Introduction

Sustainable Development deals with the links between the environment and development issues. These links are very complex, including many interrelations between social, economic and environmental developments. The Global Integrated Sustainability MOdel (GISMO) addresses the trade-offs between these developments and Quality of Life.

Quality of Life (its distribution, continuation and improvement) is taken as the main outcome of sustainable development, with health, poverty and education as its main pillars. It addresses Quality of Life in relation to the three sustainability domains: People-Planet-Profit. For these domains, specific global policy targets have been defined. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are an example of a set of policy intentions which includes aspects of poverty, education, health, and environmental targets.

The model is especially applicable for addressing the inertia in the system, for example, the demographic transition and education dynamics. Furthermore, trade-offs between energy, agriculture and socio-economic developments can be analysed. In addition, the effects of specific policies on human development and interaction with the environment can be addressed.