Jump to content

Sustainable development: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Content deleted Content added
Economics: add material quoted in Theological Studies
adding dpg
 
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|Mode of human development}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{refimprove|date=May 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{undue weight|date=May 2014}}
}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
[[File:Windmills D1-D4 - Thornton Bank.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Wind]] powers 5 MW [[wind turbine]]s on a [[wind farm]] 28 km off the coast of Belgium.]]


'''Sustainable development''' is an approach to growth and [[Human development (economics)|human development]] that aims to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.<ref name=":1">United Nations General Assembly (1987) .[https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/5987our-common-future.pdf ''Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331195909/https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/5987our-common-future.pdf March 2022}}. Transmitted to the General Assembly as an Annex to document A/42/427 – Development and International Co-operation: Environment.</ref><ref name=":72">{{cite web |author=United Nations General Assembly |date=20 March 1987 |title=''Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future''; Transmitted to the General Assembly as an Annex to document A/42/427 – Development and International Co-operation: Environment; Our Common Future, Chapter 2: Towards Sustainable Development; Paragraph 1 |url=http://www.un-documents.net/ocf-02.htm |access-date=1 March 2010 |publisher=[[United Nations General Assembly]]}}</ref> The aim is to have a society where living conditions and resources meet human needs without undermining [[planetary integrity]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Robert |first1=Kates W. |last2=Parris |first2=Thomas M. |last3=Leiserowitz |first3=Anthony A. |title=What is Sustainable Development? Goals, Indicators, Values, and Practice |journal=Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development |date=2005 |volume=47 |issue=3 |pages=8–21 |doi=10.1080/00139157.2005.10524444|bibcode=2005ESPSD..47c...8R |s2cid=154882898 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mensah |first1=Justice |title=Sustainable development: Meaning, history, principles, pillars, and implications for human action: Literature review |journal=Cogent Social Sciences |date=2019 |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=1653531 |doi=10.1080/23311886.2019.1653531 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Sustainable development aims to balance the needs of the [[Economic development|economy]], [[Environmental protection|environment]], and [[social well-being]]. The [[Brundtland Report]] in 1987 helped to make the concept of sustainable development better known.
'''Sustainable development''' is a process for meeting [[Human development (humanity)|human development]] goals while [[Sustainability|sustaining]] the ability of natural systems to continue to provide the [[natural resources]] and [[ecosystem services]] upon which the [[economy]] and [[society]] depend. While the modern concept of sustainable development is derived most strongly from the 1987 [[Brundtland Commission|Brundtland Report]], it is rooted in earlier ideas about [[sustainable forest management]] and twentieth century environmental concerns. As the concept developed, it has shifted to focus more on [[economic development]], [[Social change|social development]] and [[environmental protection]].


Sustainable development overlaps with the idea of [[sustainability]] which is a [[Normativity|normative concept]].<ref name="Purvis">{{Cite journal |last1=Purvis |first1=Ben |last2=Mao |first2=Yong |last3=Robinson |first3=Darren |date=2019 |title=Three pillars of sustainability: in search of conceptual origins |journal=Sustainability Science |volume=14 |issue=3 |pages=681–695 |bibcode=2019SuSc...14..681P |doi=10.1007/s11625-018-0627-5 |doi-access=free}} [[File:CC-BY_icon.svg|50x50px]] Text was copied from this source, which is available under a [[creativecommons:by/4.0/|Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License]]</ref> [[UNESCO]] formulated a distinction between the two concepts as follows: "''Sustainability'' is often thought of as a long-term goal (i.e. a more sustainable world), while ''sustainable development'' refers to the many processes and pathways to achieve it."<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last= |date=2015-08-03 |title=Sustainable Development |url=https://en.unesco.org/themes/education-sustainable-development/what-is-esd/sd |access-date=20 January 2022 |website=UNESCO |language=en}}</ref>
Sustainable development is the [[organizing principle]] for sustaining finite resources necessary to provide for the needs of future generations of life on the planet. It is a process that envisions a desirable future state for human societies in which living conditions and resource-use continue to meet human needs without undermining the "integrity, stability and beauty" of natural [[Biotic community|biotic systems]].


The ''Rio Process'' that began at the 1992 [[Earth Summit]] in Rio de Janeiro has placed the concept of sustainable development on the international agenda. Sustainable development is the foundational concept of the [[Sustainable Development Goals]] (SDGs).''<ref name=":3" />'' These global goals for the year 2030 were adopted in 2015 by the [[United Nations General Assembly]] (UNGA). They address the global challenges, including for example [[poverty]], [[climate change]], [[biodiversity loss]], and peace.
==History==
{{Main|Sustainability|History of sustainability}}
[[Image:The Earth seen from Apollo 17.jpg|right|220px|thumb|[[The Blue Marble]], photographed from [[Apollo 17]] in 1972, quickly became an icon of [[environmental conservation]].<ref>Blewitt (2015), p. 7</ref>]]
Sustainability can be defined as the practice of maintaining processes of productivity indefinitely—natural or human made—by replacing resources used with resources of equal or greater value without degrading or endangering natural biotic systems.<ref>{{cite book|title=Communicating Sustainability for the Green Economy|publisher=M.E. Sharpe|year=2014|isbn=978-0-7656-3680-5|location=New York|author=Lynn R. Kahle, Eda Gurel-Atay, Eds}}</ref> Sustainable development ties together concern for the [[carrying capacity]] of [[Systems ecology|natural systems]] with the social, political, and economic challenges faced by humanity. [[Sustainability science]] is the study of the concepts of sustainable development and environmental science. There is an additional focus on the present generations' responsibility to regenerate, maintain and improve planetary resources for use by future generations.<ref name="Finn2">Finn (2009), pp. 3–8</ref>


There are some problems with the concept of sustainable development. Some scholars say it is an [[oxymoron]] because according to them, ''development'' is inherently unsustainable. Other commentators are disappointed in the lack of progress that has been achieved so far.<ref name=":13">{{cite journal |last1=Brown |first1=James H. |date=2015 |title=The Oxymoron of Sustainable Development |journal=[[BioScience]] |volume=65 |issue=10 |pages=1027–1029 |doi=10.1093/biosci/biv117 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=":15">{{cite journal |last1=Williams |first1=Colin C |last2=Millington |first2=Andrew C |date=2004 |title=The diverse and contested meanings of sustainable development |journal=[[The Geographical Journal]] |volume=170 |issue=2 |pages=99–104 |bibcode=2004GeogJ.170...99W |doi=10.1111/j.0016-7398.2004.00111.x |s2cid=143181802}}</ref> Scholars have stated that ''sustainable development'' is open-ended, much critiqued as ambiguous, incoherent, and therefore easily appropriated.''<ref name=":3" />'' {{TOC limit|3}}
Sustainable development has its roots in ideas about [[sustainable forest management]] which were developed in Europe during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.<ref name="Grober2">Ulrich Grober: Deep roots&nbsp;— A conceptual history of "sustainable development" (Nachhaltigkeit), Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung, 2007</ref><ref name="Blewitt, p.6-162">Blewitt (2015), pp. 6–16</ref> In response to a growing aware of the depletion of timber resources in England, [[John Evelyn]] argued that "sowing and planting of trees had to be regarded as a national duty of every landowner, in order to stop the destructive over-exploitation of natural resources" in his 1662 essay ''[[Sylva, or A Discourse of Forest-Trees and the Propagation of Timber|Sylva]]''. In 1713 [[Hans Carl von Carlowitz]], a senior mining administrator in the service of Elector [[Augustus II the Strong|Frederick Augustus I of Saxony]] published ''Sylvicultura oeconomica'', a 400-page work on forestry. Building upon the ideas of Evelyn and French minister [[Jean-Baptiste Colbert]], von Carlowitz developed the concept of managing forests for [[sustained yield]].<ref name="Grober2" /> His work influenced others, including [[Alexander von Humboldt]] and [[Georg Ludwig Hartig]], leading in turn to the development of a science of forestry. This in term influenced people like [[Gifford Pinchot]], first head of the [[US Forest Service]], whose approach to forest management was driven by the idea of wise use of resources, and [[Aldo Leopold]] whose [[land ethic]] was influential in the development of the [[environmental movement]] in the 1960s.<ref name="Grober2" /><ref name="Blewitt, p.6-162" />


== Definition of sustainable development==
Following the publication of [[Rachel Carson]]'s ''[[Silent Spring]]'' in 1962, the developing environmental movement drew attention to the relationship between economic growth and development and environmental degradation. [[Kenneth E. Boulding]] in his influential 1966 essay ''The Economics of the Coming Spaceship Earth'' identified the need for the economic system to fit itself to the ecological system with its limited pools of resources.<ref name="Blewitt, p.6-162" /> One of the first uses of the term sustainable in the contemporary sense was by the [[Club of Rome]] in 1972 in its classic report on the ''[[Limits to Growth]]'', written by a group of scientists led by [[Dennis Meadows|Dennis]] and [[Donella Meadows]] of the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]. Describing the desirable "state of global equilibrium", the authors wrote: "We are searching for a model output that represents a world system that is sustainable without sudden and uncontrolled collapse and capable of satisfying the basic material requirements of all of its people."<ref name="Finn2" />
In 1987, the United Nations [[World Commission on Environment and Development]] released the report ''Our Common Future'', commonly called the [[Brundtland Report]].<ref name=":1" /> The report included a definition of "sustainable development" which is now widely used:<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Keeble |first1=Brian R. |title=The Brundtland report: 'Our common future' |journal=Medicine and War |date=1988 |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=17–25 |doi=10.1080/07488008808408783}}</ref>


{{Blockquote|Sustainable development is a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains two key concepts within it:
In 1980 the [[International Union for the Conservation of Nature]] published a world conservation strategy that included one of the first references to sustainable development as a global priority<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.a21italy.it/medias/31C2D26FD81B0D40.pdf|title=World Conservation Strategy: Living Resource Conservation for Sustainable Development|date=1980|publisher=International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources}}</ref> and introduced the term "sustainable development".<ref>Sachs (2015), p. 4</ref> Two years later, the [[United Nations]] [[World Charter for Nature]] raised five principles of [[Conservation (ethic)|conservation]] by which human conduct affecting nature is to be guided and judged.<ref>{{citation|title=World Charter for Nature|date=October 28, 1982|url=https://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/37/a37r007.htm|publisher=United Nations, General Assembly, 48th Plenary Meeting}}</ref> In 1987 the [[United Nations]] [[World Commission on Environment and Development]] released the report ''Our Common Future'', commonly called the Brundtland Report. The report included what is now one of the most widely recognised definitions of sustainable development.<ref name="Brundtland2">{{Cite journal|year=1987|title=Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development|url=http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/42/ares42-187.htm|publisher=United Nations|author=[[Brundtland Commission]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Economic Development, 2nd edition|last=Smith|first=Charles|publisher=Macmillan|year=1998|isbn=0-333-72228-0|location=Basingstoke|pages=|id=|authorlink=Charles Emrys Smith|author2=Rees, Gareth}}</ref>{{Pull quote|Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two key concepts:<br />· The concept of 'needs', in particular, the essential needs of the world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and <br />· The idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs.|author=[[World Commission on Environment and Development]]|source=''[[Our Common Future]]'' (1987)}}
* The concept of 'needs', in particular, the essential needs of the world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and
* The idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs.|author=[[World Commission on Environment and Development]]|source=''[[Our Common Future]]'' (1987)}}Sustainable development thus tries to find a balance between [[economic development]], [[environmental protection]], and [[social well-being]].


However, scholars have pointed out that there are manifold understandings of sustainable development. Also there are incoherencies in the dominant market-based socio-economic-political organisation. Attempts towards ''universal'' sustainable development need to account for the extremely varied challenges, circumstances, and choices that shape prospects and prosperity for all, everywhere.''<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last1=Yunita |first1=Abbie |last2=Biermann |first2=Frank |last3=Kim |first3=Rakhyun E. |last4=Vijge |first4=Marjanneke J. |date=2022 |title=The (anti-)politics of policy coherence for sustainable development in the Netherlands: Logic, method, effects |journal=Geoforum |language=en |volume=128 |pages=92–102 |doi=10.1016/j.geoforum.2021.12.002 |doi-access=free}} [[File:CC-BY_icon.svg|50x50px]] Text was copied from this source, which is available under a [[ccorg:licenses/by/4.0/|Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License]]</ref>''
Since the Brundtland Report, the concept of sustainable development has developed beyond the initial intergenerational framework to focus more on the goal of "socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable economic growth".<ref>Sachs (2015), p. 5</ref> In 1992, the [[UN Conference on Environment and Development]] published the [[Earth Charter]], which outlines the building of a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society in the 21st century. The action plan [[Agenda 21]] for sustainable development identified information, integration, and participation as key building blocks to help countries achieve development that recognises these interdependent pillars. It emphasises that in sustainable development everyone is a user and provider of information. It stresses the need to change from old sector-centered ways of doing business to new approaches that involve cross-sectoral co-ordination and the integration of environmental and social concerns into all development processes. Furthermore, Agenda 21 emphasises that broad public participation in decision making is a fundamental prerequisite for achieving sustainable development.<ref>Will Allen. 2007.[http://learningforsustainability.net/susdev/ "Learning for Sustainability: Sustainable Development."]</ref>


The [[discourse]] of sustainable development is highly influential in global and national [[Governance framework|governance frameworks]], though its meaning and operationalization are context-dependent and have evolved over time. The evolution of this discourse can for example be seen in the transition from the [[Millennium Development Goals]] (MDGs, years 2000 to 2015) to the [[Sustainable Development Goals]] (SDGs, years 2015 to 2030).<ref name=":5" />
Under the principles of the [[United Nations Charter]] the [[United Nations Millennium Declaration|Millennium Declaration]] identified principles and treaties on sustainable development, including [[economic development]], [[Social change|social development]] and [[environmental protection]]. Broadly defined, sustainable development is a systems approach to growth and development and to manage natural, produced, and [[social capital]] for the welfare of their own and future generations. The term sustainable development as used by the United Nations incorporates both issues associated with [[land development]] and broader issues of [[Human development (humanity)|human development]] such as education, public health, and standard of living.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}


== Development of the concept ==
A 2013 study concluded that sustainability reporting should be reframed through the lens of four interconnected domains: ecology, economics, politics and culture.<ref>{{Cite journal|year=2013|title=Reframing social sustainability reporting: Towards an engaged approach|url=http://www.academia.edu/4362669/Reframing_Social_Sustainability_Reporting_Towards_an_Engaged_Approach|journal=Environment, Development and Sustainability|publisher=University of Melbourne|doi=10.1007/s10668-012-9384-2|author1=Liam Magee |author2=Andy Scerri |author3=Paul James |author4=James A. Thom |author5=Lin Padgham |author6=Sarah Hickmott |author7=Hepu Deng |author8=Felicity Cahill }}</ref>
{{See also|Sustainability}}
Sustainable development has its roots in ideas regarding [[sustainable forest management]], which were developed in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries.<ref name="Grober2">Ulrich Grober: Deep roots&nbsp;— [https://bibliothek.wzb.eu/pdf/2007/p07-002.pdf A conceptual history of "sustainable development" (Nachhaltigkeit)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925121333/https://bibliothek.wzb.eu/pdf/2007/p07-002.pdf |date=25 September 2021 }}, Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung, 2007</ref><ref name="Blewitt-2015">{{cite book |last1=Blewitt |first1=John |title=Understanding Sustainable Development |date=2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-70782-4 }}{{pn|date=July 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Du Pisani |first1=Jacobus A. |title=Sustainable development – historical roots of the concept |journal=Environmental Sciences |date=2006 |volume=3 |issue=2 |pages=83–96 |doi=10.1080/15693430600688831 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2006JIES....3...83D }}</ref> In response to a growing awareness of the depletion of timber resources in England, [[John Evelyn]] argued, in his 1662 essay ''[[Sylva, or A Discourse of Forest-Trees and the Propagation of Timber|Sylva]]'', that "sowing and planting of trees had to be regarded as a national duty of every landowner, in order to stop the destructive [[over-exploitation|over-]] [[exploitation of natural resources]]." In 1713, [[Hans Carl von Carlowitz]], a senior mining administrator in the service of Elector [[Augustus II the Strong|Frederick Augustus I of Saxony]] published ''Sylvicultura economics'', a 400-page work on forestry. Building upon the ideas of Evelyn and French minister [[Jean-Baptiste Colbert]], von Carlowitz developed the concept of managing forests for [[sustained yield]].<ref name="Grober2" /> His work influenced others, including [[Alexander von Humboldt]] and [[Georg Ludwig Hartig]], eventually leading to the development of the science of forestry. This, in turn, influenced people like [[Gifford Pinchot]], the first head of the [[US Forest Service]], whose approach to forest management was driven by the idea of wise use of resources, and [[Aldo Leopold]] whose [[land ethic]] was influential in the development of the [[environmental movement]] in the 1960s.<ref name="Grober2" /><ref name="Blewitt-2015" />


Following the publication of [[Rachel Carson]]'s ''[[Silent Spring]]'' in 1962, the developing environmental movement drew attention to the relationship between economic growth and [[environmental degradation]]. [[Kenneth E. Boulding]], in his influential 1966 essay ''The Economics of the Coming [[Spaceship Earth]]'', identified the need for the economic system to fit itself to the ecological system with its limited pools of resources.<ref name="Blewitt-2015" /> Another milestone was the 1968 article by [[Garrett Hardin]] that popularized the term "[[tragedy of the commons]]".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hardin |first1=Garrett |title=The Tragedy of the Commons: The population problem has no technical solution; it requires a fundamental extension in morality |journal=Science |date=13 December 1968 |volume=162 |issue=3859 |pages=1243–1248 |doi=10.1126/science.162.3859.1243 |pmid=17756331 }}</ref>
==Dimensions==
{{See also|Planetary boundaries|Triple bottom line}}
{{Pillars of sustainability|Scheme of sustainable development: <br/ >at the confluence of three constituent parts. (2006)}}
Sustainable development has been described in terms of three dimensions, domains or pillars. In the three-dimension model, these are seen as "economic, environmental and social" or "ecology, economy and equity";<ref name="Global Sustainability Report">{{cite book|last=United Nations|title=Prototype Global Sustainable Development Report|publisher=United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Division for Sustainable Development|location=New York|date=2014|edition=Online unedited|url=http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/globalsdreport/ }}</ref> this has been expanded by some authors to include a fourth pillar of culture,<ref>{{Cite book | last1= James | first1= Paul | authorlink= Paul James (academic) | last2= with Magee | first2= Liam | last3= Scerri | first3= Andy | last4= Steger | first4= Manfred B. | title= Urban Sustainability in Theory and Practice: Circles of Sustainability | url= http://www.academia.edu/9294719/Urban_Sustainability_in_Theory_and_Practice_Circles_of_Sustainability_2015_ | year= 2015 | publisher= Routledge | location= London}}</ref><ref>[http://citiesprogramme.com/archives/resource/circles-of-sustainability-urban-profile-process Circles of Sustainability Urban Profile Process] and {{Cite journal | year=2010 | first1= Andy |last1= Scerri | first2= Paul | last2= James | authorlink2= Paul James (academic) | title= Accounting for sustainability: Combining qualitative and quantitative research in developing ‘indicators’ of sustainability | url= http://www.academia.edu/3230887/Accounting_for_Sustainability_Combining_Qualitative_and_Quantitative_Research_in_Developing_Indicators | journal= International Journal of Social Research Methodology | volume= 13 | issue= 1 | pages= 41–53 | doi=10.1080/13645570902864145}}</ref> institutions or governance.<ref name="Global Sustainability Report"/>


