Sustainable Development: A Bird’s Eye View

2011

At the turn of the millennium, the world's political leadership adopted sustainable development as a leading model for societal development. However, the terms "sustainable development", "sustainability" and "sustainable" are sometimes over-and misused despite wide consensus about the concept's meaning among sustainability scholars and practitioners. While the concept allows various sustainability views to co-exist, random conceptualizations which do not respect the fundamental sustainability principles undermine the concept's objective to steer action. This lack of understanding of sustainability arguably inhibits its practical realization and a proper understanding of sustainability is urgently needed. In this paper we aim to contribute to a better understanding of sustainability by adopting a bird's eye perspective. We review the rich contemporary literature, with a specific focus on the terminology, genesis, fundamental principles, mainstream views of sustainability, and several governing aspects. Further, using the evolving body of sustainability literature, the paper provides arguments to combat common misconceptions of sustainability.

Sustainability and sustainable development are concepts that have been widely discussed serving different purposes. Even before the widely-accepted definition of sustainable development by the Brundtland Commission in 1987, and more so after its conception, sustainability and its essence, approaches and goals both for humanity and the environment have always been challenged. This paper aims to discuss various definitions and origins of sustainability and sustainable development by reviewing scientific journals and academic articles. Moreover, this paper will present a brief comparative analysis of these definitions and will examine these in the context of the period they were conceptualised. By doing this, the author aims to provide an understanding of the purpose of such definitions and identify the underlying values each one holds. In concluding, this paper will try, not to define, but to provide basic yet essential components targeting the conceptualisation of sustainable development based on the relevant literature: Sustainability Worldview, Sustainability Label, Sustainability Outcomes, and Sustainability Action.

Cadernos Ebape.br, 2017

The sustainable, sustainability and sustainable development are remarkable and timely terms at the global level. However as they lack an axiomatic concept, they lead to criticism and doubts in their theoretical application and praxis. In this sense, this study aims to analyze the attributes of sustainable, sustainability and sustainable development to contribute to its concept. This work is typified as a qualitative, bibliographical, and interpretive one, in which the databases of consulted journals are related to Science Direct, Springer Link, Wiley Online Library, and Google Scholar. The main results show that the sustainable is responsible for solutions to the deterioration of the humanenvironment system with the help of sustainability and sustainable development. Sustainability measures the level of quality of this system in order to evaluate its distance from the sustainable. Sustainable development works with strategies to bring the level of sustainability closer to the sustainable human-environment system. The attributes of these terms have distinct meanings and relate to specific praxis, but they converge to a single goal. Thus, an axiomatic concept of these terms assists in praxis to hold areas with distinct functions accountable, but with a single final attempt to achieve the idea of a sustainable human-environment system. We hope this work may prompt further study on these terms and help in understanding their praxis and theoretical application.

The vagueness of the concept of sustainable development, coupled with its increasing importance in national, international and corporate policies, has led to a large political battle for influence over our future by linking interpretation to the concept. This has resulted in a wide variety of definitions and interpretations that are skewed towards institutional and group prerogatives rather than compounding the essence of the concept, which has been inherent in traditional beliefs and practices. A systematic analysis of representative definitions and interpretations presented in this article reveals that most of the contemporary definitions focus on specific elements while failing to capture the whole spectrum. Such a historical and conceptual analysis focusing on the analysis of the metaphorical and epistemological basis of the different definitions is believed to be the first step towards developing a concrete body of theory on sustainability and sustainable development.

Environment, Development and Sustainability, 2008

A critical review of the multidisciplinary literature on sustainable development reveals a lack of a comprehensive theoretical framework for understanding sustainable development and its complexities. A critical review shows that the definitions of sustainable development are vague; there is a lack of operative definitions and disagreement over what should be sustained; the concept is unclear in terms of emotional commitment; and it ''remains a confused topic'', ''fraught with contradictions''. This article aims to theoretically synthesize the interdisciplinary literature on sustainable development, and then identify the results by broad categories. Therefore, this article uses conceptual analysis, which reviews multidisciplinary literature on sustainable development, which recognizes patterns and similarities within the literature, then it synthesizes the patterns to different categories and independent concepts, where each concept has distinctive meanings and represents close ideas on sustainability. The analytical process elaborates seven concepts that together assemble the theoretical framework of 'sustainable development' and each concept represents distinctive meanings of the theoretical framework.

 Foundations of Science, 2001

The concept of sustainable development is here revised in the light of a brief historical analysis, followed by a semantic analysis of the expressions development and sustainability. The authors criticize the common use of this concept in a loose way or in wide generalizations, to conclude, based on the principles of human ecology, that it is only possible to make it operational in limited spans of time and in limited spatial units.

Today, the objective of sustainable development is acclaimed by almost all international organizations, national governments, and also private enterprises. This general consensus seems mainly to rest upon the vague substance of the terms 'sustainable development' and 'sustainability' themselves, which leave much room for interpretation. Different definitions of 'sustainable development' or 'sustainability', often general and vague, lead one to question how these terms can be of any practical value. In this article, I do not attempt to provide a single definition or single acceptable approach to sustainable development or sustainability. My intention is to point out that sustainable development (sustainability) is not a (key) principle, especially not a principle of environmental law. It is rather a fundamental and overarching objective, aiming to continuously improve the quality of life and well-being for present and future generations, by linking eco...

CSI Working Papers, 2024

Sustainability has become a cornerstone of modern environmental and social discourse, yet its definition and practical application have evolved significantly over time. Initially rooted in ecological concerns, sustainability now encompasses a wide array of economic, social, and cultural dimensions. This article explores the concept of sustainability, its key correlates, and its changing interpretations, highlighting how these shifts reflect broader societal transformations.

Ecological Economics, 2004

The paper reviews how the concept of sustainable development has played out in industrialized countries since 1987. It examines the theory and practice of sustainable development in the context of three criticisms (it is vague, attracts hypocrites and fosters delusions), and argues for an approach to sustainability that is integrative, is action-oriented, goes beyond technical fixes, incorporates a recognition of the social construction of sustainable development, and engages local communities in new ways. The paper concludes with a description of an approach to sustainability that attempts to incorporate these characteristics. D