Reflections on sustainability, population growth, and the environment-2006

Abstract

In the 1980s, it became apparent to thoughtful individuals that populations, poverty, environmental degradation, and resource shortages were increasing at a rate that could not long be continued. Perhaps most prominent among the publications that identified these problems in hard quantitative terms and then provided extrapolations into the future, was the book Limits to Growth (Meadows et al. 1972), which simultaneously evoked admiration and consternation. The consternation came from traditional 'Growth is Good' groups all over the world. Their rush to rebuttal was immediate and urgent, prompted perhaps by the thought that the message of Limits was too terrible to be true (Cole et al. 1973). As the message of Limits faded, the concept of limits became an increasing reality with which people had to deal. Perhaps, as an attempt to offset or deflect the message of Limits, the word 'sustainable' began to appear as an adjective that modified common terms. It was drawn from the concept of 'sustained yield,' which is used to describe agriculture and forestry when these enterprises are conducted in such a way that they could be continued indefinitely, i.e., their yield could be sustained. The use of the new term 'sustainable' provided comfort and reassurance to those who may momentarily have wondered if possibly there were limits. The word was soon applied in many areas, and with less precise meaning, so that for example, with little visible change, 'development' became 'sustainable development,' etc. One would see political leaders using the term 'sustainable' to describe their goals as they worked hard to create more jobs, to increase population, and to increase rates of consumption of energy and resources. In the manner of Alice in Wonderland, and without regard for accuracy or consistency, 'sustainability' seems to have been redefined flexibly to suit a variety of wishes and conveniences.