Sustainability and sustainable development: unraveling overlays and scope of their meanings

Abstract

The sustainable, sustainability and sustainable development are remarkable and timely terms at the global level. However as they lack an axiomatic concept, they lead to criticism and doubts in their theoretical application and praxis. In this sense, this study aims to analyze the attributes of sustainable, sustainability and sustainable development to contribute to its concept. This work is typified as a qualitative, bibliographical, and interpretive one, in which the databases of consulted journals are related to Science Direct, Springer Link, Wiley Online Library, and Google Scholar. The main results show that the sustainable is responsible for solutions to the deterioration of the human-environment system with the help of sustainability and sustainable development. Sustainability measures the level of quality of this system in order to evaluate its distance from the sustainable. Sustainable development works with strategies to bring the level of sustainability closer to the sustainable human-environment system. The attributes of these terms have distinct meanings and relate to specific praxis, but they converge to a single goal. Thus, an axiomatic concept of these terms assists in praxis to hold areas with distinct functions accountable, but with a single final attempt to achieve the idea of a sustainable human-environment system. We hope this work may prompt further study on these terms and help in understanding their praxis and theoretical application.

Keywords:
Sustainable; Nature capital; Environmental/human system