Final answer:
A society achieves sustainable development when it can maintain a high standard of living without depleting resources, ensuring that future generations can also meet their needs. The concept emphasizes economic systems that promote health and well-being across the human population without increasing the strain on natural resources.
Step-by-step explanation:
A society achieves sustainable development when people can maintain a high standard of living without depleting available resources. This concept involves meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It's an economic system that prioritizes the health needs of the entire human population while balancing the consumption of natural resources so that they do not exponentially increase.
Standard of living refers to the level of wealth, comfort, material goods and necessities available to a person or a group. This usually includes having sufficient wealth to live at a certain comfort level that allows owning a home, a car, and the ability to take vacations. However, it is critical to achieve this without impairing the planet's capacity to provide for future generations; this is the essence of sustainable development.
Hence, an ideal society would promote standards whereby human activities are scrutinized for their sustainability. Whether it's a technological breakthrough in medicine or a new way to harvest resources, the activity must demonstrate how it supports long-term ecological balance and human well-being without increasing the total demand on Earth's resources.