Measuring sustainability: A time series of alternative indicators for Scotland

This paper presents results from a time-series analysis of seven alternativ e measures of sustainability for Scotland. The measures chosen are green Ne t National Product, genuine savings, ecological footprint, environmental sp ace, net primary productivity, the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare an d the Genuine Progress Indicator. These are all measures at the national, o r macro, level. We note arguments in the literature that no one single meas ure of 'sustainability' is likely to be sufficient. However, very different messages concerning the sustainability of Scotland over the period in ques tion (1980-1993) emerge from these measures chosen. We also argue that diff erent indicators provide different insights for policy making. (C) 1999 Els evier Science B.V. All rights reserved.