Explain the relevance of intergenerational equity in the definition of sustainable development.
Intergenerational equity is central to the definition of sustainable development as it emphasises the moral obligation of the present generation to hand over the planet earth in good order to the future generation. The Brundtland Commission's definition explicitly states that development must meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of the future generation to meet their own needs.
The phrase 'future generations' is a catch phrase in the definition. It implies that the present generation should bequeath a better environment to the future generation. At the minimum, we should leave to the next generation a stock of 'quality of life' assets no less than what we have inherited. This ensures that future generations have a potential average quality of life at least as high as that enjoyed by the current generation.
Explanation
The answer draws directly from the Brundtland Commission's definition and the environmentalists' perspective mentioned in the NCERT textbook. It covers the key aspects: the moral obligation concept, the explicit mention of future generations in the definition, and the principle of leaving quality of life assets no less than what was inherited. This addresses the 3-mark requirement adequately.