Sustainability Ecosystems have sustained themselves for billions of years on Earth by using solar energy and recycling nutrients. If we take our lessons from Earth we can become more sustainable by: Use renewable energy as our energy source Recycle the chemical nutrients needed for survival, growth & reproduction

Key Concepts: What is sustainability? (pause) Sustainability explained https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5NiTN0chj0

Sustainability Definition (M-W) : able to be used without being completely used up or destroyed : involving methods that do not completely use up or destroy natural resources : able to last or continue for a long time

Sustainability Definition (EPA) Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. To pursue sustainability is to create and maintain the conditions under which humans and nature can coexist in productive harmony to support present and future generations.

Sustainability Definition (WCED) Sustainability has been defined as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs” (Brundtland Report - Our Common Future, 1987, from United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED)). Our Common Future, also known as the Brundtland Report, from the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) was published in 1987. The emergence of sustainability in its contemporary form stems from the ON's creation in 1983 of The World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), headed by Gro Harlem Brundtland, former prime minister of Norway.

…there is a difference between human wants and human needs. ….and we know that… …there is a difference between human wants and human needs. Gandhi said that the world could surely provide for the needs of the many but not the greed of the few.

Sustainable Development: Core Concepts Brundtland definition (UN World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987) Intergenerational equity (UN Rio Declaration, 1992) Social justice

Ethics in Sustainability It is grounded on the ethical commitment to the well-being not only of contemporary populations but also the wellbeing and enhanced opportunities of future generations. The Ethics of Sustainability by Charles J. Kibert, Leslie Thiele, Anna Peterson, and Martha Monroe

Morals versus Ethics Both are about “Right or Wrong”, “Good or Bad” Standards of value systems imposed by some external group Morals Personal value systems, not imposed by others.

Ethics in Sustainability For the present, it would mean that wealthier, more technologically sophisticated societies would have to contribute materially and through a wide range of assistance programs to increase the wealth of poorer nations, to aid them in developing the capability to provide the basic needs of their population. For future generations it means ensuring the availability of a wide range of resources: natural, cultural, mineral, educational, food, clean air and water, genetic diversity, and numerous others that support a good quality of life. The Ethics of Sustainability by Charles J. Kibert, Leslie Thiele, Anna Peterson, and Martha Monroe

Human Development Index (HDI) Developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Human Development Index (HDI) http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/human-development-index-hdi

Goalposts for the Human Development Index in this Report Dimension Observed Maximum Minimum Life Expectancy Mean Years of Schooling Expected Years of Schooling Combined Education Index Per Capita Income (PPPs) 83.2 (Japan,2010) 13.2 (US, 2000) 20.6 (Australia, 2002) 0.951 (NZ, 2010) 108,211 (UAE, 1980) 20 163 (Zimbabwe, 2008) Having defined the minimum and maximum values, the sub-indices are calculated as follows: Dimension index For education, the equation is applied to each of the two subcomponents, then a geometric mean of the resulting indices is created and finally, the equation is reapplied to the geometric mean of the indices, using 0 as the minimum and the highest geometric mean of the resulting indices for the time period under consideration as the maximum. www.csus.edu/econ/193_todaro_smith_chap_2_lecture.ppt

Calculating the HDI Step 1: The health dimension

Calculating the HDI Step 2: The education dimension

Calculating the HDI Step 3: the living standards dimension pc: per capita

Calculating the HDI Putting it all together…The HDI is the geometric mean of the three dimension indices:

PPP: purchasing power parity   PPP: purchasing power parity www.csus.edu/econ/193_todaro_smith_chap_2_lecture.ppt

HDI Country Examples

HDI Country Examples

HDI Country Examples

Sustainable Development: Trends A significant decrease in the number of people living in economic poverty

Sustainable Development: Trends population migration into urban areas

Sustainability Definition (Business) In business, two terms are used somewhat synonymously to reflect the notion of social and environmental accounting: corporate social responsibility and triple bottom line. Above is referred to as the Triple Bottom Line: “People, Planet, and Profit”

Environmentally Sustainable Society Satisfies the basic needs of the people without depleting or degrading its natural capitals and therefore preventing current and future generations from meeting their basic needs. Live off the natural income replenished by soils, plants, air and water and not depleting the natural capital that supplies this income. (like retirement?)