Unsustainability entails ecologically unsustainable social instability, which, in other words, implies the coexistence of persistent social instability and emerging ecological instability ceteris paribus. Since every word has its opposite polarity, so sustainability means ecologically sustainable social stability, which, in other words, implies the coexistence of social stability and ecological stability ceteris paribus.
Social means what is not natural. It has become both adjective and noun. Further, it is being used in normative (e.g. what we ought to do) and positive sense (e.g. what we do). It consists of various “sub-socials” such as political, economic, psychological, religious, cultural, ethical, spiritual, moral, familial, sexual, gender, scientific, technological, legal, demographic, democratic, marital, etc.
Ecological instability is indicated by depreciation, depletion, degradation, and/or destruction of ecological/natural resources, assets or capital. Social instability consists of various sub-social instabilities such as political instability, economic instability, psychological instability, religious instability, cultural instability, ethical instability, spiritual instability, moral instability, familial instability, sexual instability, gender instability, scientific instability, technological instability, legal instability, demographic instability, democratic instability, marital instability, etc. Social instability is indicated by poverty, unemployment, starvation, malnutrition, inequality (of income, wealth and rights), illiteracy, insecurity, lack of basic needs (food, housing and clothing), injustice, inequity, corruption, killing, lynching, assassination, torture, oppression, subjugation, violence (against women), rape, molestation, tyranny, child-labour, prostitution, trafficking, kidnapping, suicide, witch-hunting, conflict, crime, militarization, war, fundamentalism (religious, cultural, etc) and so forth.
Many authors have written about social sustainability. Alphabetically, the examples of such authors are as follows: Agyeman and Evans (2004); Casula Vifell and Soneryd (2012); Cuthill (2009); Davidson (2009); Dempsey, Bramley, Power and Brown (2011); Dillard, Dujon and King, (2009); Fotzpatrick (2011); Larsen (2009); Lehtonen (2004); Littig and Griessler (2005); Magis and Shinn (2009); Nordstrom Kallstrom and Ljung (2005); Omann and Spangenberg (2002); Pawlowski (2007); Seghezzo (2009); Thin, Lockhart and Yaron (2002); Turkington and Sangster (2006). Further, the Special Issue of the journal: Sustainability: Science, Practice & Policy (Volume 8, Issue 12, Winter 2012) is devoted to the discussion of “A Missing Pillar? Challenges in Theorizing and Practicing Social Sustainability”, in which there are ten articles.
But, there is hardly any author who has written about social unsustainability. Perhaps, he/she has not seen or observed with his/her own eyes how social unsustainability is. Fortunately, I have discovered an article on social unsustainability by Sultan Qaboos University Professor, Arif Saeed Malik (2018).
If any author wants to know about social unsustainability, he/she should see with his/her own “eyes and heart” the life and living condition of urban slum societies in developing countries. In some developing countries, as much as 90% of the urban population live in slum society. One in three urban residents lives in slum society in developing countries. One in seven people on the planet currently lives in slum society. The slum population of India exceeds the total population of UK. World’s largest slum societies, for example, are Khayelitsha in Cape Town (South Africa), Kibera in Nairobi (Kenya), Dharavi in Mumbai (India), Orangi Town in Karachi (Pakistan). The intensity of social unsustainability of the slum society is unprecedented due to lack of basic needs of their day to day life. They are socially deprived and the poorest of the poor section of urban society.
Social unsustainability can be reduced or ruled out by the following ways:
1. Provision of basic needs (food, housing, clothing, etc).
2. Equitable distribution of income and wealth.
3. Arrangement for intra-generational and inter-generational justice among gender, race, class, etc.
4. Equality of rights, including human rights, land users’ rights, tenants’ rights, indigenous people’s rights, etc.
5. Establishment or promotion of democracy.
6. Establishment of peace.
7. Eradication of poverty.
8. Provision of people’s meaningful participation in all aspects of state governance.
9. Elimination of corruption in politics at all levels.
10. Implementation of effective measures for addressing the impact of climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
11. Arrangement for adequate investment in research and development in order to promote sustainable development based on the needs and priorities.
12. Engagement of local people in planning, implementation and monitoring for the management of natural resources.
13. Investment in alternative energy sources.
14. Development of civil society and social capital.
15. Promotion of quality of life, happiness and well-being.
Social unsustainability and ecological unsustainability are not independent, rather, they are interdependent. If we know the way of reducing or ruling out the unprecedented unsustainability of the slum society, then we will be able to reduce or rule out the global social unsustainability.
