The Scientific Bases of Sustainability: Methods, Measures and Correlations

Defining and assessing sustainability of complex systems (ecosystems, production systems, territorial systems, etc.) is a crucial challenge for modern science. Several instruments are necessary to answer a lot of questions related to the interactions between man and Nature. Policy makers, businessmen, researchers, managers, environmentalists and common people need information in order to understand what is sustainability and what is the distance of their behaviours from it. Sustainability indicators have been developed with the purpose to answer all these questions.The paper presents the results of the SPIn-Eco project, a sustainability analysis of the Province of Siena (Italy). It has produced a data set that allows a practical comparison among several approaches and indicators by means of correlation analysis. Important correlations were found between Ecological Footprint and CO2 emissions as well as with the non renewable exogenous part of Emergy flow. No correlation was found between total emergy flow and total ecological footprin

Quality of life and social inclusion of inland areas: A multidimensional approach to performance policies and planning assessment

Improving quality of life and social inclusion is one of the priorities of national and community policies. Adopting the approach based on capabilities-functioning, the aim of this paper is to measure a Quality of Life (QoL) index of communities, selecting the specific variables that may influence quality of life of inland areas, such as: economic opportunities, health care, education, cultural and leisure activities, work-life balance, health and environmental protection. A QoL index for three dimensions (economic, social and environmental) and a global QoL were calculated using a non-compensatory method. The values obtained are included in the 70â\u80\u93130 range. The model, applied to the Basilicata region (131 municipalities), takes values in a range between 93 and 105, with 61% of municipalities with a global QoL below the regional average (=100). It tends to assume lower values in inland areas: 62% of inland areas are characterized by a global QoL below the regional average, due in part to fewer economic opportunities and social services, but also to the presence of major landslides and seismicity risks, against a greater health and environmental protection. The opportunity to assess the quality of life through an index, over time, may help policy makers addressing policies and evaluating their effects. Furthermore, an analysis of spatial autocorrelation helps identify different clusters and spatial outliers, useful for the identification of areas requiring priority interventions and future actions, which should take into account a balanced growth of the economic, social and environmental dimensions related to the quality of life

The Measurement of Economic, Social and Environmental Performance of Countries: A Novel Approach

Socio-economic well-being, Living standards, Structural simultaneous equation model,