Version 1
: Received: 3 April 2024 / Approved: 4 April 2024 / Online: 4 April 2024 (10:10:04 CEST)
How to cite:
Luukkanen, J.; Vehmas, J.; Kaivo-oja, J.; O’Mahony, T. Towards General Theory of Sustainable Development: A Sustainability Window Approach with All Possible Scenario Paths. Preprints2024, 2024040365. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.0365.v1
Luukkanen, J.; Vehmas, J.; Kaivo-oja, J.; O’Mahony, T. Towards General Theory of Sustainable Development: A Sustainability Window Approach with All Possible Scenario Paths. Preprints 2024, 2024040365. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.0365.v1
Luukkanen, J.; Vehmas, J.; Kaivo-oja, J.; O’Mahony, T. Towards General Theory of Sustainable Development: A Sustainability Window Approach with All Possible Scenario Paths. Preprints2024, 2024040365. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.0365.v1
APA Style
Luukkanen, J., Vehmas, J., Kaivo-oja, J., & O’Mahony, T. (2024). Towards General Theory of Sustainable Development: A Sustainability Window Approach with All Possible Scenario Paths. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.0365.v1
Chicago/Turabian Style
Luukkanen, J., Jari Kaivo-oja and Tadhg O’Mahony. 2024 "Towards General Theory of Sustainable Development: A Sustainability Window Approach with All Possible Scenario Paths" Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.0365.v1
Abstract
Across decades of contemporary discussion on sustainable development, a core debate has concerned the relationship between the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainability. In recent years, a debate on economic growth versus degrowth has been going on discussing whether economic growth can be sustainable in environmental terms and whether economic degrowth can be sustainable in social terms. This conceptual and theoretical article has used the Sustainability Window, or ‘SuWi’ method, to theoretically determine the sustainable window of economies, as upper and lower bounds of future change in GDP, that could be deemed in line with environmental and social sustainability. All theoretically possible scenario paths of development are considered by combining the economic, environmental, and social dimensions, with the environmental and social productivities of GDP. In moving to sustainability analysis through SuWi it is noted that only four of the logically possible scenario paths could be considered theoretically 'sustainable’, and only if adhering to strict conditions. Two of the hypothesised scenarios involve economic growth and two of economic degrowth. The approach, including calculation formulas, has many potential uses in providing analysis and support to 21st century sustainability policymaking, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
