Global sustainability: Toward definition |
| |
Authors: | Becky J. Brown Mark E. Hanson Diana M. Liverman Robert W. Merideth Jr. |
| |
Affiliation: | (1) Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1007 WARF Building, 53705 Madison, Wisconsin, USA |
| |
Abstract: | Sustainability is increasingly viewed as a desired goal of development and environmental management. This term has been used in numerous disciplines and in a variety of contexts, ranging from the concept of maximum sustainable yield in forestry and fisheries management to the vision of a sustainable society with a steady-state economy. The meaning of the term is strongly dependent on the context in which it is applied and on whether its use is based on a social, economic, or ecological perspective, Sustainability may be defined broadly or narrowly, but a useful definition must specify explicitly the context as well as the temporal and spatial scales being considered. Although societies differ in their conceptualizations of sustainability, indefinite human survival on a global scale requires certain basic support systems, which can be maintained only with a healthy environment and a stable human population. A clearer understanding of global sustainability and the development of appropriate indicators of the status of basic support systems would provide a useful framework for policy making. |
| |
Keywords: | Global sustainability Ecologically sustainable development Sustainable use of the biosphere |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|