Rationale

Threats are emerging that jeopardize the sustainability of entire communities, regions, countries and the planet itself. As we become more aware of the interactions between the environment, the economy and society, people everywhere grow increasingly concerned about the trends they see.

Unprecedented and concurrent crises are now unfolding relating to climate, food, health, energy and the economy. Human ingenuity and resilience are hard-pressed to cope. The public debate about new policies and governance models offers an historic opportunity to put sustainable development at the centre of decision-making.

Seizing this opportunity demands accurate information. Current progress and future trends must be carefully assessed against reliable measures if we are to know where to focus our efforts. The assessment results must be properly interpreted and communicated to the public and decision-makers.

Despite numerous assessments over the years and our increased understanding of the threats to sustainability, much remains unknown and little is quantified. Policy-makers and the public need sound guiding principles to establish a common basis for assessing sustainability. These will help create results that are comparable on global, national, regional and local scales.