Sustainability has become a key criterion in guiding technological progress. How do we define it and how is it measured?
The World Commission on Environment and Development (Brundtland Commission) defined sustainability as meeting “the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. This is a useful starting point. We may interpret it as an exhortation to “preserve the life giving forces of nature.
From this exhortation has arisen the notion of “minimizing the environmental footprint”. This notion implies two actionable goals:
- Limit the number of imprints
- Minimize the size of each imprint
The first goal is achieved through social, economic and political measures. The relevant metric is “What percentage of the physical environment should be under the dominion of humankind?” The second goal is achieved by technological means, and by pursuing physical frugality.
To meet these goals we need to establish operational guidelines and metrics. Guidelines can be of two kinds:
- Absolute
- Relative
Absolute guidelines reflect definitive standards and limitations. One example would be the efforts to limit the carbon content of the atmosphere to 350 parts per million. Relative guidelines reflect progressions towards a more desirable state. These include the simple guideline of “reduce, re-use, recycle”, to the more sophisticated “molecular accountability”.
In the next postings we examine how technological guidance can benefit relative guidelines.
Copyright: Rias J van Wyk, 2009