The direct linking of [[sustainability]] and development in a contemporary sense can be traced to the early 1970s. "Strategy of Progress", a 1972 book (in German) by Ernst Basler, explained how the long-acknowledged [[sustainability]] concept of preserving forests for future wood production can be directly transferred to the broader importance of preserving environmental resources to sustain the world for future generations.<ref name="Basler-1972">{{cite book |last=Basler |first=Ernst |title= Strategie des Fortschritts: Umweltbelastung Lebensraumverknappung and Zukunftsforshung (Strategy of Progress: Environmental Pollution, Habitat Scarcity and Future Research) |date=1972 |publisher= BLV Publishing Company |location=Munich}}</ref> That same year, the interrelationship of environment and development was formally demonstrated in a systems dynamic simulation model reported in the classic report on ''[[Limits to Growth]]''. This was commissioned by the Club of Rome and written by a group of scientists led by [[Dennis Meadows|Dennis]] and [[Donella Meadows]] of the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]. Describing the desirable "state of global equilibrium", the authors wrote: "We are searching for a model output that represents a world system that is sustainable without sudden and uncontrolled collapse and capable of satisfying the basic material requirements of all of its people."<ref name="Finn-2009">{{cite book |last=Finn |first=Donovan |title=Our Uncertain Future: Can Good Planning Create Sustainable Communities? |date=2009 |publisher=University of Illinois |location=Champaign-Urbana}}</ref> The year 1972 also saw the publication of the influential book, ''[[A Blueprint for Survival]]''.<ref>{{cite news |title=A Blueprint for Survival |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/02/05/archives/a-blueprint-for-survival.html |work=The New York Times |date=5 February 1972 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theecologist.org/2012/jan/27/ecologist-january-1972-blueprint-survival|title=The Ecologist January 1972: a blueprint for survival|website=The Ecologist|date=27 January 2012 |language=en|access-date=14 April 2020}}</ref>
===Environment===
{{See also|Ecological engineering}}


In 1975, an [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]] research group prepared ten days of hearings on "Growth and Its Implication for the Future" for the [[United States Congress|US Congress]], the first hearings ever held on sustainable development.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Growth and its implications for the future |url=http://www.wpainc.com/Archive/MIT/Growth%20and%20Its%20Implications.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304033056/http://www.wpainc.com/Archive/MIT/Growth%20and%20Its%20Implications.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref>
[[File:Human welfare and ecological footprint sustainability.jpg|thumb|right|300px|alt=Graph comparing the Ecological Footprint of different nations with their Human Development Index|Relationship between [[ecological footprint]] and [[Human Development Index]] (HDI)]]
The ecological stability of human settlements is part of the relationship between humans and their natural, social and [[built environment]]s.<ref>http://citiesprogramme.com/aboutus/our-approach/circles-of-sustainability; {{Cite journal | year=2010 | last1= Scerri | first1= Andy | last2= James | first2= Paul | authorlink2= Paul James (academic) | title= Accounting for sustainability: Combining qualitative and quantitative research in developing ‘indicators’ of sustainability | url= http://www.academia.edu/3230887/Accounting_for_Sustainability_Combining_Qualitative_and_Quantitative_Research_in_Developing_Indicators | journal= International Journal of Social Research Methodology | volume= 13 | issue= 1 | pages= 41–53 | doi=10.1080/13645570902864145}}.</ref> Also termed [[human ecology]], this broadens the focus of sustainable development to include the domain of human health. Fundamental human needs such as the availability and quality of air, water, food and shelter are also the ecological foundations for sustainable development;<ref>{{cite book |first1=F |last1=White |first2=L |last2=Stallones |first3=JM. |last3=Last |title=Global Public Health: Ecological Foundations |url={{Google books |plainurl=yes |id=iE8SXPGGbeMC }} |year=2013 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-975190-7 }}</ref> addressing public health risk through investments in [[ecosystem services]] can be a powerful and transformative force for sustainable development which, in this sense, extends to all species.<ref>Bringing human health and wellbeing back into sustainable development. In: IISD Annual Report 2011-12. http://www.iisd.org/pdf/2012/annrep_2011_2012_en.pdf</ref>


In 1980, the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]] published a world conservation strategy that included one of the first references to sustainable development as a global priority<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.a21italy.it/medias/31C2D26FD81B0D40.pdf |title=World Conservation Strategy: Living Resource Conservation for Sustainable Development |date=1980 |publisher=International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources}}</ref> and introduced the term "sustainable development".<ref name="Sachs-2015">{{Cite book |last=Sachs |first=Jeffrey D. |title=The Age of Sustainable Development |publisher=Columbia University Press |year=2015 |isbn=9780231173155 |location=New York}}</ref>{{RP|4}} Two years later, the United Nations [[World Charter for Nature]] raised five principles of [[Conservation (ethic)|conservation]] by which human conduct affecting nature is to be guided and judged.<ref>{{citation |title=World Charter for Nature |date=28 October 1982 |url=https://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/37/a37r007.htm |publisher=United Nations, General Assembly, 48th Plenary Meeting}}</ref>
Environmental sustainability concerns the [[natural environment]] and how it endures and remains diverse and productive. Since [[natural resources]] are derived from the environment, the state of air, water, and the climate are of particular concern. The [[IPCC Fifth Assessment Report]] outlines current knowledge about scientific, technical and socio-economic information concerning climate change, and lists options for [[Adaptation to global warming|adaptation]] and [[Climate change mitigation|mitigation]].<ref name="Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability">{{Cite journal
| year=2014
| author=[[IPCC Fifth Assessment Report]]
| title=Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
| url=http://ipcc-wg2.gov/AR5/images/uploads/IPCC_WG2AR5_SPM_Approved.pdf
| format=PDF
| publisher= IPCC
| location=Geneva (Switzerland)
}}</ref> Environmental sustainability requires society to design activities to meet human needs while preserving the life support systems of the planet. This, for example, entails using water sustainably, utilizing renewable energy, and sustainable material supplies (e.g. harvesting wood from forests at a rate that maintains the biomass and biodiversity).{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}


Since the [[Brundtland Report]], the concept of sustainable development has developed beyond the initial intergenerational framework to focus more on the goal of "socially [[inclusive growth|inclusive]] and environmentally [[sustainable economic growth]]".<ref name="Sachs-2015" />{{RP|5}} In 1992, the [[UN Conference on Environment and Development]] published the [[Earth Charter]], which outlines the building of a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society in the 21st century. The action plan [[Agenda 21]] for sustainable development identified information, integration, and participation as key building blocks to help countries achieve development that recognizes these interdependent pillars. Furthermore, Agenda 21 emphasizes that broad public participation in decision-making is a fundamental prerequisite for achieving sustainable development.<ref>Will Allen. 2007.[http://learningforsustainability.net/susdev/ "Learning for Sustainability: Sustainable Development."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160114042435/http://learningforsustainability.net/susdev/ |date=14 January 2016 }}</ref>
An unsustainable situation occurs when [[natural capital]] (the sum total of nature's resources) is used up faster than it can be replenished. Sustainability requires that human activity only uses nature's resources at a rate at which they can be replenished naturally. Inherently the concept of sustainable development is intertwined with the concept of carrying capacity. Theoretically, the long-term result of [[environmental degradation]] is the inability to sustain human life. Such degradation on a global scale should imply an increase in human death rate until population falls to what the degraded environment can support.{{citation needed|date=September 2014}} If the degradation continues beyond a certain [[Planetary boundaries|tipping point]] or critical threshold it would lead to eventual [[extinction]] for humanity.{{citation needed|date=June 2014}}


[[Rio Protocol|The Rio Protocol]] was a huge leap forward: for the first time, the world agreed on a [[sustainability]] agenda. In fact, a global consensus was facilitated by neglecting concrete goals and operational details.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Consumption of non-renewable resources
! State of environment
! Sustainability
|-
| More than nature's ability to replenish
| Environmental degradation
| Not sustainable
|-
| Equal to nature's ability to replenish
| Environmental equilibrium
| [[Steady state economy]]
|-
| Less than nature's ability to replenish
| Environmental renewal
| Environmentally sustainable
|}


== Global governance framework ==
Integral elements for a sustainable development are research and innovation activities. A telling example is the [[European environmental research and innovation policy]], which aims at defining and implementing a transformative agenda to greening the economy and the society as a whole so to achieve a truly sustainable development. Research and innovation in Europe is financially supported by the programme [[Horizon 2020]], which is also open to participation worldwide.<ref>See Horizon 2020 – the EU's new research and innovation programme http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-13-1085_en.htm</ref> A promising direction towards sustainable development is to design systems that are flexible and reversible.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09613218.2012.702565|date=2012 | doi=10.1080/09613218.2012.702565 | volume=40 |title=Flexible strategies for long-term sustainability under uncertainty |journal=Building Research |pages=545–557}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Vladan_Babovic/publication/269694158_HYDRO-D-09-00078/links/54925b6a0cf2484a3f3e0c41.pdf |last=Zhang|first=S.X.|author2=V. Babovic |title=A real options approach to the design and architecture of water supply systems using innovative water technologies under uncertainty|journal=Journal of Hydroinformatics|date=2012}}</ref>
The most comprehensive [[global governance]] framework for sustainable development is the ''2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development'' with its 17 [[Sustainable Development Goals]] (SDGs).<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal |last1=de Jong |first1=Eileen |last2=Vijge |first2=Marjanneke J. |date=2021 |title=From Millennium to Sustainable Development Goals: Evolving discourses and their reflection in policy coherence for development |journal=Earth System Governance |language=en |volume=7 |pages=100087 |doi=10.1016/j.esg.2020.100087|doi-access=free|bibcode=2021ESGov...700087D }} [[File:CC-BY icon.svg|50px]] Text was copied from this source, which is available under a [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License]</ref> This agenda was a follow-up to the Millennium Declaration from the year 2000 with its eight [[Millennium Development Goals]] (MDGs), the first comprehensive global governance framework for the achievement of sustainable development.<ref name=":5" /> The SDGs have concrete targets (unlike the results from the Rio Process) but no methods for sanctions.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-06-12 |title=Why Rio failed in the past and how it can succeed this time |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/jun/12/rio20-agenda-politicians-john-gummer |website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref><ref name=":10">{{Cite book |last=Berg |first=Christian |title=Sustainable action: overcoming the barriers |date=2020 |isbn=978-0-429-57873-1 |location=Abingdon, Oxon |oclc=1124780147}}</ref>{{rp|137}} They contain goals, targets and indicators for example in the areas of [[poverty reduction]], [[environmental protection]], human prosperity and [[peace]].<ref name=":5" />


Sustainability means different things to different people, and the concept of sustainable development has led to a diversity of discourses that legitimize competing sociopolitical projects. Global environmental governance scholars have identified a comprehensive set of discourses within the public space that mostly convey four sustainability frames: mainstream sustainability, progressive sustainability, a limits discourse, and radical sustainability.<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal |last=Sénit |first=Carole-Anne |date=2020 |title=Transforming our world? Discursive representation in the negotiations on the Sustainable Development Goals |journal=International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics |language=en |volume=20 |issue=3 |pages=411–429 |doi=10.1007/s10784-020-09489-1 |issn=1567-9764|doi-access=free|bibcode=2020IEAPL..20..411S }} [[File:CC-BY icon.svg|50px]] Text was copied from this source, which is available under a [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License]</ref>
Pollution of the public resources is really not a different action, it just is a reverse tragedy of the commons, in that instead of taking something out, something is put into the commons. When the costs of polluting the commons are not calculated into the cost of the items consumed, then it becomes only natural to pollute, as the cost of pollution is external to the cost of the goods produced and the cost of cleaning the waste before it is discharged exceeds the cost of releasing the waste directly into the commons. So, the only way to solve this problem is by protecting the ecology of the commons by making it, through taxes or fines, more costly to release the waste directly into the commons than would be the cost of cleaning the waste before discharge.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Economics, Ecology, Ethics: Essays toward a Steady-State Economy|last=Daly|first=H. E.|publisher=W. H. Freeman and Company|others=Hardin, G. "The tragedy of the commons"|year=|isbn=|location=New York and San Francisco|pages=100–114}}</ref>


First, ''mainstream sustainability'' is a conservative approach on both economic and political terms. Second, ''progressive sustainability'' is an economically conservative, yet politically reformist approach. Under this framing, sustainable development is still centered on economic growth, which is deemed compatible with environmental sustainability. However, human well-being and development can only be achieved through a redistribution of power to even out inequalities between developed and developing countries. Third, a ''limits discourse'' is an economically reformist, yet politically conservative approach to sustainability. Fourth, ''radical sustainability'' is a transformative approach seeking to break with existing global economic and political structures.<ref name=":6" />
So, one can try to appeal to the ethics of the situation by doing the right thing as an individual, but in the absence of any direct consequences, the individual will tend to do what is best for the person and not what is best for the common good of the public. Once again, this issue needs to be addressed. Because, left unaddressed, the development of the commonly owned property will become impossible to achieve in a sustainable way. So, this topic is central to the understanding of creating a sustainable situation from the management of the public resources that are used for personal use.


== Related concepts ==
====Agriculture====
{{See also|Sustainable agriculture}}
Sustainable agriculture consists of [[environmentally-friendly]] methods of farming that allow the production of crops or livestock without damage to human or natural systems. It involves preventing adverse effects to soil, water, biodiversity, surrounding or downstream resources—as well as to those working or living on the farm or in neighboring areas. The concept of sustainable agriculture extends intergenerationally, passing on a conserved or improved natural resource, biotic, and economic base rather than one which has been depleted or polluted.<ref>{{cite web|author=Networld-Project |url=http://www.green-networld.com/facts/glossary.htm |title=Environmental Glossary |publisher=Green-networld.com |date=1998-02-09 |accessdate=2011-09-28}}</ref> Elements of sustainable agriculture include [[permaculture]], [[agroforestry]], [[mixed farming]], [[multiple cropping]], and [[crop rotation]].<ref>Ben Falk, ''The resilient farm and homestead: An innovative permaculture and whole systems design approach''. Chelsea Green, 2013. pp. 61-78.</ref>


=== Sustainability ===
Numerous [[sustainability standards and certification]] systems exist, including [[organic certification]], [[Rainforest Alliance]], [[Fairtrade certification|Fair Trade]], [[UTZ Certified]], Bird Friendly, and the Common Code for the Coffee Community (4C).<ref>{{cite journal|last=Manning|first=Stephen|last2 = Boons|first2 = Frank|last3 = Von Hagen|first3 = Oliver|last4 = Reinecke |first4 = Juliane|date=2012|title=National Contexts Matter: The Co-Evolution of Sustainability Standards in Global Value Chains|journal=Ecological Economics|volume=83|pages=197–209|url=http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1752655|doi=10.1016/j.ecolecon.2011.08.029}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Reinecke|first=Juliane|last2 = Manning|first2 = Stephen|last3 = Von Hagen|first3 = Oliver|date=2012|title=The Emergence of a Standards Market: Multiplicity of Sustainability Standards in the Global Coffee Industry|journal=Organization Studies|volume=33|issue=5/6|pages=789–812|url=http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1970343}}</ref>
{{excerpt|sustainability|paragraphs=1}}


===Economics===
== Dimensions ==
{{Main|Sustainability#Dimensions of sustainability}}
[[Image:Depuradora de Lluc.JPG|thumb|right|250px|A [[sewage treatment]] plant that uses [[solar energy]], located at [[Santuari de Lluc]] monastery, Majorca.]]
Sustainable development, like [[sustainability]], is regarded to have three ''dimensions'': the environment, economy and [[society]]. The idea is that a good balance between the three dimensions should be achieved. Instead of calling them ''dimensions'', other terms commonly used are ''pillars'', ''domains'', ''aspects'', ''spheres''.
{{See also|Ecological economics}}
It has been suggested that because of rural [[poverty]] and [[overexploitation]], environmental resources should be treated as important economic assets, called [[natural capital]].<ref>{{Cite book
| last =Barbier
| first =Edward B.
| year =2006
| title = Natural Resources and Economic Development
| publisher = Cambridge University Press
| publication-place = {{Google books |plainurl=yes |id=fYrEDA-VnyUC |page=45 }}
| pages = 44–45
| isbn= 9780521706513
| url = http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/economics/economic-development-and-growth/natural-resources-and-economic-development?format=HB
| accessdate = April 8, 2014
}}</ref> Economic development has traditionally required a growth in the [[gross domestic product]]. This model of unlimited personal and GDP growth may be over.<ref>{{Citation
| last =Korowitz
| first =David
| year =2012
| title =Ignorance by Consensus
| publisher =Foundation for the Economics of Sustainability
| publication-place =
| page =
| url =http://www.feasta.org/2012/11/13/ignorance-by-consensus/
| accessdate =
}}</ref> Sustainable development may involve improvements in the quality of life for many but may necessitate a decrease in resource consumption.<ref>{{cite book
| last =Brown
| first =L. R.
| title =World on the Edge
| publisher =Norton
| series =Earth Policy Institute
| year =2011
| pages =
| isbn =978-0-393-08029-2
}}</ref>
According to ecological economist [[:de:Malte Michael Faber|Malte Faber]], ecological economics is defined by its focus on nature, justice, and time. Issues of [[intergenerational equity]], [[irreversibility]] of environmental change, [[uncertainty]] of long-term outcomes, and sustainable development guide ecological economic analysis and valuation.<ref name=Faber2008>Malte Faber. (2008). How to be an ecological economist. ''Ecological Economics'' '''66'''(1):1-7. [https://ideas.repec.org/p/awi/wpaper/0454.html Preprint].</ref>


