Measuring sustainable development: progress on indicators

1996 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Pearce ◽  
Kirk Hamilton ◽  
Giles Atkinson
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Carrying Capacity ◽  
National Income ◽  
Sustainability Indicators ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Important Conclusion ◽  
Genuine Savings ◽  
Weak Sustainability ◽  
Strong Sustainability ◽  
Key Indicators

ABSTRACTThe search for sustainability indicators should be guided by a theory of sustainable development (SD). In this paper we investigate two such theoretical frameworks and the indicators that they suggest. Indicators associated with weak sustainability are characterized by aggregative indicators such as green national income. We conclude, however, that a more promising offshoot of green accounting is measures of genuine savings (i.e. savings adjusted for loss of assets). To achieve SD, genuine savings rates must not be persistently negative. Strong sustainability indicators accord a more central role to the conservation of critical natural assets within the broader goal of prudently managing a nation's portfolio of assets over time. We discuss two approaches—carrying capacity and resilience—and conclude that, while measures of resilience are potentially attractive, more research is required regarding the resilience–SD link. However, an important conclusion that we can make is that, even in an economy operating under a strong sustainability regime, genuine savings are still key indicators of SD and are complementary to measures of changes in stocks of critical natural assets.

scholarly journals Assessing Sustainable Development: Toward a Portfolio of Indices?

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 225
Author(s):  
Yacouba Gnegne
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Ecological Footprint ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Single Index ◽  
Human Needs ◽  
Weak Sustainability ◽  
Strong Sustainability ◽  
Definition Of

This paper selects and discusses indices that seem to be more connected to the definition of development sustainability and/or allow taking into account issues of weak sustainability and strong sustainability systematically. I appreciate them mostly in terms of their ability to provide information on the fulfilment of human needs sustainably. I defend the idea that rather than being measured through a single index, the assessment of sustainable development requires a mix of indices. The main finding is that this portfolio must meet the triptych: current well-being, sustainability of well-being and environmental sustainability. In this regard, indices such as the HDI, the adjusted net saving and the ecological footprint may constitute such a mix or portfolio.

scholarly journals Pět klíčových indikátorů udržitelného rozvoje: nástroj pro vzdělávání a osvětu veřejnosti

Envigogika ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Svatava Janoušková ◽  
Bedřich Moldan ◽  
Tomáš Hák
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Development Strategy ◽  
Sustainability Indicators ◽  
Public Sentiment ◽  
30Th Anniversary ◽  
Instrumental Condition ◽  
Key Indicators ◽  
Sustainability Principles

Sustainable Development strategy is going to celebrate its 30th anniversary this year (1987). Despite its long existence it is a concept very little understood globally and causing public sentiment just at a small part of population. The article thinks about the causes and ways to improve it. It is indicators that have an underused potential for presentation sustainability principles and ideas. The sustainability indicators may serve as informative, educational and public enlightenment tools and assist in understanding of the whole concept – an instrumental condition for its embracing. The article defines general qualities of the indicators, as inter alia thematic relevance and indicator relevance, and proposes a set of five key indicators representing all dimensions of sustainable development: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnership.

Grassland resource evaluation based on improved bp network model and analytic hierarchy process

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Zhou Jiang ◽  
Zhenwu Wei
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy Process ◽  
Carrying Capacity ◽  
Index System ◽  
Evaluation Index System ◽  
Analytic Hierarchy ◽  
Bp Network ◽  
Resource Evaluation ◽  
Environmental Carrying Capacity ◽  
Hierarchy Process

Grassland resources are an important part of land resources. Moreover, it has the functions of regulating the climate, windproof and sand fixation, conserving water sources, maintaining water and soil, raising livestock, providing food, purifying the air, and beautifying the environment in terrestrial ecosystems. Grassland resource evaluation is of great significance to the sustainable development of grassland resources. Therefore, this paper improves the BP neural network, uses the comprehensive index method to calculate the weights in the analytic hierarchy process, and constructs a water resources carrying capacity research and analysis system based on the entropy weight extension decision theory. Meanwhile, this paper analyzes different levels of resource and environmental carrying capacity to achieve the purpose of comprehensive evaluation of resource and environmental carrying capacity. In addition, based on the theory of sustainable development, under the guidance of the principle of index system construction, this paper studies the actual situation of grassland resources and the availability and operability of data, and combines with the opinions given by experts to form an evaluation index system of grassland resources and environmental carrying capacity. Finally, through the actual case study analysis, it is concluded that the model constructed in this paper has a certain effect.

