Sustainable development refers to development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Poverty is an underlying cause of environmental degradation. People who lack food, shelter, and basic amenities misuse resources just to survive. For this reason, protecting the environment will require providing a decent standard of living for all of the world's population. Economic development must be accomplished in a sustainable manner.
Renewable resources are water, arable land and forest - that can naturally be replenished.
Many of the renewable and non-renewable resources are being used at rates that are not sustainable. Most of it is locked in underground aquifers, or in ice and snow. One estimate indicates that if society were able to eliminate all pollution, capture all fresh water, and distribute it equitably, demand wold exceed supply within a hundred years. Fossil Fuels Human society used 60 times as much energy in 1985 as in 1860. Most of this came from the burning of fossil fuels.