Sustainability means the shaping of a system in such a way that it can permanently persist. The most widespread definition of sustainaibility was formulated in 1987 by the so-called Brundtland Commission: “Sustainable development is a development, which satisfies the needs of the present generation, without restricting the possibility of generations to come to satisfy their own needs and choose their lifestyle.” (Brundtland Report, 1987).

The UN Commission emphasizes in this definition intra- and intergenerational justice, which adheres to the concept of sustainability: On the one hand the distribution between presently living generations as a balance between the people, mainly related to the distribution between global North and global South. On the other, the balance between presently living and future generations, i.e. the obligation to stand for the conservation of the environment and the stability of society on behalf of the children and the children’s children.

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Ecology is the dimension which receives the strongest attention in political discussion. The central problem area in ecological sustainability is climate change, which designates global warming caused by man. Sustainability relative to ecology means to choose a treatment of nature, which safeguards an intact (clean) environment for all people on Earth.

Social metabolism

The so-called “social metabolism” is the starting point of assessing ecological sustainability. Social metabolism views the Earth as a limited system of a closed-substance global ecosystem. On account of an increasing consumption of resources by man, increasingly environmental problems arise, such as climate change, hole in the ozone layer, loss of biodiversity, erosion, desertification as well as contamination of soil, water, and air.

The ecological ...mehr

A sustainable type of economy is closely related to the two remaining dimensions. Economic sustainability is linked to the ecological dimension, for instance with respect to saving resources and energy, as well as to the social dimension, for instance through creation and safeguarding of jobs.

The social dimension of sustainability is most difficult to comprehend, and therefore it is quite often underexposed in the discussion about a sustainable future. The reasons for this are, amongst others, the interrelation between distinct (scientific) disciplines and the social dimension, and the difficulties to quantify the social dimension. Therefore, up to now there is no clear concept of social sustainability, and broad acceptance is lacking as well.