Sustainability

Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on <a href="/facts/Earth/HLLmDfj0">Earth</a> over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): environmental, economic, and social. Many definitions emphasize the environmental dimension. This can include addressing key <a href="/facts/Environmental_issues/6w5L44ek">environmental problems</a>, including <a href="/facts/Climate_change/rEN4BDE7">climate change</a> and <a href="/facts/Biodiversity_loss/p7xI1P0G">biodiversity loss</a>. The idea of sustainability can guide decisions at the global, national, organizational, and individual levels. A related concept is that of <a href="/facts/Sustainable_development/zGqWBsaK">sustainable development</a>, and the terms are often used to mean the same thing. <a href="/facts/UNESCO/QSbkRv3o">UNESCO</a> distinguishes the two like this: "Sustainability is often thought of as a long-term goal (i.e. a more sustainable world), while sustainable development refers to the many processes and pathways to achieve it."
Details around the economic dimension of sustainability are controversial. Scholars have discussed this under the concept of <a href="/facts/Weak_and_strong_sustainability/a1JDC17J">weak and strong sustainability</a>. For example, there will always be tension between the ideas of "welfare and prosperity for all" and <a href="/facts/Environmental_protection/HoD7nCUq">environmental conservation</a>, so <a href="/facts/Trade-off/xY3nXnJN">trade-offs</a> are necessary. It would be desirable to find ways that <a href="/facts/Eco-economic_decoupling/hgaFLASl">separate economic growth from harming the environment</a>. This means using fewer resources per unit of output even while growing the economy. This decoupling reduces the environmental impact of economic growth, such as <a href="/facts/Pollution/JRagxumQ">pollution</a>. Doing this is difficult. Some experts say there is no evidence that such a decoupling is happening at the required scale. 
It is challenging to <a href="/facts/Sustainability_measurement/HQWbgyxP">measure sustainability</a> as the concept is complex, contextual, and dynamic. Indicators have been developed to cover the environment, society, or the economy but there is no fixed definition of sustainability indicators. The metrics are evolving and include <a href="/facts/Ecological_indicator/e0fe5XdE">indicators</a>, benchmarks and audits. They include <a href="/facts/Sustainability_standards_and_certification/xXlqcSGq">sustainability standards and certification</a> systems like <a href="/facts/Fairtrade/4ApDUQsu">Fairtrade</a> and <a href="/facts/Organic_certification/eE8t9jNl">Organic</a>. They also involve indices and accounting systems such as corporate <a href="/facts/Sustainability_reporting/838Ko4Wb">sustainability reporting</a> and <a href="/facts/Triple_bottom_line/c9thpskD">Triple Bottom Line accounting</a>. 
It is necessary to address many barriers to sustainability to achieve a sustainability transition or sustainability transformation.: 34  Some barriers arise from nature and its complexity while others are extrinsic to the concept of sustainability. For example, they can result from the dominant institutional frameworks in countries.
Global issues of sustainability are difficult to tackle as they need global solutions. The United Nations writes, "Today, there are almost 140 developing countries in the world seeking ways of meeting their development needs, but with the increasing threat of climate change, concrete efforts must be made to ensure development today does not negatively affect future generations" <a href="https://www.un.org/en/academic-impact/sustainability#:~:text=In%201987%2C%20the%20United%20Nations,to%20meet%20their%20own%20needs.%E2%80%9D">UN Sustainability</a>. Existing global organizations such as the <a href="/facts/United_Nations/fgXLnmgT">UN</a> and <a href="/facts/World_Trade_Organization/p7hgb1lP">WTO</a> are seen as inefficient in enforcing current global regulations. One reason for this is the lack of suitable <a href="/facts/International_sanctions/NXCdkPKh">sanctioning mechanisms</a>.: 135–145  Governments are not the only sources of action for sustainability. For example, business groups have tried to integrate ecological concerns with economic activity, seeking <a href="/facts/Sustainable_business/CvFIq5N1">sustainable business</a>. Religious leaders have stressed the need for caring for nature and environmental stability. Individuals can also <a href="/facts/Sustainable_living/q63zn1Cj">live more sustainably</a>.
Some people have criticized the idea of sustainability. One point of criticism is that the concept is vague and only a <a href="/facts/Buzzword/umj6poF9">buzzword</a>. Another is that sustainability might be an impossible goal. Some experts have pointed out that "no country is delivering what its citizens need without transgressing the biophysical planetary boundaries".[21]: 11

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Sustainability