1. Introduction to Sustainability
Topic 1.4
Introduction to Sustainability

2. Natural income
…the yield obtained from natural resources

3. Natural Income Fish Timber plants Flood control Oxygen production
Physical product
Ecosystem Services
Fish
Timber
plants
Flood control
Oxygen production
Water purification

4. policy
…a selected, planned line of conduct in the light of which individual decisions are made and coordination achieved
- Webster’s Encyclopedic Dictionary

5. scale - physical / geographical - ecological - jurisdictional may be:
ranking based upon size, dimension, geographical subunit, etc.
- ecological
individual, deme, community, population
- jurisdictional
local, municipal, regional, federal, global

6. ngos / community groups
scale
earth continent country province region municipality neighbourhood household individual
GLOBAL / MACRO
LOCAL / MICRO
United Nations .
governments
ngos / community groups
individuals
spatial
jurisdictional / decision making

7. jurisdiction - the exercising of this power
- the legal power to administer and enforce the law
- the exercising of this power
- the region within which this power is valid or in which a person has authority
- authority
- Webster’s Encyclopedic Dictionary

8. Sustainability:
The use and management of resources so that full natural replacement of exploited resources can take place

9. Defining Sustainable
Development

10. Sustainable development:
meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
World Commission on Environment and Development (1987): Our Common Future

11. Elements of sustainability
Environment
The three interlinked elements in the Bruntland Commission’s sustainable development equation are environment, economy, and society.
Economy
Society
- World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987

12. the sustainable development triangle

13. Elements of sustainability
Environment
The three interlinked elements in the Bruntland Commission’s sustainable development equation are environment, economy, and society.
Economy
Society
- World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987

14. biophysical interactions
Elements of sustainability
Environment
biodiversity
materials
energy
biophysical interactions
The three interlinked elements in the Bruntland Commission’s sustainable development equation are environment, economy, and society.
- World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987

15. Elements of sustainability
money and capital
employment
technological growth
investment
market forces
The three interlinked elements in the Bruntland Commission’s sustainable development equation are environment, economy, and society.
Economy
- World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987

16. Elements of sustainability
human diversity (cultural, linguistic, ethnic)
equity (dependence / independence)
quality of life
institutional structures and organization
political structures
The three interlinked elements in the Bruntland Commission’s sustainable development equation are environment, economy, and society.
Society
- World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987

17. The ‘3 Es’ Model Ecology Economy Equity
The three interlinked elements in the Bruntland Commission’s sustainable development equation are environment, economy, and society.
Economy
Equity

18. The Healthy Community Model
Social
Economic
Environmental
equitable
bearable
sustainable
The three interlinked elements in the Bruntland Commission’s sustainable development equation are environment, economy, and society.
viable

19. Sustainability: PROBLEMS
Depletion of finite resources
fuels, soil, minerals, species
Over-use of renewable resources
forests, fish & wildlife, fertility, public funds
Pollution
air, water, soil
Inequity
economic, political, social, gender
Species loss
endangered species and spaces
- WCED, 1987

20. Sustainability: SOLUTIONS
Cyclical material use
emulate natural cycles; 3 R’s
Safe reliable energy
conservation, renewable energy, substitution, interim measures
Life-based interests
health, creativity, communication, coordination, appreciation, learning, intellectual and spiritual development

21. EQUITY LIMITS TO GROWTH Two key sustainable development concepts:
-WCED 1987

22. Sustainable development...
implies limits
Not predefined absolute limits, but limitations imposed by:
the ability of the biosphere to absorb the effects of human activities
adaptability of human social and political organization
technology

23. Sustainable development and economic growth
Economic growth must be made:
less material intensive (‘dematerialization of the economy’)
less energy intensive
more equitable in its impacts
Economic growth may be reduced or curtailed to meet limitations imposed by environment, technology, or society

24. Institutional gaps impeding sustainable development
2 major gaps:
fragmented decision making
narrow mandates, jurisdictional rigidity, lack of communication and coordination
lack of accountability
failure to make the bodies whose policy actions degrade the environment responsible for their actions

25. materials and energy

26. Obsolescent “frontier” civilization:
HEAT
ENERGY
NON-RENEWABLE
and RENEWABLE
HIGH
THROUGHPUT
CONSUMER
SOCIETY
CONVENTIONAL
URBAN SYSTEM
WASTE &
TOXINS
MATERIALS
One-way flow of materials and energy

27. Cyclical flows of materials Appropriate energy usage
Sustainable civilization:
Energy Efficiency
Low-quality
Heat Energy
ENERGY
LOW
THROUGHPUT
RENEWABLE
CONSERVER
SOCIETY
Low-volume
Nontoxic
Waste
Materials
MATERIALS
Waste Minimization
Toxics control
Cyclical flows of materials
Appropriate energy usage

28. information and decision making

29. Sustainable development...
considers future and present needs when making decisions about:
resource and energy use
technological development
direction of investments
social, political & institutional change...etc. etc. etc.

