Transcript Principles of Sustainability

TREN 1F90
Introduction to
Sustainability
These notes available via the
online course outline at:
http://www.brocku.ca/tren/
courses/tren3p18
TREN 1F90
Introduction to Sustainability



Definitions
– environment
– policy
– scale
– jurisdiction
Defining Sustainable Development
About Interdisciplinarity
Definitions, tools
and frameworks
en·vi·ron·ment
in-'vI-r&(n)-m&nt, -'vI(-&)r(n)-
[n] 1 : the circumstances, objects, or
conditions by which one is surrounded
2 a : the complex of physical, chemical,
and biotic factors (as climate, soil, and
living things) that act upon an organism or
an ecological community and ultimately
determine its form and survival b : the
aggregate of social and cultural
conditions that influence the life of an
individual or community.
- Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, 2004
environment
the totality of
surrounding conditions.
[n]
environmental
effects
…are felt, and modified, in 3 main
ways - through the flows of:
MATERIALS
ENERGY
INFORMATION
fundamental ‘spheres of
influence’ for sustainability
->
policy
…a course or general plan of
action to be adopted by a
government, party, person, etc.
- Concise Oxford Dictionary
policy
…a selected, planned line of
conduct in the light of which
individual decisions are made
and coordination achieved
- Webster’s Encyclopedic Dictionary
ENVI conceptual tools
scale
- an
ordered series of
graduated quantities, values,
degrees, etc.
- relative magnitude
- Webster’s Encyclopedic Dictionary
scale
may be:
- physical / geographical
– ranking based upon size, dimension,
geographical subunit, etc.
- ecological
– individual, deme, community, population
- jurisdictional
– local, municipal, regional, federal, global
scale
GLOBAL / MACRO
earth
continent
country
province
region
municipality
neighbourhood
household
individual
United Nations
.
.
governments
.
.
ngos / community groups
.
individuals
LOCAL / MICRO
spatial
jurisdictional /
decision making
jurisdiction
- 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
Defining
Sustainable
Development
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
Elements of sustainability
Environment
Economy
Society
- World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987
the sustainable
development triangle
Elements of sustainability
Environment
Economy
Society
- World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987
Elements of sustainability
Environment
•biodiversity
•materials
•energy
•biophysical interactions
- World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987
Elements of sustainability
•money and capital
•employment
•technological growth
•investment
•market forces
Economy
- World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987
Elements of sustainability
•human diversity (cultural, linguistic, ethnic)
•equity (dependence / independence)
•quality of life
•institutional structures and organization
•political structures
Society
- World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987
The ‘3 Es’ Model
Ecology
Economy
Equity
The Healthy Community Model
SOCIETY
ECONOMY
HEALTH
ENVIRONMENT
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
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
Two key sustainable development concepts:
EQUITY
LIMITS TO GROWTH
-WCED 1987
Two key sustainable development concepts:
the concept of needs, particularly the essential
needs of the world’s poor
EQUITY
-WCED 1987
Two key sustainable development concepts:
EQUITY
• the quality of being fair or impartial;
fairness; impartiality
• something that is fair and just.
-dictionary.com
Contrast with:
EQUALITY
• the state or quality of being equal;
correspondence in quantity, degree,
value, rank, or ability.
• uniform character, as of motion or
surface.
-dictionary.com
Two key sustainable development concepts:
the idea of limitations (ecological, technological,
and social) which affect the environment’s
ability to meet present and future needs
LIMITS TO GROWTH
-WCED 1987
Two key sustainable development concepts:
LIMITS TO GROWTH
-
quantitative and qualitative limits
- living within the regenerative and
assimilative capacities of the planet
-WCED 1987
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
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
Institutional gaps impeding
sustainable development
2 major gaps:
 fragmented decision making
– narrow mandates, jurisdictional rigidity,
lack of communication and coordination

