1.3.1—Sustainability definition
- Syllabus
- First assessment 2026
- Objective
- 1.3.1
- Level
- SL
Test Viability Across Time
Sustainability asks whether a socio-ecological system can keep functioning without reducing the conditions future generations need.
Check long-term resources, ecosystem function, social needs and resilience—not one short-term benefit. A yield increase that depletes soil fails the future test.
A farm maintains soil, water and biodiversity while producing food; a farm that exhausts soil for one high harvest does not.
Not on that evidence; test the whole system and future conditions.
A short-term environmental benefit is not a complete sustainability verdict.