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This fact sheet by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) traces the evolution of the sustainable development movement. It highlights a progression from early environmental warnings, such as Rachel Carson's 1962 book, through the establishment of major international frameworks like the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, to contemporary challenges including the 2008 global financial and food crises and the 2009 Copenhagen climate negotiations.

This fact sheet traces the evolution of sustainable development from the 1960s to 2002. It highlights a progression from early environmental warnings, such as Rachel Carson's 1962 work, to the establishment of major international frameworks like the 1987 Brundtland Report and the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. The timeline documents the rise of environmental NGOs, the creation of UN agencies like UNEP, and the development of climate-specific agreements including the Montreal Protocol and the Kyoto Protocol. It also notes the intersection of sustainability with social issues, such as poverty eradication, human rights, and gender equality, culminating in the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.

This briefing provides a detailed chronology of a Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) request submitted by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) to the Petroleum Agency for South Africa (PASA), documenting a process of delays and incomplete disclosures from September 2022 to August 2023.