Sustain One World aims to help develop and implement EH-IMACS as a practical framework for measuring environmental impacts and linking economic activity to conservation.

• Related paper: Impact Measurement and Application of Conservation (IMACS). Zenodo. 5281/zenodo.11206388.
• Related review: The Impact Measurement and Application of Conservation System (IMACS): A Review of IMACS and a Return to Sustainable Conditions. Zenodo. 5281/zenodo.11663825.

Our objective is to support a standardized approach through which products, services, and other activities can be evaluated more consistently and through which conservation and restoration can be expanded over time.

• Related paper: Providing Conservation as “Title-To-Conservation” under IMACS. Zenodo. 5281/zenodo.11212462
• Related paper: Calculation of Individual and Product Sustainability under IMACS. Zenodo. 5281/zenodo.11214090. 

The long-term aim is to help reduce damaging impacts, improve transparency, and support a transition toward more sustainable production and consumption.

• Related review: The Impact Measurement and Application of Conservation System (IMACS): A Review of IMACS and a Return to Sustainable Conditions. Zenodo. 10.5281/zenodo.11663825.

Damaging Environmental Impacts

EH-IMACS is designed to account for the damaging environmental impacts associated with products and services. Major examples include biodiversity loss, unsustainable freshwater use, soil and sediment damage, climate-related impacts, coastal flooding risk, and other environmental pressures.

• Related paper: Impact Measurement and Application of Conservation (IMACS) – https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11206388
• Related paper: Impact Estimation and Product Classification under IMACS – https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11225057

The full EH-IMACS framework uses a broader set of impact groups. In addition to environmental impacts, it also includes human-condition impacts.

• Related paper: Impact Measurement and Application of Conservation (IMACS) – https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11206388

These impact types are closely connected. Biodiversity depends on healthy land, water, climate, and ecological restoration. For that reason, the system is designed to address multiple types of damage together rather than treating each problem in isolation.

• Related review: The Impact Measurement and Application of Conservation System (IMACS): A Review of IMACS and a Return to Sustainable Conditions – https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11663825

Conserving Environmental Impacts

EH-IMACS also accounts for the conservation and restoration needed to neutralize damaging impacts. Examples include protection and restoration of wildlife areas, watershed protection, soil and sediment restoration, coastal protection, emissions reduction, and atmospheric carbon removal with durable storage.

• Related paper: Providing Conservation as “Title-To-Conservation” under IMACS – https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11212462
• Related paper: Calculation of Individual and Product Sustainability under IMACS – https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11214090
• Related paper: Can We Reverse Global Warming? – https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11289414

EH-IMACS is designed to make environmental impacts more visible at the level of products, services, and individual consumption. For participating purchases, the system links measured or estimated impacts to corresponding conservation intended to address those impacts.

• Related paper: Impact Measurement and Application of Conservation (IMACS) – https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11206388
• Related review: The Impact Measurement and Application of Conservation System (IMACS): A Review of IMACS and a Return to Sustainable Conditions – https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11663825

This changes incentives in a practical way. Lower-impact products and operations require less conservation, so producers, service providers, retailers, and consumers all have a reason to reduce impacts directly wherever they can.

• Related paper: Providing Conservation as “Title-To-Conservation” under IMACS – https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11212462
• Related paper: Calculation of Individual and Product Sustainability under IMACS – https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11214090

EH-IMACS would be implemented gradually. Participation, impact measurement, and conservation capacity would expand over time, allowing the system to begin in simplified form and become more complete as the supporting infrastructure develops.

• Related paper: Marketing Aspects for IMACS – https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11521962
• Related review: The Impact Measurement and Application of Conservation System (IMACS): A Review of IMACS and a Return to Sustainable Conditions – https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11663825

Participation in EH-IMACS would likely develop in stages as methods, software, and conservation capacity are built out. Early participation can focus on following the project, expressing interest, and supporting further development. As the system matures, participation could expand to standardized classification, impact assessment, and conservation-linked transactions. Further background: Marketing Aspects for IMACS; The Impact Measurement and Application of Conservation System (IMACS): A Review of IMACS and a Return to Sustainable Conditions.