{{excerpt|Sustainability#Development of three dimensions|paragraphs=1}}
As early as the 1970s, the concept of sustainability was used to describe an [[economy]] "in equilibrium with basic ecological support systems."<ref>Stivers, R. 1976. The Sustainable Society: Ethics and Economic Growth. Philadelphia: [[Westminster John Knox Press|Westminster Press]].</ref> Scientists in many fields have highlighted ''[[The Limits to Growth]]'',<ref>Meadows, D.H., D.L. Meadows, J. Randers, and W.W. Behrens III. 1972. The Limits to Growth. Universe Books, New York, NY. ISBN 0-87663-165-0</ref><ref>{{cite book | last = Meadows | first = D.H. |last2 =Randers| first2 = Jørgen| last3 =Meadows | first3 = D.L.| title = Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update | publisher =Chelsea Green Publishing | year =2004| isbn =978-1-931498-58-6}}</ref> and economists have presented alternatives, for example a '[[steady-state economy]]';<ref name=hd01>{{cite book |last=Daly |first=Herman E. |authorlink=Herman Daly |edition=2nd |date=1992 |title=Steady-state economics |location=London |publisher=Earthscan Publications }}</ref> to address concerns over the impacts of expanding human development on the planet. In 1987 the economist Edward Barbier published the study ''The Concept of Sustainable Economic Development'', where he recognised that goals of environmental conservation and economic development are not conflicting and can be reinforcing each other.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Barbier |first=E. |year=1987 |title=The Concept of Sustainable Economic Development |journal=Environmental Conservation |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=101–110 |doi=10.1017/S0376892900011449 }}</ref>


== Pathways ==
A [[World Bank]] study from 1999 concluded that based on the theory of genuine savings, policymakers have many possible interventions to increase sustainability, in [[macroeconomics]] or purely environmental.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Hamilton |first=K. |first2=M. |last2=Clemens |year=1999 |title=Genuine savings rates in developing countries |journal=World Bank Economy Review |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=333–356 |doi=10.1093/wber/13.2.333 | url=http://wber.oxfordjournals.org/content/13/2/333.abstract }}</ref> A study from 2001 noted that efficient policies for renewable energy and pollution are compatible with increasing human welfare, eventually reaching a golden-rule steady state.<ref>{{cite journal |year=2001 |first=A. D. |last=Ayong Le Kama |title=Sustainable growth renewable resources, and pollution |journal=Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control |volume=25 |issue=12 |pages=1911–1918 |doi=10.1016/S0165-1889(00)00007-5 }}</ref> The study, ''Interpreting Sustainability in Economic Terms'', found three pillars of sustainable development, interlinkage, [[intergenerational equity]], and [[dynamic efficiency]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Stavins |first=R. |first2=A. |last2=Wagner |first3=G. |last3=Wagner |title=Interpreting Sustainability in Economic Terms: Dynamic Efficiency Plus Intergenerational Equity |journal=[[Economic Letters]] |volume=79 |issue=3 |pages=339–343 |doi=10.1016/S0165-1765(03)00036-3 }}</ref>
{{Further|Sustainability#Transition}}
[[File:Sustainable_development_-_6_central_capacities.png|thumb|upright=1.25|Sustainable development requires six central capacities.<ref name=":7">{{Cite journal |last1=Clark |first1=William |last2=Harley |first2=Alicia |date=2020 |title=Sustainability Science: Toward a Synthesis |journal=[[Annual Review of Environment and Resources]] |volume=45 |issue=1 |pages=331–86 |doi=10.1146/annurev-environ-012420-043621 |doi-access=free}} {{CC-notice|cc=by4}}</ref>]]Six interdependent capacities are deemed to be necessary for the successful pursuit of sustainable development.<ref name=":7" /> These are the capacities to measure progress towards sustainable development; promote equity within and between generations; adapt to shocks and surprises; transform the system onto more sustainable development pathways; link knowledge with action for sustainability; and to devise governance arrangements that allow people to work together.


During the MDG era (year 2000 to 2015), the key objective of sustainable development was poverty reduction to be reached through [[economic growth]] and participation in the [[global trade]] system.<ref name=":5" /> The SDGs take a much more comprehensive approach to sustainable development than the MDGs did. They offer a more people-centred development agenda. Out of the [[List of Sustainable Development Goal targets and indicators|17 SDGs]], for example, 11 goals contain targets related to equity, equality or inclusion, and SDG 10 is solely devoted to addressing inequality within and among countries.<ref name=":5" />
But Gilbert Rist points out that the World Bank has twisted the notion of sustainable development to prove that economic development need not be deterred in the interest of preserving the ecosystem. He writes: "From this angle, 'sustainable development' looks like a cover-up operation. ... The thing that is meant to be sustained is really 'development', not the tolerance capacity of the ecosystem or of human societies."<ref>''The History of Development'', 3rd Ed. (New York: Zed, 2008) 194.</ref>


=== Improving on environmental sustainability ===
The World Bank, a leading producer of environmental knowledge, continues to advocate the win-win prospects for economic growth and ecological stability even as its economists express their doubts.<ref>Daniel P. Castillo, "Integral Ecology as a Liberationist Concept" in ''Theological Studies'', Vol 77, 2, June 2016, 374.</ref> Herman Daly, an economist for the Bank from 1988 to 1994, writes:
{{Further|Human impact on the environment|Ecological footprint}} An unsustainable situation occurs when [[natural capital]] (the total of nature's resources) is used up faster than it can be replenished.<ref name=":0" />{{rp|58}} Sustainability requires that human activity only uses nature's resources at a rate at which they can be replenished naturally. The concept of sustainable development is intertwined with the concept of [[carrying capacity]]. Theoretically, the long-term result of [[environmental degradation]] is the inability to sustain human life.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last1=Nayeripour |first1=Majid |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O9CPDwAAQBAJ&dq=An+unsustainable+situation+occurs+when+natural+capital+(the+total+of+nature's+resources)+is+used+up+faster+than+it+can+be+replenished.+Sustainability+requires+that+human+activity+only+uses+nature's+resources+at+a+rate+at+which+they+can+be+replenished+naturally.+The+concept+of+sustainable+development+is+intertwined+with+the+concept+of+carrying+capacity.+Theoretically,+the+long-term+result+of+environmental+degradation+is+the+inability+to+sustain+human+life&pg=PA58 |title=Sustainable Growth and Applications in Renewable Energy Sources |last2=Kheshti |first2=Mostafa |date=2011-12-02 |publisher=BoD – Books on Demand |isbn=978-953-307-408-5 |page=58 }}[[File:CC-BY icon.svg|50x50px]] Text was copied from this source, which is available under a [[creativecommons:by/4.0/|Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 International License]] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016050101/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/|date=16 October 2017}}</ref>
<blockquote>When authors of ''WDR'' '92 [the highly influential 1992 ''World Development Report'' that featured the environment] were drafting the report, they called me asking for examples of "win-win" strategies in my work. What could I say? None exists in that pure form; there are trade-offs, not "win-wins." But they want to see a world of "win-wins" based on articles of faith, not fact. I wanted to contribute because ''WDR''s are important in the Bank, [because] task managers read [them] to find philosophical justification for their latest round of projects. But they did not want to hear about how things really are, or what I find in my work..."<ref>Michael Goldman, ''Imperial Nature: the World Bank and the Struggle for Justice in the Age of Globalization.'' (New Haven: Yale University, 2005), 128, quoted in ''Theological Studies'', supra.</ref></blockquote>


Important operational principles of sustainable development were published by [[Herman Daly]] in 1990: renewable resources should provide a [[sustainable yield]] (the rate of harvest should not exceed the rate of regeneration); for non-renewable resources there should be equivalent development of renewable substitutes; waste generation should not exceed the assimilative capacity of the environment.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Daly |first1=H.E. |year=1990 |title=Toward some operational principles of sustainable development |journal=Ecological Economics |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=1–6 |doi=10.1016/0921-8009(90)90010-r|bibcode=1990EcoEc...2....1D }}</ref>
A meta review in 2002 looked at environmental and economic valuations and found a lack of "sustainability policies".<ref>{{Cite journal
| last =Pezzey
| first =John C. V.
| last2 = Michael A.
| first2 =Toman
| year =2002
| title = The Economics of Sustainability: A Review of Journal Articles
| publisher = Resources for the future
| url = http://www.rff.org/documents/rff-dp-02-03.pdf
| accessdate = April 8, 2014
}}</ref> A study in 2004 asked if we consume too much.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Arrow |first=K. J. |first2=P. |last2=Dasgupta |first3=L. |last3=Goulder |first4=G. |last4=Daily |first5=P. R. |last5=Ehrlich |first6=G. M. |last6=Heal |first7=S. |last7=Levin |first8=K-G. |last8=Maler |first9=S. |last9=Schneider |first10=D. A. |last10=Starrett |first11=B. |last11=Walker |year=2004 |title=Are we consuming too much? |journal=[[Journal of Economic Perspectives]] |volume=18 |issue=3 |pages=147–172 |doi= 10.1257/0895330042162377|jstor=3216811 }}</ref> A study concluded in 2007 that knowledge, manufactured and human capital (health and education) has not compensated for the degradation of natural capital in many parts of the world.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Dasgupta |first=P. |year=2007 |title=The idea of sustainable development |journal=[[Sustainability Science]] |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=5–11 |doi=10.1007/s11625-007-0024-y }}</ref> It has been suggested that intergenerational equity can be incorporated into a sustainable development and decision making, as has become common in economic valuations of climate economics.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Heal |first=G. |year=2009 |title=Climate Economics: A Meta-Review and Some Suggestions for Future Research |journal=Review of Environmental Economics and Policy |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=4–21 |doi=10.1093/reep/ren014 }}</ref> A meta review in 2009 identified conditions for a strong case to act on [[climate change]], and called for more work to fully account of the relevant economics and how it affects human welfare.<ref>{{Cite journal
| last =Heal
| first =Geoffrey
| year =2009
| title = Climate Economics: A Meta-Review and Some Suggestions for Future Research
| publisher = Oxford Journals
| journal = Review of Environmental Economics and Policy
| doi = 10.1093/reep/ren014
| url = http://reep.oxfordjournals.org/content/3/1/4#aff-1
| accessdate = April 8, 2014
| volume=3
| pages=4–21
}}</ref> According to [[Free-market environmentalism|free-market environmentalist]] [[John Baden]] "the improvement of environment quality depends on the [[market economy]] and the existence of legitimate and protected [[property]] rights." They enable the effective practice of personal responsibility and the development of mechanisms to protect the environment. The State can in this context "create conditions which encourage the people to save the environment."<ref>« [http://www.euro92.com/acrob/baden.pdf L'économie politique du développement durable] », John Baden, document de l'ICREI</ref>


In 2019, a summary for policymakers of the [[Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services|largest, most comprehensive study to date]] of [[biodiversity]] and [[ecosystem service]]s was published by the [[Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services]]. It recommended that human civilization will need a transformative change, including [[sustainable agriculture]], reductions in [[Consumption (economics)|consumption]] and waste, fishing quotas and collaborative water management.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.ipbes.net/sites/default/files/downloads/spm_unedited_advance_for_posting_htn.pdf |title=Summary for policymakers of the global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services |date=6 May 2019 |publisher=the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services |access-date=10 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Deutsche Welle |first1=Deutsche |date=6 May 2019 |title=Why Biodiversity Loss Hurts Humans as Much as Climate Change Does |url=https://www.ecowatch.com/biodiversity-loss-human-health-2636410357.html |access-date=10 May 2019 |agency=Ecowatch}}</ref>
==== Environmental economics ====
{{main|Environmental economics}}
The total environment includes not just the biosphere of earth, air, and water, but also human interactions with these things, with nature, and what humans have created as their surroundings.<ref>Environmental Economics, 3rd Edition. J.J. Seneca/M.K. Taussig. 1984. Page 3.</ref>


[[Environmental impact of agriculture|Environmental problems]] associated with [[industrial agriculture]] and [[agribusiness]] are now being addressed through approaches such as [[sustainable agriculture]], [[organic farming]] and more [[Sustainable business|sustainable business practices]].<ref>[http://www.wbcsd.org/templates/TemplateWBCSD5/layout.asp?MenuID=1 World Business Council for Sustainable Development] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410074308/http://www.wbcsd.org/templates/TemplateWBCSD5/layout.asp?MenuID=1|date=10 April 2009}} This web site has multiple articles on [[World Business Council for Sustainable Development|WBCSD]] contributions to sustainable development. Retrieved 7 April 2009.</ref> At the local level there are various movements working towards [[sustainable food system]]s which may include less meat consumption, [[local food]] production, [[slow food]], [[sustainable gardening]], and [[organic gardening]].<ref>Holmgren, D. (March 2005). [http://www.sbpermaculture.org/Suburbs_Holmgren.html "Retrofitting the suburbs for sustainability."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090415103213/http://www.sbpermaculture.org/Suburbs_Holmgren.html|date=15 April 2009}} CSIRO Sustainability Network. Retrieved 7 July 2009.</ref> The environmental effects of different dietary patterns depend on many factors, including the proportion of animal and plant foods consumed and the method of food production.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=McMichael |first1=Anthony J |last2=Powles |first2=John W |last3=Butler |first3=Colin D |last4=Uauy |first4=Ricardo |title=Food, livestock production, energy, climate change, and health |journal=The Lancet |date=October 2007 |volume=370 |issue=9594 |pages=1253–1263 |doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61256-2 |pmid=17868818 |hdl=1885/38056 |s2cid=9316230 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Baroni |first1=L |last2=Cenci |first2=L |last3=Tettamanti |first3=M |last4=Berati |first4=M |title=Evaluating the environmental impact of various dietary patterns combined with different food production systems |journal=European Journal of Clinical Nutrition |date=1 February 2007 |volume=61 |issue=2 |pages=279–286 |doi=10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602522 |pmid=17035955 |s2cid=16387344 |doi-access=free }}</ref>[[File:Highlight Findings of the WA S0E 2007 report.gif|upright=1.7|thumb|Ecological footprint for different nations compared to their [[Human Development Index]] (2007)]]
As countries around the world continue to advance economically, they put a strain on the ability of the natural environment to absorb the high level of pollutants that are created as a part of this economic growth. Therefore, solutions need to be found so that the economies of the world can continue to grow, but not at the expense of the public good. In the world of economics the amount of environmental quality must be considered as limited in supply and therefore is treated as a scarce resource. This is a resource to be protected and the only real efficient way to do it in a market economy is to look at the overall situation of pollution from a benefit-cost perspective. It then becomes essentially an allocation of resources, based on an evaluation of the expected course of action and the consequences of this action, when compared to an alternative course of action that might allocate the limited resources in a different way.{{citation needed|date=May 2016}}
As global population and affluence have increased, so has the use of various materials increased in volume, diversity, and distance transported. By 2050, humanity could consume an estimated 140 billion tons of minerals, ores, fossil fuels and biomass per year (three times its current amount) unless the economic growth rate is decoupled from the rate of natural [[resource consumption]].<ref>UNEP (2011). [http://www.resourcepanel.org/reports/decoupling-natural-resource-use-and-environmental-impacts-economic-growth Decoupling Natural Resource Use and Environmental Impacts from Economic Growth] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120134055/https://resourcepanel.org/reports/decoupling-natural-resource-use-and-environmental-impacts-economic-growth |date=20 January 2022 }}. {{ISBN|978-92-807-3167-5}}. Retrieved 30 November 2011.</ref>


Sustainable use of materials has targeted the idea of [[Dematerialization (economics)|dematerialization]], converting the linear path of materials (extraction, use, disposal in landfill) to a [[Material flow accounting|circular material flow]] that reuses materials as much as possible, much like the cycling and reuse of waste in nature.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Anderberg|first1=S|year=1998|title=Industrial metabolism and linkages between economics, ethics, and the environment|journal=Ecological Economics|volume=24|issue=2–3|pages=311–320|doi=10.1016/s0921-8009(97)00151-1}}</ref> This way of thinking is expressed in the concept of [[circular economy]], which employs [[reuse]], [[Sharing economy|sharing]], repair, refurbishment, [[remanufacturing]] and [[recycling]] to create a closed-loop system, minimizing the use of [[Resource depletion|resource inputs]] and the creation of [[Waste minimisation|waste]], pollution and carbon emissions.<ref name="Geissdoerfer 757–768">{{cite journal |last1=Geissdoerfer |first1=Martin |last2=Savaget |first2=Paulo |last3=Bocken |first3=Nancy M.P. |last4=Hultink |first4=Erik Jan |title=The Circular Economy – A new sustainability paradigm? |journal=Journal of Cleaner Production |date=February 2017 |volume=143 |pages=757–768 |doi=10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.12.048 |bibcode=2017JCPro.143..757G |s2cid=157449142 |url=https://dro.dur.ac.uk/29108/1/29108.pdf }}</ref> The [[European Commission]] has adopted an ambitious [[Circular Economy Action Plan]] in 2020, which aims at making sustainable products the norm in the EU.<ref>European Commission (2020). "[https://ec.europa.eu/environment/strategy/circular-economy-action-plan_en Circular economy action plan]". {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120070301/https://ec.europa.eu/environment/strategy/circular-economy-action-plan_en |date=20 January 2022 }}. Retrieved 10 November 2021.</ref><ref>{{cite web|title= 52020DC0098 |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=COM%3A2020%3A98%3AFIN|access-date=2021-11-09|website=EUR-Lex |language=en}}</ref>
Benefit-cost analysis basically can look at several ways of solving a problem and then assigning the best route for a solution, based on the set of consequences that would result from the further development of the individual courses of action, and then choosing the course of action that results in the least amount of damage to the expected outcome for the environmental quality that remains after that development or process takes place. Further complicating this analysis are the interrelationships of the various parts of the environment that might be impacted by the chosen course of action. Sometimes it is almost impossible to predict the various outcomes of a course of action, due to the unexpected consequences and the amount of unknowns that are not accounted for in the benefit-cost analysis.{{citation needed|date=May 2016}}
===Improving on economic and social aspects===
{{Further|Corporate sustainability|Sustainable business}}


