GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY:

CHALLENGES AND POSSIBILITIES

Abstract

The concept of development has evolved during the past decades so that it could finally be understood by a part of the society. Today, the term development can be seen as a mixture of the economic, social, and environmental aspects of a population – its understanding is related to the concept of sustainable development. In this light, this study aimed at analyzing the environmental issues and the global development challenges. For this purpose, a bibliographical, exploratory, and qualitative research was carried out, so that the theoretical framework of the study originated its results and discussions. As for the principles studied in this research, it is worth mentioning that the principles of economic, social, and sustainable development were addressed, as well as the principles of global development in view of the tripod of sustainability and, finally, well-being as an alternative to development. An evolution on the concept of development was analyzed, which, as we know, was shaped by historical moments – we also tried to reflect on the idea that human beings are part of the environment. Thus, we found out that there are different points of view of sustainable development; moreover, we also observed the existing paradox between the dynamics of economic development and society per se to raise questions on how to achieve a well-being that promotes quality of life for citizens.