The 4 differences between sustainable and sustainable

We live in a world which has a great variety of resources, which, however, human beings have been exploiting more and more. extent and often without worrying about whether such exploitation may end up causing damage to nature or whether these resources may wear out.

Fortunately, with the passage of time the awareness that the resources present in nature are limited has been expanding, as well as that we must look for ways to supply ourselves that do not waste our world and that can be maintained over time. This has generated the concern to seek ways of doing, economies, resources or infrastructure that are sustainable and sustainable. These two concepts, very frequent and widely used today, are frequently used as synonyms and in fact have much in common.

However, the meaning of each one of them has certain nuances that mean that they do not refer completely to the same reality. That is why, with a view to a better use of both words, throughout this article We are going to discuss the main differences between sustainable and sustainable, with concepts to know how to differentiate them.

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Sustainable vs Sustainable: defining both concepts

In order to analyze the differences between sustainable and sustainable, it is advisable to make a brief definition of each of the terms, in order to see their similarities and perhaps visualize some nuances differentiators.

Sustainable is understood as the quality that indicates the ability to maintain and remain for a long period of time., without generating damage to the environment or depleting the resources of the environment. As a general rule, it is used in concepts such as the development, exploitation and use of resources, specifying a balance between the economic, social and environmental aspects for sustainability. Likewise, the concept implies the non-use of resources at rates higher than those required by nature for their creation.

The term sustainable refers to the quality of being able to support or defend, generally referring to ideas and arguments, by itself. It usually implies defense through reason and logic, and tends to refer to ideas and arguments, although it is also used to talk about a regulated development that allows the satisfaction of current needs without jeopardizing those of the future. It implies self-sufficiency, since it does not require anything other than itself and the different elements that are part of the sustainable element itself to remain unchanged.

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Main differences between sustainable and sustainable

Sustainable and sustainable are, as we have seen, very similar concepts whose differences are minimal. In fact, there are great discrepancies regarding whether they can be used interchangeably or whether they differ from each other, and are often considered full synonyms. But apart from that, it is possible to find a series of nuances (although not excessively powerful) in which they differ. Among them we can consider the following.

1. What is it referring to?

Although they are usually used as complete synonyms and at a lexical level technically this would not be wrong, some differences can be observed regarding the areas in which each concept is applied.

Generally, the term sustainable is used to talk about processes such as the development or maintenance of an economy, resource collection, operation social or activity, while sustainable is usually used in relation to ideas, arguments, approaches, points of view or concepts (for example in a trial or in debate).

It should be noted, however, that in this sense there are regional differences. In Spain, the term linked to development is usually sustainable, while in Latin America there is a tendency to use sustainable more often in this area.

2. Exogenous vs Endogenous

A second difference between sustainable and sustainable refers to the fact that the idea of ​​sustainability implies the existence of an external something that is capable of sustaining and supporting the unaltered state of that which is sustainable. It may be the implementation of policies or human activity itself in order to preserve the current state of affairs, for example. The idea of ​​sustainability would therefore imply a certain exogeneity, since what is sustained requires an effort or the involvement of external elements.

On the other hand, when we talk about something sustainable, we are talking about something that, although it requires something that maintains it (sustainable comes from sustento, in Spanish), this element is internal or endogenous.

That is, in this case there would be no need for something external to intervene to achieve maintenance of the current state: an idea or argument is sustainable because it is capable of justifying itself, just as an environment can be if it does not need anything that is not part of itself to remain unchanged.

3. structure vs maintenance

One of the differences between sustainable and sustainable is that as a general rule the sustainable concept it only indicates that at a structural level what it refers to is capable of being maintained, while the one of sustainable also includes the idea that this quality requires something to maintain it (even if internal).

4. temporary focus

Another small nuance that, as a general rule, is not taken into account is the temporal duration that each concept implies. Although in both cases we are talking about something with the capacity to be maintained over time, generally sustainable usually indicates a present state or a capacity for immutability, while the idea of ​​sustainable has a more focused nuance towards the state that what it refers to will have in the future.