For individuals, participation is intended to provide a practical way to support more transparent environmental accounting and to encourage lower-impact production and consumption. It is also intended to support conservation and restoration efforts linked to everyday economic activity. Further background: Providing Conservation as “Title-To-Conservation” under IMACS; Calculation of Individual and Product Sustainability under IMACS.

For organizations, participation is intended to provide a framework for clearer impact information, more credible sustainability comparisons, and stronger alignment between business decisions and conservation outcomes. Over time, organizations that reduce damaging impacts and improve transparency would be better positioned to demonstrate those improvements within a common system. Further background: Impact Estimation and Product Classification under IMACS; Impact Measurement and Application of Conservation (IMACS).

EH-IMACS is designed to estimate or calculate the environmental impacts associated with products, services, and individual consumption. In early stages, some values may be based on broader estimates. As participation grows and better data become available, the system is intended to move toward more specific and more accurate impact values. Further background: Impact Measurement and Application of Conservation (IMACS); Impact Estimation and Product Classification under IMACS

The system is also designed to translate those impact values into sustainability indicators by comparing actual impacts with reference conditions intended to represent sustainable use and restoration. In general, lower-impact choices and lower-impact production would be expected to score better than higher-impact alternatives. Further background: Calculation of Individual and Product Sustainability under IMACS

Where appropriate and feasible, EH-IMACS is intended to incorporate measured or independently verified environmental data to improve the location specificity of environmental impact estimates.

Where appropriate and feasible, EH-IMACS is intended to incorporate measured or independently verified environmental data to improve the location specificity of environmental impact estimates. Further background: Remote Sensing of Environmental Impacts under IMACS

This website provides only a high-level overview. The technical methods, definitions, and mathematical treatment are described in the preprint papers. Technical background: Calculation of Individual Sustainable Absorption under IMACS; Calculation Of Excess Impact Deduction for Products and Services under IMACS; A Review of a Framework for IMACS and a Return to Sustainable Conditions

Becoming sustainable requires reducing damaging impacts, supporting protection and restoration, and choosing lower-impact ways to meet the same needs. EH-IMACS is intended to help make those differences more visible and more comparable across products, services, and organizations.

Related preprint: The Impact Measurement and Application of Conservation System (IMACS): A Review of IMACS and a Return to Sustainable Conditions

In practice, this can include lowering fossil-fuel dependence, improving efficiency, reducing damaging land and water use, and preferring products and services with better sustainability performance where such information is available. Which changes are most effective can differ by location, technology, and stage of implementation.

Related preprints: Savings and Avoided Costs of Living Carbon Negative; Savings of Living Sustainable

For individuals and organizations alike, the general direction is to reduce avoidable impacts, support restoration where damage has occurred, and move toward more sustainable options over time. This website provides only a high-level overview. The underlying methods and broader technical arguments are described in the preprints.

Related preprints: Calculation of Individual and Product Sustainability under IMACS; Impact Measurement and Application of Conservation (IMACS)

EH-IMACS is intended to help create funding for environmental restoration through participation-linked conservation purchases. In the climate context, that can include support for durable carbon-removal measures in addition to reducing ongoing emissions.

Related preprint: Providing Conservation as “Title-To-Conservation” under IMACS

The scale, timing, and cost of possible climate-restoration pathways depend on model assumptions, technology development, participation levels, and the rate at which removal capacity can be built. For that reason, this website provides only a high-level summary, while the detailed scenarios and calculations are presented in the preprints.

Related preprint: Can We Reverse Global Warming?

Returning to sustainable conditions is broader than climate alone. Over time, EH-IMACS is intended to support restoration across multiple impact areas as methods, measurement systems, and conservation pathways are further developed.

Related preprint: The Impact Measurement and Application of Conservation System (IMACS): A Review of IMACS and a Return to Sustainable Conditions