibility of an infinite growth, it is imposed the need to alleviate the pressure under the sources and drains, choosing between a development model that release environmental space in order not to annulate the living options of impoverish populations, future generations and other living creatures, in a justice exercise”. (Luís Enrique Espinoza Guerra).

Sustainable development should be understand as an inclusive and participative process constructed above the collective identity of each society.

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