Sustainability

Abstract

Sustainability is a concept that is becoming increasingly important as human societies recognize the finite nature of many natural resources and the lingering ill effects of overconsumption, pollution and poorly planned land uses. Sustainability is defined as meeting the needs of the current generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs and to do so while maintaining ecological processes, functions, biodiversity and productivity into the future. An understanding of sustainability includes the scientific basis for sustainable resource use as well as the social and economic implications and/or costs of sustainable practices. Given the state of the global economy, the social unrest that is building throughout many parts of the world, the ultimate dependence of both developed and developing nations on an increasingly stressed natural environment, and the connections between these, moving toward a sustainable future requires an interdisciplinary perspective of the challenges facing society today.