Sustainability: a review of the debate and an extension

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Abstract
This paper argues that the current debate on sustainability is obscured by a number of misunderstandings. These relate, first, to the ongoing dispute between ecologists and economists holding different visions about the limits of economic growth and the carrying capacity of the Earth; and second, to the discrepancy between theoretical sustainability and practical sustainability. The paper concludes that the current vagueness surrounding sustainability may be reduced by reframing the debate. It demonstrates that the dispute between ecologists and economists can largely be considered as unproductive because the only sustainability concept supported by theory is that of ‘strong sustainability’. The paper argues further that the gap between theoretical and practical sustainability may be bridged by distinguishing three concepts which properly account for informational inadequacies and human preferences in the design of sustainability constraints. These are: the ‘sustainable EUS’ (Environmental Utilization Space), the ‘measured EUS’, and the ‘chosen EUS’.