The Sustainable development Portal
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Scheme of sustainable development:
at the confluence of three preoccupations. Clickable. |
Sustainable development has been defined as balancing the fulfillment of human needs with the protection of the natural environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but in the indefinite future. The term was used by the Brundtland Commission which coined what has become the most often-quoted definition of sustainable development as development that "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
The field of sustainable development can be conceptually divided into four general dimensions: social, economic, environmental and institutional. The first three dimensions address key principles of sustainability, while the final dimension addresses key institutional policy and capacity issues.
Energy development is the ongoing effort to provide sustainable energy resources through knowledge, skills, and constructions. When harnessing energy from primary energy sources and converting them into more convenient secondary energy forms, such as electrical energy and cleaner fuel, both emissions (reducing pollution) and quality (more efficient use) are important.
Increased levels of human comfort generally induce increased dependence on external energy sources. Conversely, comfort can also be realized with lowered energy consumption by the application of energy efficiency and conservation approaches. Wise energy use therefore embodies the idea of balancing human comfort with reasonable energy consumption levels by researching and implementing effective and sustainable energy harvesting and utilization measures.
Use of any given energy source in human societies encounters limits to quantitative expansion. At the beginning of the 21st century some issues have achieved global dimension. Principal fossil energy sources, such as oil and natural gas are approaching production declines that may occur within the span of a generation (see Hubbert peak hypothesis). Closely linked to energy development are concerns about the environmental effects of energy use, such as climate changes. Energy development issues are part of the much debated sustainable development problem.
The Foundation for International Community Assistance (FINCA International) is a non-profit, microfinance organization, founded by John Hatch in 1984. Sometimes referred to as the "World Bank for the Poor" and a "poverty vaccine for the planet," FINCA is the innovator of the village banking methodology in microcredit and is widely regarded as one of the pioneers of modern day microfinance. With its headquarters in Washington, DC, FINCA has 21 affiliated host-country institutions (affiliates), in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Along with Grameen Bank and Accion International, FINCA is considered to be one of the most influential microfinance organizations in the world.
Pioneered by FINCA, village banking is arguably the world’s most widely-imitated microfinance methodology. A village bank is an informal self-help support group of 20-30 members, predominantly female heads-of-household. Among US-based non-profit agencies alone there are at least 31 microfinance institutions (MFIs) that have collectively created over 400 village banking programs in at least 90 countries. And in many of these countries there are host-country MFIs—sometimes dozens—that are village banking practitioners as well.
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Men did not make the earth. It is the value of the improvements only, and not the earth itself, that is individual property. Every proprietor owes to the community a ground rent for the land which he holds.
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Philosophy and
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Disciplines and activities
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| Environmental |
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International reports and agreements
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Lists and glossaries
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Glossaries and
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- Attention: Environment pages
- Cleanup: Bioeconomics, Biofuel, Development aid, Appropedia
- Expand: Zero carbon city, International development, Low-carbon economy, Sustainable development, Zero-emissions vehicle, Solar-powered_aircraft
- Expert attention: Biodegradable plastic, International development
- Merge: Aid ← Development aid
- Neutrality: Energy economics, World Bank Group, Sustainability
- Requests: Aerobic digestion, Development charities (redirects to category), Jhai PC and Communication System, Microsavings, Migration studies, Vertical kiln, Centre for International Development Issues Nijmegen, Appropedia ,
- Sources: Appropriate technology, Biodegradable plastic, Energy development, Green politics, Recycling, Socially responsible investing, Sustainable agriculture, World Bank Group
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- Stubs: Community-led total sanitation, Peacebuilding, Rural community development, More... Biotechnology, Environment, Environmental organizations, International development, Renewable energy, Sustainability, Waste, Water supply
- Wikify: Socially responsible investing
- Worldwide view: Recycling
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