Connections in Environmental Sustainability: Living in a Time of Rapid Environmental Change

Abstract

Sustainability has been traditionally defined, using the Brundtland Report (1987) as a guide, as an activity that tries to preserve resources for future generations. However, our natural systems are at a breaking point. Many environmental systems are failing. Plus, many of the world’s social systems, especially in poorer areas, are under stress. In the Anthropocene, a term recently coined by geologists to denote our present era of environmental change, the idea of three equal pillars (environment, economy, and society) as a way to achieve sustainability is not working all that well. This book provides a fresh look at environmental sustainability that reviews the connections among major environmental systems. It highlights the role of history and disasters within the context of sustainability and also emphasizes the importance of data collection and management. The book also notes how different areas of the world, particularly the developed west and the less developed south, approach sustainability differently and how environmental sustainability is managed at different scales.