Engineering:Outline of sustainability

Short description: Overview of and topical guide to sustainability

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to sustainability:

Sustainability – capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of stewardship and responsible resource management.

Essence of sustainability

• Environmentalism
• Environmental ethics
• Planetary boundaries
• Sustainable development
• Sustainability science
• Sustainability accounting
• Sustainability governance
• Sustainability education

Taxonomy

Sustainability is divided into two main branches: sustainability science and sustainability governance. Each of these branches is divided into a number of subfields:

Sub-fields of sustainability science

• Environmental impact assessment
• Environmental psychology
• Environmental philosophy
• Environmental law
• Sustainability measurement

Sub-fields of sustainability governance

Sustainable packaging – molded pulp uses recycled newsprint to form package components. Here, researchers are molding packaging from straw.

• Economic sector:
  • Circular economy
  • Steady-state economy
  • Sustainable art
  • Sustainable advertising
  • Sustainable architecture
    • New Classical Architecture
  • Sustainable business
  • Sustainable fashion
  • Sustainable industries
    • Hannover Principles
  • Sustainable landscape architecture
  • Sustainable packaging
  • Sustainable procurement
  • Sustainable tourism
  • Sustainable transport
• Political
• Organizational
  • Fisheries management
  • Sustainable forest management
  • Sustainable city
    • New Urbanism
    • Eco-cities
    • Sustainable urban infrastructure
    • Sustainable urban drainage systems
    • Sustainable urban planning
  • Sustainable community
    • Sustainable Communities Plan
  • Sustainability reporting
• Activity
  • Sustainable design
  • Sustainable living
  • Sustainable yield

Related disciplines

• Conservation biology
• Ecological humanities
• Environmental biotechnology
• Environmental chemistry
• Environmental design
• Environmental economics
• Environmental engineering
• Environmental ethics
• Environmental history
• Environmental law
• Environmental psychology
• Environmental science
• Environmental sociology
• Green politics

Biodiversity

Coral reefs are amongst the most diverse ecosystems on earth.

see also: Biodiversity

• Biosecurity
• Ecosystem services
• Ecosystem-based management
• Ecosystem management
• Endangered species
• Holocene extinction event
• Invasive species
• Nature conservation

Levels of biological organisation

• Biosphere
• Biome

Politics of sustainability

• Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
• International reports and agreements
  • United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm 1972)
  • Brundtlandt Commission Report, 1983
    • Our Common Future, 1987
  • Earth Summit (1992)
  • Agenda 21 (1992)
  • Convention on Biological Diversity (1992)
  • ICPD Programme of Action (1994)
  • Earth Charter
  • Millennium Declaration (2000)
  • Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (2005)
• Politics of global warming
  • Climate change policy of the United States
  • Climate change in China

Population control

Population control

• Birth control
• Carrying capacity
• Family planning
• Human overpopulation
• Sustainable population
• Unintended pregnancy
• Zero population growth

Environmental technology

Sustainable urban design and innovation: Photovoltaic ombrière SUDI is an autonomous and mobile station that replenishes energy for electric vehicles using solar energy.

• Sustainable energy
• Sustainable sanitation

• Renewable energy
  • Biofuel
  • Biomass
  • Geothermal power
  • Hydroelectricity
  • Solar energy
  • Tidal power
  • Wave power
  • Wind power

Energy conservation

• Carbon footprint
• Emissions trading
• Energy descent
• Peak oil
• Renewable energy (see above)

Over consumption

• Anti-consumerism
• Ecological footprint
• Ethical consumerism
• Tragedy of the commons
• Micro-sustainability

Food

Urban horticulture – Salad lettuce cultivation at the Growing Communities‘ urban plot, in Springfield Park, Clapton, North London.

• Food security
• Local food
• Permaculture
• Sustainable agriculture
• Sustainable gardening
• Sustainable fisheries
• Urban horticulture

Water

• Water footprint
• Water crisis
• Water efficiency
• Water conservation

Materials

Recycling and rubbish bin in a Germany railway station

• Industrial ecology
• Recycling
• Waste
• Zero waste

Sustainability organizations

• Association of Environmental Professionals

Sustainability publications

Sustainability (journal)

See also

Sustainability lists

• List of climate change topics
• List of conservation issues
• List of conservation topics
• List of environmental agreements
• List of environmental health hazards
• List of environmental issues
• List of environmental organizations
• Lists of environmental topics
• List of environmental studies topics
• List of global sustainability statistics

Sustainability glossaries

• Glossary of climate change
• Glossary of environmental science