A compass for sustainable development

SUMMARY

The enlargement of complexity and effects of environmental problems has increased the need for a ‘compass’ to point us in the direction of sustainability. The four principles—System Conditions—which we have earlier described, along with a step-by-step approach to meet them, is such a compass. The System Conditions are first order principles for Sustainability:

	• they do not cover the whole area of Sustainability;
	• they are complementary, i.e. they do not overlap;
	• they are all necessary;
	• they are applicable at different scales and activities.

The compass provides a model that does not only imply restrictions to business and policy-making, but also opportunities from a self-interest point of view. The model makes it possible to foresee changes regarding demands and costs on the future market. A number of business corporations and municipalities apply the compass as a guiding tool to the future market, asking the following strategic questions for each of the System Conditions:

1. Does this measure decrease our dependence on lithospheric metals, fuels and other minerals—primarily when waste from such materials are already accumulating in the ecosphere?

2. Does this measure decrease our dependence on persistent unnatural substances, primarily when such substances are already accumulating in the ecosphere?

3. Does this measure decrease our dependence on activities which encroach on productive parts of Nature, e.g. long distance transport or other deleterious exploitation of green surfaces, over-fishing, etc?

4. Does this measure decrease our dependence on using an unnecessary large amount of resources in relation to added human value?

Key words:

• sustainable development
• mental models
• natural capital
• system conditions