Abstract
This chapter focuses on how to measure sustainability, which is important if we shall be able to define where we are, where we want to go, and how far we have reached towards the final goal after a certain time period. The measures are related to different sustainability factors, such as economical, environmental, technical and societal aspects. The availability of natural resources is of special interest in this book, and thus is emphasised. Negative impacts from use of these and the value of “circular economy” are addressed. The major importance of animal production both as food and for nature is also addressed. Eutrophication and emissions are other aspects discussed.
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Notes
- 1.
See http://ec.europa.eu/environment/beyond_gdp/index_en.html, accessed 2016-08-07.
- 2.
TEEB 2010. Mainstreaming the Economics of Nature: A Synthesis of the Approach, Conclusions and Recommendations of TEEB, http://doc.teebweb.org/wp-content/uploads/Study%20and%20Reports/Reports/Synthesis%20report/TEEB%20Synthesis%20Report%202010.pdf, accessed 2016-08-07.
- 3.
http://www.millenniumassessment.org/en/About.html, accessed 2016-08-07.
- 4.
- 5.
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/research/newsalert/pdf/30si_en.pdf, accessed 2016-06-25.
- 6.
http://www.unep.org/pdf/PaymentsForEcosystemServices_en.pdf, accessed 2016-06-25.
- 7.
http://www.unep.org/pdf/PaymentsForEcosystemServices_en.pdf, accessed 2016-06-25.
- 8.
- 9.
Afterwards an EU-directive was named the Seveo-directive, with the aim to minimise risks for and effects of future accidents in chemical industries, see http://ec.europa.eu/environment/seveso/, accessed 2016-06-25.
- 10.
The issue of externalities and how to price them has been discussed for a long time within economics.
- 11.
This concept has been treated at a conference and a workshop at the Swedish Royal Academy of Forestry and Agriculture. The exercises are documented in separate reports, see Jakten på den gröna marknadskraften , in separate issues of KSLAs Journal. The first report is also available in English, The Search for green market forces . Links to these reports are http://www.ksla.se/publikationer/kslat/kslat-1-2006/; http://www.ksla.se/publikationer/kslat/kslat-6-2008/; http://www.ksla.se/publikationer/kslat/kslat-1-2006-eng/, all accessed 2013-01-03.
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Hellstrand, S. (2017). The Challenges of Measuring Sustainability Performance. In: Dahlquist, E., Hellstrand, S. (eds) Natural Resources Available Today and in the Future. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-54263-8_2
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