This book offers the first comprehensive natural science-based sustainability theory that describes how sustainability can be quantified. It is based on modern non-equilibrium thermodynamics, as all processes in the world rely on turnover of energy and materials. This is precisely the subject of thermodynamics. Readers will appreciate how easy it is to understand. The book contains no formulas (apart from one or two exceptions), but many well-documented facts. A comprehensive, quantitative theory of sustainability is long overdue - now it is available.

Several practical examples, products, and processes are quantitatively analysed and assessed in terms of their sustainability. These include direct CO2 capture, storage, and utilisation, and also several geoengineering concepts. It is emphasised that any sustainability assessment must also take biodiversity into account, and not just the climate. Therefore, we are investigating the extent to which various ecosystems and organic agriculture can make a significant contribution to addressing the crises related to climate change and biodiversity.

This book translates abstract thermodynamics into daily language and puts it at the center of current discussions about the most urgent environmental crises.