There has been more than a decade of
struggle with the definition and relevance of the
term among individuals in various professions (see
Toman, Costanza, Mebratu, Vos). A debate exists
between those who support a three-legged approach
(i.e., simultaneously benefitting economy-societyenvironment),
and those who view it as a relationship
between human society and nature (Robinson).
The result is that the concept is now more open to
individual political and philosophical interpretations
than to scientific definition (Robinson).