Sustainable development has been approached from many viewpoints over the past 15 years without a concise or precise definition of what sustainable development really stands for. James has solicited contributions from an international group of experts who write about aspects of sustainable development from many different disciplines. Their consensus is that sustainability depends upon concerted development across the spectrum of socioeconomic factors that affect the environment, natural resources, health, education, and welfare of the populations in the emerging nations. The necessity of incorporating indigenous knowledge with technological and international expertise has become crucial.