【预订】Sustainability

Theword"sustainability"hasbeenconnectedtoeverythingfromacertainkindofeconomicdevelopmenttocorporatepromisesaboutimprovedsupplysourcing.Butdespitetheapparentubiquityoftheterm,theconceptofsustainabilityhascometomeananumberofspecificthings.Inthisaccessibleguidetothemeaningsofsustainability,KentPortneydescribestheevolutionoftheideaandexaminesitsapplicationinavarietyofcontemporarycontexts--fromeconomicgrowthandconsumptiontogovernmentpolicyandurbanplanning.Portneytakesashisstartingpointthe1987definitionbytheWorldCommissiononEnvironmentandDevelopmentofsustainabilityaseconomicdevelopmentactivitythat"meetstheneedsofthepresentwithoutcompromisingtheabilityoffuturegenerationstomeettheirownneeds."Atitsheart,Portneyexplains,sustainabilityfocusesontheuseanddepletionofnaturalresources.Itisnotthesameasenvironmentalprotectionornaturalresourceconservation;itismoreaboutfindingsomesortofsteadystatesothattheearthcansupportbothhumanpopulationandeconomicgrowth.Portneylooksatpoliticaloppositiontothepromotionofsustainability,whichusuallyquestionstheneedforsustainabilityorcallsitscostsunacceptable;collectiveandindividualconsumptionofmaterialgoodsandresourcesandtowhatextenttheymustbecurtailedtoachievesustainability;theroleoftheprivatesector,andtheco-optingofsustainabilitybycorporations;governmentpolicyonsustainabilityattheinternational,national,andsubnationallevels;andhowcitiescouldbecomemodelsforsustainabilityaction.