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Is genuine sustainability compatible with profit or utility maximization?

Economic models often emphasize profit or utility maximization.Sustainability, by contrast, stresses limits and long-term balance.I want to understand whether these logics can coexist.

 

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By Payal G Answered 4 months ago

From my experience engaging with ecological economics, sustainability is only partially compatible with profit or utility maximization. I have seen alignment occur when optimization is constrained by environmental and social boundaries. I would recommend reframing maximization toward long-term value rather than short-term gains. Without limits, profit-driven systems tend to undermine sustainability. With clear constraints and accountability, however, economic incentives can support sustainable outcomes rather than contradict them.

 

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