Sustainability

1. Sustainability You will: Define and describe sustainable agriculture. Evaluate the need for sustainable agriculture arising from the increased pressure on agricultural land as a consequence of inappropriate farming methods and growing populations. Identify the changes that would occur with the implementation of sustainable agricultural practices. • Define sustainable industrialization and describe the changes that would result from implementing policies on resource reduction, pollution controls and the use of appropriate technology.

2. What does it mean? Spend 2 minutes with your partner formulating a definition for ‘sustainable development’

3. The experts Nagle says • Sustainable development: • Improvement in basic living standards without compromising the needs of future generations Codrington says • Sustainable development • Development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

4. How does it relate to our topic? • Agriculture? • With your partner try to come up with 4 ways that sustainable development and agriculture and linked

5. Sustainable Agriculture • Manage farmland • Preserve soil quality • Renewal / Replacement of nutrient at same rate as are used in production • New issues: • GM crops & HYV’s

6. Other areas to consider • Fishing & Aquaculture • Forestry

7. Sustainable Agriculture • To think about what is sustainable lets start on the flip side: • Today you are going to examine areas of Agriculture that have issues with sustainability • Desertification due to overgrazing / poor farming techniques in the Sahel region of Africa • Poor management of intensive cotton production in the former USSR surrounding the Aral Sea • For each of these examples • Use internet / NWW / GAIA / Planet Geog • Draw up a list of factors that make these areas unsustainable for future agricultural production

8. Sustainable Industry • A term that emerged in the early 1990’s • Japanese group reforesting a tropical forest to help create sustainable industries for the local populace. (Dietrich, Bill. "Our Troubled Earth – Japan." The Seattle Times. November 13, 1990. Page F-2.) • Soon after, a study entitled “Jobs in a Sustainable Economy” by Michael Renner of the Worldwatch Institute was published, using the term sustainable industries. (1991) • Report concluded, • "Contrary to the rhetoric that blames environmental restrictions for layoffs, the movement toward an environmentally sustainable global economy will create far more jobs than it eliminates. The chief reason: non-polluting, environmentally sustainable industries tend to be intrinsically more labour intensive and less resource intensive than traditional processes."

9. So what is it? • Similar to agriculture • Whilst not preventing development ensuring that environmental issues and future stakeholders are considered in planning where and how Industry will development

10. How do we verify it? • Difficulties • Globalisation • Brands / TNC’s locating in different countries with different laws and legal systems • Environmental regulation • Different countries have massive variation in the level / type of pollution/damage that Industries can create • Remember Story of Stuff • Annie Leonard felt that TNC’s located in LEDC’s to “get out of” MEDC regulations

11. Task • How can we hold industry to account? • Discuss with your partner who should be held responsible for regulation of Industry? • Are there any world bodies that perform this role at present?

12. Reality • Who is our “global policeman” for environmental issues • Possibilities • UNDP? • WWF? • International Court of Justice (The Hague) • Do they have any real power??

13. Verification • Interest Groups • WWF • “By working with government, community groups, businesses and industry WWF aims to find workable solutions to Australia's most pressing environmental challenges.” • “WWF works to highlight the threats to the environment from poor natural resource management and ensure that environmental considerations are integrated into decision making processes for the benefit of all Australians.”

14. Self Regulation • Many businesses sign up to “industry standards” • Publication of environmental information (remember the TNC’s you looked at for globalisation) What do they do??

15. Verification • Oasis “trademark” • “first organic standard for the US beauty and personal care market, bringing clarity to consumer confusion around organic product claims - with a certification seal that will become the internationally accepted seal representing verified Organic standards for personal care. The only "industry consensus" standard with the support of 30 founding members.”

16. Accountability • Pressure Groups • Amnesty • WWF • Greenpeace • Report problems • Name and Shame Organisations • Work in a consulting role with organisations

17. Results • Draw yourself a mind map of what is likely to be achieved by • Reduced use of natural resources (particularly finite ones) • Reduced pollution • Thinking about your TNC try to annotate your diagram with the measures they are implementing to be more sustainable.

18. Links • http://www.oasisseal.org/ • http://www.wwf.org.au/ourwork/industry/ • http://www.icj-cij.org/homepage/index.php?lang=en • http://www.greenpeace.org/international/