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Mapping out fuzzy buzzwords - who sits where on sustainability and sustainable development

Author

Listed:
  • Jason Palmer

    (Eclipse Research Consultants, Cambridge, UK)

  • Ian Cooper

    (Imperial College Centre for Environmental Technology, London, UK)

  • Rita van der Vorst

    (Imperial College Centre for Environmental Technology, London, UK)

Abstract

Environmentalism has spawned a new vocabulary. Even frequently used words are still poorly defined. Different groups use the same words to express different ideas; often definitions are coloured by the groups' incompatible core value systems. This leads to fuzziness and misunderstanding. Such tendencies mean that a common vocabulary does not necessarily make for better communication. Quite the contrary: the use of fuzzy buzzwords prevents different groups from working together to define a shared agenda. Terms like 'sustainable development' and 'sustainability' are widely used but rarely defined by consensus. They succeed in sustaining dialogue but bring with it confusion. Here, the constituent elements of sustainable development are mapped graphically using the principles said to underlie the concept. This not only has the advantage of visually discriminating between so-called weak and strong forms of sustainability but it also opens up the possibility of comparing and contrasting other formulations. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Suggested Citation

  • Jason Palmer & Ian Cooper & Rita van der Vorst, 1997. "Mapping out fuzzy buzzwords - who sits where on sustainability and sustainable development," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 5(2), pages 87-93.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:sustdv:v:5:y:1997:i:2:p:87-93
    DOI: 10.1002/(SICI)1099-1719(199708)5:2<87::AID-SD70>3.0.CO;2-Z
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Cooper, Ian, 1982. "Energy conservation in buildings: Part 2-A commentary on British government thinking," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 10(1), pages 1-45, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Tom Waas & Jean Hugé & Aviel Verbruggen & Tarah Wright, 2011. "Sustainable Development: A Bird’s Eye View," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 3(10), pages 1-25, September.
    2. Christopher J. Johnstone, 2022. "Conceptualising inclusive development by identifying universality, plurality, sociality, and relationality," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(6), pages 1165-1175, August.
    3. Cristina Herrero-Jáuregui & Cecilia Arnaiz-Schmitz & María Fernanda Reyes & Marta Telesnicki & Ignacio Agramonte & Marcos H. Easdale & María Fe Schmitz & Martín Aguiar & Antonio Gómez-Sal & Carlos Mon, 2018. "What do We Talk about When We Talk about Social-Ecological Systems? A Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-14, August.
    4. Lyon, Andrew & Hunter-Jones, Philippa & Warnaby, Gary, 2017. "Are we any closer to sustainable development? Listening to active stakeholder discourses of tourism development in the Waterberg Biosphere Reserve, South Africa," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 234-247.
    5. Robert Hay, 2005. "Becoming ecosynchronous, part 1. The root causes of our unsustainable way of life," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 13(5), pages 311-325.

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