30. ECONOMY
ENV’T
SOCIETY
TRADITIONAL
DECISION MAKING

31. ECONOMY NON-PARTICIPATORY FRAGMENTED TRADITIONAL DECISION MAKING ENV’T
SOCIETY
NON-PARTICIPATORY
FRAGMENTED
TRADITIONAL
DECISION MAKING

32. ECONOMY ECOSYSTEM-BASED DECISION MAKING
ENV’T
SOCIETY
SOCIETY
ECONOMY
‘ECO-
SYSTEM
HEALTH’
ENVIRONMENT
TRADITIONAL
DECISION MAKING
ECOSYSTEM-BASED
DECISION MAKING

33. ECOSYSTEM-BASED DECISION MAKING
SOCIETY
ECONOMY
‘ECO-
SYSTEM
HEALTH’
PARTICIPATORY
INTEGRATED
ENVIRONMENT
ECOSYSTEM-BASED
DECISION MAKING

34. Fragmented decision-making
private
other
interests
public
community
groups
federal /
national
ISSUE
municipal
provincial /
state
regional
- after Barrett and Kidd, 1991

35. Integrated decision-making
private
other
interests
public
community
groups
federal/
national
ISSUE
municipal
provincial/
state
regional
- after Barrett and Kidd, 1991

36. decision making
reactive

37. decision making
reactive
(‘end of pipe’)

38. decision making
anticipatory
reactive

39. decision making
anticipatory
(planning for
change)
reactive

40. decision making
radical
anticipatory
reactive

41. decision making radical (fundamental; root causes) anticipatory
reactive

42. decision making
radical
anticipatory
reactive

43. environment and economy society or
Industry
change in demand
- less consumption
- alternative consumption
change in process
- clean technology
- elimination of toxics
sewage treatment plant
- ‘end of pipe’ solution
environment
and
economy
society or
radical
anticipatory
reactive

44. Northern Telecom Historical example: based in Canada
42 plants in various countries
manufacturer of electronic components (telecommunications)
1988: tonnes of CFCs per year
1992: 0 tonnes of CFCs used per year

45. Original Process
1) raw components and grease 2) manufacturing and assembly process 3) clean off grease with CFCs 4) finished product

46. Revised process
1) raw components, no grease 2) manufacturing and assembly process 3) no need to clean off grease with CFCs 4) finished product

47. Environment AND Economy
$1 million to develop new process
$4 million savings in first year (no CFCs)
$50 million savings to year 2000
international environmental prize -> great publicity
contract with Mexico for industrial innovation (very lucrative)

48. radical
anticipatory
reactive

49. Industry
radical
anticipatory
reactive

50. Industry change in demand for product industrial process sewage
treatment
plant for wastes
radical
anticipatory
reactive

51. zoo / seed bank for endangered species Transportation
Industry
change in
demand for product
industrial process
sewage
treatment
plant for wastes
Biodiversity
apply landscape
ecology principles
to human activity
establish national
parks (12%)
to protect habitats
zoo / seed bank for endangered species
Transportation
radical
anticipatory
reactive

52. zoo / seed bank for endangered species Transportation
Industry
change in
demand for product
industrial process
sewage
treatment
plant for wastes
Biodiversity
apply landscape
ecology principles
to human activity
establish national
parks (12%)
to protect habitats
zoo / seed bank for endangered species
Transportation
complete redesign of our cities
alternative
fuels for cars
catalytic
converters
radical
anticipatory
reactive

53. Sustainability: How do we move from rhetoric to reality?

54. principles

55. principles
policy

56. principles
policy
practice

57. To be useful, principles of sustainability must:
be easily understood
be applicable in many contexts
be transferrable across scales
translate well from fundamental values into applied policy and practical action
identify possibilities for radical transformative change AND
positive incremental change