Introduction: managing the Pillars of Sustainable Development

Although it is well known that Brundtland states that there are three pillars of sustainable development and that they should be regarded as of equal importance it is argued that they have not been treated as equal with one pillar always predominating. This chapter re-examines the situation and arrives at a definition of sustainability which the authors argue is workable. They do so by redefining the pillars of sustainability and taking into account the combination of factors along with such issues as risk and uncertainty. This chapter therefore provides an introduction to the topic of the book and serves as a precursor to the ensuing chapters.