It has been suggested that because of the [[rural poverty]] and [[overexploitation]], environmental resources should be treated as important economic assets, called [[natural capital]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Barbier |first=Edward B. |url=http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/economics/economic-development-and-growth/natural-resources-and-economic-development?format=HB |title=Natural Resources and Economic Development |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2006 |isbn=9780521706513 |location= |pages=44–45 |access-date=8 April 2014}}</ref> Economic development has traditionally required a growth in the gross domestic product. This model of unlimited personal and GDP growth may be over. Sustainable development may involve improvements in the quality of life for many but may necessitate a decrease in [[resource consumption]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Brown|first=L. R.|title=World on the Edge|publisher=Norton|year=2011|isbn=978-0-393-08029-2|series=Earth Policy Institute}}</ref> "Growth" generally ignores the direct effect that the environment may have on social welfare, whereas "development" takes it into account.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/243768263 |title=Sustainable development concepts |last=Pezzey |first=John |publisher=The World Bank |date=November 1992 |website=Researchgate |access-date=16 October 2022}}</ref>
====Energy====
{{Main|Smart grid|Sustainable energy}}
Sustainable energy is clean and can be used over a long period of time. Unlike fossil fuels that most countries are using, renewable energy only produces little or even no pollution.<ref>Fainstein, Susan S. 2000. "New Directions in Planning Theory," ''Urban Affairs Review'' 35:4 (March)</ref> The most common types of [[renewable energy]] in US are hydroelectric, solar and wind energy. [[Solar energy]] is commonly used on public parking meters, street lights and the roof of buildings.<ref>Bedsworf, Louise W. and Ellen Hanak. 2010. "Adaptation to Climate Change, "Journal of the American Planning Association, 76:4.</ref> [[Wind power]] has expanded quickly, it's share of worldwide electricity usage at the end of 2014 was 3.1%.<ref>http://www.ren21.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/REN12-GSR2015_Onlinebook_low1.pdf pg31</ref> Most of California’s fossil fuel infrastructures are sited in or near low-income communities, and have traditionally suffered the most from California’s fossil fuel energy system. These communities are historically left out during the decision-making process, and often end up with dirty power plants and other dirty energy projects that poison the air and harm the area. These toxicants are major contributors to health problems in the communities. As renewable energy becomes more common, fossil fuel infrastructures are replaced by renewables, providing better social equity to these communities.<ref>Campbell, Scott. 1996. "Green Cities, Growing Cities, Just Cities?: Urban planning and the Contradictions of Sustainable Development," Journal of the American Planning Association</ref>
Overall, and in the long run, sustainable development in the field of energy is also deemed to contribute to economic sustainability and national security of communities, thus being increasingly encouraged through investment policies.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Farah|first1=Paolo Davide|title=Sustainable Energy Investments and National Security: Arbitration and Negotiation Issues|journal=JOURNAL OF WORLD ENERGY LAW AND BUSINESS|date=2015|volume=8|issue=6|url=http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2695579|accessdate=26 November 2015}}</ref>


As early as the 1970s, the concept of sustainability was used to describe an economy "in equilibrium with basic ecological support systems".<ref>[[Robert L. Stivers|Stivers, R.]] 1976. The Sustainable Society: Ethics and Economic Growth. Philadelphia: [[Westminster John Knox Press|Westminster Press]].</ref> Scientists in many fields have highlighted ''[[The Limits to Growth]]'',<ref>Meadows, D.H., D.L. Meadows, J. Randers, and W.W. Behrens III. 1972. The Limits to Growth. Universe Books, New York, NY. {{ISBN|0-87663-165-0}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Meadows|first1=D.H.|title=Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update|last2=Randers|first2=Jørgen|last3=Meadows|first3=D.L.|publisher=Chelsea Green Publishing|year=2004|isbn=978-1-931498-58-6}}</ref> and economists have presented alternatives, for example a '[[steady-state economy]]', to address concerns over the impacts of expanding human development on the planet.<ref name="hd01">{{cite book |last=Daly |first=Herman E. |author-link=Herman Daly |title=Steady-state economics |date=1992 |publisher=Earthscan Publications |edition=2nd |location=London}}</ref> In 1987, the economist [[Edward Barbier]] published the study ''The Concept of Sustainable Economic Development'', where he recognized that goals of environmental conservation and economic development are not conflicting and can be reinforcing each other.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Barbier|first=E.|year=1987|title=The Concept of Sustainable Economic Development|journal=Environmental Conservation|volume=14|issue=2|pages=101–110|doi=10.1017/S0376892900011449|bibcode=1987EnvCo..14..101B |s2cid=145595791 }}</ref>
====Manufacturing====
{{Main|Green manufacturing|Distributed manufacturing}}


A [[World Bank]] study from 1999 concluded that based on the theory of genuine savings (defined as "traditional net savings less the value of [[resource depletion]] and environmental degradation plus the value of investment in [[human capital]]"), policymakers have many possible interventions to increase sustainability, in [[macroeconomics]] or purely environmental.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Hamilton|first1=K.|last2=Clemens|first2=M.|year=1999|title=Genuine savings rates in developing countries|journal=World Bank Economic Review|volume=13|issue=2|pages=333–356|citeseerx=10.1.1.452.7532|doi=10.1093/wber/13.2.333}}</ref> Several studies have noted that efficient policies for renewable energy and pollution are compatible with increasing human welfare, eventually reaching a golden-rule{{Clarify|date=September 2021}} steady state.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Ayong Le Kama|first=A. D.|year=2001|title=Sustainable growth renewable resources, and pollution|journal=Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control|volume=25|issue=12|pages=1911–1918|doi=10.1016/S0165-1889(00)00007-5}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Chichilnisky|first1=G.|last2=Heal|first2=G.|last3=Beltratti|first3=A.|year=1995|title=A Green Golden Rule|journal=Economics Letters|volume=49|issue=2|pages=175–179|doi=10.1016/0165-1765(95)00662-Y|s2cid=154964259|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Endress|first1=L.|last2=Roumasset|first2=J.|year=1994|title=Golden rules for sustainable resource management|url=http://www.economics.hawaii.edu/research/workingpapers/88-98/WP_93-19.pdf|journal=Economic Record|volume=70|issue=210|pages=266–277|doi=10.1111/j.1475-4932.1994.tb01847.x}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Endress|first1=L.|last2=Roumasset|first2=J.|last3=Zhou|first3=T.|year=2005|title=Sustainable Growth with Environmental Spillovers|journal=Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization|volume=58|issue=4|pages=527–547|citeseerx=10.1.1.529.5305|doi=10.1016/j.jebo.2004.09.003}}</ref>
====Technology====
{{See also|Appropriate technology|Environmental engineering|Environmental technology}}
One of the core concepts in sustainable development is that technology can be used to assist people meet their developmental needs. Technology to meet these sustainable development needs is often referred to as [[appropriate technology]], which is an ideological movement (and its manifestations) originally articulated as [[intermediate technology]] by the economist [[E. F. Schumacher]] in his influential work, ''[[Small is Beautiful]].'' and now covers a wide range of technologies.<ref name=BrownU>{{cite book|title=Appropriate Technology: Tools, Choices, and Implications|year=1999|publisher=Academic Press|location=New York|isbn=0-12-335190-1|pages=3, 270|url=http://www.amazon.com/dp/0123351901|author=Hazeltine, B.|author2=Bull, C.}}</ref> Both Schumacher and many modern-day proponents of appropriate technology also emphasise the technology as people-centered.<ref name=Akubue>{{cite journal|last=Akubue|first=Anthony|title=Appropriate Technology for Socioeconomic Development in Third World Countries|journal=The Journal of Technology Studies|date=Winter–Spring 2000|volume=26|issue=1|pages=33–43|url=http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JOTS/Winter-Spring-2000/akabue.html|accessdate=March 2011}}</ref> Today appropriate technology is often developed using [[open source]] principles, which have led to [[open-source appropriate technology]] (OSAT) and thus many of the plans of the technology can be freely found on the [[Internet]].<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Pearce | first1 = Joshua M. | year = 2012 | title = The Case for Open Source Appropriate Technology | url =https://www.academia.edu/1517361/The_Case_for_Open_Source_Appropriate_Technology | journal = Environment, Development and Sustainability | volume = 14 | issue = 3| pages = 425–431 | doi = 10.1007/s10668-012-9337-9 }}</ref> OSAT has been proposed as a new model of enabling [[innovation]] for sustainable development.<ref>Pearce J., Albritton S., Grant G., Steed G., & Zelenika I. 2012. [http://sspp.proquest.com/archives/vol8iss2/1012-067.pearce.html A new model for enabling innovation in appropriate technology for sustainable development]. ''Sustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy'' 8(2), pp. 42-53, 2012.</ref><ref>I. Zelenika and J.M. Pearce, [https://www.academia.edu/9013667/Innovation_Through_Collaboration_Scaling_up_Technological_Solutions_for_Sustainable_Development Innovation Through Collaboration: Scaling up Technological Solutions for Sustainable Development], ''Environment, Development and Sustainability'' 16(6): 1299-1316 (2014). {{DOI|10.1007/s10668-014-9528-7}}</ref>


A meta review in 2002 looked at environmental and economic valuations and found a "lack of concrete understanding of what "sustainability policies" might entail in practice".<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Pezzey|first1=John C. V.|last2=Michael A.|first2=Toman|year=2002|title=The Economics of Sustainability: A Review of Journal Articles |website=Resources for the Future |url=http://www.rff.org/documents/rff-dp-02-03.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408214704/http://www.rff.org/documents/rff-dp-02-03.pdf|archive-date=8 April 2014|access-date=8 April 2014}}</ref> A study concluded in 2007 that knowledge, manufactured and human capital (health and education) has not compensated for the degradation of natural capital in many parts of the world.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Dasgupta|first=P.|year=2007|title=The idea of sustainable development|journal=[[Sustainability Science]]|volume=2|issue=1|pages=5–11|doi=10.1007/s11625-007-0024-y|bibcode=2007SuSc....2....5D |s2cid=154597956}}</ref> It has been suggested that intergenerational equity can be incorporated into a sustainable development and decision making, as has become common in economic valuations of [[Economic analysis of climate change|climate economics]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Heal|first=G.|year=2009|title=Climate Economics: A Meta-Review and Some Suggestions for Future Research|journal=Review of Environmental Economics and Policy|volume=3|issue=1|pages=4–21|doi=10.1093/reep/ren014|s2cid=154917782}}</ref>
====Transport====
{{See also|Sustainable transport}}
Transportation is a large contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. It is said that one-third of all gasses produced are due to transportation.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|title = Sustainable Transport in Freiburg: Lessons from Germany’s Environmental Capital|last = Buehler|first = Ralph|date = 2011|journal = International Journal of Sustainable Transportation<!-- 23:04:16-->|doi = 10.1080/15568311003650531|pmid = |last2 = Pucher|first2 = John|volume=5|pages=43–70}}</ref> Motorized transport also releases exhaust fumes that contain particulate matter which is hazardous to human health and a contributor to climate change.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ledsgp.org/resource/leds-practice-breathe-clean/?loclang=en_gb|title=LEDS in Practice: Breathe clean|work=The Low Emission Development Strategies Global Partnership}}</ref>


The [[World Business Council for Sustainable Development]] published a Vision 2050 document in 2021 to show "How business can lead the transformations the world needs". The vision states that "we envision a world in which 9+billion people can live well, within [[planetary boundaries]], by 2050."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vision 2050 - Time to transform |url=https://timetotransform.biz/ |access-date=2022-03-29 |publisher=WBCSD |language=en-US}}</ref> This report was highlighted by ''[[The Guardian]]'' as "the largest concerted corporate sustainability action plan to date – include reversing the damage done to ecosystems, addressing rising [[greenhouse gas emissions]] and ensuring societies move to sustainable agriculture."<ref name="Wills">{{cite news |last1=Wills |first1=Jackie |title=World Business Council for Sustainable Development: Vision 2050 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/sustainability-case-studies-world-business-council |access-date=17 May 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=15 May 2014 |language=en}}</ref>
Sustainable transport has many social and economic benefits that can accelerate local sustainable development. According to a series of reports by the [[Low Emission Development Strategies Global Partnership (LEDS GP)]], sustainable transport can help create jobs,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ledsgp.org/resource/leds-practice-create-jobs/?loclang=en_gb|title=LEDS in Practice: Create jobs|work=The Low Emission Development Strategies Global Partnership}}</ref> improve commuter safety through investment in bicycle lanes and pedestrian pathways,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ledsgp.org/resource/leds-practice-make-roads-safe/?loclang=en_gb|title=LEDS in Practice: Make roads safe|work=The Low Emission Development Strategies Global Partnership}}</ref> make access to employment and social opportunities more affordable and efficient. It also offers a practical opportunity to save people’s time and household income as well as government budgets,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ledsgp.org/resource/leds-practice-save-time-money/?loclang=en_gb|title=LEDS in Practice: Save money and time|work=The Low Emission Development Strategies Global Partnership}}</ref> making investment in sustainable transport a 'win-win' opportunity.


== Barriers ==
Some western countries are making transportation more sustainable in both long-term and short-term implementations.<ref>Barbour, Elissa and Elizabeth A. Deakin. 2012. "Smart Growth Planning for Climate Protection"</ref> An example is the modifications in available transportation in [[Freiburg im Breisgau|Freiburg, Germany]]. The city has implemented extensive methods of public transportation, cycling, and walking, along with large areas where cars are not allowed.<ref name=":0" />
{{excerpt|Sustainability#Barriers}}


== Assessments and reactions ==
Since many western countries are highly automobile-orientated areas, the main transit that people use is personal vehicles. About 80% of their travel involves cars.<ref name=":0" /> Therefore, California, is one of the highest [[greenhouse gases]] emitters in the United States. The federal government has to come up with some plans to reduce the total number of vehicle trips in order to lower greenhouse gases emission. Such as:
{{Main|Sustainability#Assessments and reactions}}
{{Further|Weak and strong sustainability|Degrowth|Eco-economic decoupling}}


The concept of sustainable development has been and still is, subject to criticism, including the question of what is to be sustained in sustainable development. It has been argued that there is no such thing as sustainable use of a [[non-renewable resource]], since any positive rate of exploitation will eventually lead to the exhaustion of earth's finite stock;<ref name="kt01">{{cite book |last=Turner |first=R. Kerry |title=Sustainable Environmental Management. |date=1988 |publisher=Belhaven Press |editor-last=Turner |editor-first=R. Kerry |location=London |chapter=Sustainability, Resource Conservation and Pollution Control: An Overview}}</ref>{{rp|13}} this perspective renders the [[Industrial Revolution]] as a whole unsustainable.<ref name="ngr01">{{cite book |last=Georgescu-Roegen |first=Nicholas |author-link=Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen |url=https://archive.org/details/entropylawe00nich |title=The Entropy Law and the Economic Process |date=1971 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0674257801 |location=Cambridge |format=Full book accessible at Scribd}}</ref>{{rp|20f}}<ref name="jr01">{{cite book |last=Rifkin |first=Jeremy |author-link=Jeremy Rifkin |url=http://www.foet.org/FOET-data/uploads/2017/03/Jeremy-Rifkin-Entropy-table-of-contents.pdf |title=Entropy: A New World View. |date=1980 |publisher=The Viking Press |isbn=978-0670297177 |location=New York |format=PDF contains only the title and contents pages of the book}}</ref>{{rp|61–67}}<ref name="hd01" />{{rp|22f}}
* Improve public transit through the provision of larger coverage area in order to provide more mobility and accessibility, new technology to provide a more reliable and responsive public transportation network.<ref>Murthy, A.S. Narasimha Mohle, Henry. [http://site.ebrary.com/lib/alltitles/docDetail.action?docID=10447877&p00=transportation%20improvement Transportation Engineering Basics (2nd Edition)]. (American Society of Cilil Engineers 2001).</ref>
* Encourage walking and biking through the provision of wider pedestrian pathway, bike share station in commercial downtown, locate parking lot far from the shopping center, limit on street parking, slower traffic lane in downtown area.
* Increase the cost of car ownership and gas taxes through increased parking fees and tolls, encouraging people to drive more fuel efficient vehicles. They can produce social equity problem, since lower people usually drive older vehicles with lower fuel efficiency. Government can use the extra revenue collected from taxes and tolls to improve the public transportation and benefit the poor community.<ref>Levine, Jonathan. 2013. "Urban Transportation and Social Equity: Transportation Planning Paradigms that Impede Policy Reform," in Naomi Carmon and Susan S. Fainstein, eds. Policy, Planning and people: promoting Justice in Urban Development (Penn)</ref>


The sustainable development debate is based on the assumption that societies need to manage three types of capital (economic, social, and natural), which may be non-substitutable and whose consumption might be irreversible.<ref name="Dyllick, T. 2002">{{cite journal |last1=Dyllick |first1=T. |last2=Hockerts |first2=K. |year=2002 |title=Beyond the business case for corporate sustainability |journal=Business Strategy and the Environment |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=130–141 |doi=10.1002/bse.323}}</ref> [[Natural capital]] can not necessarily be substituted by economic capital.<ref name="hd01" /> While it is possible that we can find ways to replace some natural resources, it is much less likely that they will ever be able to replace [[ecosystem service]]s, such as the protection provided by the ozone layer, or the climate stabilizing function of the Amazonian forest.
Other states and nations have built efforts to [[knowledge translation|translate knowledge]] in [[behavioral economics]] into [[evidence-based]] [[sustainable transportation]] policies.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}


The concept of sustainable development has been criticized from different angles. While some see it as paradoxical (or an [[oxymoron]]) and regard development as inherently unsustainable, others are disappointed in the lack of progress that has been achieved so far.<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":15" /> Part of the problem is that "development" itself is not consistently defined.<ref name=":10" />{{RP|16}}<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last=Park |first=Albert Sanghoon |date=2023 |title=Understanding resilience in sustainable development: Rallying call or siren song? |journal=Sustainable Development |volume=32 |pages=260–274 |doi=10.1002/sd.2645 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
====Business====


The vagueness of the Brundtland definition of sustainable development has been criticized as follows:<ref name=":10" />{{RP|17}} The definition has "opened up the possibility of downplaying sustainability. Hence, governments spread the message that we can have it all at the same time, i.e. economic growth, prospering societies and a healthy environment. No new ethic is required. This so-called weak version of sustainability is popular among governments, and businesses, but profoundly wrong and not even [[Weak and strong sustainability|weak]], as there is no alternative to preserving the earth's ecological integrity."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bosselmann |first=Klaus |title=The principle of sustainability: transforming law and governance |publisher=Routledge |date=2017 |isbn=978-1-4724-8128-3 |edition=2nd |location=London |oclc=951915998}}</ref>{{RP|2}}
{{See also|Corporate sustainability}}
The most broadly accepted criterion for corporate sustainability constitutes a firm’s efficient use of natural capital. This [[eco-efficiency]] is usually calculated as the economic value added by a firm in relation to its aggregated ecological impact.<ref>Schaltegger, S. & Sturm, A. 1998. Eco-Efficiency by Eco-Controlling. Zürich: vdf.</ref> This idea has been popularised by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development ([[WBCSD]]) under the following definition: "Eco-efficiency is achieved by the delivery of competitively priced goods and services that satisfy human needs and bring quality of life, while progressively reducing ecological impacts and [[resource intensity]] throughout the life-cycle to a level at least in line with the earth’s carrying capacity." (DeSimone and Popoff, 1997: 47)<ref>DeSimone, L. & Popoff, F. 1997. Eco-efficiency: The business link to sustainable development. Cambridge: MIT Press.</ref>


