Title: An analysis of the relationship between sustainable development and the anthroposystem concept

Authors: Miguel A. Santos, Walter Leal Filho

Addresses: Department of Natural Sciences, Box A-506, Baruch College of the City University of New York, New York, NY 10010, USA. ' TuTech, Harburger Schlossstrasse 6-12, D-21079 Hamburg, Germany

Abstract: In the 1980s, the concept of sustainable economic development emerged to try to deal with the complex and pervasive aspects of the environmental problem. However, an ecological perspective of sustainability requires taking a holistic approach that uses the ecosphere as a frame of reference. This paper describes the anthroposystem model that philosophically views the notion of sustainability in terms of a human-ecological system functioning within the ecosphere with some considerations on its implications.

Keywords: anthroposystem; sustainable development; industrial ecology; system analysis; sustainable economic development; sustainable human systems.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESD.2005.006775

International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development, 2005 Vol.4 No.1, pp.78 - 87

Published online: 05 Apr 2005 *

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