2013/09/02 by Michael Dittmar, Michael S. Dittmar, Dittmar, Michael · 1 citation
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Energy · Environmental Science · Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Economics and business #FOS: Physical sciences #General Finance (q-fin.GN) #Global Energy and Sustainability Research #Physics and Society (physics.soc-ph) #Popular Physics (physics.pop-ph) #Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy #physics.pop-ph #physics.soc-ph #q-fin.GN
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.1309.0348
13 pages, 2 figures, Paper presented at the 2013 World Resource Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Keywords: Natural Capital, IPAT equation, unsustainable living, development towards sustainability
arxiv created 2013/09/02 · openalex publication_date 2013/09/02 · arxiv updated 2013/09/03 · openalex created_date 2025/10/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The scientific data about the state of our planet, presented at the 2012 (Rio+20) summit, documented that today's human family lives even less sustainably than it did in 1992. The data indicate furthermore that the environmental impacts from our current economic activities are so large, that we are approaching situations where potentially controllable regional problems can easily lead to uncontrollable global disasters. Assuming that (1) the majority of the human family, once adequately informed, wants to achieve a "sustainable way of life" and (2) that the "development towards sustainability" roadmap will be based on scientific principles, one must begin with unambiguous and quantifiable definitions of these goals. As will be demonstrated, the well known scientific method to define abstract and complex issues by their negation, satisfies these requirements. Following this new approach, it also becomes possible to decide if proposed and actual policies changes will make our way of life less unsustainable, and thus move us potentially into the direction of sustainability. Furthermore, if potentially dangerous tipping points are to be avoided, the transition roadmap must include some minimal speed requirements. Combining the negation method and the time evolution of that remaining natural capital in different domains, the transition speed for a "development towards sustainability" can be quantified at local, regional and global scales. The presented ideas allow us to measure the rate of natural capital depletion and the rate of restoration that will be required if humanity is to avoid reaching a sustainable future by a collapse transition.