Hello Anuj,

Based on this type of questions, Bai and colleagues (2010) proposed a five-tier analytical framework: (1) triggers; (2) actors; (3) linkages (a network among institutions and actors); (4) barriers; and (5) pathways (Figure 1). Under each tier, a range of possible elements are identified (Table 1 Please go through the attached file for this). Please go through herewith the attached pdf for the barriers. i think this may helpful to you ok.

Hello Anuj,

Based on this type of questions, Bai and colleagues (2010) proposed a five-tier analytical framework: (1) triggers; (2) actors; (3) linkages (a network among institutions and actors); (4) barriers; and (5) pathways (Figure 1). Under each tier, a range of possible elements are identified (Table 1 Please go through the attached file for this). Please go through herewith the attached pdf for the barriers. i think this may helpful to you ok.

Here is the pdf File

Anuj: Here is a recent survey of Sustainability challenges by UN

http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/2843WESS2013.pdf

First of all, to be sustainable means you want to focus on something or you want to create/implement strategies that will not only benefit your needs at the moment but will generate a better " environment" in the long run, more specifically focused on future generations. As you know, most resources are disappearing and if we don't act now then in the long run there will be very little or none left. Now I can present my opinion but a lot can be said on this topic. Barriers towards sustainability can be seen at a micro or macro level. On a micro level I can't name any as these may change according to the location or the local agents for example. On a macro level, surely economic, political, environmental, technological, social, demographical and normative ( such as laws) factors may present possible barriers towards sustainability. Inside each of these categories you can debate hundreds of barriers, but those are the main issues. In terms of challenges, I believe it is similiar to what the other people said: when you aim for sustainability you will have a direct impact on a number of agents, networks and societies. Some may agree with your ideas but other may be against them, making your challenges useless. Also, in theory almost everything can be implemented but when you change from theory to practice things are much harder and you will need time and money to develop and implement ideas so that's why sometimes sustainabily has a lot of challenges. It's not easy to implement these strategies because of all these issues.

Dear Anuj

Sustainability is as a business strategy. We live in a world of constant change and we need to understand this theme as revenue growth over the long term. And for that, need to walk together three pillars: people, planet and economy, "

Today is the result of past decisions; we believe that the future will be the result of the choices we should take according to our wishes based on evaluations of intelligent projections of world we want be responsible. This, increases our responsibility to future generations with more respect the ecology and environment. What's the world we want for our future generations ?

Thanks Pedro for a beautiful summation. It is going to be a slow process. Obviously a number of people and vested interests will be opposing that if they only think and have a very short term view. We are at this point of time are more looking at its immediate impact and not interested in the long term problems. I think the education has to come from ground up starting from the school level so that a new generation of people would come with more empathy for the planet Earth. I don’t have much hope in the present generation of politicians and business people except a few.

Sustainability barriers could vary from country to country and may also vary from project to project. The maturity levels may decide the extent to which sustainability is understood and acted upon.

the enhancers may include institutional support given by government, NGOs operating in the country and general awareness levels amongst decision makers.

One has to carefully assess barriers vis-a-vis enhancers and be open for implementing sustainability in larger context.

We might posses all the knowledge and data in the world, but we act according to our own 'isms', economic considerations, fears, prejudices and addictions. We act against the face of all reason sometimes.

"Intelligence never saves you. Even the intelligent man behaves according to his nature and not according to his own knowledge. All the beings tend towards their own natures. Control has no control over nature."-Bhagavad Gita 3.33

Even possessing all knowledge, we act contrarily in private and public arenas.

Therefore the human nature and Consciousness is the foremost barrier and also the key to sustainability. Unless we understand this, all efforts are laid low, existing magnificently on paper and policy, but far removed from reality, because we do not Walk the Talk.

Proof? Look around you. Look into you.

Views invited.

Sorry, my earlier reply was meant for another RG thread and got posted here inadvertently. Cross posting alert!

Difference between Sustainability Barrier and Sustainability Challenge! Well, before I try to explain my point of view on this, let me put the perspective in which I shall try to describe the difference.

Sustainability is the best possible compromise between its three principal dimensions i.e. Social / Ethical, Economic, and Environmental dimensions. Of course, one can only achieve a possible best compromise between the three dimensions for a given scenario, as an ideal, i.e. where all the three are 100% achieved at the same time in a given scenario, is not possible. Moreover, the possible best comprise shall also depend on temporal and spacial domains / scopes.

Thus, the barrier or in other words the limit is where the 'possible best compromise' exists for a given scenario. Where as the challenge is how to get to define this limit of 'possible best compromise', how to achieve it and then how to maintain it.

Hope this widens the thinking process, it does not fully answer your query!

T. E. Butt

Barriers and challenges are used very similarly in research. There are plenty of papers discusses drivers and barriers and also plenty of papers discussing drivers and challenges. However, the term barrier should refer to obstacle that prevent something from happening. Sustainability barriers refers to obstacle to achieving sustainability. The term challenge refer milestones that need to be achieved and required great effort. It represents a more positive perspective than barriers. Sustainability challenges means milestones to achieve sustainability. To be fair, you can use whichever term you prefer.