Describing and Defining Sustainability
The term "sustainability" was hardly heard until the 1980s, 20 years after the contemporary environmental movement got going. It was first used in its modern form by the World Council of Churches in 1974. The idea has become so important in recent years because it is more rhetorically powerful than being environmentally friendly.
Sustainability of human activities (predominantly production and consumption) is a growing concern among local communities, business enterprises, customers, local and central government authorities, international bodies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The concerns are often linked to energy efficiency (corporate and governments), energy availability and affordability (civil society), reduction of environmentally harmful emissions, ecosystem conservation and other "save the Earth" efforts. However, despite its rising importance, existing definitions of sustainability are vacuous rather than virtuous.
The most commonly accepted description of sustainability was provided by the World Commission of Environment and Development (WCED) way back in 1987 in the Brundtland Report "Our Common Future". According to this report the goal of sustainability is to "meet the needs of present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" by balancing environmental, economic and social (equity) concerns".
Sustainability may, however, be defined as the integration of human settlements and activities with the natural environment in ways which can be maintained indefinitely without harming the environment and reducing the quality of life of the people.
As Slawomir Hermanowicz states in his article "Towards a definition of physical sustainability" other descriptions are similarly phrased and often confuse sustainability with environmental protection and other human efforts that have nothing to do with sustainable operations.
The generally accepted definition contains within it two key concepts.
the concept of needs in particular the essential needs of world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and The idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organisation on the environments ability to meet present future needs
In essence sustainable development is the process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development and institutional change are all in harmony and enhance both current and future potential to meet human needs and aspirations.
In the 21st-century creating more sustainable communities must be a top priority for political, economic, environmental, social and community leaders everywhere in the world seeking to enhance the quality of life of human beings. The quality of life is linked to the health and well-being of Nature, our Biosphere, our ecosystems, our community and our environment.
Sustainability indicators serve as a means to measure progress, and inspire critical thinking about our priorities and the impacts of our behaviors and actions on Nature, the Biosphere, ecosystems, community and our environment.
All of us -citizens, businesses and government (both central and local) -can take actions everyday that will make community and environment more sustainable and better today and create a positive legacy for future generations. The actions we take to ensure more sustainable community and environment can be referred to as "sustainability initiatives".
At present there is increasingly rapid environmental deterioration, seen especially in environmental change, climate change and depletion of natural resources. All major disaster problems in the third world are essentially unsolved development problems. Disaster prevention is thus primarily an aspect of development and this must be a development that takes place within the sustainable limits. Consequently sustainability has become the most important issue facing humanity on all Continents today.
The key pertinent questions are:
Can we create a sustainable society? What would that mean? How should we go about doing it? How can we bring about such a profound change in the way things are organized?
The accumulation of knowledge and the development of technology can enhance the carrying capacity of resource base. But ultimate limits are there and sustainability requires that long before these are reached, the world must ensure equitable access to the constrained resource and reorient technological efforts to relieve the pressure.
Besides all humanity needs to acquaint itself with:
The development of the concept of sustainability within its broader historical context The contemporary debates about what sustainability implies and how to achieve it The obstacles to reaching the sustainability goal and prospects for overcoming them
Many kinds of sustainability are recognised including: physical sustainability, economic sustainability, financial sustainability, community sustainability, cultural sustainability, water sustainability, weak sustainability, future sustainability and strong sustainability, to name but a few.
In the case of water sustainability it can be evaluated by comparing physical and economic sustainability. To achieve physical sustainability, water should be available in sufficient quantity and of good quality and used efficiently. Economic sustainability can be achieved by balancing between costs and values of water. Variables related with water sustainability include water demand, water quality, and the different costs and values of water.
Physical Sustainability
A development path that is sustainable in a physical sense could theoretically be pursued even in a rigid social and political setting. But physical sustainability cannot be secured unless development policies pay attention to such considerations as changes in access to resources and in the distribution of costs and benefits. Even the narrow notion of physical sustainability implies concern for social equity between generations, a concern that must logically be extended to equity within each generation. The human settlement pattern-and the resulting impact of the pattern of land use on economic prosperity, social stability and physical sustainability -will shape the future of civilization.
Weak sustainability and strong sustainability are two opposing paradigms of sustainability, each with its own limits.
Weak Sustainability
Weak sustainability allows for the depletion or degradation of natural resources, so long as such depletion is offset by increases in the stocks of other forms of capital (for example, by investing royalties from depleting mineral reserves in factories). Weak sustainability means we can replace or duplicate natural materials and services with manufactured goods and services. Weak sustainability is the idea that natural capital can be used up as long as it is converted into manufactured capital of equal value.
The problem with weak sustainability is that, while we can assign a monetary value to manufactured goods and capital, it can be very difficult to assign a monetary value to natural materials and services. How much is a forest full of trees worth? A value can be calculated if you assume that all the trees are cut down and turned into furniture or paper. However, the forest provides a home for wildlife that provides food for hunters. It also provides a place for hikers to enjoy the natural environment.