scholarly journals Study on Relative Carrying Capacity of Land Resources and Its Zoning in 31 Provinces of China

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1459
Author(s):  
Wei Zhou ◽  
Ayman Elshkaki ◽  
Shuai Zhong ◽  
Lei Shen
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Carrying Capacity ◽  
Coastal Region ◽  
Land Resources ◽  
Parameter Setting ◽  
Single Factor ◽  
Important Indicator ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Land Carrying Capacity ◽  
Human And Nature

Land carrying capacity is an important indicator to quantitatively assess and judge the extents of sustainable economic developing and coexistent harmonizing between human and nature. The significance of land carrying capacity has been highlighted recently by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, which set clear requirements for arable, construction, and ecological lands. Theories and models of land carrying capacity, however, are suffering from the interference of artificial parameter setting and poor applicability. This paper attempts to overcome these limitations and propose a single factor assessment of the carrying capacity of cultivated land, construction land, and ecological land in terms of the relative carrying capacity from the perspective of a single factor assessment. Through mutual comparison, we found that the deviation caused by simulated parameter setting has been eliminated, and the relative status of each province and/or region in China has been obtained, which could provide a reference for the management and utilization of land resources. We argue that China can achieve basic self-sufficiency in both space capacity and food production without placing pressure on the global sustainable development. The results also indicate that carrying capacity state of the advanced development areas such as the eastern coastal region is relatively poor, while the carrying capacity state of the western region is relatively good.

scholarly journals Alignment of Islamic Banking Sustainability Indicators with Sustainable Development Goals: Policy Recommendations for Addressing the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2607
Author(s):  
Amin Jan ◽  
Mário Nuno Mata ◽  
Pia A. Albinsson ◽  
José Moleiro Martins ◽  
Rusni Bt Hassan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Triple Bottom Line ◽  
Policy Formulation ◽  
Sustainability Indicators ◽  
Islamic Banking ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Coding Method ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Axial Coding

This study aims to establish the link of key Islamic banking sustainability indicators with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) as a policy recommendation for sustainable development and to mitigate the distressing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the triple bottom line (people, planet, and profit). To identify the key Islamic banking sustainability indicators, the authors selected the most cited sustainability measurement indexes in Islamic banking. Initially, the indexes were divided into 10 broader themes, and then the key Islamic banking sustainability indicators were shortlisted from each theme based on their high-frequency distribution. The shortlisted sustainability indicators were then ratified to be in line with Islamic philosophy based on “Maqasid al-Shariah” (objectives of Shariah) and were subsequently grouped into the three dimensions of economic, environmental, and social sustainability based on the axial coding method. Finally, the categorized sustainability indicators were aligned with the relevant UN SDGs through the axial coding method for policy formulation, and respectively 12 propositions were developed for policy formulation. This study labeled the methodological process of this study as the ECA method (exploration, categorization, alignment). The new ECA method offers a reverse extension in the “SDG compass” developed by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) for aligning business policies with the UN SDGs. The process of aligning Islamic banking sustainability indicators with the UN SDGs will provide a roadmap to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of economic, environmental, and social issues. Due to the diversity of the UN SDG framework, it covers multiples aspects for sustainable development. Therefore, considering the UN SDGs in terms of various banking instruments will mitigate the multiple distressing impacts of COVID-19 on the triple bottom line (people, planet, and profit), it will also promote a sustainable development agenda.

