Another is that sustainability might be an impossible goal. One is that the concept is vague and only a buzzword. The concept of sustainability has faced various criticisms. a more sustainable world), while sustainable development refers to the many processes and pathways to achieve it.' UNESCO distinguishes the two like this: ' Sustainability is often thought of as a long-term goal (i.e. Ī related concept is sustainable development, and the terms are often used to mean the same thing. The idea of sustainability can guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. They also include loss of ecosystem services, land degradation, and air and water pollution. These include climate change and loss of biodiversity. So in everyday use, sustainability often focuses on countering major environmental problems. Many publications state that the environmental dimension is the most important. These are environmental, economic, and social. Experts often describe sustainability as having three dimensions (or pillars). They have varied with literature, context, and time. Specific definitions of this term are difficult to agree on. Sustainability is a social goal about the ability of people to co-exist on Earth over a long time. The schematic with the nested ellipses emphasizes a hierarchy of the dimensions, putting environment as the foundation for the other two. In the top right it is a nested approach.

Several visual representations of sustainability and its three dimensions: the left image shows sustainability as three intersecting circles.

Pdf split and merge basic edition