Defining Sustainability

Abstract

Sustainability has emerged as one of the most powerful social movements in the last 40 years. However, for many, it is difficult to clearly articulate the meaning of sustainability because of its diverse applications. Many definitions of sustainability have been printed since it became a major theme of social and scientific inquiry after the publication of the United Nations’ Brundtland Report in 1987. The unifying focus of the field is to try to take action now to ensure that future generations are able to thrive and have access to resources. A further clarifying aspect of sustainability is that it encompasses the three E’s of environment, equity, and economics. By encompassing issues of social equity and economics the field is far broader than the environmental movement that preceded it. In application, however, sustainability remains rather disjointed. Sustainability in developed countries tends to focus on actions that make small changes in existing behavior patterns rather than foundational societal change. For example, moving to electric cars or implementations of plastic bag bans do not put a check on high consumption rates which underlie the unsustainable patters seen in the west. In contrast, sustainable development in developing countries seeks to make improvements in settings where there are distinct limits to human development such as access to basic water services. Even though there are different applications of the term sustainability, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are helping to unify a worldwide approach to advancing national and global sustainability. The goal of this chapter is to highlight some of the key themes of sustainability that have surfaced in the last several decades in a variety of applications.