Broad sustainability contra sustainability: the proper construction of sustainability indicators

Sustainability indicators covering economic, social and environmental aspects of human activities have emerged, including one by a state research institute advocating the construction of sustainability indicators on the basis of different world views. The proposed indicators have essentially an additive character, that is, the composing elements are added up, with or without weighing. Economic and social elements so far suggested for inclusion in such indicators have no demonstrated or plausible causal relation to sustainability defined as a production level that does not threaten the living conditions of future generations. Such a sustainable level is dependent on the lasting availability of the vital functions of our nonhuman-made physical surroundings (the environment) because loss of one or more vital functions leads to a collapse of production. Both the construction on the basis of different world views and the essentially additive character of indicators conceal conflicts and consequently difficult choices. Therefore, economic and social elements should be presented as separate indicators. Physical indicators for sustainability for renewable resources should focus on the processes that form part of life support systems. One attempt at sustainability indicators, the so-called 'genuine savings' (GS), is only a proper indicator of sustainability when a number of conditions are met; this is currently not yet the case. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.