The terms like welfare, wellbeing, development, prosperity, happiness, quality of life, standard of living, etc. are pointless to the slum society, because the people of slum society do not even know what the standard of life is. The deplorable and pathetic condition of the slum society is the best example of global social unsustainability.
References
Agyeman, J. &Evans, B. (2004). Just sustainability: The emerging discourse of environmental justice in Britain? Geographical Journal, 170(2), 155-164. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3451592
Casula Vifell, A. & Soneryd, L. (2012). Organizing matters: How the “social dimension” gets lost in sustainability projects. Sustainable Development, 20(1), 18-27. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.461
Cuthill, M. (2009). Strengthening the “social” in sustainable development: Developing a conceptual framework for social sustainability in a rapid urban growth region in Australia. Sustainable Development, 18(6), 362-373. http://doi.org/10.1002/sd.397
Davidson, M. (2009). Social sustainability: A potential for politics? Local Environment, 14(7), 607-619. https://doi.org/10.1080/13549830903089291
Dempsey, N., Bramley, G., Power, S. & Brown, C. (2011). The social dimension of sustainable development: Defining urban social sustainability. Sustainable Development, 19(5), 289-300. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.417
Dillard, J., Dujon, V. & King, M. (Eds.)(2009). Understanding the social dimension of sustainability. New York: Routledge. https://www.routledge.com
Fotzpatrick, T. (Ed.)(2011). Understanding the environment and social policy. Bristol: Policy Press. https://policy,bristoluniversitypress.co.uk
Larsen, L. (2009). An inquiry into the theoretical basis sustainability: Ten propositions. In J. Dillard, V. Dujon & M. King(Eds.), Understanding the social dimension of sustainability, pp. 45-82. New York: Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Understanding-the-Social-Dimension-0f-Sustainability/Dillard-Dujon-King/p/book/9780415536677
Lehtonen, M. (2004). The environmental-social interface of sustainable development: Capabilities, social capital, institutions. Ecological Economics, 49(2), 199-214. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S092180090400076X
Littig, B. & Griessler, E. (2005). Social sustainability: A catchword between political pragmatism and social theory. International Journal of Sustainable Development, 8(1-2), 65-79. https://www.inderscienceonline.com/doi/abs/10.1504/IJSD.2005.007375
Magis, K. & Shinn, C. (2009). Emergent principles of social sustainability. In J. Dillard, V. Dujon & M. King(Eds.), Understanding the social dimension of sustainability, pp. 15-44. New York: Routledge. https://www.routledge.com/Understanding-the-Social-Dimension-0f-Sustainability/Dillard-Dujon-King/p/book/9780415536677
Malik, A. (2018). The main driver of social unsustainability and its remedy. International Journal of Social Economics, 45(6), 973-988.
https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/IJSE-01-2017-0005/full/html
Nordstrom Kallstrom, H. & Ljung, M. (2005). Social sustainability and collaborative learning. Ambio, 34(4-5), 376-382. https://bioone.org/journals/ambio-a-journal-of-the-human-environment/volume-34/issue-4/0044-7447_2005_034_0376_SSACL_2.0.CO_2/Social-Sustainability-and-Collaborative-Learning/10.1579/0044-7447(2005)034[0376:SSACL]2.0.CO;2.short
Omann, I. & Spangenberg, J. (2002). Assessing social sustainability: The social dimension of sustainability in a socio-economic scenario. Seventh Biennial Conference of the International Society for Ecological Economics. March 6-9, Sousse, Tunisia. https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.201.987&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Pawlowski, A. (2007). How many dimensions does sustainable development have? Sustainable Development, 16(2), 81-90. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/sd.339
Seghezzo, L. (2009). The five dimensions of sustainability. Environmental Politics, 18(4), 539-556. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09644010903063669
Thin, N. Lockhart, C. & Yaron, G. (2002). Conceptualizing socially sustainable development. London: Department for International Development and World Bank. (Link is unavailable)
Turkington, R. & Sangster, K. (2006). From housing to social mix: Housing’s contribution to social sustainability. Town and Country Planning, 75(6), 184-185. (Link is unavailable)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Arup Kanti Konar, PhD, is Principal & Associate Professor of Economics, Achhruram Memorial College, Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University, Jhalda, Purulia
West Bengal, India.
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