Page 62 - Materials Chemistry, Second Edition

5 LCA and Sustainability 45

Proposals for definitions of sustainable development have been booming after
the publication of Our Common Future, and have added several nuances and
potential modifications to this definition. For example, some have argued against
the one-sided focus on human needs. In the definition of sustainable development
given above, there is little room for considering other living species than humans,
unless these species directly serve as means to meet these human needs. In line with
this, it has been argued that the definition is too narrow, and that other living species
should be considered as well.
Others have debated the word “need”, and suggested several others and in many
regards related words such as “wellbeing”, “utility”, “welfare” and “aspiration”.
Finally, it should be mentioned that the researchers, especially within the eco-
nomic discipline, have omitted the focus on the needs of the present and claimed
that sustainability is simply about ensuring that the total utility or welfare of a
society can be maintained over an infinite time horizon (Pezzey 1992).
Despite these variations, there is a large degree of common ground in definitions
of sustainability. Sustainability can be seen as comprising by the following four
dimensions, with varying emphasis:

1. The first dimension relates to measures of welfare that is to be achieved in the
population comprised by the definition (see Dimensions 2–4). This measure of
welfare comprises several different concepts, such as “need”, “utility”, “hap-
piness” and “aspiration”. Several others can be found in literature.
2. The second dimension relates to the concern for inter-generational equity, i.e. a
concern for the equity in the welfare (as defined by the first dimension) between
this and future generations. In most cases, these future generations comprise
anyone born in the future, i.e. from tomorrow till infinite time has passed. This
concern, together with some version of the first dimension, is found in all
definitions of sustainability.
3. The third dimension relates to intra-generational equity. Within this dimension,
we consider the extent to which the measures of welfare are equally distributed
within a generation both on a macro-scale (i.e. among developed and developing
nations) and on a micro-scale (i.e. the equality within a given nation, region or
local community). As noted above, there is a large difference in the definitions
with regards to whether this dimension is considered at all.
4. The fourth and final dimension relates to interspecies equity, relating to whether
it is only the welfare (however defined) of humans which is a goal, or whether
also the thriving of other living organisms (independent of their potential to
contribute to human welfare) is considered. It should be noted that most defi-
nitions (including the original definition given in Our Common Future) are
anthropocentric (i.e. human centred) and therefore do not include this
dimension.