释义 |
sustainable, a.|səˈsteɪnəb(ə)l| [f. prec. + -able. Cf. sustenable.] †1. Capable of being borne or endured; supportable, bearable. Obs. rare.
1611Cotgr., Soustenable, sustainable,..abideable. 2. Capable of being upheld or defended; maintainable.
1845–6De Quincey Gilfillan's Lit. Portr. Wks. 1859 XII. 304 From the verdict of a jury,..no candid and temperate man will allow himself to believe any appeal sustainable. 1857Toulmin Smith Parish 130 It is the duty of the constable to apprehend offenders taken in the fact, or on sustainable presumption. 1875N. Amer. Rev. CXX. 463 Religion may be morally useful without being intellectually sustainable. 1884Law Rep. 27 Chanc. Div. 69 The Defendant has taken several technical objections to the order, none of which..are sustainable. 3. Capable of being maintained at a certain rate or level.
1965McGraw-Hill Dict. Mod. Econ. 501 Sustainable growth, a rise in per-capita real income or per capita real gross national product that is capable of continuing for a long time. A condition of sustainable economic growth means that economic stagnation will not set in. 1971Nature 9 July 80/2 The blue whale could have supplied indefinitely a sustainable yield of 6,000 individuals a year. 1976Times 4 Aug. 3/8 The achievement of a sustainable, stationary population. Hence sustainaˈbility.
1972T. Sowell Say's Law iii. 100 An increase beyond limits of sustainability existing at any given time would lead only to reduced earnings and subsequent contraction of the quantity supplied. 1980Jrnl. R. Soc. Arts July 495/2 Sustainability in the management of both individual wild species and ecosystems..is critical to human welfare.
Add: suˈstainably adv.
1981Washington Post 21 Apr. d6/5 An effective program to..aim this nation toward a new path of sustainably faster real economic growth. 1990Practical Woodworking Mar. 87/1 (Advt.), Main agents for the Ecological Trading Company supplying tropical hardwoods from sustainably managed sources.
▸ Ecol. Of, relating to, or designating forms of human economic activity and culture that do not lead to environmental degradation, esp. avoiding the long-term depletion of natural resources.
1980World Conservation Strategy (Internat. Union Conservation of Nature) iv. 1/1 The necessity of ensuring that utilization of an ecosystem or species is sustainable varies with a society's dependence on the resource in question. 1984R. Langdon Design & Society (BNC) 79 Ecotopia describes a society geared to the needs of Twentieth century people which is nevertheless ecologically sustainable. 1990Environment 121/1 Peaudouce plant three trees for every one that is felled—a genuine, sustainable use of a resource. 1995Guardian 22 Mar. (Society section) 5/4 A busy training programme to spread the message of sustainable agriculture, known as permaculture, throughout Southern Africa.
▸ sustainable city n. Town Planning and Ecol. a city designed or landscaped in such a way as to ensure the continued conservation of natural resources and the surrounding natural environment while providing the economic base needed to support its inhabitants.
1989Toronto Star 1 June a25/6 Moves to ensure that environmental considerations are a key part of Cityplan '91, plans to reclaim the Don Valley and other efforts to ‘green’ the city all contribute to a *sustainable city. 1992Environment & Urbanization 4 154 (title) Sustainable cities: meeting needs, reducing resource use and recycling, re-use and reclamation. 1998Town & Country Planning 67 174/2 All other things being equal, wildlife will thrive better with more space, and so a ‘sustainable city’ would include green wedges, corridors, stepping stones and pockets, combined whenever possible with pedestrianised street space.
▸ sustainable development n. (a) Econ. economic development which can be sustained in the long term; cf. sense 3 (rare, and perh. not a fixed collocation in this sense); (b) Ecol. utilization and development of natural resources in ways which are compatible with the maintenance of these resources, and with the conservation of the environment, for future generations.
1972Econ. Jrnl. 82 696 Any judgment about performance under the plan must be based on the extent to which the foundations for *sustainable development in Turkey were laid. 1980World Conservation Strategy (Internat. Union Conservation of Nature) i. 1/3 That conservation and sustainable development are mutually dependent can be illustrated by the plight of the rural poor. 2000Daily News (Tanzania) 10 Mar. 6/1 In a move aimed at achieving sustainable development of the coastal communities and resources, Tanzania has drafted a coastal governance policy based on the principles of integrated coastal management.
▸ sustainable tourism n. tourism managed in a manner which preserves the integrity of the environment and is sustainable in the long term; spec. = ecotourism n.
1987L. B. Dodd in Diss. Abstr. Internat. 48 1554- a/2 Since urban tourism is essentially based on visual attractiveness, architectural continuity is an important element of a healthy, *sustainable tourism economy. 1993Jrnl. Sustainable Tourism 1 2/1 Sustainable tourism is a positive approach intended to reduce the tensions and friction created by the complex interactions between the tourism industry, visitors, the environment and the communities which are host to holidaymakers. 2001Sunday Mail (Brisbane) (Nexis) 4 Nov. 122 University of the Sunshine Coast is offering..a Bachelor of Sustainable Tourism. |