What are the best ways to measure sustainability? This paper compares weak and strong sustainability indicators, highlighting the limitations of weak indicators' assumption of substitutability between natural and man-made capital. Weak sustainability indicators often suffer from their unrealistic and inadequate assumption of substitutability between natural capital and man‐made capital. Defining sustainable development in these terms is almost trivial; measurement problems as well as methodological and sociological issues may be considered as major flaws of operationalizing weak sustainability indicators. On the other hand, strong sustainability indicators rely on physical measures, acknowledging that the economy is embedded in matter and energy flows limited by solar energy input and Earth’s capacity. By drawing on the example of regional environmental resources, particularly groundwater in Austria, the paper explores the application of strong regional sustainability indicators. The ecological economics approach concedes that the economy is embedded in matter and energy flows ultimately limited by solar energy input and the Earth’s capability to produce renewable resources and to cope with emissions of all kinds. Ultimately, this research offers insights into the strengths and limitations of different sustainability measurement approaches, providing valuable guidance for policymakers and researchers seeking to promote environmental stewardship. By emphasizing the importance of physical measures and ecological economics principles, the paper contributes to the ongoing debate about how to best achieve sustainable development. Focuses on thoughts on strong regional sustainability indicators are presented
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