ABSTRACT
At one particular level, sustainability cannot be perfectly decoded or quantified, just as love, hope and charity cannot. Sustainability in its largest sense will remain a goal in which many believe and to which many aspire, but there will be as many definitions as there are aspirants. This does not mean that it is a bad goal, but rather that it must include a large array of human and natural conditions and that these will vary in time, place and the eye of the beholder. However, it is important for several reasons to try to establish some grounds for agreement on what is desirable and possible to do in its pursuit. First, as globalization of human activities and biota proceed, rules are being made that can contribute to, or inhibit, global sustainability. Next, decisions are being made about which nations, regions and locales need the most attention in the pursuit of sustainability. Stalled economic development is seen by some to preclude the ‘bottom billion’ people in the world from looking forward to a sustainable future (Collier, 2008). Others see a need for the greatest carbon emitters to come under strict limits for carbon emissions if the worst consequences of human-caused climate change are to be avoided. Many believe that, although forest destruction and degradation in the tropics and subtropics are contained in a relatively few nation states, they pose a severe threat that is global in scope. Our purpose in this final chapter is to suggest a simple classification system and land- and water-based approach to determining (1) those countries with the most to teach others – albeit in different social and environmental settings – with regard to sustainability, and (2) how to begin to quantify sustainable behaviour.
