Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
3.
A
SSESSING
C
OMMUNITY
S
USTAINABILITY
U
SING
THE
C
APITAL
F
RAMEWORK
There is increasing recognition that we ought to live within ecological
means so that we do not compromise the capabilities of future generations to
meet their own needs (Brudtland, 1987). The concept of sustainability has
arisen from debates on how to balance the goal of economic and social
development with environmental conservation. A consensus on human
modification of the environment has emerged among the scientific community
as scientists call for collective action to prepare for climate change (Solomon,
2007). More and more communities are compelled to participate in the
collaborative process towards sustainable development as communities
recognize that sustainability is essential to their survival. Community-based
sustainability initiatives, however, have been barely informed by theories of
sustainability or supported by tools for assessing sustainability.
Capital Theory of Sustainability
Economic theories of sustainability extend the concept of capital to
include nature. Natural capital has two components: resource capital and
environmental quality (Purvis & Grainger, 2005). Resource capital refers to
the
stocks
of all natural resources that are either renewable (e.g., forests,
fisheries) or non-renewable (e.g., fossil fuels). Environmental quality refers to
the condition of environmental
sinks
such as land, water, and air that provide
an assimilative function.
Critical natural capital is capital that is essential to support life and thus
should be maintained under any circumstances favoring present and future
generations (Brand, 2009); examples include areas of tropical forests with high
biodiversity and carbon stocks. Theories state that a development path is
strongly sustainable if critical natural capital does not decline (Solow, 1986)
and is weakly sustainable if total stocks of capital (natural, built, human, and
social capital) do not decline (Pearce & Atkinson, 1993). The difference
between so-called strong and weak sustainability condition comes from
different views on the relations between economy and environment.
If environment subsumes economy, sustainability means maintenance of
critical natural capital (that is, strong sustainability) since all man-made capital
(built, human, and social capital) depends on natural capital. If environment
