Sustainability, further "..ty"- and other terms - lost ethical values or just re-used as a kind of modern cynism?
edited: 2012-05-15 (ws), 2012-05-21 (ws)
humanity (humanism), confidentiality, reliability, efficiency, flexibility, durability, stability, quality, honesty, consistency, competency, decency, transparency, legitimacy, continuity, fidelity, accuracy, (uni)versatility, plurality, (sense of) responsibility, clarity, to be complemented...
fairness, confidence, esteem, tolerance, respect, appreciation, constructiveness, robustness, to be complemented...
fairness, confidence, esteem, tolerance, respect, appreciation, constructiveness, robustness, to be complemented...
Sustainability, often - perhaps to often - quoted, was once (in context with 'development') defined as: "sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” [1]. Accordingly, such a development implies the consideration of a rather long time-span challenging well-founded, comprehensive decision making (approximately between 20 and 30 years [3], depending upon the definition). Also the above definition, adopted from the so-called Brundtland-report [2], is now 25 years old, i.e. by definition that report has been published more or less exactly one generation ago. Likewise, the so-called earth summit (1992 in Rio de Janeiro) has been held one generation (20 years) ago. Where are we today, how is the progress/how are the achievements communicated?
Observing the ongoing/prospective and reflecting on the most recent economic, technical, social/political and environmental developments, in particular however concentrating on the communication of them (i.e. considering the use and misuse of selected terms) the necessity appears to reflect on a number of phrases in more or less close context with the term 'sustainability'.
Observing the ongoing/prospective and reflecting on the most recent economic, technical, social/political and environmental developments, in particular however concentrating on the communication of them (i.e. considering the use and misuse of selected terms) the necessity appears to reflect on a number of phrases in more or less close context with the term 'sustainability'.
In general, what sticks out today is the reported overuse of the phrase 'sustainability'. A quick search results in more than 121'000'000 hits (after 0.13 seconds) [4]. Looking for the phrase 'sustainability overused' results in more than 298'000 hits (after 0.21 seconds) [5]. It appears that, in particular in the past five years, the word 'sustainability' has rather become a brand-building function, like e.g. 'international'. A company, an institution, a service or whatever needs to distinguish/to claim in context of e.g. long-term thinking (or that - as more and more often noted - needs to legitimate higher prices) is attributed 'sustainability'. Regardless whether the above mentioned definition applies to the entity in question or not. This overuse of the originally rather reasonable term has today resulted in a certain dilution of the originally high qualitative value of the word 'sustainability'. As a consequence the reliability in entities denoted with the term 'sustainable' has weakened.
Looking briefly at the economic development in the past 25 years the following may be noted: the socialistic economy collapsed, the free market economy was established, mobile telecommunication was implemented at large scales, the world wide web was rapidly established (both much in less than a generations time-span), the dot-com bubble crashed, social media was launched and is growing at extreme rates, the original industry nations (e.g. Western-Europe) have transformed into service nations (ongoing), developing countries have transformed into (leading) industry nations, globalization has taken place along with a distinct re-location of growth markets from the modern service nations towards the new industry nations, the Euro was implemented in and replaced a number of national currencies in Europe, the banking crisis began in 2008 with the Lehman Brothers collapse followed by the current national debt crisis (Greece, Italy, Spain, Ireland, etc.)... Many other aspects could have been addressed here. What appears more and more typical for today's economy is the ephemerality of products and services, the instability of conditions, the in-transparency of relations, etc. Looking, for example at the life cycles of a number of products (e.g. mobile/smart phones, other house-hold appliances, clothes, cars, etc.) that typically range from only several months to a couple of years. The life cycle of all the mentioned goods has decreased (despite the reported intention to prolong it) in the past decades, which is in fact a consequence of the logic of growth: if the life cycles (i.e. the years a certain good is in operation) would have been stable - or grown - the less goods would have been sold, i.e. the growth would have been negative resulting in the worst case in a recession. In this context it might be highlighted that a 'sustainable growth' under today's conditions must be considered as a contradiction by itself.
More critical appears the situation in the banking/finance sector (independent whether it concerns the private or the public sector; however, today - after so many nations rescued swaying banks - it is more than difficult to distinguish exactly between a private and the public finance sector). The most prominent and distressing example for questionable long-term (i.e. sustainable) thinking in terms of finance is certainly Greece. For months, this country trails from one bankruptcy to another bankruptcy, immense amounts of money have been reported to be transferred - or, adopting more appropriate modern clinical terms, injected into it. Right now however it appears that Greece will be first country to leave the Euro-zone [6]-[9], etc. The broad public remains with the question on the usefulness/necessity of this kind of game, its effects on the economy and the social situation. And the rumors about next shaky candidates are going on... Does this kind of economic management relates to economic sustainability? In context with the ongoing financial crisis an almost inflationary use of medicinal/clinical terms in communication can be noted: injection, infection, toxic, contamination, symptom, chronically,emergency, depression, ailing, infarct, acute, fever attacks, etc. Essentially, such terms do not represent healthy, stable and - in the end - sustainable conditions, rather such terms can be considered as an indication for the opposite.
