Commentary Visions of Sustainability Harold Glasser, PhD Introduction tions about: the state of the planet; the mer- its and drawbacks of continued economic Humans are amidst a transition from the and human population growth; biodiver- relatively stable Holocene to a new, uncer- sity protection; the promise of technology; tain epoch, the Anthropocene, in which social goals; ethics; risk; uncertainty; and planetary-scale changes are resulting from the collective abilities of humans to dream, the wholesale conversion of the Earth into acquire, and process knowledge, make wise fleeting economic wealth. Humankind has judgments, collaborate, manage, plan, gov- The meteoric growth, only approached this scale of change two ern, and change. There’s an inherent para- careless usage, times in human history—during the Ag- dox, too. A word that on first blush refers ricultural Revolution and the Industrial to maintaining some system property or and potential for Revolution. These two revolutions trans- properties in a constant state rests on stav- manipulation by special formed the way humans lived and gave ing off some forms of change while encour- interests has led some to them the power to alter the Earth. Unlike aging others. As such, sustainability calls the Agricultural and Industrial Revolu- for a deep, public conversation about the argue that sustainability tions, however, the story of this third revo- conditions for human flourishing. has become a lution is not fully written. The conclusion will depend on the decisions and actions The terms sustain and sustenance share the meaningless that humans alive today make throughout same Latin root, sustinere (held up from buzzword, or even their lives. below). This suggests an implicit caution: If “sustainababble.” humans don’t honor their profound depen- Sustainability discussions represent a pro- dence on nature and each other by learn- active effort to influence the writing of this ing how to correct erroneous or outmoded conclusion. At its core, sustainability is perceptions, harmonize diverse interests, about improving the human condition— identify critical conflicts, and adjudicate now and into the future—while adapt- competing claims peacefully, the founda- ing human activity to fit what nature can tion for human flourishing just might col- provide. On the surface, sustainability is lapse. an easy concept to grasp, but like peace, human rights, equality, and democracy, it A Google search reveals hundreds of mil- is challenging to describe precisely, espe- lions of hits for the terms sustainability, cially in a manner that inspires consensus. sustainable society, and sustainable devel- This is, in part, because sustainability, as an opment. The meteoric growth, careless evolving set of aspirations and processes for usage, and potential for manipulation by achieving them, is an inescapably norma- special interests has led some to argue that tive term that cuts across many disciplines. sustainability has become a meaningless It involves values and subjective percep- buzzword, or even “sustainababble.” Oth- ers argue that this growth is indicative Executive Director, Campus Sustainability; Professor, Environmental and Sustainability Studies, Western of a term with cachet, substance, and the Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan. capacity to be adapted to new understand- 56 Sustainability MARY ANN LIEBERT, INC. • Vol. 9 No. 2 • April 2016 • DOI: 10.1089/sus.2016.29044.hg ing. Returning to the roots of sustainability yields (p. 19).2 Plato (427-347 BCE), in Cri- and exploring its usage over time will un- tias, discussed the ills of deforestation and mask a term with meaning and profound its effect on erosion, biological diversity, significance for humankind. and local climate change (pp. 271-275).3 Origins Over 2,000 years later, in the 18th century, German Inspector General of Mines Hans Sustainability as a concept has its genesis Carl von Carlowitz coined the term Nach- in trepidation and hope. Trepidation stems haltigkeit (sustainability) when he decried from an ancient concern that in pursuing the wasteful, short-termed exploitation of the good life, humans may have, mostly forests for silver mining and smelting and unwittingly but sometimes not, over- argued for a more circumspect approach to Sustainability as a stepped boundaries and set in motion se- forestry, one which called for logging only concept has its rious and potentially irreversible harms. as much wood as could grow back in the Hope emerges from a conviction that im- same period. These concerns were echoed genesis in trepidation proving the human condition is realizable more broadly and loudly by 19th century and hope. in this world. For some people, sustainabil- intellectual reformers such as