This means holding the scale of the human economic subsystem to within the biophysical limits of the overall ecosystem on which it depends. ES needs sustainable consumption by a stable population. On the sink side, this translates into holding waste emissions within the assimilative capacity of the environment without impairing it. On the source side, harvest rates of renewables must be kept within regeneration rates. Human Sustainability Human sustainability means maintaining human capital.
Human capital is a private good of individuals, rather than between individuals or societies.
The health, education, skills, knowledge, leadership and access to services constitute human capital. Investments in education, health, and nutrition of individuals have become accepted as part of economic development. The start of human sustainability is fostered by promoting maternal health and nutrition, safe birthing and infant and early childhood care. Human sustainability needs 2-3 decades of investment in education and apprenticeship to realize some of the potential that each individual contains. Adult education and skills acquisition, preventive and curative health care may equal or exceed formal education costs.