sustainability

Sustainability is a societal goal that relates to the ability of people to safely co-exist on Earth over a long time. Specific definitions of this term are difficult to agree on and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability is commonly described as having three dimensions (or pillars): environmental, economic, and social. Many publications state that the environmental dimension is the most important. For this reason, in everyday use, sustainability is often focused on countering major environmental problems, such as climate change, loss of biodiversity, loss of ecosystem services, land degradation, and air and water pollution. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable living).A closely related concept is that of sustainable development, and the terms are often used synonymously. However, UNESCO distinguishes the two like this: "Sustainability is often thought of as a long-term goal (i.e. a more sustainable world), while sustainable development refers to the many processes and pathways to achieve it."The concept of sustainability has been criticized for various reasons. One such criticism is that the concept is vague and merely a buzzword. Another is that sustainability as a goal might be impossible to reach; it has been pointed out that "no country is delivering what its citizens need without transgressing the biophysical planetary boundaries".: 11 How the economic dimension of sustainability should be addressed is controversial. Scholars have discussed this aspect under the concept of "weak and strong sustainability". For example, there will always be tension between the ideas of "welfare and prosperity for all" and environmental conservation. Therefore, trade-offs are required. Approaches that decouple economic growth from environmental deterioration would be desirable but are difficult to implement.There are many barriers to achieving sustainability that must be addressed for a sustainability transition to become possible.: 34  Some barriers arise from nature and its complexity. Other barriers are extrinsic to the concept of sustainability. For example they can be caused by the dominant institutional frameworks in countries. Some approaches people can take to transition to environmental sustainability include: maintaining ecosystem services, reducing food waste, promoting dietary shifts towards plant-based foods, reducing fertility rates and, thus, population growth, promoting new green technologies, and adopting renewable energy sources while phasing out subsidies to fossil fuels. Global issues are difficult to tackle as they require global solutions. Existing global organizations (such as the UN and WTO) are inefficient in enforcing current global regulations. One reason for this is the lack of suitable sanctioning mechanisms.: 135–145 

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