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THE NATURAL STEP
Basic elements
The Problem: four dimensions of an unsustainable society
1. Societymines and disperses materials faster than they are returned to the Earth's crust (for example, coal).
2. Society produces substances faster than they can be broken down by natural processes (for example, CFCs).
3. Society depletes or degrades resources faster than they are regenerated (for example, over-harvesting fish), or by other forms of ecosystem manipulation (for example, draining of wetlands).
4. Access to resources are unfair, and some people are unable to meet their needs.
The Ideal: four dimensions of a sustainable society
1. In a sustainable society, nature is not subject to systematically increasing concentrations of substances extracted from the earth’s crust.
2. In a sustainable society, nature is not subject to systematically increasing concentrations of substances produced by society.
3. In a sustainable society, nature is not subject to systematically increasing degradation by physical means.
4. In a sustainable society, people are not subject to conditions that systematically undermine their capacity to meet their needs.
Decision-making: four questions concerning personal actions or public policy.
1. Does it increase or decrease dependence on materials from the earth's crust?
2. Does it increase or decrease dependence on compounds produced by society that can accumulate in nature?
3. Does it increase or decrease productivity and biodiversity in nature?
4. Does it increase or decrease the efficiency and fairness with which resources are used?
--Adapted from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Natural_Step
http://www.allianceforsustainability.org/tns.htm
Adapted from:
http://www.allianceforsustainability.org/tns.htm
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