ABSTRACT
Societal or social sustainability is a measure of human welfare, which in turn is a measure of how well people can meet their needs and hopefully flourish and achieve desired living standards and lifestyles. This includes intergenerational equity, society only uses the natural resources it needs and leaves the rest to future generations. For social sustainability, efforts are needed to increase the standards of living of people who lack shelter, clean water, and adequate food to survive. Additional elements affecting social sustainability are population growth, human health, cultural needs, and a clean environment. These elements have a general direct impact on human well-being and cannot be ignored in favor of economic prosperity in the short term.
This chapter covers such societal sustainability topics as societal well-being, social responsibility, advancing social sustainability and the human development index. Also covered are the ideas of social investment and the social cost of carbon emissions. To enhance understanding and potential uses for broad-based strategies for more sustainable social systems, details are given on improved education and the political empowerment of women, especially in developing countries; greater regard for social justice, notably equity between rich and poor both within and between countries; and intergenerational equity.
