This fourth edition has been comprehensively rewritten and updated to provide a concise‎,‎ well illustrated and accessible introduction to the characteristics‎,‎ challenges and opportunities of sustainable development with particular reference to developing countries‎.‎ The contested nature of sustainable development is explored through a detailed consideration of changing ideas and practices within environmentalism and development thinking‎.‎ The text identifies the different actors involved ‎(‎from institutions of global governance through to community based organisations‎)‎‎,‎ the policies and mechanisms through which sustainable development is being sought and considers the outcomes for particular groups and environments in both rural and urban contexts‎.‎ This edition places stronger emphasis on the global challenges of sustainable development with an understanding of inter‎-linked crises in climate‎,‎ energy‎,‎ economy‎,‎ poverty and social injustice‎.‎ It explores how these issues are leading to deep questioning of what sustainable development is‎,‎ what it should be‎,‎ and how sustainable development policies and mechanisms are being reconsidered‎.‎ The book gives new consideration to the challenge of achieving lower carbon growth‎,‎ climate adaptation‎,‎ and the implications on sustainable development of rapidly expanding economies‎,‎ including China and India‎.‎ It contains greater discussion of how civil society movements influence outcomes of international climate policy‎,‎ as well as technological developments in energy and agriculture‎.‎ The text also contains a substantially expanded discussion of how poverty remains central to sustainable development challenges‎,‎ as revealed through the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and Millennium Development Goals‎.‎ This invaluable text retains the core message that sustainable development has become central to debates about environment and development‎.‎ Containing a substantial number of new boxed case studies‎,‎ learning outcomes‎,‎ chapter summaries‎,‎ discussion questions‎,‎ further reading and websites‎,‎ this text provides an essential introduction for students‎.‎