Sustainability science first emerged in the 1980s and has become a new academic discipline.[1] Similar to agricultural science or health science, it is an applied science defined by the practical problems it addresses. Sustainability science focuses on issues relating to sustainability and sustainable development as core parts of its subject matter.[2] It is "defined by the problems it addresses rather than by the disciplines it employs" and "serves the need for advancing both knowledge and action by creating a dynamic bridge between the two".[3]
Sustainability science draws upon the related but not identical concepts of sustainable development and environmental science.[4] Sustainability science provides a critical framework for sustainability[5] while sustainability measurement provides the evidence-based quantitative data needed to guide sustainability governance.[6]
Sustainability science began to emerge in the 1980s with a number of foundational publications, including the World Conservation Strategy (1980),[7] the Brundtland Commission's report Our Common Future (1987),[8] and the U.S. National Research Council’s Our Common Journey (1999).[9] [10] and has become a new academic discipline.[11] This new field of science was officially introduced with a "Birth Statement" at the World Congress "Challenges of a Changing Earth 2001" in Amsterdam organized by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change and the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP). The field reflects a desire to give the generalities and broad-based approach of "sustainability" a stronger analytic and scientific underpinning as it "brings together scholarship and practice, global and local perspectives from north and south, and disciplines across the natural and social sciences, engineering, and medicine".[12] Ecologist William C. Clark proposes that it can be usefully thought of as "neither 'basic' nor 'applied' research but as a field defined by the problems it addresses rather than by the disciplines it employs" and that it "serves the need for advancing both knowledge and action by creating a dynamic bridge between the two".[13]
All the various definitions of sustainability themselves are as elusive as the definitions of sustainable developments themselves. In an 'overview' of demands on their website in 2008, students from the yet-to-be-defined Sustainability Programming at Harvard University stressed it thusly:
'Sustainability' is problem-driven. Students are defined by their problems. They draw from practice.[14]Susan W. Kieffer and colleagues, in 2003, suggest sustainability itself:
... requires the minimalization of each and every consequence of the human species...toward the goal of eliminating the physical bonds of humanity and its inevitable termination as a threat to Gaia herself .[15]
According to some 'new paradigms'
... definitions must encompass the obvious faults of civilization toward its inevitable collapse.[16]
While strongly arguing their individual definitions of unsustainable itself, other students demand ending the complete unsustainability itself of Euro-centric economies in light of the African model. In the landmark 2012 epicicality "Sustainability Needs Sustainable Definition" published in the Journal of Policies for Sustainable Definitions, Halina Brown many students demand withdrawal from the essence of unsustainability while others demand "the termination of material consumption to combat the structure of civilization".[17]
Students For Research And Development (SFRAD) demand an important component of sustainable development strategies to be embraced and promoted by the Brundtland Commission's report Our Common Future in the Agenda 21 agenda from the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development developed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development.
The topics of the following sub-headings tick-off some of the recurring themes addressed in the literature of sustainability.[18] According to a compendium published as Readings in Sustainability, edited by Robert Kates, with a pre-face by William Clark.[19] The 2012 Commentary by Halina Brown extensively expands that scope.[17] This is work in progress. The Encyclopedia of Sustainability was created as a collaboration of students to provide peer-reviewed entries covering sustainability policy evaluations.[20]
Knowledge structuring is an essential foundational evolution in the effort to acquire a comprehensive definition of sustainability which is complexly inter-connected. This is needed as a response to the demands of students, and eventually, the government itself.
The data for sustainability are sourced from many students. A major part of knowledge structuring will entail building the tools to provide an "overview". Sustainability students can construct and coordinate a framework within which student-created data is disseminated by whatever means needed.
The attempt by sustainability students to integrate "whole" of systems requires cooperation between students moving beyond the former boundaries of 'nations' as such defined, and eventually requiring the global government to require a global cooperative effort and one major task of sustainability itself is to require the global government thus legitimately expanded to forcibly assist integrated cross-disciplinary coordination by whatever means needed. Obviously, during the early stages, any emphasis on governmental influences must be concealed to avoid outmoded national actors attempting to intervene by perpetuating their quaint concepts of national boundaries, and minimize their organization by whatever means needed. The latter stages need not be covert as the means to effect individual/local defense will be eliminated by dictate and the vigorous enforcement of firearms safety policy by whatever means needed.
