Figure 13.10: Illustration of the results of Example 13.1.
13.6 Sustainable Decision Making
So far no specific consideration has been devoted to the problem; how to derive decisions
which are optimal also from a sustainability point of view. This issue will be considered in
the following with some focus on socio-economical sustainability.
Indicators of sustainability
In order to assess the sustainability of a given engineering decision in quantitative terms, and
thereby to provide a basis for consistent decision making, first of all a basis must be
established for the representation of what is understood as sustainability in terms of
observable indicators which can be related to the preferences of society. It is generally agreed
(Bruntland, 1987) that sustainability refers to the joint consideration of three main