Sustainometrics: Measuring sustainability

Abstract

The paper argues for the need of "sustainometrics", i.e. a science that studies, models and measures sustainable development, including measuring progress towards sustainability, measuring the status quo, benchmarking and best practices. There are already vast bodies of research as to how to study and measure the economic, social and environmental but we do not know how to study and measure the whole. To make things even more complex, this whole is dynamic as it is constantly co-evolving with its components. This often results in the emergence of unexpected properties, an example of which is climate change. A new area of knowledge (and profession) is currently appearing which is sustainability. In order for it to inform policy decisions and guide human behaviour it will need to also develop its modelling and measuring tools (including sustainability indicators, ecological footprint and food miles among other) and information systems (local, regional and global), which sustainometrics should provide.