The essence of sustainability is to decouple material progress from harmful impacts on society and the environment by putting the three elements of sustainable development on complementary and, hopefully, mutually reinforcing tracks.8
20. 持续性的实质是使物质进步不给社会和环境带来有害影响，方法是将这三个可持续发展要素放在相互补充、也希望是相互加强的轨道上。