advanced aquatics | J. CHARLES DELBEEK
Putting substance into
the sustainability debate
ustainability is a word one hears more and more
these days. Be it in our everyday lives and the way
we conduct ourselves, at the work place, or at the
state, national, and global levels, it’s a word that
is on everyone’s lips.
However, it seems to me that it is increasingly being
used as a buzzword to justify or condemn the actions of
people or organizations, rather than a true measure of how
we can behave in more responsible ways. We often hear
that such and such a practice is unsustainable, or that a
certain facility or industry is being run in a sustainable
manner, yet where is the evidence for this? How does one
measure sustainability?
On March 20, 1987, the Brundtland Commission of
the United Nations issued the following now widely used
definition of sustainability and sustainable development:
“Sustainable development is development that meets the
needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs.”
Obviously, the goal of sustainability involves various
realms that must interact with each other and yet also
be somewhat quantifiable. One must consider economic,
social, and environmental influences and realize that the
first two are constrained by the third; we can only have so
much economic and social activity before it exceeds what
the environment can support. This is the challenge we all
face when we begin to examine how to make the best use
of resources that will ensure their availability to future gen-
erations.
Show Me the Data
We’ve all heard the horror stories of reefs being smashed
and poisoned in order to collect marine fish. I won’t say
Sustainable collection in the Marshall Islands: handheld net, snorkel mask, hold your breath.
