Reviews

摘要

Can anyone define 'sustainability', 'sustainable development', or one of the many other permutations of the word 'sustainable' that permeate our culture today? That is a question that many people are asking and contributors to this book are seeking to answer. But it does not propose a new and embracing definition to add to that of the Brundtland Commission (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987) or the 3 Es (environment, economy, and equity) of the triple bottom line (Elkington, 1998). That task would be as unsatisfying as it would be unsuccessful. "Sustainability, like democracy, faith and freedom, is hard to define concisely" (page 33). I suspect it will always remain so; forever standing as an aspiration more than an end goal or defined state. So, wisely, the contributors seek to define sustainability by history and example. They focus their lens on the policies that sought to foster environmental protection and track them as they evolved from 1970 to the present. The reader is then left to the task of creating his or her own definition. The book is highly satisfying and informative.