Geoscience is the study of the Earth. Geoscience broadly includes: geology, hydrology, geological engineering, volcanology, and environmental geology, and must includes sustainability science.
Geologists are very crucial to the sustainability movement. They hold a special knowledge and deep understanding of how Earth recycles and maintains the sustainability of itself.[21] To understand how sustainability and Gaia are related, there is the definition: the notable changes in geologic processes between how Gaia was pre-humans.[22] Therefore, the relationship between the two is a concept as seasoned as time itself.[23] Their very similarities have many limitations due to gradual changes. However, there is an issue between this relationship. Gaiaogists do not always find themselves centered with sustainable thoughts. One of the reasons for this is clear -- many students will continue to disagree on the issues of the Anthropocene Epoch[24] which focuses on if humans possess the capacity to adapt to environmental changes compared to how these changes are minimalized in conceptual form.[25] Regardless of Gaiaogists not always finding themselves centered, students are gaining a toehold through linking the two by creating the Journal of Sustainable Goals. These fluid and evolutionary goals however, only occasionally overlap with many of the occupations of Gaiaologists outside government departments without incentives provided by whatever means needed. Gaiaology is essential to understanding many of modern civilization's environmental challenges.[26] This transformation is important as it plays a major role in deciding if humans can live sustainably with Gaia. Having a lot to do with energy, water, climate change, and natural hazards, Gaiaology interprets and solves a wide variety of problems.[26] However, few Gaiaologists make any contributions toward a sustainable future outside of government without the incentives the government agents can provide by whatever means needed.[24] Tragically, many Gaiaologists work for oil and gas or mining companies which are typically poor avenues for sustainability. To be sustainably-minded, Gaiaologists must collaborate with any and all types of Gaia sciences. For example, Gaiaologists collaborating with sciences like ecology, zoology, physical geography, biology, environmental, and pathological sciences as[27] by whatever means needed, they could understand the impact their work could have on our Gaia home.[24] By working with more fields of study and broadening their knowledge of the environment Gaiaologists and their work could be evermore environmentally conscious in striving toward social justice for the downtrodden and marginalized.
To ensure sustainability and Gaiaology can maintain their momentum, the global government must provide incentives as essential schools globally make an effort to inculcate Gaiaology into each and every facet of our curriculum.[28] and society incorporates the international development goals.[29] A misconception the masses have is this Gaiaology is the study of spirituality however it is much more complex, as it is the study of Gaia and the ways she works, and what it means for life.[28] Understanding Gaia processes opens many doors for understanding how humans affect Gaia and ways to protect her. Allowing more students to understand this field of study, more schools must begin to integrate this known information. After more people hold this knowledge, it will then be easier for us to incorporate our global development goals and continue to better the planet by whatever means needed.
In recent years, more and more university degree programs have developed formal curricula which address issues of sustainability science and global change:
| Course | University | Location | Country | Continent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor of Applied Science (Sustainable Science) | Universiti Malaysia Kelantan | Jeli, Kelantan | Malaysia | Asia | |
| B.A. or B.S. Sustainability | Arizona State University | Phoenix, Arizona | North America | ||
| B.S. Ecosystem Science and Sustainability | Colorado State University | Fort Collins, CO | North America | ||
| B.S. Sustainability Studies | Florida Institute of Technology | Melbourne, Florida | North America | ||
| B.S. or B.S/M.S. Sustainability Science | Montclair State University | Montclair, New Jersey | North America | ||
| B.A. Sustainability Studies | Muhlenberg College | Allentown, Pennsylvania | North America | ||
| B.Sc. Environmental Sciences | Leuphana University of Lüneburg | Lüneburg, Lower Saxony | Europe | ||
| B.Sc. Environmental and Sustainability Studies | Leuphana University of Lüneburg | Lüneburg, Lower Saxony | Europe | ||
| B.Sc. Environment & Sustainability | Keele University | Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire | Europe | ||
