Human Settlements Review - Parliamentary Monitoring Group

Human Settlements Review, Volume 1, Number 1, 2010
characteristics (DuBose et al., 1995: 5):
• minimise the use of non-renewable
energy and natural resources
• satisfy human needs and aspirations
(economic, social, political) with
sensitivity to the cultural context
• minimise negative impacts on the
earth’s ecosystems.
Bowen and Hill (1997: 229) state that
minimising consumption of both materials
and energy is necessary because overconsumption
inherently involves increasing
the disorder and rendering them of lower utility
for future use. Therefore, consuming as little
material and energy as possible, or doing
more with less, is a fundamental objective of
sustainable technology.
Sustainable technology must also meet
the needs of the population it is intended to
serve. Such needs may include economic,
social and political. In fulfilling these needs
the technology must account for human
preferences and cultural differences. In some
cases these preferences may conflict with
environmental objectives and a compromise
will have to be reached. This does not mean
that human preferences should be ignored;
fulfilment of our desires means the difference
between surviving and living.
Causing minimal negative environmental
impact (as well as maximising positive inputs)
is an important objective of sustainability
since the environment consists of ecosystems
of which the ongoing health is essential for
human survival on earth (DuBose et al., 1995:
5; Du Plessis, 2002: 6). Sustainability of the
human race requires that ecosystems be
protected and preserved in a reasonable state
of health through maintaining biodiversity,
adequate habitat, and the ecosystem.
Further scrutiny of the definition and
characteristics of sustainable technology
reveals that it is not a new concept. It is similar
to the theory of “appropriate technology” that
evolved in the 1970s. “Appropriate technology”
was defined then as the technology that is
designed with special consideration to the
environment, ethical, cultural, social and
economic aspects of the community it is
intended for (Eckaus, 1977: 10). It has only
taken on increased importance as the negative
impacts of human activities on a planetary
scale became apparent.
4.6 Assessment of sustainability
One of the many questions that have
surfaced as a result of the discourse on
sustainable development is “how can we
assess sustainability”. As a result, several
types of assessment methodologies of
sustainability have been put forward that can
be categorised in three groups on the basis
of their methodological foundations (Adinyira
et al., 2007: 3). These are environmental in
general, life cycle assessment methods and
sustainability indicator assessment methods.
4.6.1 Environmental in general
Environmental methods in general
methodologies mainly focus on issues
relating to preserving natural resources
and ecosystems on which we and future
generations depend such as wise resource
consumption, curbing pollution and looking
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