![]() If we generically define sustainability as the capacity for continuance, the first requirement of sustainable development will be to maintain the functions provided by nature–particularly those that support life-given that the environmental dimension underpins the social and the economic ones.īuilding bridges between science and policy is critical in this context. As stated by UN (2019), “conomic and social progress over the last century has been accompanied by environmental degradation that is endangering the very systems on which our future development-indeed, our very survival-depends.” This statement highlights the conflicts between the three pillars of sustainable development. Major international assessments show that the evidence of widespread environmental degradation is unequivocal ( IPCC 2014 IPBES 2019 UN Environment 2019). ![]() Through these metrics, the framework has the potential to embed strong sustainability thinking and science-based targets in nations in which these concepts are not currently sufficiently reflected in policies. Different composite indicators are proposed as part of the ESGAP framework. In order to bridge this metric gap, we present the Environmental Sustainability Gap (ESGAP) framework, which builds on the concepts of strong sustainability, critical natural capital, environmental functions and science-based targets. After assessing well-known environmental metrics such as the Sustainable Development Goals indicators and the Environmental Performance Index, we conclude that countries still lack robust and resonant metrics to monitor environmental sustainability. In this context, we propose criteria to assesses the suitability of environmental metrics to monitor environmental sustainability at the national level. Because of the role of metrics in environmental governance, the way environmental information is translated into metrics is of utmost relevance. Institute for Sustainable Resources, University College London, London, United Kingdomĭespite the overwhelming scientific evidence on the ongoing degradation of the environment, there is a clear gap between the urgency of the environmental crisis and the policy measures put in place to tackle it.
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