Economic growth is one of the most widely used indicators of economic progress. It can reflect expanding production, increasing investment, rising consumption, and the development of new industries. For individuals, businesses, and institutions, growth can create opportunities to improve living standards, expand productive capacity, and strengthen the resources available for future development. Yet growth alone cannot explain whether an economy is becoming more resilient, whether its opportunities are broadly accessible, or whether the value it generates will endure over time.

Economic development has traditionally been measured through indicators such as production, investment, employment, income, infrastructure, and consumption. These measures are important, but they do not fully capture whether an economy is strengthening its foundations or gradually consuming them. Land, water, forests, oceans, biodiversity, soil, minerals, and energy systems provide the physical conditions that make economic activity possible. When these foundations are weakened, the apparent gains of development can become increasingly difficult to sustain.

Natural resources are not simply environmental assets; they are fundamental components of economic and social infrastructure. A healthy coexistence between society and nature can strengthen institutional planning, economic resilience, resource efficiency, and long-term prosperity. Responsible development therefore depends on building institutions capable of recognizing the value of natural systems and integrating their protection into the broader architecture of economic development.