Ecological Economics and Sustainability of Development

Sustainable development underlies the importance of satisfying the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. At the base of this concept there are such notions as improving the quality of human life, protecting environmental balance and using cleaner energy, etc. Fossil fuels which are considered to be the main reason of several environmental problems, such as global warming, climate change, etc. are replaced by alternative (renewable) energy sources. Sustainable development requires environmental awareness together with economic growth. Sustainable development policies include efficient use of energy, recycling, returning renewable energy sources, changing production and consumption patterns. In this study, attempts to avoid environmental problems caused by growth in production and consumption as well as fundamentals and strategies of sustainable development are discussed.