In close context with the above roughly addressed economic situation, the social/political situation needs to be considered. Looking just at the past 10 years it is notable that political activism and short-term thinking (against all odds) has grown as well. One prominent example may the German subsidies for the solar industry (which nowadays simply collapses and most likely will disappear more or less completely). A similar prominent example is the pushed cultivation of e.g. rape seed as primary energy carrier (bio-fuels). Using major search engines today to look (in German) for 'biotreib..' (i.e. bio fuels) prompts immediately the search phrase 'biotreibstoff nachteile' (i.e. bio fuels disadvantages) and results almost immediately in more than 75'000 hits [10]. Another example might be the so-called nuclear phaseout. There could be surely more example for short-term thinking and deciding [12], [13], none of the above roughly addressed actions had proven positive effects on the present nor for the future generations and the question for sustainability remains. Consequentially and overall, the half lives be it of a product, a service, situations, conditions, etc. have decreased, instead of slowing-down (or decelerating) hasty conditions an amplified acceleration necessarily resulting in short-term thinking and deciding must be reported.
The above brief discourse on the terms 'sustainability', the past, more recent and present situation may be finished here with the thesis that today and effectively in practice and in theory there hasn't been made any substantial progress in terms of sustainable development, but effects associated with human actions have merely been shifted. There exists a clear need to definitely create a sustainable fundament, in particular a fundament that is worth to be characterized 'sustainable', that can serve as robust basis for indeed sustainable development. One major cornerstone in this context is education, i.e. to impart ethical values as documented above on a broad basis.
Looking briefly at the economic development in the past 25 years the following may be noted: the socialistic economy collapsed, the free market economy was established, mobile telecommunication was implemented at large scales, the world wide web was rapidly established (both much in less than a generations time-span), the dot-com bubble crashed, social media was launched and is growing at extreme rates, the original industry nations (e.g. Western-Europe) have transformed into service nations (ongoing), developing countries have transformed into (leading) industry nations, globalization has taken place along with a distinct re-location of growth markets from the modern service nations towards the new industry nations, the Euro was implemented in and replaced a number of national currencies in Europe, the banking crisis began in 2008 with the Lehman Brothers collapse followed by the current national debt crisis (Greece, Italy, Spain, Ireland, etc.)... Many other aspects could have been addressed here. What appears more and more typical for today's economy is the ephemerality of products and services, the instability of conditions, the in-transparency of relations, etc. Looking, for example at the life cycles of a number of products (e.g. mobile/smart phones, other house-hold appliances, clothes, cars, etc.) that typically range from only several months to a couple of years. The life cycle of all the mentioned goods has decreased (despite the reported intention to prolong it) in the past decades, which is in fact a consequence of the logic of growth: if the life cycles (i.e. the years a certain good is in operation) would have been stable - or grown - the less goods would have been sold, i.e. the growth would have been negative resulting in the worst case in a recession. In this context it might be highlighted that a 'sustainable growth' under today's conditions must be considered as a contradiction by itself.
More critical appears the situation in the banking/finance sector (independent whether it concerns the private or the public sector; however, today - after so many nations rescued swaying banks - it is more than difficult to distinguish exactly between a private and the public finance sector). The most prominent and distressing example for questionable long-term (i.e. sustainable) thinking in terms of finance is certainly Greece. For months, this country trails from one bankruptcy to another bankruptcy, immense amounts of money have been reported to be transferred - or, adopting more appropriate modern clinical terms, injected into it. Right now however it appears that Greece will be first country to leave the Euro-zone [6]-[9], etc. The broad public remains with the question on the usefulness/necessity of this kind of game, its effects on the economy and the social situation. And the rumors about next shaky candidates are going on... Does this kind of economic management relates to economic sustainability? In context with the ongoing financial crisis an almost inflationary use of medicinal/clinical terms in communication can be noted: injection, infection, toxic, contamination, symptom, chronically,emergency, depression, ailing, infarct, acute, fever attacks, etc. Essentially, such terms do not represent healthy, stable and - in the end - sustainable conditions, rather such terms can be considered as an indication for the opposite.
In close context with the above roughly addressed economic situation, the social/political situation needs to be considered. Looking just at the past 10 years it is notable that political activism and short-term thinking (against all odds) has grown as well. One prominent example may the German subsidies for the solar industry (which nowadays simply collapses and most likely will disappear more or less completely). A similar prominent example is the pushed cultivation of e.g. rape seed as primary energy carrier (bio-fuels). Using major search engines today to look (in German) for 'biotreib..' (i.e. bio fuels) prompts immediately the search phrase 'biotreibstoff nachteile' (i.e. bio fuels disadvantages) and results almost immediately in more than 75'000 hits [10]. Another example might be the so-called nuclear phaseout. There could be surely more example for short-term thinking and deciding [12], [13], none of the above roughly addressed actions had proven positive effects on the present nor for the future generations and the question for sustainability remains. Consequentially and overall, the half lives be it of a product, a service, situations, conditions, etc. have decreased, instead of slowing-down (or decelerating) hasty conditions an amplified acceleration necessarily resulting in short-term thinking and deciding must be reported.
The above brief discourse on the terms 'sustainability', the past, more recent and present situation may be finished here with the thesis that today and effectively in practice and in theory there hasn't been made any substantial progress in terms of sustainable development, but effects associated with human actions have merely been shifted. There exists a clear need to definitely create a sustainable fundament, in particular a fundament that is worth to be characterized 'sustainable', that can serve as robust basis for indeed sustainable development. One major cornerstone in this context is education, i.e. to impart ethical values as documented above on a broad basis.
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