Sustainability and the future of environmental sociology

[Extract] No single concept is mentioned by more articles published in Environmental Sociology than the concept of sustainability. This is not surprising. No other concept has done more to shape contemporary understanding of the social, economic and ecological interdependencies implicated in environmental change. Sustainability has become part of our collective common sense to a point that few contributing authors reflect critically on its meaning or importance. To be fair, meeting our needs in ways that do not undermine the ability of either ourselves or other people to do the same, now or in the future, does make pragmatic and moral sense. Since the WCED (1987) defined sustainable development in these terms nearly 30 years ago, most governments and major industries have adopted policies, plans and targets to pursue it. Judicious management of natural resources and meaningful action to address poverty and other forms of inequality are widely accepted as being in the long-term self-interest of communities, businesses and institutions just as they are (or ought to be!) objects of shared responsibility