Scholars have stated that ''sustainable development'' is open-ended, much critiqued as ambiguous, incoherent, and therefore easily appropriated.''<ref name=":3" />''
Similar to the eco-efficiency concept but so far less explored is the second criterion for corporate sustainability. Socio-efficiency<ref name="Dyllick, T. 2002">Dyllick, T. & Hockerts, K. 2002. Beyond the business case for corporate sustainability. Business Strategy and the Environment, 11(2): 130–141.</ref> describes the relation between a firm's value added and its social impact. Whereas, it can be assumed that most corporate impacts on the environment are negative (apart from rare exceptions such as the planting of trees) this is not true for social impacts. These can be either positive (e.g. corporate giving, creation of employment) or negative (e.g. work accidents, mobbing of employees, human rights abuses). Depending on the type of impact socio-efficiency thus either tries to minimise negative social impacts (i.e. accidents per value added) or maximise positive social impacts (i.e. donations per value added) in relation to the value added.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}


== Society and culture ==
Both eco-efficiency and socio-efficiency are concerned primarily with increasing economic sustainability. In this process they instrumentalise both natural and social capital aiming to benefit from win-win situations. However, as Dyllick and Hockerts<ref name="Dyllick, T. 2002"/> point out the business case alone will not be sufficient to realise sustainable development. They point towards eco-effectiveness, socio-effectiveness, sufficiency, and eco-equity as four criteria that need to be met if sustainable development is to be reached.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}


=== Sustainable development goals ===
====Income====
[[File:Sustainable Development Goals.png|thumb|right|The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals]]Sustainable development is the foundational concept of the [[Sustainable Development Goals]] (SDGs). Policies to achieve the SDGs are meant to [[Policy coherence for development|cohere]] around this concept.''<ref name=":3" />''{{excerpt|Sustainable Development Goals|paragraphs=1-3|file=no}}


=== Education for sustainable development ===
At the present time, sustainable development, along with the solidarity called for in [[Catholic social teaching]], can reduce [[poverty]]. While over many thousands of years the ‘stronger’ (economically or physically) overcame the weaker, nowadays for various reasons - Catholic social teaching, [[social solidarity]], sustainable development – the stronger helps the weaker. This aid may take various forms. ‘The Stronger’ offers real help rather than striving for the elimination or annihilation of the other. Sustainable development reduces [[poverty]] through financial (among other things, a balanced budget), environmental (living conditions), and social (including equality of income) means.<ref>[http://wydawnictwoumk.pl/czasopisma/index.php/CJFA/article/view/CJFA.2014.001/3213 S. Adamiak, D. Walczak, Catholic social teaching, sustainable development and social solidarism in the context of social security, Copernican Journal of Finance & Accounting, Vol 3, No 1, p. 12,17.]</ref>
Education for sustainable development (ESD) is a term officially used by the [[United Nations]]. It is defined as education practices that encourage changes in knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes to enable a more sustainable and just society for humanity. ESD aims to empower and equip current and future generations to meet their needs using a balanced and integrated approach to sustainable development's economic, social, and environmental dimensions.<ref name="UNESCO">{{Cite book|url=https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000261445|title=Issues and trends in education for sustainable development|publisher=UNESCO Digital Library |year=2018|isbn=978-92-3-100244-1|location=Paris|pages=7}}{{CC-notice|cc=by4}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kolvoord |first1=Robert A |title=Fostering spatial thinking skills for future citizens to support sustainable development |journal=Cultures of Science |date=2021 |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=17–24 |doi=10.1177/20966083211024714 |doi-access=free}}</ref>


[[Agenda 21]] was the first international document that identified education as an essential tool for achieving sustainable development and highlighted areas of action for education.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Leicht |first=Alexander |date=2018 |title=From Agenda 21 to Target 4.7: the development of education for sustainable development |url=https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000261801 |access-date=2020-05-24 |website=[[UNESCO]], UNESDOC Digital Library}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Bernad-Cavero|first1=Olga|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hwiQDwAAQBAJ&q=Agenda+21+was+the+first+international+document+that+identified+education+as+an+essential+tool+for+achieving+sustainable+development+and+highlighted+areas+of+action+for+education.&pg=PA27|title=New Pedagogical Challenges in the 21st Century: Contributions of Research in Education|last2=Llevot-Calvet|first2=Núria|date=2018-07-04|publisher=BoD – Books on Demand|isbn=978-1-78923-380-3|language=en}}</ref> ESD is a component of measurement in an indicator for [[Sustainable Development Goal 12]] (SDG) for "responsible consumption and production". SDG 12 has 11 targets, and target 12.8 is "By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature."<ref>United Nations (2017) Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 6 July 2017, [[:File:A RES 71 313 E.pdf|Work of the Statistical Commission pertaining to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development]] ([https://undocs.org/A/RES/71/313 A/RES/71/313] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023121826/https://undocs.org/A/RES/71/313 |date=23 October 2020 }})</ref> 20 years after the Agenda 21 document was declared, the 'Future we want' document was proclaimed in the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, stating that "We resolve to promote education for sustainable development and to integrate sustainable development more actively into education beyond the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development."<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Shulla |first1=K. |last2=Filho |first2=W. Leal |last3=Lardjane |first3=S. |last4=Sommer |first4=J. H. |last5=Borgemeister |first5=C. |title=Sustainable development education in the context of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development |journal=International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology |date=3 July 2020 |volume=27 |issue=5 |pages=458–468 |doi=10.1080/13504509.2020.1721378 |bibcode=2020IJSDW..27..458S |s2cid=214390476 |url=https://e-space.mmu.ac.uk/625146/1/Deposit.Sustainable%20development%20education%20in%20the%20context%20of%20the%202030%20Agenda%20for%20sustainable%20development.pdf }}</ref>
====Architecture====


One version of education for Sustainable Development recognizes modern-day environmental challenges. It seeks to define new ways to adjust to a changing biosphere, as well as engage individuals to address societal issues that come with them <ref>{{Cite book |title=Schooling for sustainable development in Europe: concepts, policies and educational experiences at the end of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development |editor=Jucker, Rolf |editor2=Mathar, Reiner |date=27 October 2014|isbn=978-3-319-09549-3|location=Cham, Switzerland |oclc=894509040}}</ref> In the International Encyclopedia of Education, this approach to education is seen as an attempt to "shift consciousness toward an ethics of life-giving relationships that respects the interconnectedness of man to his natural world" to equip future members of society with environmental awareness and a sense of responsibility to sustainability.<ref>{{Citation |entry= |title=International encyclopedia of education|date=2010|publisher=Elsevier |editor=Peterson, Penelope L. |editor2=Baker, Eva L. |editor3=McGaw, Barry |isbn=978-0-08-044894-7 |edition=3rd|location=Oxford|oclc=645208716}}</ref>
{{See also|Sustainable architecture}}
In sustainable architecture the recent movements of [[New Urbanism]] and [[New Classical architecture]] promote a sustainable approach towards construction, that appreciates and develops [[smart growth]], [[Vernacular architecture|architectural tradition]] and [[Classical architecture|classical design]].<ref>[http://www.cnu.org/charter Charter of the New Urbanism]</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Beauty, Humanism, Continuity between Past and Future|url=http://www.traditionalarchitecture.co.uk/aims.html|publisher=Traditional Architecture Group|accessdate=23 March 2014}}</ref> This in contrast to [[Modern architecture|modernist]] and [[International Style (architecture)|International Style]] architecture, as well as opposing to solitary [[housing estate]]s and [[Urban sprawl|suburban sprawl]], with long commuting distances and large ecological footprints.<ref>[http://www.aia.org/SiteObjects/files/smartgrowth05.pdf Issue Brief: Smart-Growth: Building Livable Communities]. American Institute of Architects. Retrieved on 2014-03-23.</ref> Both trends started in the 1980s. (It should be noted that sustainable architecture is predominantly relevant to the economics domain while architectural landscaping pertains more to the ecological domain.){{citation needed|date=March 2015}}


For [[UNESCO]], education for sustainable development involves:
===Politics===
{{blockquote|integrating key sustainable development issues into teaching and learning. This may include, for example, instruction about [[climate change]], [[disaster risk reduction]], [[biodiversity]], and [[poverty reduction]] and [[sustainable consumption]]. It also requires participatory teaching and learning methods that motivate and empower learners to change their behaviours and take action for sustainable development. ESD consequently promotes competencies like critical thinking, imagining future scenarios and making decisions in a collaborative way.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/education-for-sustainable-development|title=Education for Sustainable Development|website=UNESCO|date=10 May 2013|access-date=17 October 2017}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite book|url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002330/233030e.pdf|title=Unleashing the Potential: Transforming Technical and Vocational Education and Training|last1=Marope|first1=P.T.M|last2=Chakroun|first2=B.|last3=Holmes|first3=K.P.|publisher=UNESCO|year=2015|isbn=978-92-3-100091-1|pages=9, 23, 25–26}}</ref>}}
{{See also|Environmental politics|Environmental governance|Sustainability metrics and indices}}
The Thessaloniki Declaration, presented at the "International Conference on Environment and Society: Education and Public Awareness for Sustainability" by [[UNESCO]] and the Government of Greece (December 1997), highlights the importance of sustainability not only with regards to the natural environment, but also with "poverty, health, food security, democracy, human rights, and peace".<ref>{{Cite book|date=2010|title=Education for Sustainable Development: Challenges, Strategies, and Practices in a Globalizing World Education for sustainable development: Challenges, strategies, and practices in a globalizing world|doi=10.4135/9788132108023|isbn=9788132102939|last1=Nikolopoulou |first1=Anastasia |last2=Abraham |first2=Taisha |last3=Mirbagheri |first3=Farid }}{{pn|date=July 2023}}</ref>
A study concluded that social indicators and, therefore, sustainable development indicators, are scientific constructs whose principal objective is to inform public policy-making.<ref>{{cite web|author=Paul-Marie Boulanger |url=http://sapiens.revues.org/index166.html |title=Sustainable development indicators: a scientific challenge, a democratic issue. '&#39;S.A.P.I.EN.S.'&#39; '&#39;'1'&#39;' (1) |publisher=Sapiens.revues.org |year=2008 |accessdate=2011-09-28}}</ref> The [[International Institute for Sustainable Development]] has similarly developed a political policy framework, linked to a sustainability index for establishing measurable entities and metrics. The framework consists of six core areas, international trade and investment, economic policy, climate change and energy, measurement and assessment, natural resource management, and the role of communication technologies in sustainable development.


== See also ==
The [[United Nations Global Compact]] Cities Programme has defined sustainable political development is a way that broadens the usual definition beyond states and governance. The political is defined as the domain of practices and meanings associated with basic issues of social power as they pertain to the organisation, authorisation, legitimation and regulation of a social life held in common. This definition is in accord with the view that political change is important for responding to economic, ecological and cultural challenges. It also means that the politics of economic change can be addressed. They have listed seven subdomains of the domain of politics:<ref name="citiesprogramme.com"/>
{{Portal|Engineering|Environment}}

* {{annotated link|List of sustainability topics}}
#Organization and governance
* {{annotated link|Outline of sustainability}}
#Law and justice
* {{annotated link|Policy coherence for development}}
#Communication and critique
* {{annotated link|Sustainability measurement}}
#Representation and negotiation
* {{annotated link|United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development}}
#Security and accord
* [[Sustainable remediation]]
#Dialogue and reconciliation
* [[Digital public goods]]
#Ethics and accountability

This accords with the Brundtland Commission emphasis on development that is guided by human rights principles (see above).

===Culture===
{{refimprove section|date=June 2014}}
[[File:Circles of Sustainability image (assessment - Melbourne 2011).jpg|250px|thumb|Framing of sustainable development progress according to the [[Circles of Sustainability]], used by the [[United Nations Global Compact|United Nations]].]]
Working with a different emphasis, some researchers and institutions have pointed out that a fourth dimension should be added to the dimensions of sustainable development, since the triple-bottom-line dimensions of economic, environmental and social do not seem to be enough to reflect the complexity of contemporary society. In this context, the [[Agenda 21 for culture]] and the [[United Cities and Local Governments]] (UCLG) Executive Bureau lead the preparation of the policy statement "Culture: Fourth Pillar of Sustainable Development", passed on 17 November 2010, in the framework of the World Summit of Local and Regional Leaders&nbsp;– 3rd World Congress of UCLG, held in Mexico City. although some which still argue that economics is primary, and culture and politics should be included in 'the social'. This document inaugurates a new perspective and points to the relation between culture and sustainable development through a dual approach: developing a solid [[cultural policy]] and advocating a cultural dimension in all public policies. The [[Circles of Sustainability]] approach distinguishes the four domains of economic, ecological, political and cultural sustainability.<ref name="agenda21culture.net">United Cites and Local Governments, [http://agenda21culture.net/index.php/16-official-documentation-all/agenda-21-culture-all/437-cultural-policies-and-sustainable-development "Culture: Fourth Pillar of Sustainable Development"].</ref><ref>http://www.uclg.org/en/node/21824</ref>

Other organizations have also supported the idea of a fourth domain of sustainable development. The Network of Excellence "Sustainable Development in a Diverse World",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.susdiv.org/ |title=Sus.Div |publisher=Sus.Div |accessdate=2011-09-28}}</ref> sponsored by the [[European Union]], integrates multidisciplinary capacities and interprets [[cultural diversity]] as a key element of a new strategy for sustainable development. The Fourth Pillar of Sustainable Development Theory has been referenced by executive director of IMI Institute at [[UNESCO]] Vito Di Bari<ref>"Agreement between UNESCO and the City of Milan concerning the International Multimedia Institute (IMI) - Appointment of Executive Director&nbsp;— UNESCO Archives ICA AtoM catalogue". Atom.archives.unesco.org. 1999-10-08. Retrieved 2014-01-17.</ref> in his manifesto of art and architectural movement [[Neo-Futurism]], whose name was inspired by the 1987 [[United Nations]]’ report [[Our Common Future]]. The [[Circles of Sustainability]] approach used by Metropolis defines the (fourth) cultural domain as practices, discourses, and material expressions, which, over time, express continuities and discontinuities of social meaning.<ref name="citiesprogramme.com">http://citiesprogramme.com/archives/resource/circles-of-sustainability-urban-profile-process {{Cite journal
| year=2013 |author1=Liam Magee |author2=Andy Scerri |author3=Paul James |author4=James A. Thom |author5=Lin Padgham |author6=Sarah Hickmott |author7=Hepu Deng |author8=Felicity Cahill | title=Reframing social sustainability reporting: Towards an engaged approach | url=http://www.academia.edu/4362669/Reframing_Social_Sustainability_Reporting_Towards_an_Engaged_Approach | doi=10.1007/s10668-012-9384-2 | journal=Environment, Development and Sustainability | publisher= Springer | volume=15 | pages=225–243
}}</ref>

==Themes==
{{original research|section|date=April 2014}}

===Progress===
{{See also|Sustainable development goals}}
The [[United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development]] (UNCSD; also known as Rio 2012) was the third international conference on sustainable development, which aimed at reconciling the economic and environmental goals of the global community. An outcome of this conference was the development of the [[Sustainable Development Goals]] that aim to promote sustainable progress and eliminate inequalities around the world. However, few nations met the [[World Wide Fund for Nature]]'s definition of sustainable development criteria established in 2006.<ref>{{cite web |title= Living Planet Report 2006 |url= http://assets.panda.org/downloads/living_planet_report.pdf |publisher= [[World Wide Fund for Nature]], [[Zoological Society of London]], [[Global Footprint Network]] |date= 24 October 2006 |page= 19 |accessdate= 18 August 2012 }}; [http://www.science.org.au/nova/newscientist/107ns_004.htm World failing on sustainable development]</ref> Although some nations are more developed than others, all nations are constantly developing because each nation struggles with perpetuating disparities, inequalities and unequal access to fundamental rights and freedoms.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Creating Capabilities: The Human Development Approach|last = Nussbaum|first = Martha|publisher = The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press|year = 2011|isbn = 978-0-674-05054-9|location = Cambridge, Massachusetts and London, England|pages = 16}}</ref>

===Measurement===
{{Main|Ecological footprint|Sustainability measurement}}
[[Image:Amazonie deforestation.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Deforestation and increased road-building in the [[Amazon Rainforest]] are a concern because of increased human encroachment upon [[wilderness]] areas, increased resource extraction and further threats to [[biodiversity]].]]
In 2007 a report for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency stated: "While much discussion and effort has gone into sustainability indicators, none of the resulting systems clearly tells us whether our society is sustainable. At best, they can tell us that we are heading in the wrong direction, or that our current activities are not sustainable. More often, they simply draw our attention to the existence of problems, doing little to tell us the origin of those problems and nothing to tell us how to solve them."<ref>[http://www.scribd.com/doc/1841126/Environmental-Protection-Agency-hechtepaordpaper Joy E. Hecht, Can Indicators and Accounts Really Measure Sustainability? Considerations for the U.S. Environmental Protection]</ref> Nevertheless, a majority of authors assume that a set of well defined and harmonised indicators is the only way to make sustainability tangible. Those indicators are expected to be identified and adjusted through empirical observations (trial and error).<ref>{{cite journal | year = 2006 | title = An adaptive learning process for developing and applying sustainability indicators with local communities | url = http://km.fao.org/uploads/media/An%20adaptative%20learning%20process%20for%20developing%20and%20applying%20sustainability%20indicators%20with%20local%20communities.pdf | format = PDF | journal = Ecological economics | volume = 59 | issue = | pages = 406–418 | doi=10.1016/j.ecolecon.2005.11.008}}</ref>

The most common critiques are related to issues like data quality, comparability, objective function and the necessary resources.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nse-netz.de/downloads/nachh.pdf |title=Annette Lang, Ist Nachhaltigkeit messbar?, Uni Hannover, 2003 |format=PDF |accessdate=2011-09-28}}</ref> However a more general criticism is coming from the project management community: How can a sustainable development be achieved at global level if we cannot monitor it in any single project?<ref>{{cite web|url=http://youth-partnership-eu.coe.int/youth-partnership/documents/Publications/T_kits/3/tkit3.pdf |title=Project Management T-kit, Council of Europe and European Commission, Strasbourg, 2000 |format=PDF |accessdate=2011-09-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.grida.no/publications/et/ep4/page/2653.aspx |title=Do global targets matter?, The Environment Times, Poverty Times #4, UNEP/GRID-Arendal, 2010 |publisher=Grida.no |accessdate=2011-09-28}}</ref>

