Sustainability and the U.S. EPA
Committee on Incorporating Sustainability in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; National Research Council
NAS Press | Sept. 8, 2011 | ISBN: 0309212529 9780309212526 | 163 pages | PDF | 2 MB
This framework provides recommendations for a sustainability approach that both incorporates and goes beyond an approach based on assessing and managing the risks posed by pollutants that has largely shaped environmental policy since the 1980s. Although risk-based methods have led to many successes and remain important tools, the report concludes that they are not adequate to address many of the complex problems that put current and future generations at risk, such as depletion of natural resources, climate change, and loss of biodiversity. Moreover, sophisticated tools are increasingly available to address cross-cutting, complex, and challenging issues that go beyond risk management.