Sustainability is a societal goal that broadly aims for humans to safely co-exist on
planet Earth over a long time. Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and
therefore vary in the literature and over time.[2][1] Sustainability is commonly described along the
lines of three dimensions (also called pillars): the environmental, economic and social
dimension.[1] This concept can be used to guide decisions at the global, national and at the
individual level (e.g. sustainable living).[3] In everyday usage in the media and society,
sustainability is often focused mostly on the environmental aspects so that "sustainability"
becomes the same as "environmental sustainability". Therefore, for many people, especially
those from the environmental movement, sustainability is closely linked with environmental
issues. This "environmental sustainability" has its theoretical basis in the "planetary boundaries"
model.[4] People are concerned about human impacts on the environment.[5]: 21 The most dominant
environmental issues since about the year 2000 have been climate change, loss of
biodiversity and environmental pollution and land degradation (such as deforestation and general
degradation of ecosystems).[6][7]
A closely related concept is that of sustainable development. Both terms are often used
synonymously.[8] UNESCO formulated a distinction as follows: "Sustainability is often thought of
as a long-term goal (i.e. a more sustainable world), while sustainable development refers to the
many processes and pathways to achieve it."[9]
The economic dimension of sustainability is as controversial as the concept of sustainability
itself.[1] This is partly because of the inherent contradictions between "welfare for all"
and environmental conservation.[10] To resolve this contradiction, the decoupling of economic
growth from environmental deterioration needs to be considered. It is difficult to achieve because
environmental and social costs are not generally paid by the entity that causes them, and are not
expressed in the market price.[11] Usually, externalities are either not addressed at all or are left to
be addressed by government policy or by local governance. Some examples are: taxing the
activity (the polluter pays); subsidizing activities that have a positive environmental or social
effect (rewarding stewardship); or outlawing the practice (legal limits on pollution).[11]
The social dimension of sustainability is the least defined and least understood dimension of
sustainability.[12][13] Some academics have proposed more dimensions of sustainability such as
institutional, cultural, and technical dimensions.[1] ·
The concept of sustainability has been criticized from different angles. One angle is that
sustainability as a goal might be impossible to reach due to far-reaching detrimental impacts of
humans on the environment.[14] The other angle is that the concept is vague, ill-defined and
merely a buzzword.[1]