The Cuban-born researcher and entrepreneur Sonia Bueno suggests an alternative approach that is based upon the integral, long-term cost-benefit relationship as a measure and monitoring tool for the sustainability of every project, activity or enterprise.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.empai-matanzas.co.cu/revista/REVISTA_archivos/Page969.htm |title=Sostenibilidad en la construcción. Calidad integral y rentabilidad en instalaciones hidro-sanitarias, Revista de Arquitectura e Ingeniería, Matanzas, 2009 |publisher=Empai-matanzas.co.cu |date=2009-01-17 |accessdate=2011-09-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.empai-matanzas.co.cu/revista/Vol.4%20No.3%20DICIEMBRE%202010.pdf |title=Transforming the water and waste water infrastructure into an efficient, profitable and sustainable system, Revista de Arquitectura e Ingeniería, Matanzas, 2010 |format=PDF |accessdate=2014-05-14}}</ref> Furthermore, this concept aims to be a practical guideline towards sustainable development following the principle of conservation and increment of value rather than restricting the consumption of resources.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}

Reasonable qualifications of sustainability are seen U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). This design incorporates some ecological, economic, and social elements. The goals presented by LEED design goals are sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmospheric emission reduction, material and resources efficiency, and indoor environmental quality. Although amount of structures for sustainability development is many, these qualification has become a standard for sustainable building.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}

Recent research efforts created also the [[SDEWES Centre#SDEWES Index|SDEWES Index]] to benchmark the performance of cities across aspects that are related to energy, water and environment systems. The [[SDEWES Centre|SDEWES]] Index consists of 7 dimensions, 35 indicators, and close to 20 sub-indicators. It is currently applied to 58 cities.<ref>{{Cite web|title = SDEWES Centre - SDEWES Index|url = http://www.sdewes.org/sdewes_index.php|website = www.sdewes.org|accessdate = 2015-10-17}}</ref>

===Natural capital===
[[File:Hillside deforestation in Rio de Janeiro.jpg|300px|thumb|alt=Deforastation of native rain forest in Rio de Janeiro City for extraction of clay for civil construction|[[Deforestation]] of native [[rain forest]] in Rio de Janeiro City for extraction of [[clay]] for [[civil engineering]] (2009 picture).]]
The sustainable development debate is based on the assumption that societies need to manage three types of capital (economic, social, and natural), which may be non-substitutable and whose consumption might be irreversible.<ref>Dyllick, T. & Hockerts, K. 2002. Beyond the business case for corporate sustainability. Business Strategy and the Environment, 11(2): 130–141</ref> Leading [[Ecological economics|ecological economist]] and [[Steady-state economy#Herman Daly's concept of a steady-state economy|steady-state theorist]] [[Herman Daly]],<ref name=hd01/> for example, points to the fact that [[natural capital]] can not necessarily be substituted by economic capital. While it is possible that we can find ways to replace some natural resources, it is much more unlikely that they will ever be able to replace eco-system services, such as the protection provided by the ozone layer, or the climate stabilizing function of the Amazonian forest. In fact natural capital, social capital and economic capital are often complementarities. A further obstacle to substitutability lies also in the multi-functionality of many natural resources. Forests, for example, not only provide the raw material for paper (which can be substituted quite easily), but they also maintain biodiversity, regulate water flow, and absorb CO2.{{citation needed|date=June 2014}}

Another problem of natural and social capital deterioration lies in their partial irreversibility. The loss in biodiversity, for example, is often definite. The same can be true for cultural diversity. For example, with globalisation advancing quickly the number of indigenous languages is dropping at alarming rates. Moreover, the depletion of natural and social capital may have non-linear consequences. Consumption of natural and social capital may have no observable impact until a certain threshold is reached. A lake can, for example, absorb nutrients for a long time while actually increasing its productivity. However, once a certain level of algae is reached lack of oxygen causes the lake’s ecosystem to break down suddenly.{{citation needed|date=June 2014}}

===Business-as-usual===
[[Image:Air .pollution 1.jpg|thumb|right|240px|Before [[flue-gas desulfurization]] was installed, the [[air pollution|air-polluting]] emissions from this power plant in [[New Mexico]] contained excessive amounts of [[sulfur dioxide]].]]
If the degradation of natural and social capital has such important consequence the question arises why action is not taken more systematically to alleviate it. Cohen and Winn<ref>Cohen, B. & Winn, M. I. 2007. Market imperfections, opportunity and sustainable entrepreneurship. Journal of Business Venturing, 22(1): 29–49.</ref> point to four types of market failure as possible explanations: First, while the benefits of natural or social capital depletion can usually be privatised, the costs are often externalised (i.e. they are borne not by the party responsible but by society in general). Second, natural capital is often undervalued by society since we are not fully aware of the real cost of the depletion of natural capital. Information asymmetry is a third reason—often the link between cause and effect is obscured, making it difficult for actors to make informed choices. Cohen and Winn close with the realization that contrary to economic theory many firms are not perfect optimisers. They postulate that firms often do not optimise resource allocation because they are caught in a "business as usual" mentality.{{citation needed|date=June 2014}}

== Criticism of the concept ==
It has been argued that since the 1960s, the concept of sustainable development has changed from 'conservation management' to 'economic development', whereby the original meaning of the concept has been stretched somewhat.<ref name=to01>{{cite book |last=O'Riordan |first=Timothy |date=1993 |chapter=The Politics of Sustainability |editor-last=Turner |editor-first=R. Kerry, ed. |title=Sustainable Environmental Economics and Management: Principles and Practice. |location=London |publisher=Belhaven Press }}</ref>{{rp|48–54}}

In the 1960s, the international community realised that many African countries needed national plans to safeguard wildlife habitats, and that rural areas had to confront the limits imposed by soil, climate and water availability. This was a strategy of conservation management. In the 70s, however, the focus shifted to the broader issues of the provisioning of basic human needs, community participation as well as appropriate technology use throughout the developing countries (and not just in Africa). This was a strategy of economic development, and the strategy was carried even further by the Brundtland Report when the issues went from regional to international in scope and application.<ref name=to01/>{{rp|48–54}} In effect, the conservationists were crowded out and superseded by the developers.

But shifting the focus of sustainable development from conservation to development has had the imperceptible effect of stretching the original forest management term of [[sustainable yield]] from the use of renewable resources only (like forestry), to now also accounting for the use of non-renewable resources (like [[Natural resource#Classification|minerals]]).<ref name=kt01>{{cite book |last=Turner |first=R. Kerry |date=1988 |chapter=Sustainability, Resource Conservation and Pollution Control: An Overview |editor-last=Turner |editor-first=R. Kerry, ed. |title=Sustainable Environmental Management. |location=London |publisher=Belhaven Press }}</ref>{{rp|13}} This stretching of the term has been questioned. Thus, environmental economist Kerry Turner has argued that literally, there can be no such thing as overall 'sustainable development' in an industrialised [[world economy]] that remains heavily dependent on the extraction of Earth's finite stock of exhaustible mineral resources:

{{cquote|It makes no sense to talk about the sustainable use of a non-renewable resource (even with substantial [[recycling]] effort and use rates). Any positive rate of exploitation will eventually lead to exhaustion of the finite stock.<ref name=kt01/>{{rp|13}}}}

In effect, it has been argued that the [[Industrial Revolution]] as a whole is unsustainable.<ref>{{cite book |last=Georgescu-Roegen |first=Nicholas |authorlink=Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen |date=1971 |title=The Entropy Law and the Economic Process. |url=http://www.locchiodiromolo.it/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/georgescu_enthropy_law_intro.pdf |format=PDF contains only the introductory chapter of the book |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=0674257804 }}</ref>{{rp|20f}} <ref name=hd01/>{{rp|22f}} <ref name=jr01>{{cite book |last=Rifkin |first=Jeremy |authorlink=Jeremy Rifkin |date=1980 |title=Entropy: A New World View. |url=http://www.foet.org/books/Entropy-toc.pdf |format=PDF contains only the title and contents pages of the book |location=New York |publisher=The Viking Press |isbn=0670297178 }}</ref>{{rp|61–67}}

==See also==
{{Columns-list|2|
*[[Applied sustainability]]
*[[Circular economy]]
*[[Computational sustainability]]
*[[Conservation biology]]
*[[Conservation development]]
*[[Cradle-to-cradle]]
*[[Ecological modernization]]
*[[Ecologically sustainable development]]
*[[Environmental issue]]
*[[Environmental justice]]
*[[Green development]]
*[[Micro-sustainability]]
*[[Outline of sustainability]]
*[[Regenerative design]]
*[[Social sustainability]]
*[[Sustainable coffee]]
*[[Sustainable fishery]]
*[[Sustainable forest management]]
*[[Sustainable land management]]
*[[Sustainable living]]
*[[Sustainable yield]]
*[[Sustainopreneurship]]
*[[Weak and strong sustainability]]
*[[Zero-carbon city]]
}}
{{Portal bar|Sustainable development|Environment|Ecology|Earth sciences|Renewable energy|Energy}}


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{Reflist}}


== External links ==
==Literature cited==
{{sisterlinks|Sustainability}}
{{refbegin|60em}}
* {{cite book|last=Blewitt|first=John|title=Understanding Sustainable Development|publisher=Routledge|date=2015|edition=Second}}
* [http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/ Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform of the UN]
* [http://unsdsn.org/ Sustainable Development Solutions Network]
* {{cite book|last=Finn|first=Donovan|title=Our Uncertain Future: Can Good Planning Create Sustainable Communities?|publisher=Ph.D. dissertation. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign|date=2009}}
* {{Cite book|title=The Age of Sustainable Development|last=Sachs|first=Jeffrey D.|publisher=Columbia University Press|year=2015|isbn=9780231173155|location=New York}}
{{refend}}


{{Navboxes
==Further reading==
|title=Other related articles
{{refbegin|60em}}
|state=show
* {{cite book|last=Ahmed|first=Faiz|title=An Examination of the Development Path Taken by Small Island Developing States
|list=
|url=http://www.islandvulnerability.org/m/ahmedm.pdf|year=2008}} (pp.&nbsp;17–26)
{{Sustainability|state=expanded}}
* Atkinson, G., S. Dietz, and E. Neumayer (2009). ''Handbook of Sustainable Development.'' Edward Elgar Publishing, ISBN 1848444729.
{{Human impact on the environment}}
* Bakari, Mohamed El-Kamel. "Globalization and Sustainable Development: False Twins?." New Global Studies 7.3: 23-56. ISSN (Online) 1940-0004, ISSN (Print) 2194-6566, DOI: 10.1515/ngs-2013-021, November 2013.
* {{cite book|editor=Bertelsmann Stiftung |url=http://www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de/cps/rde/xchg/SID-1B9BCB48-52BE5142/bst_engl/hs.xsl/nachrichten_119023.htm |title=''Winning Strategies for a Sustainable Future. Reinhard Mohn Prize 2013'' |publisher=Verlag Bertelsmann Stiftung, Gütersloh |year=2013 |isbn=978-3-86793-491-6}}
* Beyerlin, Ulrich. [http://www.mpepil.com/sample_article?id=/epil/entries/law-9780199231690-e1609&recno=13& Sustainable Development], ''Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law''
* Borowy, Iris. Defining Sustainable Development for Our Common Future. A history of the World Commission on Environment and Development (Brundtland Commission), Milton Park: Routledge, 2014.
* {{cite journal | year=2014 |author1=Cook, Sarah |author2=Esuna Dugarova |lastauthoramp=yes | title= Rethinking Social Development for a Post-2015 World | url= http://www.palgrave-journals.com/development/journal/v57/n1/full/dev201425a.html | journal= [[Society for International Development#SID Journal Development|Development]] | volume= 57 | issue= 1 |pages= 30–35 | doi=10.1057/dev.2014.25}}
* Danilov-Danil’yan, Victor I., Losev, K.S., Reyf, Igor E. [http://www.springer.com/environment/environmental+management/book/978-3-540-75249-3 ''Sustainable Development and the Limitation of Growth: Future Prospects for World Civilization.''] Transl. Vladimir Tumanov. Ed. Donald Rapp. New York: Springer Praxis Books, 2009. {{Google books |id=EgvoMe2vZuwC |title= }}
* Edwards, A.R., and B. McKibben (2010). ''Thriving Beyond Sustainability: Pathways to a Resilient Society.'' New Society Publishers, ISBN 0865716412.
*{{Cite journal|last1=Farah|first1=Paolo Davide|last2=Rossi|first2=Piercarlo|title=Energy: Policy, Legal and Social-Economic Issues Under the Dimensions of Sustainability and Security|journal=World Scientific Reference on Globalisation in Eurasia and the Pacific Rim|date=2015|url=http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2695701|accessdate=26 November 2015}}
* Huesemann, M.H., and J.A. Huesemann (2011). [http://www.newtechnologyandsociety.org ''Technofix: Why Technology Won’t Save Us or the Environment''], Chapter 6, "Sustainability or Collapse?", and Chapter 13, "The Design of Environmentally Sustainable and Socially Appropriate Technologies", New Society Publishers, ISBN 0865717044.
* {{Cite book | last1= James | first1= Paul | authorlink= Paul James (academic) | last2= Nadarajah | first2= Yaso | last3= Haive | first3= Karen | last4= Stead | first4= Victoria | title= Sustainable Communities, Sustainable Development: Other Paths for Papua New Guinea | url= http://www.academia.edu/3230875/Sustainable_Communities_Sustainable_Development_Other_Paths_for_Papua_New_Guinea_author_with_Nadarajah_Stead_and_Have_University_of_Hawaii_Press_Honolulu_2012 | year= 2012 | publisher= University of Hawaii Press | location= Honolulu }}
* {{Cite book | last1= James | first1= Paul | authorlink= Paul James (academic) | last2= with Magee | first2= Liam | last3= Scerri | first3= Andy | last4= Steger | first4= Manfred B. | title= Urban Sustainability in Theory and Practice: Circles of Sustainability | url= http://www.academia.edu/9294719/Urban_Sustainability_in_Theory_and_Practice_Circles_of_Sustainability_2015_ | year= 2015 | publisher= Routledge | location= London}}
* [[Jarzombek, Mark]], "Sustainability&nbsp;— Architecture: between Fuzzy Systems and Wicked Problems," Blueprints 21/1 (Winter 2003), pp.&nbsp;6–9.
* Li, Rita Yi Man. [http://onsustainability.com/2011/07/17/building-our-sustainable-cities-2/], ''Building Our Sustainable Cities" Illinois, Published by Common Ground Publishing.
* {{cite journal | last1 = Raudsepp-Hearne | first1 = C | last2 = Peterson | first2 = GD | last3 = Tengö | first3 = M | last4 = Bennett | first4 = EM | last5 = Holland | first5 = T | last6 = Benessaiah | first6 = K | last7 = MacDonald | first7 = GM | last8 = Pfeifer | first8 = L | year = 2010 | title = Untangling the Environmentalist's Paradox: Why is Human Well-Being Increasing as Ecosystem Services Degrade? | url = http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1525/bio.2010.60.8.4 | journal = BioScience | volume = 60 | issue = 8| pages = 576–589 | doi=10.1525/bio.2010.60.8.4}}
* Rogers, P., K.F. Jalal, and J.A. Boyd (2007). ''An Introduction to Sustainable Development.'' Routledge, ISBN 1844075214.
* Sianipar, C. P. M., Dowaki, K., Yudoko, G., & Adhiutama, A. (2013). [http://www.ecsdev.org/images/conference/siICSD2013/sianipar%201-18.pdf Seven Pillars of Survivability: Appropriate Technology with a Human Face]. [[ECSDEV|European Journal of Sustainable Development]], 2(4), 1-18. ISSN 2239-5938.
*Van der Straaten, J., and J.C van den Bergh (1994). ''Towards Sustainable Development: Concepts, Methods, and Policy.'' Island Press, ISBN 1559633492.
*{{Cite book| last = Wallace | first = Bill | title = Becoming part of the solution : the engineer’s guide to sustainable development | publisher = [[American Council of Engineering Companies]] | year = 2005 | location = Washington, DC | isbn = 0-910090-37-8}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
*[https://www.arghand.org/ Arghand], a collective that makes beauty products from sustainably harvested crops in Afghanistan.
*[http://www.carpenterswithoutborders.org/ Carpenters Without Borders], a non-profit that teaches reforestation and furniture building skills in developing countries.
*[http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/cross_fac/gsd/ Global Sustainable Development], an undergraduate degree program offered by the University of Warwick.
*[http://www.circlesofsustainability.org/ Circles of Sustainability]
*[http://www.greenwoodglobal.org/ Greenwood Global], a non-profit that teaches furniture building skills and sustainable forestry practices in developing countries.
*[http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/sustainability/ Principles of Sustainability], an open course offered by the University of Idaho and Washington State University.
*[http://www.hksyu.edu/srerc/en/ Sustainable Real Estate Research Center, Hong Kong Shue Yan University]
*[http://www.oreworld.org/ ORGANIZATION FOR THE REHABILITATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT], encourages cultivation of bamboo and trees to rehabilitate deforestation.
*[http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/ Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform], United Nations platform on sustainable development.
*[http://www.wcl.american.edu/org/sustainabledevelopment Sustainable Development Law & Policy]
*[http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/ UK Sustainable Development Commission]
*[http://unsdsn.org United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network]
*[http://www.youtube.com/eugadproject Vrinda Project Channel] with videos on MDGs connected to the Wikibook [[File:Wikibooks-logo.svg|14px|Wikibooks]]&nbsp;''[[B:Development Cooperation Handbook|Development Cooperation Handbook]]''
*[http://go.worldbank.org/7IS3KBWK20 World Bank] website on sustainable development.

<!-- Templates including a [[Sustainable development]] link: -->
{{Sustainability}}
{{Land-use planning|selected=branches}}
{{Environmental technology}}
{{Population}}
{{Population}}
}}
<!-- Templates not including a [[Sustainable development]] link but otherwise relevant: -->
{{Environmental social science}}
{{Human impact on the environment}}

{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Sustainable Development}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sustainable Development}}
[[Category:Sustainable development| ]]
[[Category:Academic disciplines]]
[[Category:Academic disciplines]]
[[Category:Environmental education]]
[[Category:Environmental social science concepts]]
[[Category:Environmental social science concepts]]
[[Category:Sustainable architecture]]
[[Category:Environmental terminology]]
[[Category:Sustainable building]]
[[Category:Sustainable building]]
[[Category:Sustainable environmental design]]
[[Category:Sustainable design]]
[[Category:Sustainable development]]
[[Category:Sustainable urban planning]]
[[Category:Sustainable urban planning]]
[[Category:UNESCO]]

Latest revision as of 19:52, 24 December 2024

Sustainable development is an approach to growth and human development that aims to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.[1][2] The aim is to have a society where living conditions and resources meet human needs without undermining planetary integrity.[3][4] Sustainable development aims to balance the needs of the economy, environment, and social well-being. The Brundtland Report in 1987 helped to make the concept of sustainable development better known.

