2.2. Externalities as a Core Feature of Sustainability Economics
The discussion about sustainability economics focuses in subsequent contributions on the role of externalities. Here, van den Bergh (2010) argues that the initial conception of sustainability economics lacks the issue of externalities, which he sees central to sustainable development:
“Without environmental externalities the problem of unsustainability vanishes. But sustainability does not require zero externalities in general. Zero externalities is not a realistic goal anyway, as externalities are a fact of life, due to scarce space and thermodynamics” (p. 2051). Sustainability is achieved if all externalities are internalized according to this argumentation