A Question of Ethics

Michael Donnelly (Realeyes Sustainability) Patricia Mackey (Sustainable NI)

Why sustainability matters

What is Sustainable Development?

“To enable all people throughout the world to satisfy their basic needs & to enjoy a better quality of life… …without compromising the quality of life of future generations” Securing the Future, UK's Sustainable Development Strategy, HM Government 2005

environmental limits life supporting resources

declining

Source: The Natural Step

consumption of life supporting resources

rising

©2003 The Natural Step: All rights reserved

An alternative view of development Aim = Growth Aim = Quality of Life for All 1. ENVIRONMENT 2. SOCIETY 2. SOCIETY 3. ENVIRONMENT 3. ECONOMY 1. ECONOMY Where we are now….

Where we need to be

Five principles of sustainable development

Living within environmental limits:

• Respect limits of environment, resources & biodiversity • Ensure natural resources to support life remain unimpaired

Ensuring a strong, healthy & just society:

• Meeting diverse needs of all • Promote personal wellbeing, social cohesion & inclusion • Create equal opportunity

Achieving a sustainable economy:

• Strength, stability, prosperity & equal opportunity • Polluter Pays • Efficient resource use

Promoting good governance:

• Participative governance across society • Engage people’s creativity, energy & diversity

Using sound science responsibly:

• Policies developed & implemented according to sound science • Precautionary Principle • Public attitudes & values reflected

Source: Securing the Future, UK's Sustainable Development Strategy, HM Government 2005

Beyond the environment: the triple bottom line Living within environmental limits: Ensure natural resources to support life remain unimpaired Ensuring a strong, healthy & just society: Meet diverse needs of all; promote wellbeing, inclusion & equal opportunity Achieving a sustainable economy: Strong, stable, efficient & fair

Global Challenges

Climate Change: Why it’s happening

• Without heat trapping “Greenhouse gases” Earth would be 25C cooler • Human activity is increasing levels of greenhouse gases in atmosphere • CO2 has increased from 280 to 380 ppm • Rising between 2 and 3 ppm/year • Main source is fossil fuel combustion for energy and transport • Average surface warming of 1 to 6C expected

What’s at stake: projected global risks Monbiot: 90% cut by 2030 Tyndall: 90% cut by 2050 UK Gov: 60% cut by 2050 Rice yields fall 15%

• • • • • • •

Increasing extreme weather events 1 o C 5m extra in hunger 18% species loss Greenland icecap melts 97% coral reefs bleach

• • • • •

Arctic summer sea ice melts 2.3-3bn water shortage malaria 2 o C Ecosystem collapse Major city flood risk

• • • •

>50% species loss “Runaway” climate change - Forest die-back > 2 Human cost?

o C

We already have the solutions

Passive Design Renewables Emissions Trading Public Transport Energy Efficiency

Pollution: damaging health and the environment

• “UK air pollution more dangerous than Chernobyll” • 24,000 premature deaths per year

(Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution)

• Over 100,000 man-made chemicals exist • Only 3,500 have been adequately tested for health and environmental impacts • Over 300 man-made chemicals can be found in the average European’s blood • With globalisation, Europe is exporting its pollution overseas

Waste: our throwaway economy 10 x 10,000 kg

raw materials Manufacture

1000 kg

finished product

10 x

6 months

100 kg

long-term durables EXTRACT CONVERT USE DISCARD Consumption should not be an end in itself: need to rethink value and efficiency

Global Inequality

Poverty: an ever widening gap

UK average high street coffee price $2 20% of world survives on less than $2 per day

Biodiversity: the sixth extinction

• Up to 50% of species could be wiped out by climate change • Widespread decline in wildlife populations • Habitat destruction and loss of wilderness • Over-harvesting of timber, fisheries • Falling fertility from pollution • Invasion of alien species

The goal: One planet living

• Ecological footprint = equivalent area of land required to meet an individual’s needs • Food, fibre, waste, energy, space • Measured in “Global hectares per capita” (gha) “Equal sustainable share” = 1.8 gha “Global average footprint” = 2.2 gha “UK average” = 5.6 gha

Group Exercise

• • • •

Coffee Cup Exercise

Work as groups First map out the lifecycle of a cup of coffee:

•

From raw materials to disposal!

Identify impacts

•

Social, environmental and economic How can this be improved?