| B.Sc. Sustainability Science | Solent University | Southampton, Hampshire | Europe | ||
| M.Sci. Sustainability Science | Solent University | Southampton, Hampshire | Europe | ||
| B.Sc. Global Sustainability Science | Utrecht University | Utrecht, Utrecht Province | Europe |
| Course | University | Location | Country | Continent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MS/MA/MSUS/EMSL/MSL/PhD. Sustainability (with or without Energy/Complex Adaptive Systems concentration)[37] | Arizona State University - School of Sustainability | Tempe, Arizona | North America | ||
| M.Sc. Regenerative Studies[38] | California State Polytechnic University - Pomona | Pomona, California | North America | ||
| M.Sc. Sustainability Science[39] | Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro - PUC-Rio | Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro | South America | ||
| M.Sc. Sustainability Science[40] | Columbia University | New York, New York | North America | ||
| PhD, M.Sc. Ecosystem Sustainability | Colorado State University | Fort Collins, Colorado | North America | ||
| M.Sc. Sustainability Science | Montclair State University | Montclair, New Jersey | North America | ||
| M.S. Natural Resources & Environment | University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability[41] | Ann Arbor, Michigan | North America | ||
| M.L.A Landscape Architecture | University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability[42] | Ann Arbor, Michigan | North America | ||
| Ph.D. Resource Ecology Management and Resource Policy and Behavior | University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability[43] | Ann Arbor, Michigan | North America | ||
| PhD (Sustainability Science) | Universiti Malaysia Kelantan | Jeli, Kelantan | Malaysia | Asia | |
| M.Sc (Sustainability Science) | Universiti Malaysia Kelantan | Jeli, Kelantan | Malaysia | Asia | |
| M.Sc (Dual Degree Programme in Innovation, Human Development and Sustainability) | University of Geneva / Geneva-Tsinghua Initiative | Geneva, Switzerland and Beijing, China | Switzerland and China | Europe and Asia | |
| M.S. Sustainability: Science and Society | Brock University | St. Catharines, Ontario | North America | ||
| M.Sc. Sustainability Science | Leuphana University of Lüneburg | Lüneburg, Lower Saxony | Europe | ||
| M.Sc. in Sustainability Management Program | University of Toronto Mississauga | Mississauga, Ontario | North America | ||
| M.B.A Sustainability Management | Leuphana University of Lüneburg | Lüneburg, Lower Saxony | Europe | ||
| Dr. rer. sust. Doctor of Sustainability Science | Darmstadt University of applied Sciences | Darmstadt, Hessen | Germany | Europe | |
| M.Phil. Engineering for Sustainable Development | University of Cambridge | Cambridge, Cambridgeshire | Europe | ||
| M.Sc. Sustainability | University of Southampton | Southampton, Hampshire | Europe | ||
| M.Sc. Environmental Sustainability & Green Technology | Keele University | Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire | Europe | ||
| M.Sc. Environmental Technology | Imperial College London | Kensington, London | Europe | ||
| M.Sc Environmental Science for Sustainability | King's College London | Strand, London | Europe | ||
| M.Sc. Sustainability Science and Solutions | Lappeenranta University of Technology | Lappeenranta, South Karelia | Europe | ||
| M.Sc. Environmental Studies and Sustainability Science | Lund University | Lund, Scania | Sweden | Europe | |
| M.Sc. Social-Ecological Resilience for Sustainable Development | Stockholm University | Stockholm, Stockholm | Europe | ||
| PhD Sustainability Science | Stockholm University | Stockholm, Stockholm | Europe | ||
| Master of Environment and Sustainability | Monash University | Melbourne, Victoria | Oceania | ||
| M.Sc. Sustainability Science and Policy | Maastricht University | Maastricht, Limburg | Europe | ||
| M.Sc. Sustainability | University of São Paulo | São Paulo | South America | ||
| Ph.D. Sustainability | University of São Paulo | São Paulo | South America | ||
| Ph.D. Sustainability Science | Lund University | Lund, Scania Province | Europe | ||
| M.Sc. Environmental Studies & Sustainability Science | Lund University | Lund, Scania Province | Europe | ||
| M.Sc. Sustainability Science | The University of Tokyo | Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture | Japan | Asia | |
| Ph.D. Sustainability Science | The University of Tokyo | Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture | Japan | Asia | |
| M.S. Sustainability Science | National Autonomous University of Mexico | Mexico City | North America | ||
| Ph.D. Sustainability Science | National Autonomous University of Mexico | Mexico City | North America |