Social Justice: The Missing Link in Sustainable Development

Governments, civil society groups, and international organisations actively raise awareness about major environmental risks and work to mitigate them. In practice, however, sustainable development tends to be approached in stages: first by addressing the economic dimension, followed by the environmental, and finally, the social dimension. We argue that this sequencing reflects an inherent bias in how the importance of each dimension is perceived, with the social dimension consistently being undervalued. Historically, the social dimension of sustainable development has been predominantly associated with poverty alleviation and basic needs satisfaction. While essential, this narrow interpretation fails to capture the broader social issues at stake, such as inequality, vulnerability, and social cohesion. In this conceptual review, we revisit the place of the social dimension within sustainability frameworks, based on an extensive analysis of the scientific literature on sustainability, environmental justice, and social policies. We challenge the prevailing notion that the social dimension has often been reduced to poverty and is detrimental to natural resources. Instead, we propose that sustainable development must shift towards a model of socially sustainable development. Our approach builds on a capabilities-based understanding of social justice, which highlights the importance of enhancing individual and collective capacities to act and thrive within their environment. It is therefore essential to move beyond the outdated view that economics and environmental protection are in conflict. Instead, we must frame the environment as a matter of human justice, where the social dimension is given its rightful importance. In this context, we present three key pillars of analysis - equity, safety, and social cohesion - to renew the sustainability debate and mitigate the disruptions caused by imbalances between the dimensions.