Definition
Sustainability
Sustainability is the natural capacity of ecosystems to maintain equilibrium between resource inputs and waste outputs while continuing to support life.
- It focuses on maintaining or improving the health and stability of both societal and ecological systems without diminishing the capacity of future generations to meet their needs.
- Sustainability depends on:
- Resilience: Systems must withstand disturbances (e.g., droughts, market crashes).
- Equilibrium: Inputs and outputs should balance over long timescales.
- Adaptability: Systems must evolve to remain functional amid environmental or social change.
- How can we balance economic growth with environmental protection?
- Should high-income countries bear more responsibility for achieving global sustainability?
Relationship Between Resilience and Sustainability
- Sustainability is about the long-term survival of a system without depleting resources or degrading the environment.
- Enhancing system resilience increases sustainability because resilient systems are better able to adapt to challenges like climate change, resource scarcity, or economic shifts. In other words, the more resilient a system is, the more likely it is to remain sustainable over time.
- Resilience and sustainability are interlinked.
- Resilience enables systems to recover from disturbance, while sustainability ensures that recovery is possible indefinitely.
Sustainable Agriculture
- Practices like crop rotation, organic farming, and soil conservation increase the resilience of agricultural systems.
- This ensures that soil remains fertile and yields are sustainable, supporting future generations of farmers without depleting land resources.
Biodiversity Conservation
- Protecting species diversity and ecosystems increases ecological resilience, making natural systems more adaptable to disturbances like droughts, floods, or climate change.
- A diverse ecosystem can better maintain essential functions such as pollination and water filtration, supporting human and ecological sustainability.
Local and Global Perspectives
- Local scale: Small community-based initiatives (e.g., sustainable farming, water recycling).
- Global scale: Cooperation on global issues such as climate change, deforestation, and biodiversity loss.
Traditional irrigation methods in arid regions may be more sustainable locally than importing high-tech systems that require external maintenance.
Sustainability and Its Three Pillars
- Sustainability is built upon three interconnected pillars:
- Environmental Pillar
- Social Pilar
- Economic Pillar
- Each pillar is interdependent, and neglecting one weakens the entire system.
1. Environmental Pillar
- The environmental pillar focuses on the preservation and responsible management of the Earth's natural resources.
- It includes protecting ecosystems, biodiversity, and the atmosphere, ensuring that environmental processes can continue to support life for future generations.
2. Social Pillar
- The social pillar focuses on ensuring social equity, well-being, and justice.
- It addresses issues like education, health, human rights, and community well-being.
- A sustainable society is one where people have access to opportunities, are treated equally, and can live with dignity and respect.
3. Economic Pillar
- The economic pillar focuses on ensuring that economies grow in a way that is both financially viable and environmentally responsible.
- It involves fostering economic stability, growth, and jobs, but in a way that doesn't exhaust resources or harm ecosystems.
Sustainable Tourism
- Environmental: minimizes waste and habitat destruction.
- Social: supports local cultures and employment.
- Economic: generates income without exhausting local resources.
Interconnection Between the Three Pillars
Sustainability is a balance between the three pillars:
- Environmental sustainability ensures resources are maintained and ecosystems stay healthy.
- Social sustainability guarantees that societies thrive and people’s rights and needs are met.
- Economic sustainability drives growth without causing long-term harm to the environment or people.
Models of Sustainability
1. Weak Sustainability (Overlapping Circles Model)
Definition
Weak sustainability model
A weak sustainability model is a sustainability model that shows overlapping relationships between the three pillars: environment, society, and economy.
- In this model, the environment, society, and economy are represented as three equal circles that partially overlap.
- Sustainability lies in the intersection of the three circles.
- It assumes that the three domains can substitute for one another (e.g., economic growth can offset environmental loss).
- This model is considered weak because it underestimates the dependence of the economy and society on the environment.
- Economic development might be prioritized, with the assumption that technology or innovation (e.g., renewable energy or artificial systems) can replace environmental resources.
- For instance, economic growth could continue as long as technological solutions (such as carbon capture) are found to mitigate the environmental impact, even if natural ecosystems degrade.
2. Strong Sustainability (Nested Circle Model)
Definition
Strong sustainability model
A strong sustainability model is a sustainability model that depicts the environment as a foundation that supports both society and the economy.
- In this moel, the economy is nested within society, and both are nested within the natural environment.
- The environment provides the foundation and limits for all human and economic activity.
- Economic and social well-being depend on ecological health.
- Natural resources (clean water, fertile soil) are essential for economic growth and social well-being, but cannot be overused without compromising the environment’s ability to regenerate.
- Overfishing or deforestation can harm the ecosystem, which in turn harms the economy and society by depleting resources and harming livelihoods.
Environmental sustainability
Definition
Environmental sustainability
Environmental sustainability refers to the use and management of natural resources in a way that ensures they can be replenished, and ecosystems can recover and regenerate over time.
- Environmental sustainability involves the responsible use, management, and regeneration of natural resources to ensure that ecosystems can continue to provide services indefinitely.
- It includes resource replacement, pollution control, and biodiversity conservation, ensuring that natural systems remain capable of renewal.
Core Principles
- Renewability: Harvesting renewable resources (e.g., timber, fish) only at rates that allow natural regeneration.
- Resource Efficiency: Minimizing waste and maximizing the life cycle of materials.
- Pollution Prevention: Reducing emissions and pollutants to maintain environmental health.
- Ecosystem Restoration: Actively repairing degraded ecosystems (e.g., reforestation, wetland restoration).
- Biodiversity Conservation: Protecting genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity to maintain resilience.
Natural Capital and Natural Income
| Term | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Capital | The total stock of natural resources providing goods and services. | Forests, oceans, freshwater, fertile soil. |
| Natural Income | The yield or output obtained from natural capital. | Timber growth, fish reproduction, freshwater recharge. |
Timescales of Resource Renewal
- Renewable resources (e.g., forests, fresh water, biomass) replenish naturally within human time frames.
- Non-renewable resources (e.g., fossil fuels, metals) form over geological periods and are effectively finite.
- Sustainability depends on transitioning from non-renewable to renewable sources and ensuring regeneration rates exceed extraction rates.
Using non-renewables is like spending savings while using renewables wisely is like living on interest without touching capital.