lack of accountabiity
– failure to make the bodies whose policy
actions degrade the environment
responsible for their actions
materials and
energy
Obsolescent “frontier” civilization:
ENERGY
NON-RENEWABLE
CONSUMER
and RENEWABLE CONVENTIONAL
SOCIETY
URBAN SYSTEM
MATERIALS
HEAT
HIGH
THROUGHPUT
WASTE &
TOXINS
One-way flow of materials and energy
Sustainable civilization:
Energy Efficiency
ENERGY
LOW
THROUGHPUT
RENEWABLE
MATERIALS
Low-quality
Heat Energy
CONSERVER
SOCIETY
Waste Minimization
Toxics control
Low-volume
Nontoxic
Waste
Materials
•Cyclical flows of materials
•Appropriate energy usage
information
and decision
making
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.
ECONOMY
ENV’T
SOCIETY
TRADITIONAL
DECISION MAKING
ECONOMY
ENV’T
• NON-PARTICIPATORY
SOCIETY
•FRAGMENTED
TRADITIONAL
DECISION MAKING
ECONOMY
ENV’T
SOCIETY
SOCIETY
TRADITIONAL
DECISION MAKING
‘ECO- ECONOMY
SYSTEM
HEALTH’
ENVIRONMENT
ECOSYSTEM-BASED
DECISION MAKING
SOCIETY
• PARTICIPATORY
‘ECO- ECONOMY
SYSTEM
HEALTH’
ENVIRONMENT
• INTEGRATED
ECOSYSTEM-BASED
DECISION MAKING
Fragmented decision-making
private
other
interests
community
groups
public
ISSUE
municipal
regional
federal /
national
provincial /
state
- after Barrett and Kidd, 1991
Integrated decision-making
private
other
interests
community
groups
public
ISSUE
municipal
federal/
national
provincial/
state
regional
- after Barrett and Kidd, 1991
decision making
• reactive
decision making
• reactive
(‘end of pipe’)
decision making
• anticipatory
• reactive
decision making
• anticipatory
(planning for
change)
• reactive
decision making
• radical
• anticipatory
• reactive
decision making
• radical
(fundamental;
root causes)
• anticipatory
• reactive
decision making
• radical
• anticipatory
• reactive
Industry
• radical
• anticipatory
• reactive
• change in demand
- less consumption
- alternative consumption
• environment
and
economy
and
society
• change in process
- clean technology
- elimination of toxics
• environment
and
economy
• sewage treatment plant
- ‘end of pipe’ solution
• environment
or
economy
Historical
example:
Northern
Telecom
based in Canada
 42 plants in various countries
 manufacturer of electronic components
(telecommunications)
 1988: 1000+ tonnes of CFCs per year
 1992: 0 tonnes of CFCs used per year

Original Process
1) raw components and grease
2) manufacturing and assembly process
3) clean off grease with CFCs
4) finished product
Revised process
1) raw components, no grease
2) manufacturing and assembly process
3) no need to clean off grease with CFCs
4) finished product
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)

• radical
• anticipatory
• reactive
Industry
• radical
• anticipatory
• reactive
Industry
• radical
• anticipatory
• reactive
• change in
demand for
product
• change in
industrial
process
• sewage
treatment
plant for
wastes
Industry
• radical
• anticipatory
• reactive
Biodiversity
• change in
• demand for
product
• apply
landscape
ecology
principles
to human
activity
• change in
• industrial
process
• establish
national
parks (12%)
to protect
habitats
• sewage
• treatment
• plant for
wastes
• zoo / seed
bank for
endangered
species
Transportation
Industry
• radical
• anticipatory
• reactive
Biodiversity
Transportation
• change in
demand for
product
• apply
landscape
ecology
principles
to human
activity
• complete
redesign of
our cities
• change in
industrial
process
• establish
national
parks (12%)
to protect
habitats
• alternative
fuels for cars
• sewage
treatment
plant for
wastes
• zoo / seed
bank for
endangered
species
• catalytic
converters
values, ideologies
and strategies
values
ideology
strategies
interactions amongst
values / ideologies / strategies
values
individual, cultural, social, spiritual, moral
interactions amongst
values / ideologies / strategies
values
individual, cultural, social, spiritual, moral
Definable sets of values constitute
ideologies
Short form summary of basic values that
eliminates the need to engage in deep
philosophical investigations every time action is
required
interactions amongst
values / ideologies / strategies
values
individual, cultural, social, spiritual, moral
Definable sets of values constitute
ideologies
(e.g. Industrial Capitalism, Marxism, Christianity,
Liberalism, Socialism, Conservatism, Judaism)
interactions amongst
values / ideologies / strategies
values
individual, cultural, social, spiritual, moral
Definable sets of values constitute
ideologies
(e.g. Industrial Capitalism, Marxism, Christianity,
Liberalism, Socialism, Conservatism, Judaism)
…which give rise to
strategies
practical applications of ideologically consistent
ideas, actions, policies and programs
interactions amongst
values / ideologies / strategies
values
ideology
strategies
environmental values
• holistic perspective
• everything is connected to everything else
• parts can only be understood in the context
of the whole
• nature as a living organism or system
values
ideology
strategies
(after Macdonald, D. 1991. The Politics of Pollution.
McClelland and Stewart, Toronto: p.33)
environmental values
• humans living within nature
-> inherent value of other organisms and
inanimate objects
• limits to growth
values
ideology
strategies
(after Macdonald, D. 1991. The Politics of Pollution.
McClelland and Stewart, Toronto: p.33)
environmental values
• appropriate technology
• matching the scope and scale of technology
to the task at hand
• principles of durability and efficiency
values
ideology
strategies
• recognition that new technology brings both
benefits and problems
environmental values
•appropriate scale
• appropriate sizes for institutions, social
organizations, communities
•accessible and accountable decision-making
values
ideology
in public and private sectors
strategies
interactions amongst
values / ideologies / strategies
values
ideology
strategies
examples of
environmental ideologies
• technological optimism
• sustainable development (Brundtland Commission)
• social ecology (Murray Bookchin)
• deep ecology (Arne Naess)
• ecofeminism (Françoise D’Eaubonne)
values
ideology
• various
‘green’ political
parties strategies
many variants: e.g., alliances with socialism,
feminism, peace movement, etc.
interactions amongst
values / ideologies / strategies
values
ideology
strategies
environmental strategies
and strategists
• reform environmentalism (traditional
bureacracies and political action)
• direct action and intervention (e.g. Earth First!)
• single-issue lobbying / intervention groups
(e.g., Save the Rouge Valley System)
• permanent organizations (e.g., Greenpeace)
• alliances and coalitions
(e.g., Canadian Coalition on Acid Rain)
• round tables, forums (e.g., National Round Table on
the Environment and the Economy)
interactions amongst
values / ideologies / strategies
values
ideology
strategies
interactions amongst
values / ideologies / strategies
values
ideology
strategies
• feedback loop allows for reflection,
re-evaluation, adaptive management
interactions amongst
values / ideologies / strategies
values
ideology
strategies
• if no feedback loop: inflexible, unresponsive
interactions amongst
values / ideologies / strategies
values
ideology
dogma
strategies
interactions amongst
values / ideologies / strategies
values
ideology
strategies
Sustainability:
How do we move from
rhetoric to reality?
principles
principles
policy
principles
policy
practice
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

