**8. Conclusions**

In order to realize a sustainable future, we have to deviate from "business as usual". This calls for alternative thinking, based on fruitful concepts and well-founded attitudes. A literature review illustrates how the unclear concept of "sustainable development" from 1987 has undergone a considerable conceptual refinement. Today's conceptual framework is, however, still too weakly developed to encourage community development onto a sustainable track. For instance, the concept of "green economy", accepted by The World Bank, large companies and national leaders in several of the richest countries at the Rio+10 meeting in 2012, is foggy enough to "greenwash" unsustainable economic activity by making only cosmetic changes. The concept also contains a premise about further economic growth, which is a main cause of environmental degradation. A lack of concensus about precise concepts and principles is a threat to sustainability. The author suggests that concept development about sustainability should be regarded as an important academic task. There is a need to coin and define new, fruitful concepts, to give existing concepts a more precise meaning, to point at misuse of concepts, and to identify topics which are excluded from the debate due to a lack of operable concepts. For example, the value of deep personal experiences in contact with nature is difficult to communicate to others, but of great personal importance for some people. Progress within certain complicated fields, for instance how to combine economic, environmental and social sustainability, depends upon research. Environmental challenges may be of local character, and different social and economic structures may need different conceptual models.

This literature review about the rise of ecological thinking illustrates how basic, scientific concepts can be modified and applied in sustainable thinking and practice. To cooperate with nature's own processes has become a main aim in environmental sustainability. Our depend‐ ence upon a well-functioning nature is illustrated by the concept of "ecological service". This fruitful concept has initiated many new studies and calculations, and increased our awareness about saving nature qualities. However, the concept is strongly anthropocentric, and too narrow to secure biodiversity. Fortunately, the Convention on Biological Diversity is based on a biocentric view.

Some writers stress the importance of listing "non-sustainable activities". This is a constructive approach. The concepts of "environmental crime", "ecological crime", or "eco-crime" deserve to be used more actively, for instance by NGO's when criticising environmentally harmful activity.

Well-founded attitudes are another prerequisite for a sustainable development. Attitudes motivate us for change, and support our endurance. However, non-sustainable attitudes are common, as well as a lack of attitudes in this field. A personal developmental process is necessary to alter our attitudes about sustainability - they cannot simply be adopted. A wellfounded attitude is based on adequate knowledge and conscious evaluation. This means that education pertaining to environmental questions is vital. Furthermore, positive experiences in contact with nature will often trigger motivation for preserving nature qualities. Today, more than half of the world's population recides in cities, with little or no contact with nature. There is a danger that reduced access to nature leads to less concern about it. Therefore, schools at all levels should allow young people to experience the values of nature contact. Closely connected to attitudes is the field of environmental ethics. A "biocentric" view, respecting the intrinsic value of all life forms, may have great practical value.

Armed with fruitful concepts and well-founded attitudes, we should be well equipped to fight for a sustainable future. There is one more factor though, which is our ability to communicate. Because we are short of time, rhetoric matters. Forceful rhetoric may transform eco-fear into motivation, and allow environmental threats to be clear and challenging. Just as in literature, certain thorough formulations may have a strong mental effect. At present, increased use of "sustainable rhetoric" is perhaps the most efficient single factor in order to create change. In debates, we must be ready to meet a "counter-rhetoric" which defends "business as usual". It is a challenge for debate leaders to identify foggy concepts, environmentally unfriendly attitudes, and argumentation based on our mental tendency to deny or suppress environmen‐ tal problems. People who are skilled in the art of rhetoric are today typically engaged in the advertising business; often convincing people to buy things which they do not need. The rhetoric force is today needed to convince people – and politicians – of a change that we all need. The politicians themselves should use encouraging rhetoric to make us all cooperate. The following formulation is an example: "If you are a part of the problem, you are a part of the solution". Most of all, rhetoric should be used to spread hope. Hope is a strong mental force, and collective hope may change a community.

We need a "mental tipping point" where sustainable thinking takes over – and remains. The way we think is our hope.