Sustainable development overlaps with the idea of sustainability which is a normative concept.[5] UNESCO formulated a distinction between the two concepts as follows: "Sustainability is often thought of as a long-term goal (i.e. a more sustainable world), while sustainable development refers to the many processes and pathways to achieve it."[6]

The Rio Process that began at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro has placed the concept of sustainable development on the international agenda. Sustainable development is the foundational concept of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).[7] These global goals for the year 2030 were adopted in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). They address the global challenges, including for example poverty, climate change, biodiversity loss, and peace.

There are some problems with the concept of sustainable development. Some scholars say it is an oxymoron because according to them, development is inherently unsustainable. Other commentators are disappointed in the lack of progress that has been achieved so far.[8][9] Scholars have stated that sustainable development is open-ended, much critiqued as ambiguous, incoherent, and therefore easily appropriated.[7]

Definition of sustainable development

[edit]

In 1987, the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development released the report Our Common Future, commonly called the Brundtland Report.[1] The report included a definition of "sustainable development" which is now widely used:[1][10]

Sustainable development is a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains two key concepts within it:

  • The concept of 'needs', in particular, the essential needs of the world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and
  • The idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs.

Sustainable development thus tries to find a balance between economic development, environmental protection, and social well-being.

However, scholars have pointed out that there are manifold understandings of sustainable development. Also there are incoherencies in the dominant market-based socio-economic-political organisation. Attempts towards universal sustainable development need to account for the extremely varied challenges, circumstances, and choices that shape prospects and prosperity for all, everywhere.[7]

The discourse of sustainable development is highly influential in global and national governance frameworks, though its meaning and operationalization are context-dependent and have evolved over time. The evolution of this discourse can for example be seen in the transition from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs, years 2000 to 2015) to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs, years 2015 to 2030).[11]

Development of the concept

[edit]

Sustainable development has its roots in ideas regarding sustainable forest management, which were developed in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries.[12][13][14] In response to a growing awareness of the depletion of timber resources in England, John Evelyn argued, in his 1662 essay Sylva, that "sowing and planting of trees had to be regarded as a national duty of every landowner, in order to stop the destructive over- exploitation of natural resources." In 1713, Hans Carl von Carlowitz, a senior mining administrator in the service of Elector Frederick Augustus I of Saxony published Sylvicultura economics, a 400-page work on forestry. Building upon the ideas of Evelyn and French minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert, von Carlowitz developed the concept of managing forests for sustained yield.[12] His work influenced others, including Alexander von Humboldt and Georg Ludwig Hartig, eventually leading to the development of the science of forestry. This, in turn, influenced people like Gifford Pinchot, the first head of the US Forest Service, whose approach to forest management was driven by the idea of wise use of resources, and Aldo Leopold whose land ethic was influential in the development of the environmental movement in the 1960s.[12][13]

Following the publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring in 1962, the developing environmental movement drew attention to the relationship between economic growth and environmental degradation. Kenneth E. Boulding, in his influential 1966 essay The Economics of the Coming Spaceship Earth, identified the need for the economic system to fit itself to the ecological system with its limited pools of resources.[13] Another milestone was the 1968 article by Garrett Hardin that popularized the term "tragedy of the commons".[15]

The direct linking of sustainability and development in a contemporary sense can be traced to the early 1970s. "Strategy of Progress", a 1972 book (in German) by Ernst Basler, explained how the long-acknowledged sustainability concept of preserving forests for future wood production can be directly transferred to the broader importance of preserving environmental resources to sustain the world for future generations.[16] That same year, the interrelationship of environment and development was formally demonstrated in a systems dynamic simulation model reported in the classic report on Limits to Growth. This was commissioned by the Club of Rome and written by a group of scientists led by Dennis and Donella Meadows of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Describing the desirable "state of global equilibrium", the authors wrote: "We are searching for a model output that represents a world system that is sustainable without sudden and uncontrolled collapse and capable of satisfying the basic material requirements of all of its people."[17] The year 1972 also saw the publication of the influential book, A Blueprint for Survival.[18][19]

In 1975, an MIT research group prepared ten days of hearings on "Growth and Its Implication for the Future" for the US Congress, the first hearings ever held on sustainable development.[20]

In 1980, the International Union for Conservation of Nature published a world conservation strategy that included one of the first references to sustainable development as a global priority[21] and introduced the term "sustainable development".[22]: 4  Two years later, the United Nations World Charter for Nature raised five principles of conservation by which human conduct affecting nature is to be guided and judged.[23]

Since the Brundtland Report, the concept of sustainable development has developed beyond the initial intergenerational framework to focus more on the goal of "socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable economic growth".[22]: 5  In 1992, the UN Conference on Environment and Development published the Earth Charter, which outlines the building of a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society in the 21st century. The action plan Agenda 21 for sustainable development identified information, integration, and participation as key building blocks to help countries achieve development that recognizes these interdependent pillars. Furthermore, Agenda 21 emphasizes that broad public participation in decision-making is a fundamental prerequisite for achieving sustainable development.[24]

The Rio Protocol was a huge leap forward: for the first time, the world agreed on a sustainability agenda. In fact, a global consensus was facilitated by neglecting concrete goals and operational details.

Global governance framework

[edit]

The most comprehensive global governance framework for sustainable development is the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).[11] This agenda was a follow-up to the Millennium Declaration from the year 2000 with its eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the first comprehensive global governance framework for the achievement of sustainable development.[11] The SDGs have concrete targets (unlike the results from the Rio Process) but no methods for sanctions.[25][26]: 137  They contain goals, targets and indicators for example in the areas of poverty reduction, environmental protection, human prosperity and peace.[11]

Sustainability means different things to different people, and the concept of sustainable development has led to a diversity of discourses that legitimize competing sociopolitical projects. Global environmental governance scholars have identified a comprehensive set of discourses within the public space that mostly convey four sustainability frames: mainstream sustainability, progressive sustainability, a limits discourse, and radical sustainability.[27]

First, mainstream sustainability is a conservative approach on both economic and political terms. Second, progressive sustainability is an economically conservative, yet politically reformist approach. Under this framing, sustainable development is still centered on economic growth, which is deemed compatible with environmental sustainability. However, human well-being and development can only be achieved through a redistribution of power to even out inequalities between developed and developing countries. Third, a limits discourse is an economically reformist, yet politically conservative approach to sustainability. Fourth, radical sustainability is a transformative approach seeking to break with existing global economic and political structures.[27]

[edit]

Sustainability

[edit]
Three visual representations of sustainability and its three dimensions: the left image shows sustainability as three intersecting circles. In the top right, it is a nested approach. In the bottom right it is three pillars.[28] The schematic with the nested ellipses emphasizes a hierarchy of the dimensions, putting environment as the foundation for the other two.

Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time.[29][28] Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): environmental, economic, and social.[28] Many definitions emphasize the environmental dimension.[30][31] This can include addressing key environmental problems, including climate change and biodiversity loss. The idea of sustainability can guide decisions at the global, national, organizational, and individual levels.[32] A related concept is that of sustainable development, and the terms are often used to mean the same thing.[33] UNESCO distinguishes the two like this: "Sustainability is often thought of as a long-term goal (i.e. a more sustainable world), while sustainable development refers to the many processes and pathways to achieve it."[34]

Dimensions

[edit]

Sustainable development, like sustainability, is regarded to have three dimensions: the environment, economy and society. The idea is that a good balance between the three dimensions should be achieved. Instead of calling them dimensions, other terms commonly used are pillars, domains, aspects, spheres.

Sustainability Venn diagram, where sustainability is thought of as the area where the three dimensions overlap

Scholars usually distinguish three different areas of sustainability. These are the environmental, the social, and the economic. Several terms are in use for this concept. Authors may speak of three pillars, dimensions, components, aspects,[35] perspectives, factors, or goals. All mean the same thing in this context.[28] The three dimensions paradigm has few theoretical foundations.[28]

Countries could develop systems for monitoring and evaluation of progress towards achieving sustainable development by adopting indicators that measure changes across economic, social and environmental dimensions.

Pathways

[edit]
Sustainable development requires six central capacities.[37]

Six interdependent capacities are deemed to be necessary for the successful pursuit of sustainable development.[37] These are the capacities to measure progress towards sustainable development; promote equity within and between generations; adapt to shocks and surprises; transform the system onto more sustainable development pathways; link knowledge with action for sustainability; and to devise governance arrangements that allow people to work together.

During the MDG era (year 2000 to 2015), the key objective of sustainable development was poverty reduction to be reached through economic growth and participation in the global trade system.[11] The SDGs take a much more comprehensive approach to sustainable development than the MDGs did. They offer a more people-centred development agenda. Out of the 17 SDGs, for example, 11 goals contain targets related to equity, equality or inclusion, and SDG 10 is solely devoted to addressing inequality within and among countries.[11]

Improving on environmental sustainability

[edit]

An unsustainable situation occurs when natural capital (the total of nature's resources) is used up faster than it can be replenished.[38]: 58  Sustainability requires that human activity only uses nature's resources at a rate at which they can be replenished naturally. The concept of sustainable development is intertwined with the concept of carrying capacity. Theoretically, the long-term result of environmental degradation is the inability to sustain human life.[38]

Important operational principles of sustainable development were published by Herman Daly in 1990: renewable resources should provide a sustainable yield (the rate of harvest should not exceed the rate of regeneration); for non-renewable resources there should be equivalent development of renewable substitutes; waste generation should not exceed the assimilative capacity of the environment.[39]

In 2019, a summary for policymakers of the largest, most comprehensive study to date of biodiversity and ecosystem services was published by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. It recommended that human civilization will need a transformative change, including sustainable agriculture, reductions in consumption and waste, fishing quotas and collaborative water management.[40][41]

Environmental problems associated with industrial agriculture and agribusiness are now being addressed through approaches such as sustainable agriculture, organic farming and more sustainable business practices.[42] At the local level there are various movements working towards sustainable food systems which may include less meat consumption, local food production, slow food, sustainable gardening, and organic gardening.[43] The environmental effects of different dietary patterns depend on many factors, including the proportion of animal and plant foods consumed and the method of food production.[44][45]

Ecological footprint for different nations compared to their Human Development Index (2007)

As global population and affluence have increased, so has the use of various materials increased in volume, diversity, and distance transported. By 2050, humanity could consume an estimated 140 billion tons of minerals, ores, fossil fuels and biomass per year (three times its current amount) unless the economic growth rate is decoupled from the rate of natural resource consumption.[46]

Sustainable use of materials has targeted the idea of dematerialization, converting the linear path of materials (extraction, use, disposal in landfill) to a circular material flow that reuses materials as much as possible, much like the cycling and reuse of waste in nature.[47] This way of thinking is expressed in the concept of circular economy, which employs reuse, sharing, repair, refurbishment, remanufacturing and recycling to create a closed-loop system, minimizing the use of resource inputs and the creation of waste, pollution and carbon emissions.[48] The European Commission has adopted an ambitious Circular Economy Action Plan in 2020, which aims at making sustainable products the norm in the EU.[49][50]

Improving on economic and social aspects

[edit]

It has been suggested that because of the rural poverty and overexploitation, environmental resources should be treated as important economic assets, called natural capital.[51] Economic development has traditionally required a growth in the gross domestic product. This model of unlimited personal and GDP growth may be over. Sustainable development may involve improvements in the quality of life for many but may necessitate a decrease in resource consumption.[52] "Growth" generally ignores the direct effect that the environment may have on social welfare, whereas "development" takes it into account.[53]

As early as the 1970s, the concept of sustainability was used to describe an economy "in equilibrium with basic ecological support systems".[54] Scientists in many fields have highlighted The Limits to Growth,[55][56] and economists have presented alternatives, for example a 'steady-state economy', to address concerns over the impacts of expanding human development on the planet.[57] In 1987, the economist Edward Barbier published the study The Concept of Sustainable Economic Development, where he recognized that goals of environmental conservation and economic development are not conflicting and can be reinforcing each other.[58]

A World Bank study from 1999 concluded that based on the theory of genuine savings (defined as "traditional net savings less the value of resource depletion and environmental degradation plus the value of investment in human capital"), policymakers have many possible interventions to increase sustainability, in macroeconomics or purely environmental.[59] Several studies have noted that efficient policies for renewable energy and pollution are compatible with increasing human welfare, eventually reaching a golden-rule[clarification needed] steady state.[60][61][62][63]

A meta review in 2002 looked at environmental and economic valuations and found a "lack of concrete understanding of what "sustainability policies" might entail in practice".[64] A study concluded in 2007 that knowledge, manufactured and human capital (health and education) has not compensated for the degradation of natural capital in many parts of the world.[65] It has been suggested that intergenerational equity can be incorporated into a sustainable development and decision making, as has become common in economic valuations of climate economics.[66]

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development published a Vision 2050 document in 2021 to show "How business can lead the transformations the world needs". The vision states that "we envision a world in which 9+billion people can live well, within planetary boundaries, by 2050."[67] This report was highlighted by The Guardian as "the largest concerted corporate sustainability action plan to date – include reversing the damage done to ecosystems, addressing rising greenhouse gas emissions and ensuring societies move to sustainable agriculture."[68]

Barriers

[edit]

There are many reasons why sustainability is so difficult to achieve. These reasons have the name sustainability barriers.[32][69] Before addressing these barriers it is important to analyze and understand them.[32]: 34  Some barriers arise from nature and its complexity ("everything is related").[70] Others arise from the human condition. One example is the value-action gap. This reflects the fact that people often do not act according to their convictions. Experts describe these barriers as intrinsic to the concept of sustainability.[71]: 81 

Other barriers are extrinsic to the concept of sustainability. This means it is possible to overcome them. One way would be to put a price tag on the consumption of public goods.[71]: 84  Some extrinsic barriers relate to the nature of dominant institutional frameworks. Examples would be where market mechanisms fail for public goods. Existing societies, economies, and cultures encourage increased consumption. There is a structural imperative for growth in competitive market economies. This inhibits necessary societal change.[72]

Furthermore, there are several barriers related to the difficulties of implementing sustainability policies. There are trade-offs between the goals of environmental policies and economic development. Environmental goals include nature conservation. Development may focus on poverty reduction.[69][32]: 65  There are also trade-offs between short-term profit and long-term viability.[71]: 65  Political pressures generally favor the short term over the long term. So they form a barrier to actions oriented toward improving sustainability.[71]: 86 

Barriers to sustainability may also reflect current trends. These could include consumerism and short-termism.[71]: 86 

Assessments and reactions

[edit]

The concept of sustainable development has been and still is, subject to criticism, including the question of what is to be sustained in sustainable development. It has been argued that there is no such thing as sustainable use of a non-renewable resource, since any positive rate of exploitation will eventually lead to the exhaustion of earth's finite stock;[73]: 13  this perspective renders the Industrial Revolution as a whole unsustainable.[74]: 20f [75]: 61–67 [57]: 22f 

The sustainable development debate is based on the assumption that societies need to manage three types of capital (economic, social, and natural), which may be non-substitutable and whose consumption might be irreversible.[76] Natural capital can not necessarily be substituted by economic capital.[57] While it is possible that we can find ways to replace some natural resources, it is much less likely that they will ever be able to replace ecosystem services, such as the protection provided by the ozone layer, or the climate stabilizing function of the Amazonian forest.

The concept of sustainable development has been criticized from different angles. While some see it as paradoxical (or an oxymoron) and regard development as inherently unsustainable, others are disappointed in the lack of progress that has been achieved so far.[8][9] Part of the problem is that "development" itself is not consistently defined.[26]: 16 [77]

The vagueness of the Brundtland definition of sustainable development has been criticized as follows:[26]: 17  The definition has "opened up the possibility of downplaying sustainability. Hence, governments spread the message that we can have it all at the same time, i.e. economic growth, prospering societies and a healthy environment. No new ethic is required. This so-called weak version of sustainability is popular among governments, and businesses, but profoundly wrong and not even weak, as there is no alternative to preserving the earth's ecological integrity."[78]: 2 

Scholars have stated that sustainable development is open-ended, much critiqued as ambiguous, incoherent, and therefore easily appropriated.[7]

Society and culture

[edit]

Sustainable development goals

[edit]
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Sustainable development is the foundational concept of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Policies to achieve the SDGs are meant to cohere around this concept.[7]

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a collection of 17 global objectives established by the United Nations in 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. These goals aim to address a broad range of interconnected global challenges, including poverty eradication, environmental sustainability, social equity, and economic growth, under the guiding principle of "leaving no one behind." Designed to replace the Millennium Development Goals, the SDGs apply universally to all countries, irrespective of their development status, and seek to promote peace, prosperity, and the health of the planet.

