The missing agenda in normative concepts aiming at a sustainable Society

FLUCK, WT

Bariloche, Argentina

Congreso; Quinto Coloquio Internacional Bariloche de Filosofía; 2000

When an issue affects whole mankind, then it is imperative that a philosophical approach is taken, because by definition, an approach based on simplistic views is condemned to failure. It is most disturbing that major concepts like sustainability aimed at guiding a bulging human population into the future are based on fallacious grounds. Humans have become a keystone species, they control environments and determine which species will survive. Mankind no longer can maintain its stability by only controlling economic systems, they rely increasingly on functional support systems (ecosystem), the stability of which have to be sustained. Thus, recent attempts have aimed at synthesizing Ecology and Economics and providing new norms on how to achieve a sustainable society. The most notorious concept is Sustainable Development, however, there exists a plethora of derivatives and great confusion about definitions. Intuitively for the disinterested, sustainability should encompass all factors necessary to guarantee continuance of human society ad perpetuum. Unfortunately, definitions up to now omit important key issues and thereby fail the very tenet which they pretend. Based on conservation philosophy of Functionalism, Ecological Sustainability was recently proposed as a model based on culturally selected human economic activities and ecosystem health. Another proposition is Global Carrying Capacity for mankind as an index of sustainability, based on numbers of humans and per capita impact on ecosystems. However, all propositions are based on either maximal or optimal sustained yield or sustainable development. Although the Functionalism approach includes ecosystem health, a unifying concept is lacking and results in an oblivion of trace mineral cycling. Consumption of materials and energy are dominated by importation to human centers and this pattern of material fluxes is increasing exponentially along with population growth. These trends are expected to produce secondary effects on wildlife species even in remote areas, thereby affecting community structures, ecosystem functions, biodiversity, and ecosystem productivity. Therefore, an additional criterion to define sustainability is to guarantee maintenance of trace mineral cycling to meet physiological needs of vertebrates and other organisms, especially in areas where nutrient imbalance cannot be mitigated. By adopting this criterion it will become apparent that many current practices of biomass extraction are substantially removed from being sustainable. It is imperative that a definition of sustainability is based on a holistic system view if the goal is long term preservation of functional ecosystems and thus Society.