Abstract

SALDIVAR V., Américo; BARRERA, Adrián; ROSALES, Patricia  and  VILLASENOR, E.. Three methodologies to evaluate sustainability. Inv. Econ [online]. 2002, vol.62, n.242, pp.159-185. ISSN 0185-1667.

This paper presents and analyses three theoretical-methodological proposals which are used at a regional, national and international level to study sustainability. These methodologies, which arose as a result of the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, are the following: the Sustainable Development Index (SDI); the Barometer of Sustainability (BS) and the Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI). The deficiency of all these methods might well be that, while they measure and stress the sustainability state or level according to their own theoretical premises, they do not set up either anthropogenic activity nor economic growth limits in a way that acknowledges and respects the thresholds and capacities of ecosystems. From this survey it is concluded that there is no such thing as a unique methodology and that they all, though fallible, count because of their own merits.

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