Linking sociometabolic stress to strong sustainability: a framework for assessing societal transformations

Abstract Non-technical summary Sustainability transformations necessitate systemic changes that simultaneously respect planetary boundaries and promote social equity. This article presents a conceptual framework that links sociometabolic stress with the principles of strong sustainability. The framework enables the assessment of long-term social and environmental impacts of sustainability-oriented activities, considering both planetary thresholds and societal needs. The applicability of developed framework is illustrated through an exemplar analysis of the impacts and benefits associated with increased adoption of electric vehicles. Beyond offering a novel analytical lens, the proposed approach also invites reflection on the societal necessity and diversity of such activities. Technical summary This article introduces a conceptual framework linking sociometabolic stress to strong sustainability, providing a novel approach for assessing the transformative potential of sustainability-oriented activities. Sociometabolic stress is defined as the socio-ecological cost of provisioning societal services, such as transport and energy, relative to their societal benefits. The framework distinguishes between strong and weak sustainability by evaluating activities based on their capacity to reduce sociometabolic stress and ensure social equity. Strong sustainability is characterized by long-term conservation of critical natural capital and promotion of human well-being. Weak sustainability, in turn, assumes that human-made capital can substitute natural capital – a premise that risks long-term integrity of Earth's life-support systems. The framework integrates insights from social metabolism theory and the scaling of planetary boundaries to assess activities across two dimensions: societal need and socio-ecological cost. An example assessment from the transport sector demonstrates the framework's utility in evaluating whether increased electric vehicle adoption constitutes a strongly sustainable transformation. This article argues that reduced sociometabolic stress is a key indicator of strong sustainability and calls for its integration into sustainability assessments. This approach enables researchers and practitioners to better estimate the transformative potential of different activities, which thus supports societal planning. Social media summary A new societal transformation framework allows consideration between strong and weak sustainability activities.