Each goal is further divided into specific targets—totaling 169—and measured by 232 unique indicators to track progress. Key goals include ending poverty (SDG 1), achieving gender equality (SDG 5), combating climate change (SDG 13), and fostering global partnerships (SDG 17). However, progress has been uneven and faces significant obstacles, such as rising inequality, climate change, biodiversity loss, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The SDGs emphasize the indivisibility of sustainable development's social, economic, and environmental dimensions, advocating for inclusive policies and practices at global, national, and local levels. Despite their non-binding nature, the SDGs have influenced global debates, policy agendas, and institutional priorities, though transformative change remains limited. Collaborative financing, technological innovation, and a strengthened global partnership are critical for achieving these ambitious goals by 2030.[citation needed]

Education for sustainable development

[edit]

Education for sustainable development (ESD) is a term officially used by the United Nations. It is defined as education practices that encourage changes in knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes to enable a more sustainable and just society for humanity. ESD aims to empower and equip current and future generations to meet their needs using a balanced and integrated approach to sustainable development's economic, social, and environmental dimensions.[79][80]

Agenda 21 was the first international document that identified education as an essential tool for achieving sustainable development and highlighted areas of action for education.[81][82] ESD is a component of measurement in an indicator for Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG) for "responsible consumption and production". SDG 12 has 11 targets, and target 12.8 is "By 2030, ensure that people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature."[83] 20 years after the Agenda 21 document was declared, the 'Future we want' document was proclaimed in the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, stating that "We resolve to promote education for sustainable development and to integrate sustainable development more actively into education beyond the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development."[84]

One version of education for Sustainable Development recognizes modern-day environmental challenges. It seeks to define new ways to adjust to a changing biosphere, as well as engage individuals to address societal issues that come with them [85] In the International Encyclopedia of Education, this approach to education is seen as an attempt to "shift consciousness toward an ethics of life-giving relationships that respects the interconnectedness of man to his natural world" to equip future members of society with environmental awareness and a sense of responsibility to sustainability.[86]

For UNESCO, education for sustainable development involves:

integrating key sustainable development issues into teaching and learning. This may include, for example, instruction about climate change, disaster risk reduction, biodiversity, and poverty reduction and sustainable consumption. It also requires participatory teaching and learning methods that motivate and empower learners to change their behaviours and take action for sustainable development. ESD consequently promotes competencies like critical thinking, imagining future scenarios and making decisions in a collaborative way.[87][88]

The Thessaloniki Declaration, presented at the "International Conference on Environment and Society: Education and Public Awareness for Sustainability" by UNESCO and the Government of Greece (December 1997), highlights the importance of sustainability not only with regards to the natural environment, but also with "poverty, health, food security, democracy, human rights, and peace".[89]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c United Nations General Assembly (1987) .Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future March 2022 Archived 2022-03-31 at the Wayback Machine. Transmitted to the General Assembly as an Annex to document A/42/427 – Development and International Co-operation: Environment.
  2. ^ United Nations General Assembly (20 March 1987). "Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future; Transmitted to the General Assembly as an Annex to document A/42/427 – Development and International Co-operation: Environment; Our Common Future, Chapter 2: Towards Sustainable Development; Paragraph 1". United Nations General Assembly. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
  3. ^ Robert, Kates W.; Parris, Thomas M.; Leiserowitz, Anthony A. (2005). "What is Sustainable Development? Goals, Indicators, Values, and Practice". Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development. 47 (3): 8–21. Bibcode:2005ESPSD..47c...8R. doi:10.1080/00139157.2005.10524444. S2CID 154882898.
  4. ^ Mensah, Justice (2019). "Sustainable development: Meaning, history, principles, pillars, and implications for human action: Literature review". Cogent Social Sciences. 5 (1): 1653531. doi:10.1080/23311886.2019.1653531.
  5. ^ Purvis, Ben; Mao, Yong; Robinson, Darren (2019). "Three pillars of sustainability: in search of conceptual origins". Sustainability Science. 14 (3): 681–695. Bibcode:2019SuSc...14..681P. doi:10.1007/s11625-018-0627-5. Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
  6. ^ "Sustainable Development". UNESCO. 3 August 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d e Yunita, Abbie; Biermann, Frank; Kim, Rakhyun E.; Vijge, Marjanneke J. (2022). "The (anti-)politics of policy coherence for sustainable development in the Netherlands: Logic, method, effects". Geoforum. 128: 92–102. doi:10.1016/j.geoforum.2021.12.002. Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
  8. ^ a b Brown, James H. (2015). "The Oxymoron of Sustainable Development". BioScience. 65 (10): 1027–1029. doi:10.1093/biosci/biv117.
  9. ^ a b Williams, Colin C; Millington, Andrew C (2004). "The diverse and contested meanings of sustainable development". The Geographical Journal. 170 (2): 99–104. Bibcode:2004GeogJ.170...99W. doi:10.1111/j.0016-7398.2004.00111.x. S2CID 143181802.
  10. ^ Keeble, Brian R. (1988). "The Brundtland report: 'Our common future'". Medicine and War. 4 (1): 17–25. doi:10.1080/07488008808408783.
  11. ^ a b c d e f de Jong, Eileen; Vijge, Marjanneke J. (2021). "From Millennium to Sustainable Development Goals: Evolving discourses and their reflection in policy coherence for development". Earth System Governance. 7: 100087. Bibcode:2021ESGov...700087D. doi:10.1016/j.esg.2020.100087. Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
  12. ^ a b c Ulrich Grober: Deep roots — A conceptual history of "sustainable development" (Nachhaltigkeit) Archived 25 September 2021 at the Wayback Machine, Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung, 2007
  13. ^ a b c Blewitt, John (2014). Understanding Sustainable Development. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-70782-4.[page needed]
  14. ^ Du Pisani, Jacobus A. (2006). "Sustainable development – historical roots of the concept". Environmental Sciences. 3 (2): 83–96. Bibcode:2006JIES....3...83D. doi:10.1080/15693430600688831.
  15. ^ Hardin, Garrett (13 December 1968). "The Tragedy of the Commons: The population problem has no technical solution; it requires a fundamental extension in morality". Science. 162 (3859): 1243–1248. doi:10.1126/science.162.3859.1243. PMID 17756331.
  16. ^ Basler, Ernst (1972). Strategie des Fortschritts: Umweltbelastung Lebensraumverknappung and Zukunftsforshung (Strategy of Progress: Environmental Pollution, Habitat Scarcity and Future Research). Munich: BLV Publishing Company.
  17. ^ Finn, Donovan (2009). Our Uncertain Future: Can Good Planning Create Sustainable Communities?. Champaign-Urbana: University of Illinois.
  18. ^ "A Blueprint for Survival". The New York Times. 5 February 1972.
  19. ^ "The Ecologist January 1972: a blueprint for survival". The Ecologist. 27 January 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  20. ^ "Growth and its implications for the future" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016.
  21. ^ World Conservation Strategy: Living Resource Conservation for Sustainable Development (PDF). International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. 1980.
  22. ^ a b Sachs, Jeffrey D. (2015). The Age of Sustainable Development. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 9780231173155.
  23. ^ World Charter for Nature, United Nations, General Assembly, 48th Plenary Meeting, 28 October 1982
  24. ^ Will Allen. 2007."Learning for Sustainability: Sustainable Development." Archived 14 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  25. ^ "Why Rio failed in the past and how it can succeed this time". The Guardian. 12 June 2012.
  26. ^ a b c Berg, Christian (2020). Sustainable action: overcoming the barriers. Abingdon, Oxon. ISBN 978-0-429-57873-1. OCLC 1124780147.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  27. ^ a b Sénit, Carole-Anne (2020). "Transforming our world? Discursive representation in the negotiations on the Sustainable Development Goals". International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics. 20 (3): 411–429. Bibcode:2020IEAPL..20..411S. doi:10.1007/s10784-020-09489-1. ISSN 1567-9764. Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
  28. ^ a b c d e Purvis, Ben; Mao, Yong; Robinson, Darren (2019). "Three pillars of sustainability: in search of conceptual origins". Sustainability Science. 14 (3): 681–695. Bibcode:2019SuSc...14..681P. doi:10.1007/s11625-018-0627-5. ISSN 1862-4065. Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
  29. ^ Ramsey, Jeffry L. (2015). "On Not Defining Sustainability". Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics. 28 (6): 1075–1087. Bibcode:2015JAEE...28.1075R. doi:10.1007/s10806-015-9578-3. ISSN 1187-7863. S2CID 146790960.
  30. ^ Kotzé, Louis J.; Kim, Rakhyun E.; Burdon, Peter; du Toit, Louise; Glass, Lisa-Maria; Kashwan, Prakash; Liverman, Diana; Montesano, Francesco S.; Rantala, Salla (2022). "Planetary Integrity". In Sénit, Carole-Anne; Biermann, Frank; Hickmann, Thomas (eds.). The Political Impact of the Sustainable Development Goals: Transforming Governance Through Global Goals?. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 140–171. doi:10.1017/9781009082945.007. ISBN 978-1-316-51429-0.
  31. ^ Bosselmann, Klaus (2010). "Losing the Forest for the Trees: Environmental Reductionism in the Law". Sustainability. 2 (8): 2424–2448. doi:10.3390/su2082424. hdl:10535/6499. ISSN 2071-1050. Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 International License
  32. ^ a b c d Berg, Christian (2020). Sustainable action: overcoming the barriers. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-429-57873-1. OCLC 1124780147.
  33. ^ "Sustainability". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  34. ^ "Sustainable Development". UNESCO. 3 August 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  35. ^ "Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 16 September 2005, 60/1. 2005 World Summit Outcome" (PDF). United Nations General Assembly. 2005. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  36. ^ "Agenda 21" (PDF). United Nations Conference on Environment & Development, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 3 to 14 June 1992. 1992. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  37. ^ a b Clark, William; Harley, Alicia (2020). "Sustainability Science: Toward a Synthesis". Annual Review of Environment and Resources. 45 (1): 331–86. doi:10.1146/annurev-environ-012420-043621.  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  38. ^ a b Nayeripour, Majid; Kheshti, Mostafa (2 December 2011). Sustainable Growth and Applications in Renewable Energy Sources. BoD – Books on Demand. p. 58. ISBN 978-953-307-408-5. Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 International License Archived 16 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine
  39. ^ Daly, H.E. (1990). "Toward some operational principles of sustainable development". Ecological Economics. 2 (1): 1–6. Bibcode:1990EcoEc...2....1D. doi:10.1016/0921-8009(90)90010-r.
  40. ^ Summary for policymakers of the global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (PDF). the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. 6 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  41. ^ Deutsche Welle, Deutsche (6 May 2019). "Why Biodiversity Loss Hurts Humans as Much as Climate Change Does". Ecowatch. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  42. ^ World Business Council for Sustainable Development Archived 10 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine This web site has multiple articles on WBCSD contributions to sustainable development. Retrieved 7 April 2009.
  43. ^ Holmgren, D. (March 2005). "Retrofitting the suburbs for sustainability." Archived 15 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine CSIRO Sustainability Network. Retrieved 7 July 2009.
  44. ^ McMichael, Anthony J; Powles, John W; Butler, Colin D; Uauy, Ricardo (October 2007). "Food, livestock production, energy, climate change, and health". The Lancet. 370 (9594): 1253–1263. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61256-2. hdl:1885/38056. PMID 17868818. S2CID 9316230.
  45. ^ Baroni, L; Cenci, L; Tettamanti, M; Berati, M (1 February 2007). "Evaluating the environmental impact of various dietary patterns combined with different food production systems". European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 61 (2): 279–286. doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602522. PMID 17035955. S2CID 16387344.
  46. ^ UNEP (2011). Decoupling Natural Resource Use and Environmental Impacts from Economic Growth Archived 20 January 2022 at the Wayback Machine. ISBN 978-92-807-3167-5. Retrieved 30 November 2011.
  47. ^ Anderberg, S (1998). "Industrial metabolism and linkages between economics, ethics, and the environment". Ecological Economics. 24 (2–3): 311–320. doi:10.1016/s0921-8009(97)00151-1.
  48. ^ Geissdoerfer, Martin; Savaget, Paulo; Bocken, Nancy M.P.; Hultink, Erik Jan (February 2017). "The Circular Economy – A new sustainability paradigm?" (PDF). Journal of Cleaner Production. 143: 757–768. Bibcode:2017JCPro.143..757G. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.12.048. S2CID 157449142.
  49. ^ European Commission (2020). "Circular economy action plan". Archived 20 January 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  50. ^ "52020DC0098". EUR-Lex. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  51. ^ Barbier, Edward B. (2006). Natural Resources and Economic Development. Cambridge University Press. pp. 44–45. ISBN 9780521706513. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  52. ^ Brown, L. R. (2011). World on the Edge. Earth Policy Institute. Norton. ISBN 978-0-393-08029-2.
  53. ^ Pezzey, John (November 1992). "Sustainable development concepts". Researchgate. The World Bank. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  54. ^ Stivers, R. 1976. The Sustainable Society: Ethics and Economic Growth. Philadelphia: Westminster Press.
  55. ^ Meadows, D.H., D.L. Meadows, J. Randers, and W.W. Behrens III. 1972. The Limits to Growth. Universe Books, New York, NY. ISBN 0-87663-165-0
  56. ^ Meadows, D.H.; Randers, Jørgen; Meadows, D.L. (2004). Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update. Chelsea Green Publishing. ISBN 978-1-931498-58-6.
  57. ^ a b c Daly, Herman E. (1992). Steady-state economics (2nd ed.). London: Earthscan Publications.
  58. ^ Barbier, E. (1987). "The Concept of Sustainable Economic Development". Environmental Conservation. 14 (2): 101–110. Bibcode:1987EnvCo..14..101B. doi:10.1017/S0376892900011449. S2CID 145595791.
  59. ^ Hamilton, K.; Clemens, M. (1999). "Genuine savings rates in developing countries". World Bank Economic Review. 13 (2): 333–356. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.452.7532. doi:10.1093/wber/13.2.333.
  60. ^ Ayong Le Kama, A. D. (2001). "Sustainable growth renewable resources, and pollution". Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control. 25 (12): 1911–1918. doi:10.1016/S0165-1889(00)00007-5.
  61. ^ Chichilnisky, G.; Heal, G.; Beltratti, A. (1995). "A Green Golden Rule". Economics Letters. 49 (2): 175–179. doi:10.1016/0165-1765(95)00662-Y. S2CID 154964259.
  62. ^ Endress, L.; Roumasset, J. (1994). "Golden rules for sustainable resource management" (PDF). Economic Record. 70 (210): 266–277. doi:10.1111/j.1475-4932.1994.tb01847.x.
  63. ^ Endress, L.; Roumasset, J.; Zhou, T. (2005). "Sustainable Growth with Environmental Spillovers". Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization. 58 (4): 527–547. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.529.5305. doi:10.1016/j.jebo.2004.09.003.
  64. ^ Pezzey, John C. V.; Michael A., Toman (2002). "The Economics of Sustainability: A Review of Journal Articles" (PDF). Resources for the Future. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  65. ^ Dasgupta, P. (2007). "The idea of sustainable development". Sustainability Science. 2 (1): 5–11. Bibcode:2007SuSc....2....5D. doi:10.1007/s11625-007-0024-y. S2CID 154597956.
  66. ^ Heal, G. (2009). "Climate Economics: A Meta-Review and Some Suggestions for Future Research". Review of Environmental Economics and Policy. 3 (1): 4–21. doi:10.1093/reep/ren014. S2CID 154917782.
  67. ^ "Vision 2050 - Time to transform". WBCSD. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  68. ^ Wills, Jackie (15 May 2014). "World Business Council for Sustainable Development: Vision 2050". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  69. ^ a b Howes, Michael; Wortley, Liana; Potts, Ruth; Dedekorkut-Howes, Aysin; Serrao-Neumann, Silvia; Davidson, Julie; Smith, Timothy; Nunn, Patrick (2017). "Environmental Sustainability: A Case of Policy Implementation Failure?". Sustainability. 9 (2): 165. doi:10.3390/su9020165. hdl:10453/90953. ISSN 2071-1050.
  70. ^ Harrington, Lisa M. Butler (2016). "Sustainability Theory and Conceptual Considerations: A Review of Key Ideas for Sustainability, and the Rural Context". Papers in Applied Geography. 2 (4): 365–382. Bibcode:2016PAGeo...2..365H. doi:10.1080/23754931.2016.1239222. ISSN 2375-4931. S2CID 132458202.
  71. ^ a b c d e Berg, Christian (2017). "Shaping the Future Sustainably – Types of Barriers and Tentative Action Principles (chapter in: Future Scenarios of Global Cooperation—Practices and Challenges)". Global Dialogues (14). Centre For Global Cooperation Research (KHK/GCR21), Nora Dahlhaus and Daniela Weißkopf (eds.). doi:10.14282/2198-0403-GD-14. ISSN 2198-0403.
  72. ^ Wiedmann, Thomas; Lenzen, Manfred; Keyßer, Lorenz T.; Steinberger, Julia K. (2020). "Scientists' warning on affluence". Nature Communications. 11 (1): 3107. Bibcode:2020NatCo..11.3107W. doi:10.1038/s41467-020-16941-y. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 7305220. PMID 32561753. Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
  73. ^ Turner, R. Kerry (1988). "Sustainability, Resource Conservation and Pollution Control: An Overview". In Turner, R. Kerry (ed.). Sustainable Environmental Management. London: Belhaven Press.
  74. ^ Georgescu-Roegen, Nicholas (1971). The Entropy Law and the Economic Process (Full book accessible at Scribd). Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0674257801.
  75. ^ Rifkin, Jeremy (1980). Entropy: A New World View (PDF contains only the title and contents pages of the book). New York: The Viking Press. ISBN 978-0670297177.
  76. ^ Dyllick, T.; Hockerts, K. (2002). "Beyond the business case for corporate sustainability". Business Strategy and the Environment. 11 (2): 130–141. doi:10.1002/bse.323.
  77. ^ Park, Albert Sanghoon (2023). "Understanding resilience in sustainable development: Rallying call or siren song?". Sustainable Development. 32: 260–274. doi:10.1002/sd.2645.
  78. ^ Bosselmann, Klaus (2017). The principle of sustainability: transforming law and governance (2nd ed.). London: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-4724-8128-3. OCLC 951915998.
  79. ^ Issues and trends in education for sustainable development. Paris: UNESCO Digital Library. 2018. p. 7. ISBN 978-92-3-100244-1. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  80. ^ Kolvoord, Robert A (2021). "Fostering spatial thinking skills for future citizens to support sustainable development". Cultures of Science. 4 (1): 17–24. doi:10.1177/20966083211024714.
  81. ^ Leicht, Alexander (2018). "From Agenda 21 to Target 4.7: the development of education for sustainable development". UNESCO, UNESDOC Digital Library. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  82. ^ Bernad-Cavero, Olga; Llevot-Calvet, Núria (4 July 2018). New Pedagogical Challenges in the 21st Century: Contributions of Research in Education. BoD – Books on Demand. ISBN 978-1-78923-380-3.
  83. ^ United Nations (2017) Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 6 July 2017, Work of the Statistical Commission pertaining to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (A/RES/71/313 Archived 23 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine)
  84. ^ Shulla, K.; Filho, W. Leal; Lardjane, S.; Sommer, J. H.; Borgemeister, C. (3 July 2020). "Sustainable development education in the context of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development" (PDF). International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology. 27 (5): 458–468. Bibcode:2020IJSDW..27..458S. doi:10.1080/13504509.2020.1721378. S2CID 214390476.
  85. ^ Jucker, Rolf; Mathar, Reiner, eds. (27 October 2014). Schooling for sustainable development in Europe: concepts, policies and educational experiences at the end of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. Cham, Switzerland. ISBN 978-3-319-09549-3. OCLC 894509040.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  86. ^ Peterson, Penelope L.; Baker, Eva L.; McGaw, Barry, eds. (2010), International encyclopedia of education (3rd ed.), Oxford: Elsevier, ISBN 978-0-08-044894-7, OCLC 645208716
  87. ^ "Education for Sustainable Development". UNESCO. 10 May 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  88. ^ Marope, P.T.M; Chakroun, B.; Holmes, K.P. (2015). Unleashing the Potential: Transforming Technical and Vocational Education and Training (PDF). UNESCO. pp. 9, 23, 25–26. ISBN 978-92-3-100091-1.
  89. ^ Nikolopoulou, Anastasia; Abraham, Taisha; Mirbagheri, Farid (2010). Education for Sustainable Development: Challenges, Strategies, and Practices in a Globalizing World Education for sustainable development: Challenges, strategies, and practices in a globalizing world. doi:10.4135/9788132108023. ISBN 9788132102939.[page needed]
[edit]