SUSTAINABLE
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 3276 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Human sciences |
Character of a process that can be maintained in a permanent way.
A systemic process is sustainable in this sense if a regular and permanent input of needed resources is guaranteed and if the process does not end up choked by its own products.
In M. DODDS and G. JAROS words: “… the environment is not a neutral laboratory but a stakeholder with needs of its own” (1994, p.14).
The chances for a process to remain sustainable are poor if it uses up an ever growing quantity of critical inputs: such a situation normally leads to scarcity or exhaustion of the resource and asphyxy of the process. Thus only steady state processes can be sustained in the long run, normally after a progressively slowing down growth phase.
This is a very important practical notion for any systemic process of development.
See also
Economics in systemic terms.