Poverty and the Environment: Reconciling Short-term Needs with Long-term Sustainability Goals

Few aspects of development are so complex as the need to reconcile anti-poverty and pro-environment goals. Often passions are exacerbated when experts with vastly different perspectives attempt to grapple with this problem. Yet the desired ends - poverty alleviation and environmental sustainability - are not mutually exclusive. This report deals with many of the questions which dominated the World Summit for Social Development, and elaborates on an integrated approach to sustainable development. It is intended to serve as a basis for dialogue and debate on the subject.