John Stuart ity suggests empathy, restraint, and reflec- Mill, Thomas Malthus, and Harriet Mar- tion properly posed as questions: What is tineau, who explicitly connected concern the place of humans on this Earth? What for the future to the welfare of humanity, are their responsibilities and obligations the conservation of nature, and the Earth toward other humans—past, present, fu- itself.4 ture—and nonhumans alike? As will be shown, exploring these questions and relat- The first formal effort to assess global hu- ing them to the many, evolving interpreta- man carrying capacity—or answer the tions of sustainability can help humankind question, How many people can the Earth make sense of the past, claim the present, support?—was produced in 1679 by An- and plan for the future. toni van Leeuwenhoek, the Dutch inventor of the microscope (p. 16).5 Since van Leeu- For thousands of years, people have been wenhoek’s estimate of 13.4 billion people, both fascinated and tormented by ques- there have been more than 65 estimates. tions concerning the conditions necessary These range from 0.5 billion to 1,000 bil- for human flourishing, for their future, lion. If medians are calculated using the and for their role in shaping it. Concern upper and lower bounds (when authors about breaching ecological carrying capac- offered ranges), the median of the low es- ity limits and other conditions for human timates is 7.7 billion and the median of the flourishing has been around for at least 25 high estimates is 12 billion (pp. 212-216).5 centuries and shared across cultures. Em- Interestingly, the scatter among these esti- peror Ashoka (304-232 BCE) unified most mates increases over time, suggesting that of the Indian subcontinent through brutal different assumptions and values govern conflict and subsequently became one of the authors’ calculations. The question, the most exemplary rulers in history. His How many people can the Earth support? most lasting influence, the rock and pil- cannot be answered with ecological car- lar Edicts of Ashoka, which are scattered rying capacity data alone. It can only be around what is now India, Nepal, Pakistan, addressed meaningfully by outlining what and Afghanistan, outlines reforms and pol- kind of world people want and the con- icies for a just and humane society, wildlife ditions necessary to support its ongoing conservation, respect for all life, and vege- flourishing. tarianism.1 The Chinese philosopher Men- cius (372-289 BCE) discussed the impor- The contemporary notion of sustainability, tance of adhering to particular harvesting at least in the United States, has its roots practices, rates, and times to maintain high in two books from 1948: Fairfield Osborn’s MARY ANN LIEBERT, INC. • Vol. 9 No. 2 • April 2016 • DOI: 10.1089/sus.2016.29044.hg Sustainability 57 Commentary Our Plundered Planet and William Vogt’s million copies, the book drew substantial Road to Survival. Osborn and Vogt both criticism from growth-oriented techno- wrote impassioned pleas for not exploiting logical optimists and was dismissed by the planet’s resources faster than they can many as a doomsday prophecy. TheLim - be regenerated. Presaging the now popular its to Growth, however, can also be seen as ecological footprint analysis, which reveals a catalyst for the term sustainable society, that humankind has surpassed the planet’s which was introduced shortly after in Rob- biocapacity and is now living on borrowed ert Stivers’ The Sustainable Society: Eth- ecological capital, Vogt argued, “By exces- ics and Economic Growth11 and in Dennis sive breeding and abuse of the land man- Pirages’ edited collection, The Sustainable kind has backed itself into an ecological Society: Implications for Limited Growth.12 trap. By a lopsided use of applied science Both books expanded on the theme of it has been living on promissory notes. planetary limits to economic growth and Now, all over the world, the notes are fall- explored the forms of social design and The landmark 1972 ing due” (p. 284).6 Osborn asked, “Do we institutional change that are necessary to United Nations (UN) need another catastrophic warning from sustain meaningful improvements in qual- nature to stir us into further action, or can ity of life. Conference on the we not now accept the many evidences of Human Environment in approaching crisis and take steps to ward it Evolving Visions off?” (p. 199).7 Stockholm resulted in a The landmark 1972 United Nations (UN) declaration that likely These books were followed by the pioneer- Conference on the Human Environment represents the first ing international symposium, Man’s Role in Stockholm resulted in a declaration in Changing the Face of the Earth, which that likely represents the first comprehen- comprehensive state-