Transcript Slide 1

Planning for sustainability
requires bridging disciplinary
and professional divides
Professor Lex Brown
Faculty of Environmental Sciences
Griffith University
AUSTRALIA
September 2005
[email protected]
www.griffith.edu.au
Welcome
• My great pleasure to be here
• Griffith University – in Brisbane
Australia – is pleased to assist
with this Leadership Program
Title: Planning for sustainability requires bridging
disciplinary and professional divides
“Sustainability”
Quite literally, our future
depends on it
Dimensions of
Sustainability
Environmental/ Economic
Ecological
Social/Cultural
• The term Sustainability has
widespread currency
• National/provincial/local governments
• Large corporations
• Donor agencies/banks
• Communities
• The utility of a term is
proportional to the multitude of
interpretations that it allows
Sustainable Futures will
Require Societal Debate
Environmental/
Ecological
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Social/Cultural
Economic
Planning for Sustainability
Some practical requirements for
action now
1. Some realism regarding time frame
2. People and organisations that can
see the system of things (ecological
thinking)
3. Bridging between disciplinary and
professional divides (respect and
communication)
4. Bridging between sectors in
government
1)
Time Frame
Sustainabilty should perhaps
be compared to other grand
visions such as democracy and
social justice
On a day-to-day basis, I prefer
to talk about whether a
particular course of action is
likely to be more sustainable
than another
2) See the whole system
Overgrazing, soil erosion, desertification
3) Bridge disciplinary and professional divides
Meteorology
Atmospheric chemistry
Soil science
Terrestrial ecology
Aquatic ecology
Hydrology
Population
dynamics
Geology
EARTH
SCIENCES
LIFE
SCIENCES
Environmental
Impact
Assessment
Global
conventions
Green
Valuing
accounts
biodiversity
SOCIAL SCIENCES
Management
studies
Economics
Law
Geography
Politics
Ethics
Anthropology
Sociology
after O’Riordan (1995)
Environmental
specialists have
bridged some
academic divides
4) Bridge between sectors
model 1
model 2
Responsibility for Environmental
Management
Development
Activities and
Sectors
Environment
Regulations
Development
Activities and
Sectors
(eg Business,
Finance, Transport,
Industry, Health,
Planning, etc)
Environment
and
Conservation
Agencies
(eg Business,
Finance, Transport,
Industry, Health,
Planning, etc)
EIA
Environment
Regulations
Environment
and
Conservation
Agencies
EIA
SHIFT REQUIRED FOR SUSTAINABILITY
model 1
model 2
Responsibility for Sustainability
Development
Activities and
Sectors
Environment
Regulations
(eg Business,
Finance, Transport,
Industry, Health,
Planning, etc)
EIA
Environment
and
Conservation
Agencies
Development
Activities and
Sectors
(eg Business,
Finance, Transport
Industry, Health,
Planning, etc)
EIA
SHIFT REQUIRED FOR SUSTAINABILITY
Environment
Regulations
Environment
and
Conservation
Agencies
Policy/Program/Plan Making
POLICY/PROGRAM
OUTCOME
POLICY
OUTCOME
DECISION
MAKERS
other
set of
objectives
perspectives
DECISION
MAKERS
set of
objectives
objectives
and
PROPONENT
constraints
PROPONENT
POLICY/PROGRAM M
M
OUTCOME
POLICY/PROGRAM
OUTCOME
DECISION
MAKERS
other
set of
objectives
perspectives
DECISION
MAKERS
set of
objectives
objectives
and
PROPONENT
constraints
PROPONENT
Strategic Environmental Assessment
(EIA of Policies, Programs and Plans)
PRINCIPLE 3: FOCUS ON THE “NEW DIVIDE”
Major Players in
Development
(those who design,
develop, advise,
control,
formulate policy,
finance, decide
and
implement)
Dialogue
Bridge the
new divide
The
Environmental
Sustainability
Specialist
New Imperatives for
Sustainabilty Specialists
• understand how the development process
works.
• familiarity with the language, tools, thought
processes of the development managers.
• assist the development manager to
formulate sustainably-oriented alternatives.
• Be able to forecast the system outcomes of
these alternatives (“what if” testing).
The Environmental Overview
(The Strategic Overview)
Four critical aspects to its application:
• The project/programme must be in draft
formulation.
• Sequential completion of structured “questions”
• Undertaken participatorily, using a broad mix of
specialists and others.
• Include modification of draft project/programme,
as an integral part.
Questions to discuss in your groups
Baseline conditions for the project/program:
• What are the biophysical and social environments?
• Major environmental and social issues which currently
exist?
• What are economic forces that currently operate?
• Current management practices and capabilities in the
project area?
Project/program impacts and opportunities
• Major natural and socio-economic impacts and
opportunities?
• Modifications/alternatives for project/program design?
FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
 Largest environmental teaching & research institution in
Australia
 Over 120 full-time academic and research staff, 1000
undergraduate students, 100 Masters students
 Currently 158 PhD students, from 20 countries.
 Faculty consists of 4 highly integrated Schools:




Environmental Studies
Environmental Engineering
Environmental Planning (Urban and Regional Planning)
Environmental and Applied Science
 … with associated Research Centres
GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY
 University currently has 30,000 students
and 3000 teaching staff – will soon be one of
the top 10 Universities in Australia.
 6000 international students from over 114
countries.
 Number one University for African
Students in Australia (2005)
 Located in Brisbane and the Gold Coast
(Australia’s fastest developing region)