The response of the international community to the pressing socio-ecological problems has been framed around the concept of 'sustainable development'. The ecological pressure, however, has continued to rise and mainstream sustainability discourse has proven to be problematic. It contains an instrumental view of the world, a strong focus on technological solutions, and the premise that natural and human-made 'capitals' are substitutable. This trajectory, which is referred to as 'weak sustainability', reproduces inequalities, denies intrinsic values in nature, and jeopardises the wellbeing of humans as well as other beings.
Based on the assumptions of strong sustainability, this edited book presents practical and theoretical alternatives to today's unsustainable societies. It investigates and advances pathways for humanity that are ecologically realistic, ethically inclusive, and receptive to the task's magnitude and urgency. The book challenges the traditional anthropocentric ethos and ontology, economic growth-dogma, and programmes of ecological modernisation. It discusses options with examples on different levels of analysis, from the individual to the global, addressing the economic system, key sectors of society, alternative lifestyles, and experiences of local communities.
Examining key topics including human–nature relations and wealth and justice, this book will be of great interest to students and scholars of environmental and development studies, ecological economics, environmental governance and policy, sustainable business, and sustainability science.
The call for strong sustainability / Karl Johan Bonnedahl and Pasi Heikkurinen -- The long history of unsustainability : inter-species relations since the 1850s / Tarja Ketola, Tuomas Räsänen and Taina Syrjämaa -- Rethinking economic ontologies : from scarcity and market subjects to strong sustainability / Teppo Eskelinen and Kristoffer Wilén -- Rights of nature as a prerequisite for sustainability / Pella Larsdotter Thiel and Henrik Hallgren -- The energy ethic and strong sustainability : outlining key principles for a moral compass / Giovanni Frigo -- Ecosystem infrastructure for sustainability : revaluating nature through community-based water and land policies in Brazil / Mohammad Al-Saidi and Renata Buriti -- Urban ecosystem services and stakeholders : towards a sustainable capability approach / Anna Heikkinen, Hannela Mäkelä, Johanna Kujala, Jere Nieminen, Ari Jokinen and Hanna Rekola -- Meat consumption and the environmental unsustainability of economic growth : the case of China / Jennifer Rivers Cole and Suzanne K. McCoskey -- Business models based on strongly sustainable entrepreneurship : insights from a systemic literature review / Herman Stål -- Biodiversity as integral to strongly sustainable supply chains : review and exemplars in the natural resources sectors / Anne Quarshie, Asta Salmi, Joanna Scott-Kennel and Anni-Kaisa Kähkönen -- Sustainable investment and degrowth / Tommi Lehtonen -- Strongly sustainable consumption and a case of mistaken identity : a qualitative study on environmentally concerned individuals / Kristoffer Wilén and Tiina Taipale -- Being matters : a holistic conception of wellbeing in the shift towards strongly sustainable societies / Tuula Helne -- Relearning with permaculture : exploring knowledges of innovation for strong sustainability / Maxim Vlasov and Zsuzsanna Vincze -- Redesigning community as an ecovillage : lessons from Earthaven / Todd Levasseur and Lee Warren -- Dead ends and living futures : a framework for sustainable change / Pasi Heikkurinen and Karl Johan Bonnedahl.
Cover; Title; Copyright; Dedication; CONTENTS; List of figures; List of tables; Notes on contributors; Acknowledgements; 1 The case for strong sustainability; PART I Roots of unsustainability; 2 The long history of unsustainability: inter-species relations since the 1850s; 3 Rethinking economic ontologies: from scarcity and market subjects to strong sustainability; PART II Ethical foundations; 4 Rights of nature as a prerequisite for sustainability; 5 The energy ethic and strong sustainability: outlining key principles for a moral compass; PART III Public policy and urbanisation
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