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The Major Sustainability Milestones

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Learning activity

Take some time to reflect on the sustainability milestones mentioned in this chapter, then write down which ONE of them you think had the largest impact on you, your industry, or your community, and why.

Key Takeaways

In this chapter, we explored the origins of sustainability as a concept, from its philosophical underpinnings to the rise of international organisations dedicated to improving our social, economic, and environmental conditions.

  1. Modern sustainability has its roots in philosophical thinking that explores the relationship between people and nature. This thinking has evolved over time and in different parts of the world, and shapes sustainability discussions today.

  2. The 20th century saw sustainability enter global discussions, with the creation of sustainability-oriented laws, literature, and entire multilateral institutions - all of which are predicated on a deeper understanding of humanity’s impact on the natural world.

  3. The 21st century has seen the push for sustainable development accelerate. From reporting initiatives to the Sustainable Development Goals and a multitude of “green” products and services, the public, private, and civil society sectors are attempting to address the sustainability challenge.

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Further Readings
  1. American Society for Quality (2023)What is the ISO 14000 standard series?
  2. IUCN (2023)Seventy five years of experience
  3. WCED (1987)Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future
  4. National Assembly for Wales (2015)Quick Guide to Sustainable Development: History and Concepts
  5. NRDC (2015)The Story of Silent Spring
  6. United Nations (2023)United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, 5-16 June 1972, Stockholm
  7. Elisa Farri et al. (2022)How Sustainability Efforts Fall ApartHavard Business Review
  8. Grace Roosevelt (2011)The Critique of Consumerism in Rousseau’s EmileEnvironmental Ethics
  9. Jeff Tollefson and Natasha Gilbert (2012)Earth summit: Rio report cardNature
  10. Donella Meadows et al. (1972)The Limits to GrowthClub of Rome
  11. Peter Brimblecomebe (2007)The Clean Air Act after 50 yearsWeather
  12. UNFCCCWhat is the Kyoto Protocol?
  13. IUCN (1980)World conservation strategy: living resource conservation for sustainable development
  14. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2023)Jean Jacques Rousseau
  15. Tony Perrottet (2008)John Muir’s YosemiteSmithsonian Magazine
  16. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2023)Henry David Thoreau
  17. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2016)John Stuart Mill
  18. UNFCCCThe Paris Agreement
  19. Rachel Carson (1962)Silent SpringHoughton Mifflin Company
  20. UNEP (2023)UNEP: 50 years of Environmental Milestones
  21. Richard Dixon (2022)Climate change: 30 years on from Rio Earth Summit, did it actually achieve anything?The Scotsman
  22. The Global Compact (2004)Who Cares Wins: Connecting Financial Markets to a Changing World
  23. Thomas Malthus (1798)An Essay on the Principle of PopulationElectronic Scholarly Publishing Project
  24. Mona Naqvi (2019)The Benchmark that Changed the World: Celebrating 20 Years of the Dow Jones Sustainability IndicesS&P Dow Jones Indices
  25. Forschungszentrum Jülich (2022)40 Years Ago: First World Climate Conference
  26. UC Museum of Paleontology (2023)The Ecology of Human Populations: Thomas MalthusUnderstanding Evolution
  27. Global Reporting Initiative (2023)Our mission and history
  28. The Health FoundationClean Air Act 1956
  29. World Meteorological Organisation (1979)Declaration of the World Climate Conference
  30. United NationsTake Action for the Sustainable Development Goals