In order for our quality of life to be maintained into the next hundred years even remotely as comfortably as most of us reading this experience it today, we must drastically reduce our environmental impact. Even conservative government models project climate change that will impinge almost inconceivably upon the quality of our lives. It is time for us to understand how critical this discussion is. Sustainability, at the beginnning of the 21st century, means abruptly transforming energy, and industry processes. The good news is that as the resistance to this transformation is removed, we will find that the technologies to live sustainably, with a high quality of life for ourselves and future generations, are already available.
Sustainability is economic development with minimal environmental degredation.
Sustainability is the idea of equitable development that is environmentally sound. Part of the reason that the current development path is unsustainable is because it has resulted in overconsumption in the developed countries, which is unsustainable, and overpopulation in the less developed countries which is also unsustainable. We need a balance between development among countries and, in general, the environment. Sustainability occurs when human activity does not adversely affect the quality of the environment and resource base available for future generations of living things on the planet. Sustainability is the balance and complement between a developed economy and the natural environment.