Social sustainability

Are there social constraints on development analogous to the ecological limits set by carrying capacity?

Social sustainability reflects the relationship between development and current social norms. An activity is socially sustainable if it conforms with social norms or does not stretch them beyond the community's tolerance for change. Social norms are based on religion, tradition, and custom; they are rooted in values attached to human health and well-being. The norms may or may not be codified in law. Some have to do with intangibles, such as deep-seated beliefs about right and wrong or values that are attached to the importance of different aspects of life and the environment. Even though they are intangible, these are very powerful factors.

Other social norms are less abstract: they concern language, education, family and interpersonal relations, hierarchies and class systems, work attitudes, tolerance, and all the other aspects of individual or group behaviour that are not primarily motivated by economic considerations. The main indicator of socially unsustainable development is antisocial behaviour, including damage to property, community disruption, and violence.

Most social norms are difficult to define and measure, and their limits are therefore hard to determine and evaluate. These difficulties are compounded in a multicultural country such as Canada because of the variety of communities with different social norms. In addition, social norms are not immutable, particularly in countries where change is pervasive. We live in a world of fast-moving social and economic change: behaviour that is unacceptable today may one day become fully acceptable, or vice versa. Social norms may persist in the short term, but most will almost certainly change in the longer term.

Nevertheless, the main consideration in assessing social sustainability is that, even though social norms may change, many are extremely persistent. Any proposal that would breach existing social limits will fail because the people involved will resist or oppose it. This leads to the question of how to deal with the social limits that must be respected to achieve sustainable development. It is clear that they cannot be measured. For instance, environmental features highly valued by some Canadian communities, such as a wild, free-flowing river, may seem worthless to an outsider. People who rely on traditional ways of making a living, particularly in occupations that are dependent upon a natural resource base, such as fishing, hunting, farming, mining, and logging, are often resistant to change to an extent that cannot be comprehended by others.

It may be concluded that social norms and social constraints on development must be taken into account in planning for sustainable development. To define social limits to sustainability, there is no alternative to exploring the issues in collaboration with the groups or communities concerned.