Final answer:
Sustainability refers to the practice of living within the Earth's limits in a way that does not impair future generations' ability to meet their needs. This involves careful management of resources, a consideration for inter-generational equity, and the functioning of human ecosystems within ecological boundaries.
Step-by-step explanation:
Introduction to Sustainability
Sustainability can most easily be described as the capacity to maintain various sociopolitical, scientific, and cultural practices within the Earth's ecological boundaries, ensuring that its essential functions are not significantly impaired for future generations. It's about living a lifestyle that does not deplete resources or cause severe ecological damage. While the provision of necessities such as water, nutrition, energy, sanitation, and health and the protection of the planet's biodiversity fall within the purview of sustainability, it is also related to larger mental and societal shifts.
The concept of sustainability is intertwined with the need for inter-generational equity, as exemplified by sayings such as 'we do not inherit the Earth from our parents, we borrow it from our children' from Inuit culture, and the Native American 'Law of the Seventh Generation.' These principles suggest that the decisions we make today should not harm the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. As our understanding of sustainability has evolved, we now grapple with the challenge of aligning our immediate desires and long-term wellbeing.
The principles of sustainability extend beyond environmental considerations and include the manners by which human society organizes itself, such as global governance, the discipline of resource usage, and maintaining technological advancements without exceeding the Earth's renewable resources. The ecological sustainability of human ecosystems, such as urban settlements, is assessed based on the material and energy flows, and the output of waste they produce.