Sustainability

In ecology, sustainability (from sustain and ability) is the property of biological systems to remain diverse and productive indefinitely. Long-lived and healthy wetlands and forests are examples of sustainable biological systems. In more general terms, sustainability is the endurance of systems and processes. The organizing principle for sustainability is sustainable development, which includes the four interconnected domains: ecology, economics, politics, and culture. Sustainability science is the study of sustainable development and environmental science. Sustainability can also be defined as a socio-ecological process characterized by the pursuit of a common ideal. An ideal is (by definition) unattainable in each time/space but endlessly approachable and it is this endless pursuit that forms a sustainable system in the process (ibid).

Healthy ecosystems and environments are necessary to the survival of humans and other organisms. Ways of reducing negative human impact are environmentally friendly chemical engineering, environmental resources management and environmental protection. Information is gained from green chemistry, earth science, environmental science, and conservation biology. Ecological economics studies the fields of academic research that aim to address human economies and natural ecosystems.​