Sustainability Requirements
Eight requirements are identified as a core set of criteria for sustainability assessment and they must be met and show gains in each if progress towards sustainability is to be achieved. The requirements are:
1. Socio-ecological system integrity.
2. Livelihood sufficiency and opportunity.
3. Intragenerational equity (i.e. gaps in sufficiency and opportunity between rich and poor).
4. Intergenerational equity (i.e. future generations).
5. Resource maintenance and efficiency.
6. Socio-ecological civility and democratic governance.
7. Precaution and adaptation.
8. Immediate and long-term integration.
(Gibson, R.B. et al, (2005) ‘Sustainability Assessment: Criteria, processes and Applications', Earthscan)