It should be noted, however, that the calculation results of scores could be influenced by the assessment framework, such as types of variables and weighting among variables and components in the process of aggregation. Thus, the ultimate interpretation of sustainability conditions of targeted regions always necessitates a multilateral analysis, along with results derived from the indicative assessment method that we have proposed. Conclusions After reviewing the representative assessment

indicators, this paper proposed a novel sustainability assessment method designed to calculate aggregate sustainability scores with three components for two different years, and the method was applied to evaluate the sustainability status of China’s

provinces. The method was found to be effective in analyzing the relative sustainability status across provinces for the different time periods. In addition to the LY294002 cell line aggregate sustainability index scores, the method simultaneously enabled the clarification of trends for individual variables, such as income gaps in the socio-economic component, and investigation by three components, making it possible to undertake a comprehensive analysis. The results clarified whether each province had been moving in a positive direction in terms of environmental status, efficient resource utilization, and socio-economic conditions, as represented in the examined three components, and sustainability status in an integrated manner, along with the examination www.selleckchem.com/products/SB-202190.html of individual variables. The results also demonstrated the rankings mafosfamide of sustainability among provinces for the different time periods. Such information derived from the method shall be useful for obtaining the pictures of relative or indicative sustainability status and understanding of good performances or potential problems in individual provinces

from sustainability perspectives and, therefore, could be of help especially in the initial stage of policy analysis and decision-making processes for guiding society to a sustainable future, although the results are necessarily affected by the credibility and availability of the primary data. In conclusion, the proposed method proved to be useful in the following senses. First, it is capable of determining the relative sustainability status of targeted regions for different time periods on a common basis, in the form of aggregate scores. Thus, the results could clarify which regions performed well or poorly from the viewpoint of sustainability, as well as the changes in performances over time. These findings could serve as basic data for the macro-analysis of indicative sustainability performance. Second, information was provided from the decomposed elements of sustainability, that is, environment, resource, and socio-economic components in this study.