Bending the Curve: Toward Global Sustainability

摘要

To assess the implications of current trends, and to guide policies to change211u001ethose trends, the authors introduce a set of explicit goals for long range 211u001esustainability. In developing sustainability goals, the authors include both the 211u001eenvironmental and social dimensions of the sustainable development concept. 211u001eEnvironmental sustainability means changing human activities so they no longer 211u001ethreaten the natural resource base and ecological systems upon which economic 211u001edevelopment, human health and social well-being depend. Social sustainability 211u001ehighlights the need to reduce absolute poverty and extreme inequality on both 211u001emoral and practical grounds. Social sustainability is essential because poverty 211u001eis both a cause and an effect of environmental degradaion. Moreover, a society 211u001efestering with social tension will not have the means or inclination to make the 211u001eenvironment a priority.