GC: n
S: http://www.sustainability.com/ (last access: 26th April 2013); http://www.epa.gov/sustainability/basicinfo.htm#sustainability (last access: 26th August 2014); UN – http://www.un.org/en/sustainablefuture/sustainability.shtml (last access: 26th August 2014).
N: 1. sustainability (n.): 1907, in reference to a legal objection, from sustainable + -ity. General sense (in economics, agriculture, ecology) by 1972.
Sustainability is defined as a requirement of our generation to manage the resource base such that the average quality of life that we ensure ourselves can potentially be shared by all future generations. … Development is sustainable if it involves a non-decreasing average quality of life. (Geir B. Asheim, “Sustainability,” The World Bank, 1994)
2. Sustainability is based on a simple principle: Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment.† Sustainability creates and maintains the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfilling the social, economic and other requirements of present and future generations.
3. The world’s population of 7 billion is likely to increase to 9 billion by 2050. The demand for diminishing natural resources is growing. Income gaps are widening. Sustainability calls for a decent standard of living for everyone today without compromising the needs of future generations.
This means finding better ways of doing things. Such as:
- How can we help people move out of poverty and get good jobs, while protecting the environment?
- How can we provide access to clean energy for everyone, and make sure that the energy we produce doesn’t contribute to climate change?
- How can we make sure that everyone can get the water, food and nutrition they need?
- How can we shape our cities so that everyone can enjoy a decent quality of life?
- How can we build better transportation systems that allow us all to get where we want to go, without causing too much congestion and pollution?
- How can we make sure that our oceans are healthy and that marine life is not threatened by pollution and climate change?
- How can we make sure that our communities are resilient in the face of natural disasters?
S: 1. OED – http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=sustainability&searchmode=none (last access: 5 September 2014). 2. http://www.epa.gov/sustainability/basicinfo.htm#sustainability (last access: 26 August 2014). 3. UN – http://www.un.org/en/sustainablefuture/sustainability.shtml (last access: 26 August 2014).
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S:
CR: carbon footprint, ecological footprint, sustainable development, sustainable energy, water footprint.
