Switzerland bases its understanding of sustainability on the definition provided by the World Commission on Environment and Development (the Brundtland Commission), which defines sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Brundtland, 1987).
The Brundtland report stressed the interconnectedness of economic, social and ecological processes and formed the basis for the three dimensional model promoted at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The model is based on the three connected dimensions of “environment”, “society” and “economy”. The Swiss Federal Council adopts this model and adds a spatial and temporal dimension to it. Future generations should have the same right to an intact environment as we do.
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