Introduction to Sustainability and Rural Public Health

This chapter provides a general introduction to the book and outlines the content of chapters to follow. Sustainable development is defined, with the added refinement of the important concept of regeneration over the need only to sustain. Rural development based on principles of globalization theory is presented. The focus of the book is linked to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from the United Nations, with certain SDGs being of particular emphasis. Finally, a brief summary of the book’s structure is presented: the book is grouped into three parts that outline (1) the nature of the problem of dependence on fossil fuel economies in rural communities, particularly communities dependent on the coal and natural gas industries, with emphasis on the connection between fossil fuel–dependent economies and poor public health; (2) explorations around the world of current efforts to transition from fossil fuel dependence to sustainability; and (3) identification of priority development areas that communities can pursue that will enable sustainability transitions to be permanent and successful. In the concluding chapter, we offer a new theoretical construct which we call networked self-sufficiency, as a refinement to the globalization theory of rural development as well as theories of social capital, community empowerment, and structural health disparities. We argue for the adoption by rural communities of networked self-sufficiency to enable creation of lasting, healthy futures.