Some
Principles of Sustainability
in the literature:









Our Common Future (WCED 1987)
Principles defining sustainable development (OSEM 1989)
Defining a sustainable society (Robinson et al . 1990,1996)
Agenda 21 (1992)
Six principles of sustainable development (ORTEE 1992)
Guideposts for a sustainable future (Nickerson 1993)
Framework for Sustainable Development (CIDA 1994)
The Natural Step (Robert et al . 1994)
Sustainability Principles (ORTEE 1994), etc.
Recent compilation of
Principles of Sustainability
http://iisd1.iisd.ca/sd/principle.asp
-IISD (Winnipeg)
One example:
Guideposts for Sustainability
(after Nickerson, 1993)
Activities are sustainable when they:
1.
2.
3.
Use materials in continuous cycles.
Use continuously reliable sources of
energy.
Encourage desirable human traits
(equity; creativity; communication;
coordination; appreciation; intellectual
and spiritual development).
Guideposts for Sustainability
Activities are not sustainable when they:
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Require continual inputs of non-renewable
resources.
Use renewable resources faster than their
rate of renewal.
Cause cumulative degradation of the
environment.
Require resources in quantities that could
never be available for people everywhere.
Lead to the extinction of other life forms.
About
Interdisciplinarity
What do you answer if someone asks you,
– What is your major?
– What are your career goals?
– What is your ethnic origin?
career
goals
Normative
categories
academic
major
ethnocultural
identity
Normative
categories
Normative
“disciplines”
categories
disciplinary
Multidisciplinary
Interdisciplinary
Transdisciplinary
- what are the differences?
Reference: Stefanovic, Ingrid. 1996. Interdisciplinarity
and Wholeness: Lessons from Eco-Research.
Environments 23(3): 74-94.
Disciplinary:
 of
or pertaining to a discrete branch
of learning
 knowledge
boundaries
within generally accepted
Disciplinary:

often associated with discipline-specific
vocabularies, methods, and assumptions

Examples of disciplines:
sociology, philosophy, biology,
political science, chemistry, economics,
geography, mathematics...
Multidisciplinary:

standard disciplinary approaches are
applied to a common research question,
problem or issue

insights achieved through an approach
which is essentially additive rather than
integrative
Multidisciplinary:

a spontaneous coalescence of these
disparate approaches is anticipated

arguably the approach which produces the
most substantive research results
ISSUE
discipline
ISSUE
discipline
discipline
discipline
Interdisciplinary:

the issue, problem, or concern defines the
disciplinary expertise which is brought to
bear
…arguably the most effective policyoriented problem-solving approach
Interdisciplinary:

a level of integration which involves more
than an additive analysis of the
disciplinary perspectives

insights are achieved through an
approach which is explicitly integrative ->
an a priori attempt is made at synthesis
across disciplinary boundaries
ISSUE
ISSUE
discipline
discipline
discipline
discipline
ISSUE
discipline
discipline
discipline
discipline
sector
sector
sector
sector
ISSUE
sector
sector
sector
sector
Transdisciplinary:

recognizes the interconnectedness of all
aspects of reality and knowledge

Goal: distinctions amongst disciplines are
eliminated completely
Transdisciplinary:

“an attempt to transcend the dynamics of
a dialectical synthesis to grasp the total
dynamics of reality as a whole”

Examples of transdisciplinary endeavour:
– general systems theory
– phenomenology
discipline
discipline
discipline
discipline
ISSUE
discipline
discipline
discipline
discipline