Is the Sustainability Revolution Devouring Its Own Children? Understanding Sustainability as a Travelling Concept and the Role Played by Two German Discourses on Sustainability

Abstract

This paper examines whether the expanded meaning of the term sustainability and its broader use in society, policy and economics will actually bring about the benefits experts anticipate for the forest-based sector. It begins by defining sustainability as a travelling concept, then presents and analyzes two current lines of discourse in Germany on sustainability, both with high relevance for the forest-based sector: strong sustainability and sustainable building. The analysis shows that each discourse has developed and established a diametrically opposed meaning of sustainability. As a result, it could be argued that the two meanings pose a threat to the German forest-based sector by reducing the raw material base and ultimately minimizing market opportunities. This reasoning reveals a paradox: as the term sustainability, originally coined by the forestry sector, becomes mainstream, it could end up limiting the sector's future growth.

Climate Adaptation and Resilience Across Scales

“…The husbanding of tangible resources prompted behaviors to secure one's well-being against scarcity-it required one to look into the future and plan accordingly for survival. One of the earliest explicit references to sustainability is from Hans Carl von Carlowitz, an 18th-century (1714) German accountant who formulated an approach to sustainable forest management where resources could be extracted for ongoing use (Bosselmann 2008;Knauf 2014). In 1804 Georg Ludwig Hartig, a forestry lecturer, explained the term Nachhaltigkeit (meaning "lastingness" or "persistence," but now translated as "sustainability") in terms of providing for future usage.…”

“…This " three legged stool" suggests that all three aspects must be present for balance. Some constructs based on the overlapping model ( specifically sustainability rating systems like LEED) broaden sustainability to include practices which are simply more conserving than typical, such that the overarching notion of limits is lost ( Knauf 2014). In fact, efficient resource use does not necessarily lead to sustainability, but usually exacerbates resource consumption.…”

Unsustainability Risk Causality in a Private Industrial Forest: An Institutional Analysis of Factors Affecting Stand Ecosystem Services in Kochi Prefecture, Japan

“…SFM provides an optimum balance of ecosystem services (also frequently referred to as environmental services) through a focus on multifunctionality, while mitigating the effects of climate change [6,7]. It is generally accepted that SFM has become an important key element towards sustainable development [8,9].…”

La convergencia conceptual como escenario de investigación en comunicación, diseño gráfico, publicidad y mercadeo

“…En tal sentido, considera que los conceptos no están fijos, pues "viajan" -entre disciplinas, eruditos, lugares, tiempos, personas e incluso comunidades separadas geográficamente-transformando de esa manera su significado, alcance y valor operativo y haciéndolos flexibles. Algunos ejemplos de conceptos viajeros son "clase, raza, género" (Olson, 2012), "sostenibilidad" (Knauf, 2014) e "hibridación" (Bal, 2002).…”