Governance for Sustainable Development: As if it Mattered? Dr. Ann Dale, Trudeau Fellow Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Community Development Royal Roads University

What is sustainable development? The human imperative of the 21st century

Sustainable Development A Process of Reconciliation The social imperative to ensure the development of democratic systems of governance that can effectively propagate and sustain the values that people wish to live by The ecological imperative to live within the global biophysical carrying capacity and maintain biodiversity The economic imperative to ensure that basic needs are met worldwide AND EQUITABLE ACCESS TO RESOURCES – SOCIAL, ECOLOGICAL, AND ECONOMIC – IS FUNDAMENTAL TO ITS IMPLEMENTATION SocialEcological Economic Human Systems Natural Systems

Barriers to Implementation

cleavages artificial separations divisions Solitudes, Silos and Stovepipes

Lack of Shared Meaning Time Population impact x Consumption Human Systems

Lack of Shared Meaning Time Population impact x Consumption Human Systems

Lack of Shared Meaning Time Population impact x Consumption Human Systems

Governments keep it simple implementation gaps system rigidities system inconsistencies KISS

questions of legitimacy who gets to frame the question? who gets to decide who the experts are? dialogue versus consultation electoral cycles Governments Continued

Status Quo Adapted from Holling 1986 Connectedness Stored Capital (Potential) Renewal accessible carbon nutrients & energy Exploitation opportunist r-strategy pioneer Conservation fire k-strategy storm pest Release dimax construction

complex, dynamic living systems information will always be incomplete, science uncertain not easily bounded highly normative time, place and scale dependent The Context

beyond any one sector or level of government to solve demands unprecedented levels of collaboration and partnership to implement complexity of the dialogue The Context Continued

rapid knowledge diffusion private-public partnerships, public-public partnerships, civil society research-government partnerships interdisciplinary research trans-disciplinary solutions Sustainable Development Innovation, Creativity and Competitiveness

Reconciliation Adapted from Holling 1986 Connectedness Stored Capital (Potential) Renewal accessible carbon nutrients & energy Exploitation opportunist r-strategy pioneer Conservation fire k-strategy storm pest Release dimax construction

A New Governance Model Domains of Appreciation Sustainable Development Emerging Policy Domains Trans-disciplinary Networks of Collaboration Sectoral Implementation

Expanded Policy Development PARADIGMSPARADIGMS PARADIGMSPARADIGMS VALUESVALUES VALUESVALUES Enlarged Decision-Making Context Desired Futures Policy Alternatives Policy Approaches Strategies & Tactics FEEDBACK

A Governance Checklist — As if it Mattered? only one domain—sustainable development? integrated decision-making policy congruence policy alignment Sustainable community development will not be achieved unless supported by a strong legal system. For in a constitutional democracy, the legal system is the mechanism through which the values of the people are expressed and their beliefs acted upon. Adapted from Boyd 2003

Concrete Immediate Actions get the prices right carbon tax (all revenues devoted to mitigation) enforceable national air quality standards enforceable national water quality standards national law guaranteeing safe drinking water national law guaranteeing safe drinking waters

Concrete Immediate Actions Continued law to protect wild and scenic rivers law guaranteeing citizens access to information long-term planning strategic research imperative by the granting councils enshrine in the Charter the rights to access to clean air, water and food ClimateACTION