The World Summit on Sustainable Development could not avoid discussions about relationship between productivity, resistance (resilience) and sustainability. This issue, actual from the theoretical and practical viewpoints, is logically interconnected with optimization of the coexistence of environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainability. One of the important events, realized parallel to the World Summit, was the Scientific Forum. Within its frame interesting sessions were organized and many publications were published by the International Council for Science. They were used as basic material for single thematically-aimed events of the Scientific Forum. One of these materials is a report on Resistance (resilience) and Sustainable Development: Formation of Adaptive Capacity in the Transforming World, prepared by Advisory Council of the Swedish Government. This report was an inspiration for preparing this contribution.