Sustainability is the capacity to maintain a certain level of production and consumption for a very long time, without endangering or factually harming the environment on which we depend.
"Carrying capacity" is the number of people that the planet can sustain without being harmed or depleted. Development is generally seen as a growth of living standards and wealth. Overshoot refers to a situation in which we have gone too far with our consumption of raw materials and nature. Population size and per capita consumption are the basic factors that determine sustainability. |
under development (5 November 2010) > click to comment References:striving for the highest possible scientific validity. |