Mapping out fuzzy buzzwords - who sits where on sustainability and sustainable development

Environmentalism has spawned a new vocabulary. Even frequently used words are still poorly defined. Different groups use the same words to express different ideas; often definitions are coloured by the groups' incompatible core value systems. This leads to fuzziness and misunderstanding. Such tendencies mean that a common vocabulary does not necessarily make for better communication. Quite the contrary: the use of fuzzy buzzwords prevents different groups from working together to define a shared agenda. Terms like 'sustainable development' and 'sustainability' are widely used but rarely defined by consensus. They succeed in sustaining dialogue but bring with it confusion. <P>Here, the constituent elements of sustainable development are mapped graphically using the principles said to underlie the concept. This not only has the advantage of visually discriminating between so-called weak and strong forms of sustainability but it also opens up the possibility of comparing and contrasting other formulations. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.