At a time of increasingly rapid environmental deterioration, sustainability is the most important issue facing the world today. Can we create a sustainable society? What would that mean? How should we go about doing it? How can we bring about such a profound change in the way things are organized? This book tackles these questions directly. It goes beyond rhetoric about "sustainable development" to explain the deeper issues in a way that is accessible and interesting to the non-specialist reader. It covers the development of the concept of sustainability within its broader historical context; the contemporary debates about what sustainability implies and how to achieve it; and the obstacles to reaching the goal and prospects for overcoming them. This book will be invaluable to students, academics and activists concerned with the topics of sustainability and sustainable development.