A balance must be maintained between social, economic and environmental requirements for sustainability to be reached. Taken from: http://www.keepoklahomabeautiful.com/sustainability |
Before I delve further into the topic of harmonisation, there are some fundamental concepts that need to be defined; sustainability is the first of these. Sustainability is a word that comes up in conversation quite a lot these days but often is not entirely understood. When I asked my geology friend; “How would you define sustainability?” during our conversation on energy, he replied; “It is when you can take resources that can be replaced”. This is indeed sustainable, but sustainability has a much broader definition.
Sustainability itself stems from the term sustainable development which, in 1992, was defined as “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” in the Bruntland Reportfor the World Commission on Environment and Development. The idea of sustainability has been refined since then and is the only logical answer for future change.
There is no universally agreed definition of sustainability, but here are a few that I found online:
· “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.”
·
“Sustainability
is the capacity to endure. In ecology the word describes how biological systems
remain diverse and productive over time. Long-lived and healthy wetlands and forests
are examples of sustainable biological systems. For humans, sustainability is
the potential for long-term maintenance of wellbeing, which has ecological,
economic, political and cultural dimensions. Sustainability requires the
reconciliation of environmental, social equity and economic demands - also
referred to as the "three pillars" of sustainability or the 3 Es.”
· “Sustainability is a
state of dynamic equilibrium achieved by taking responsibility for balancing
long term economic, environmental and social health --for ourselves, our
communities, and our world.”
From these definitions and others I have read, I would now
answer my own question as so;
“Sustainability is the harmony of humans and nature, where
our social, economic and environmental needs are met without incurring negative
impact on our world and therefore paving a positive path for future
generations.”
With this in mind a better evaluation of attempts to become sustainable and therefore harmonised with nature can be attained.
With this in mind a better evaluation of attempts to become sustainable and therefore harmonised with nature can be attained.
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