Introduction and overview

Eric Neumayer ()

Chapter 1 in Weak versus Strong Sustainability, 2025, pp 1-7 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: The book explores the concepts of weak sustainability (WS) and strong sustainability (SS) within the framework of sustainable development (SD). WS, based on neoclassical economics, posits that natural capital can be substituted by man-made and human capital. SS, however, argues that natural capital is non-substitutable and essential for life-support functions. The book examines the theoretical and empirical validity of both paradigms, discussing their implications for policy-making, particularly in the context of climate change. It also evaluates various indicators used to measure WS and SS. The analysis concludes that while neither paradigm is conclusively falsifiable, the substitutability assumption of WS is more plausible for natural resource availability, whereas the non-substitutability assumption of SS is more plausible for environmental amenities and nature's capacity to absorb pollution.

Keywords: Sustainable development; Weak sustainability; Strong sustainability; Natural capital; Substitutability; Climate change (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035327881
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.elgaronline.com/doi/10.4337/9781035327898.00009 (application/pdf)
Our link check indicates that this URL is bad, the error code is: 403 Forbidden

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:elg:eechap:23098_1

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.e-elgar.com

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Chapters from Edward Elgar Publishing
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Jack Sweeney ().