Environmental scienceLesson 1 of 3 in the course Sustainability and sustainable development

Sustainability: Concepts, Models, Measurement, and Transitions

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

Sustainability is about the ability to continue over time. This lesson introduces the concept, explains how it relates to sustainable development, and traces the term’s historical roots.

In modern usage, sustainability generally describes a condition in which the environment, economy, and society can continue over the long term. Definitions often emphasize the environmental dimension, including concerns such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and the depletion of natural resources.

All flashcards

Why is sustainability a normative concept?
It reflects judgments about what people value and consider desirable for the future.
What does an intersecting-circle model of sustainability emphasize?
Sustainable outcomes involve overlap among environmental, social, and economic dimensions.
What does a nested model of sustainability represent?
The economy exists within society, and society exists within the biosphere.
What is a trade-off?
A situation in which advancing one goal makes another goal harder to achieve.
What does triple bottom line accounting consider?
People, planet, and profit.

Quiz questions

  1. In a nested sustainability model, how are the economy, society, and biosphere arranged?Answer: The economy is within society, which is within the biosphere.
  2. What does strong sustainability hold about natural capital?Answer: Some natural functions cannot be replaced by technology or manufactured capital.
  3. What is absolute decoupling?Answer: Total environmental pressure declines while economic output grows.
  4. What is an externality?Answer: A cost or benefit of an activity not fully reflected in its market price.
  5. What is a sustainability transition?Answer: A deep, wide-ranging change in social and technical systems toward more sustainable conditions.

Based on the Wikipedia article Sustainability, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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