- "Experts often describe sustainability as having three dimensions (or pillars): environmental, economic, and social"
Sustainability refers to the ability of human societies and the natural environment to coexist and flourish over time. It is based on the principles of balance, equity, and longevity, and incorporates economic, social, and environmental considerations in decision-making.
Climate change: The scientific understanding of climate change, its causes and consequences, and the policies and laws that address it.
Energy: The environmental, social, and economic impacts of different sources of energy, such as fossil fuels, renewable energy, and nuclear power.
Waste management: The management of various types of waste, including landfill waste, hazardous waste, and electronic waste.
Water: The availability, quality, and distribution of freshwater resources, including issues related to access, management, and conservation.
Biodiversity: The understanding of ecosystems and the principles of conservation, including the protection of threatened and endangered species.
Sustainable agriculture: The application of sustainable practices to agricultural production, including crop rotation, natural pest control, and sustainable soil management.
Sustainable transportation: The promotion of sustainable modes of transportation, including public transit, biking, and walking, as well as the development of infrastructure to support these modes.
Environmental justice: The recognition and redress for the disproportionate environmental impacts on low-income communities, communities of color, and other marginalized people.
Corporate sustainability: The integration of sustainable practices into the corporate strategies and operations of businesses, as well as the measurement and reporting of sustainability performance.
Policy and regulation: The development and implementation of laws and regulations at the local, national, and international levels to promote sustainability and environmental protection.
Environmental Sustainability: This refers to preserving and protecting the natural environment, minimizing environmental harm, and ensuring that resources are used responsibly.
Social Sustainability: This refers to promoting equity, justice, and fairness among groups of people, and ensuring that the benefits of sustainability are shared equally.
Economic Sustainability: This refers to promoting long-term economic growth that does not harm the environment, but rather conserves resources, and avoids negative impacts on communities.
Cultural Sustainability: This refers to preserving the cultures and traditions of different communities, and ensuring that they are respected and valued, and not threatened by unsustainable practices.
Political Sustainability: This refers to promoting policies and laws that are in line with the principles of sustainability, and ensuring that political leadership is committed to sustainable development.
Technological Sustainability: This refers to promoting the development of sustainable technologies, products and systems, which minimize negative environmental impacts, and maximize economic and social benefits.
Legal Sustainability: This refers to creating legal frameworks and policies that support sustainable practices, and ensuring that there are consequences for non-compliance.
Institutional Sustainability: This refers to ensuring the long-term sustainability of organizations, institutions, and structures, that promote sustainable development.
- "sustainability often focuses on countering major environmental problems, including climate change, loss of biodiversity, loss of ecosystem services, land degradation, and air and water pollution"
- "The idea of sustainability can guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels"
- "A related concept is sustainable development, and the terms are often used to mean the same thing."
- "The economic dimension of sustainability is controversial. Scholars have discussed this under the concept of 'weak and strong sustainability.'"
- "maintaining ecosystem services, reducing food waste, promoting dietary shifts towards plant-based foods, promoting new green technologies, and adopting renewable energy sources"
- "The United Nations agreed the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015. These set a global agenda for sustainable development, with a deadline of 2030."
- "This means using fewer resources per unit of output even while growing the economy. This reduces the environmental impact of economic growth such as pollution."
- "Existing global organizations such as the UN and WTO are inefficient in enforcing current global regulations."
- "Business groups have tried to integrate ecological concerns with economic activity. Religious leaders have stressed the need for caring for nature and environmental stability. Individuals can also live in a more sustainable way."
- "The concept of sustainability has faced various criticisms."
- "One is that the concept is vague and only a buzzword."
- "Some experts have pointed out that 'no country is delivering what its citizens need without transgressing the biophysical planetary boundaries'."
- "Indicators consider environmental, social and economic domains. The metrics are evolving."
- "Some barriers arise from nature and its complexity. Other barriers are extrinsic to the concept of sustainability, such as the dominant institutional frameworks in countries."
- "there will always be tension between the ideas of 'welfare and prosperity for all' and environmental conservation, so trade-offs are necessary."
- "reducing population growth by cutting fertility rates"
- "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."
- "there will always be tension between the ideas of 'welfare and prosperity for all' and environmental conservation"
- "Some experts say there is no evidence that it is happening at the required scale."