Scenario Analysis on the Water Environment Carrying Capacity of Wuliangsuhai Lake Basin

2012 ◽  
Vol 616-618 ◽  
pp. 1388-1393
Author(s):  
Hong Jun Lei ◽  
Lina Yin ◽  
Bei Dou Xi
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Carrying Capacity ◽  
Water Environment ◽  
Social Economy ◽  
Lake Basin ◽  
Environmental Capacity ◽  
Coordinated Development ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Capacity Index ◽  
Resource Environment

Rapid social-economic development and the ever-increasing water pollutant discharge of Wuliangsuhai lake basin made the water quality deteriorated; the lake eutrophication intensified and heavily restricted the sustainable development of the watershed’s social economy. Wuliangsuhai lake basin was selected as the study area. By the use of system dynamics simulation model the water environment and social economy were connected, and three kinds of improved scenarios (resource-environment constrained type, social economy constrained type, coordinated development type) were proposed based on the inertial and planning schemes. Ten indexes of water environment carrying capacity, i.e. the GDP per capita, ratio of industrial output to GDP, et al., were selected, and fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method was used. Results showed that, the water environmental capacity utilization ratios of COD and TN in the resource-environment constrained scenario were 69.5% and 57.9% in 2020, respectively. And the water environment carrying capacity index increased from 0.19 in 2008 to 0.31 in 2020. Under the coordinated development scenario, the surplus environmental capacity of COD and TN were 1755.46t/a, 260.21t/a respectively, and the water environment carrying capacity index was up to 0.29 in 2020. The sustainable development plan was proposed and some feasible suggestions and strategies were put forward.

scholarly journals Sustainability and Depletion Accounting: A Case Study of Oil in Libya

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdulrazag Mohamed Etelawi ◽  
Keith A. Blatner ◽  
Jill McCluskey
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
National Income ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Oil Resources ◽  
Income Development ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
High Level

There is a strong need to study sustainability and depletion accounting of oil in the Libyan economy because oil production and export is the single largest source of national income in the country. This study covers the time period from 1990 to 2009. Throughout this period, the Libyan national economy used its oil and petroleum industries to increase national income. Development sustainability can be defined as investment divided by GDP. This measure provides an indication of the low level of sustainable development in Libya over the period of analysis, which is 0.38 on average. It is important that the Libyan government develop and implement plans and strategies for achieving sustainability and the maintenance of oil resources.Carbon dioxide emissions provide another indication of the presence or absence of sustainability. The ratio of carbon dioxide ranged from a minimum of 8.50 metric tons per capita in 1990 to 10.00 metric tons per capita in 2009 and average 9.07 metric tons per capita over the course of the study period. CO2 emissions were also much higher than other countries in the Middle East and North Africa. This suggests there was relatively little interest in the sustainable development of the Libyan economy during this period. The Environment Domestic Product (EDP) increased sharply from the beginning of the study at $24.23 billion in 1991 to $45.87 billion in 2009 in constant dollars. Again, one can infer that policy makers did not consider the depletion of oil resources and the environment in their planning process, or at least did not place a high level of concern on this issue.

scholarly journals Trade-off between India’s Trade Promotion and its Environmental Sustainability

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 405
Author(s):  
Manasi Gore ◽  
Meenal Annachhatre
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Pollution ◽  
Foreign Trade ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
National Income ◽  
Petroleum Products ◽  
Economic Sustainability ◽  
Green Products ◽  
Gold Silver ◽  
Petroleum Refineries

The concept of sustainable development involves three components namely economic, social and environmental. In a developing economy like that of India, the economic sustainability demands higher growth of key economic indicators such as National income, employment generation, production, consumption and even the foreign trade. The growth of foreign trade and that of the exports are very critical for the foreign exchange reserves essential to pay for the imports in India. Trade as an engine of the economic growth thus fulfils the essential implication for economic sustainability. But in achieving this growth, economy’s environmental sustainability is at stake. This is because, the top export products of India still comprise of petroleum products (18%) , agricultural products (12%), textiles and yarns together at 11 % and chemicals (10%). All these exports in their production have immensely contributed towards environmental pollution in one way or the other. Mining for gold, silver and diamonds resulted in water pollution, Green House Gas emission, and soil erosion. Petroleum refineries are a major source of hazardous and toxic air pollutants such as particulate matter (PM).Though India’s contribution to the total world trade is yet negligible, while promoting the major exports as mentioned above the natural resources are exploited too much and thus create a threat to India’s environmental sustainability. This paper therefore advocates the need for the Green products’ exports to make India’s growth story even environmentally sustainable. Keywords: Sustainable development, Green products, Exports, Imports, Environmental Pollution

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