14.2: Revisiting Sustainability
- Page ID
- 195788
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Current State of Sustainability: Two Measures
Cities in today’s modern world are struggling to balance a sustainable society, economy, and environment. According to a 2016 report that rated sustainability across 32 indicators, Zurich, Switzerland, was ranked number one. Zurich invests in renewable energies, sustainable public transport, public green space, and public education. One of the most notable ways Zurich is leading global sustainability efforts is its dedication to keeping its carbon dioxide emissions low (Figure \(\PageIndex{a}\).
Figure \(\PageIndex{a}\): Per capita emissions of carbon dioxide between the United States and Switzerland. Graph by Our World in Data (CC-BY4.0)
Another measure of sustainability is the conversion to sustainable energy sources. You can see the rates globally from 1965-2024 in this interactive figure(Figure \(\PageIndex{b}\).
Figure \(\PageIndex{b}\): Share of primary energy consumption from renewable sources, 1965-2024. Graph by Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2025)(Our World in Data, CC-BY 4.0)
Imagine aliens land on Earth a million years from now. What will these curious searchers find of us? They will find what geologists, scientists, and other experts are increasingly calling the Anthropocene, or the new age of mankind. David Biello explains how the impacts that humans have made have become so pervasive, profound, and permanent that some geologists believe we merit our own epoch. (5 min)
Sustainability: A Review
Sustainability is derived from two Latin words: sus, which means up, and tenere, which means to hold. Thus, sustainability is essentially about sustaining human existence by meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
There are three dimensions of sustainability: economic, environmental, and social (including sociopolitical).
- Economic: identification and decision-making related to financial capital (aka money) and commerce, including all knowledge, skills, competencies, and other aspects of individuals relevant to economics.
- Environmental: the recognition that living systems are diverse and interdependent and that ecosystem services produce goods and services for humans and reduce the impacts of our waste products.
- Social/Socio-political: description of the interactions between government/institutions/companies and individuals, including those that express human values, aspirations, well-being, ethics, and collective decision-making.
In sustainability (Figure \(\PageIndex{c}\)),
- social and economic elements interact to form the basis of social "equitability".
- economic and environmental interests interact to form the basis "viability".
- environmental and social elements interact to form the basis of “bearability,” the recognition that the functioning of societies is dependent on environmental resources and services.
The three main elements of the sustainability paradigm (environmental, social, and economic) are equally important. However, tradeoffs occur depending on the local/global objective.
For example, in some instances, it may be deemed necessary to degrade a particular ecosystem to facilitate commerce, food production, or housing.
In reality, the extent to which tradeoffs are made before irreversible damage occurs is not always known. In any case, there are definite limits to how much substitution among the three elements is wise, and so far, modern humans have treated economic development as the most important of the three.
This has led to the notion of strong sustainability (tradeoffs among the three elements are not allowed or are very restricted) or weak sustainability (tradeoffs are unrestricted or have few limits).
Whether or not a society follows the strong or weak form of sustainability, it is important to recognize that while economic and social systems are human creations, the environment is not. A functioning environment makes both society and the economy possible.
The word "sustainability" gets thrown around a lot these days. But what does it actually mean for humanity to be sustainable? Environmental data scientist Hannah Ritchie digs into the numbers behind human progress over centuries, unpacking why the conventional understanding of sustainability is misleading and showing how we can be the first generation to actually achieve it.
Attribution
Modified by Rachel Schleiger from Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation by Openstax (licensed under CC-BY)