What are sustainability indicators?
Sustainability indicators provide information on the state of the project, policy or community. They provide an integrated view of how well the system works. Sustainability indicators usually consider social impact, environmental impact and economic impact of public policy. Identifying areas in each sector that is influenced by policy can be recognized quickly and solved. For example, the gross domestic product (GDP) is considered a traditional indicator of how well the economy is doing but does not take into account the impact of economic activity on the environment or society. The sustainable economic well -being index (ISEW) is considered an indicator of sustainability. It deducts the cost of the environmental dam from things, such as air pollution and exhaustion of resources, increasing to GDP economic activities such as unpaid housework.
In order to be a useful sustainability indicator, it must meet certain criteria. Sustainability indicators must provide information that is relevant. The information must also be understandable and reliable. The data provided to sustainability indicators must also be timely.
Information from sustainability indicators is usually used to identify problems that arise from public policies. Problems are generated to maintain progress. If the problems are not solved, it is believed that progress will slow down and eventually lead to social, environmental or economic decline.
There are several economic indicators that are used to measure sustainability. The number of companies and the different size of the size are considered to be a better indicator of the labor market than traditional indicators, such as the unemployment rate or the number of jobs. Also, the amount of money spent in the local economy, from wages obtained in the local economy, is considered a better indicator of local economic progress than GDP.
Several indicators aliveThe environment deals with sustainability. The amount of toxic materials used and used is considered to be a better indicator of how much pollution is emitted into the environment than measuring the surrounding levels of pollutants. Also, the total energy used is generally a better way to reflect sustainable energy consumption than a traditional indicator of the price of gasoline.
Standardized test scores are traditional indicators of social progress. The number of students returning to the local community is considered a better indicator of educational sustainability. The number of people who actually choose in the elections is also a better indicator of social progress than the number of registered voters.