145The Future of Intelligent Transport Systems. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818281-9.00013-9
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Chapter 13
ITS and sustainability
13.1 Sustainability
Most organizations today strive to achieve sustainability. Although there are
many definitions given to sustainability, there is no agreed definition. The idea
of sustainability came from the World’s first Earth Summit in Rio in 1992.
Brundtland’s Report for the World Commission on Environment and Devel-
opment (Brundtland, 1987) defined Sustainable development as “Development
that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs.”
Sustainability is a process or state that can be maintained at a certain level
for as long as is wanted. As a noun, it means the ability to be sustained, sup-
ported, upheld, or confirmed. In environmental sciences, the term “sustainable”
has been employed for processes that do not harm the environment, do not
exhaust all natural resources, and thereby support an ecological balance for a
long-term period.
13.1.1 Why sustainability is important
The aim of sustainability is to improve the environmental health and quality of
life for our society. There are many reasons why sustainability is important for
our lives. We need clean air, natural resources, and a nontoxic environment in
order to maintain a healthy community. Sustainability must be guaranteed not
only for the current generation but also across generations, not only for a coun-
try or an organization but also for the wider global community.
13.1.2 The pillars of sustainability
Sustainability can be grouped into three categories, or “pillars”: environmental,
social, and economic. The three pillars must be supported. Sustainability cannot
work if one of the pillars is not supported. These three pillars are informally
referred to as people, planet, and profits.
13.1.2.1 The environmental pillar
The environmental pillar is the commonest one. Its aim is to reduce the impact
of human activities on the natural systems that support the community and