Weak sustainability does not take into account the fact that some natural material and services can not be replaced by manufactured goods and services. (Other questions to ask participants are: What is the dollar value of the ozone layer? Mabira forest? Nakivubo wetland? Lake Victoria fishery? River Nile?
Weak sustainability is the kind of sustainability pushed by the Brundtland report and the Rio Earth Summit. In the debate about sustainable development, the key question is whether natural capital can be substituted by man-made capital. Proponents of weak sustainability maintain that man-made and natural capitals are substitutable in the long-term. It is a purely pro-growth sustainability stance favoured by the capitalist-led economy.
Strong Sustainability
Strong sustainability is the idea that there are certain functions or services that the environment performs that cannot be duplicated by humans. The ozone layer is one example of an ecosystem service that is difficult for humans to duplicate. Followers of strong sustainability believe man-made and natural capitals cannot be substituted for each other. They stress people's development rather than growth and advocate for investment in people, environment and nature.
The Five Axioms of Sustainability
Integrating the work of Herman Daly, The Natural Step, Joseph Tainter's The Collapse of Complex Societies and the mathematics of Al Bartlett are these 5 assertions, made in chapter 5 of the 2007 book Peak Everything: Waking Up to the Century of Declines by Richard Heinberg
Tainters' Axiom: Any society that continues to use critical resources unsustainably will collapse Bartlett's Axiom: Population growth and/or growth in the rates of consumption of resources cannot be sustained To be sustainable, the use of renewable resources must proceed at a rate that is less than or equal to the rate of natural replenishment To be sustainable, the use of non-renewable resources must proceed at a rate that is declining, and the rate of decline must be greater than or equal to the rate of depletion Sustainability requires that substances introduced into the environment from human activities be minimized and rendered harmless to biosphere functions
The Key Principles of Sustainability
1. ENVIRONMENT
We have to protect the environment, and lower our resource consumption so that those who follow us are able to enjoy the same level, and quality, of resources as we do
2. FUTURE
We have to think and plan long-term for the benefit of future generations
3. QUALITY OF LIFE
Human well-being has social, cultural, moral and spiritual dimensions, as well as material ones
Human well-being has social, cultural, moral and spiritual dimensions, as well as material ones
4. EQUITY
Wealth, opportunities and responsibilities should be shared fairly between nations, and among people within countries, especially with regard to the poor and disadvantaged
5. PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE
If we are not sure how an action or development will effect the environment, we should give the environment the benefit of the doubt and not carry it out.
6. LINKAGE
Solving sustainability problems means that all the factors contributing to the problem must be taken into account and built into the solution.
What Sustainability is all About
In general terms, therefore, the idea of sustainability is the persistence of certain necessary and desired characteristics of people, their communities and organizations, and the surrounding ecosystem over a very long period of time (indefinitely). Achieving progress toward sustainability thus implies maintaining and preferably improving, both human and ecosystem well- being, not one at the expense of the other. The idea expresses the interdependence between people and the surrounding world.
Sustainability is about ensuring that we continue to survive and prosper as a species. It's about ensuring we live in such a way that recognizes we have had, and will continue to have a significant impact on the environment. Whilst we must therefore ensure we meet our essential needs and increase social progress and economic prosperity at both a local and global level, we must do so only within the environmental limits and carrying capacity of our planet. This means that we need to make sure we do not pollute the air we breathe, the land we use for food or the water we use for drinking; that we protect and conserve the earths natural resources, whether they be forests, animals, soils, fish, minerals, plants or habitats; and that when we do use the Earth's natural resources, we do so only at a rate at which they can be replenished. For us to pollute the air, land and seas at will and without regard, or to deplete the earth's natural but ultimately finite resources unnecessarily, would mean we are living unsustainably as we would be endangering the capacity of future generations to have a secure and sustainable future.
Interconnectedness in Sustainability
Many activities, issues, problems and solutions in the field of sustainability are interconnected and overlapping. Examples of interconnected issues are climate change, health and environment and sustainable communities.
Worldviews of Sustainability
There are three worldviews of sustainability: rationalism (i.e. efficient utilisation of resources, labour productivity and financial return); humanism (meaning and purposefulness); and naturalism (i.e. recognising human activities unfold within larger natural systems). NGOs are more committed to humanism and naturalism. Business is more committed to rationalism. However, in a world of increasing environmental, climatic and social constraints, exclusive preoccupation with rational optimisation of human enterprise will ultimately limit long-term viability and wealth generation.
Humanistic Concept of Sustainability
This rests on the notions of stewardship, responsibility, justice, democracy, human rights and the basic desire of humans to act in ways to act in ways that support other beings and beings and future generations. It stresses human development rather than growth.
Naturalistic Concept of Sustainability
This rests on the notions of eco-balance, eco-efficiency and environmental conservation, among others. Eco-fear and eco-sabotage undermine this concept of sustainability. It stresses environmental development rather than growth.
Strategic Challenge of Sustainability
There are many tensions between the three worldviews of sustainability. Embracing these tensions and finding synergies among them is a big challenge, which can be addressed through appropriate sustainability frameworks.
