Time and Sustainability

Introduction

While the term ‘sustainability’ remains highly contested with regard to its definition and meanings, commentators would probably agree that time forms one of its central dimensions. Most definitions of sustainability prescribe the adoption of a long-term view of social and political life that focuses on the fair, just and viable distribution of economic, social and environmental resources both within and across generations (e.g. World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987; Ott, 2009). Similarly, many mainstream indicators of (sustainable) human development focus more or less explicitly on aspects of time, including people's life expectancy (see Khoo, Chapter 5 in this volume). Some efforts to further advance the sociological investigation of time-related views and habits have touched on environmental ...