Introduction: Sustainability and Sustainable Development
摘要
Sustainability and unsustainability are holistic and multifaceted phenomena, defined by environmental, social, and economic factors. Currently, human activities are negatively affecting the Earth at all spatial-temporal scales. Some of the examples are (1) the unbridled use of fossil fuels, (2) deforestation faster than regrowth, (3) the disposal of non-biodegradable waste, like plastic straws and bags, (4) embedded and tele-coupled pollution, and many. Humans are also responsible for the disinformation that exists in society regarding sustainability and unsustainability. Therefore, a unified definition of sustainability and the development of new concepts and indicator-based methodologies are needed to evaluate the level and nature of the dynamics of sustainability and unsustainability.