nonsustainable
Bound to fail
Nonsustainable describes practices, resources, or systems that cannot be maintained indefinitely without depletion or collapse.
The term appears most often in environmental and economic contexts: nonsustainable fishing practices, nonsustainable debt levels.
It functions as a straightforward negation of sustainable, though unsustainable is more common in most contexts.
Unsustainable marine harvest
- deforestationLarge-scale woodland elimination
- overharvestingUnsustainable resource extraction
- overconsumptionExcessive use of resources
- overexploitationExcessive resource depletion
resource depletion · fossil fuels · nonrenewable · mining · strip mining · clear-cutting · peak oil
Made for one use
- single-useFor one application only
- throwawayDesigned for discard
- stopgapTemporary substitute measure
- band-aidAdhesive strip for cuts
short-sighted · myopic · planned obsolescence · fast fashion · wasteful · inefficient · extractive · exploitative
Eliminating natural living spaces
- extinctionComplete vanishing of a species
- erosionGradual wearing away
- monocultureSingle-crop agricultural system
- urban sprawlUncontrolled peripheral development
biodiversity loss · desertification · rainforest loss · dead zones · eutrophication · slash and burn · overgrazing
Total greenhouse gases produced
- greenhouse gasesEmissions that trap heat
- toxic wasteDangerous industrial refuse
- landfillWaste burial ground
- pollutionEnvironmental harm from waste
industrial waste · emissions · contamination · chemical runoff · e-waste · ocean acidification · smog · microplastics
overfishing
Unsustainable marine harvest
- deforestationLarge-scale woodland elimination
- overharvestingUnsustainable resource extraction
- overconsumptionExcessive use of resources
overexploitation · resource depletion · fossil fuels · nonrenewable · mining · strip mining · clear-cutting · peak oil
disposable
Made for one use
- single-useFor one application only
- throwawayDesigned for discard
- stopgapTemporary substitute measure
band-aid · short-sighted · myopic · planned obsolescence · fast fashion · wasteful · inefficient · extractive · exploitative · boom-and-bust
habitat destruction
Eliminating natural living spaces
- extinctionComplete vanishing of a species
- erosionGradual wearing away
- monocultureSingle-crop agricultural system
urban sprawl · biodiversity loss · desertification · rainforest loss · dead zones · eutrophication · slash and burn · overgrazing
carbon footprint
Total greenhouse gases produced
- greenhouse gasesEmissions that trap heat
- toxic wasteDangerous industrial refuse
- landfillWaste burial ground
pollution · industrial waste · emissions · contamination · chemical runoff · e-waste · ocean acidification · smog · microplastics · effluent
nonsustainablesustainable
Able to endure long-term
renewable · regenerative · replenishable · eco-friendly · green
nonsustainablesustainable
Able to endure long-term
maintainable · self-sustaining · viable · enduring · lasting
sustainable, sustain, sustained, sustaining, sustainability, unsustainable, sustainer, sustainment, sustenance