Sustainability : A History

1. Chapter 6 Sustainability Today:2000–Present Sustainability : A History

2. “Absent any adaptation, systems that follow a single exponentialgrowth curve inevitably collapse.” —Andrew Zolli and Ann Marie Healy, citing Geoffrey West Only Growth is not sufficient, we need sustainable growth. Sustainability Today: 2000–Present

3. Progress on Sustainability • Even though sustainability is not achieved yet. • Sustainability has changed from idea to mainstream movement is short period of time • Everything has been started to be viewed in terms of sustainability • young people in the 1960s marched for democracy and civil rights, the youth of today are galvanized by issues of sustainability

4. Sustainability Metrics, Methods and Measurement tools • Earlier the industrial society of 1992 lack the measurement tools for determining sustainability practice • Now we have tools to measure sustainable practice. • Ecological Footprint Analysis (EFA) • Carbon Footprint • Life-Cycle Analysis or Assessment (LCA) • Energy Return on Investment (EROI) • I = PAT • UN Human Development Index (HDI) and the Human PovertyIndex (HPI) • UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) • Index of Social Health • Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) • Genuine Wealth • Happy Planet Index (HPI) and Gross Domestic Happiness (GDH) • Triple Bottom Line (TBL) • Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEEDCertification) • The Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System(STARS) • Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management (EBFM)

5. Sustainability Metrics, Methods and Measurement tools • These metrics have allowed economists to assess the health of an economy in dynamic terms • promoted “green products” and allowed consumers to make moreinformed decisions in the marketplace • “Is it sustainable?”----------- main concern • These new metrics reject conventional ideas about the health of an economy and force us to reconsider our cultural priorities and economic policies • 8 billion square feet of LEED-certified buildings in a single year, mainly in the United States, China, India and the United Arab Emirates, which translates into huge reductions in Co2 emissions

6. Eco labels • Ecolabels help maintain supply chain sustainable • Eco label: Eco Logo • Eco label: Certified Organic • Eco label: Fair Trade • Eco label: Food Miles • Eco label: Forest Stewardship Council • Eco label: Marine Stewardship Council and Ocean Wise • Marine Stewardship Councillabels over 11,000 sustainable products from the world’s oceans • organic industry and organic labeling have continued to growworldwide • Helps consumers decision for sustainable and environmentally friendly products

7. Energy • Various sources of alternative has emerged but none seems promising yet • fossil fuels are the main cause of global climate change • World economy still runs on fossil fuel • 36 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions that enter the atmosphere everyyear, 81% of it comes from burned fossil fuels and the other 19% comes from deforestation

8. Renewable Energy

9. Sustainable Design and Green Building • “Green building,” • Globally, the building sector accounts for 8% of all end-useemissions • As of 2011, there was over 1.5 billion squarefeet of LEED-certified structures globally. • As of 2011, there was over 1.5 billion squarefeet of LEED-certified structures globally. • New solar power installations hit a record high in 2012,

10. Urbanisation • In 1900---150 million peopleIn 2000`----2.8 billion people • 19-fold increase in the urban population • global population has grown2.4-fold while the urban population has grown 4-fold • Developing world from Asia • Eaten up precious farmland and natural areas • In 1950----70 million motor vehicles In 2007-----806 million. • Housing shortages • Problems with sanitation, sewage systems and potable water affect cities throughout the developing world. • Cities are also centers of consumption • of food, clothing, water, heat, fuel, and electricity. • “green urbanism,”

11. Transportation Passion for • World now has 800 million motor vehicles on the road • number continues to grow as the developing world scrambles to replicate the developed world’s transportation mistakes. • Globally, the transport sector accounts for 13%of all GHGs • “green mobility” emphasizes walking, biking, and publictransportation, all of which decrease overall reliance on fossil fuelsand obviate the need for more roads and highways. • high-speed trains as replacements

12. Higher Education and Research • Since 2000, the sustainability movement has had increased visibility within institutions of higher education throughout Europe and North America, • Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS),which is a “transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance.” Over 250 AASHE members have used STARS to reduce their waste, carbon footprint, and consumption of electricity and water. • Sustainability is a growing subject of academic research, Since 2000 there has been a rapid development of university programs that offer degrees in sustainability. But the considerable reflection on society is not felt yet • number of journals dedicated to sustainability has expanded

13. Green Economy Neoclassical Economy Focuses on consumer choice and equilibrium GDP/GNP promotes growth Use of clean and green Technology Green Economy Environmentally Sustainable

14. Business and Finance • many businesses now have departments or offices of sustainability that coordinate the corporate social and environmental policies. Others have turned to green consulting agencies to reduce waste and carbon footprints. • sustainability mere window dressing?-------------------------- • Since 2000, corporate social responsibility (CSR)has become a powerful movement within business ethics, repletewith its own journals, seminars, gurus, and manuals. • The motto “people, planet, profit”is now commonly heard in the business world. • Germany, the renewable energy sector alone employed nearly 370,000 people in 2010 • first banks to rethink finance was the Grameen Bank, 1990s, “The ultimate purpose of business is not, or should not be, simply to make money. Nor is it merely a system of making andselling things. The promise of business is to increase the generalwell-being of humankind through service, a creative invention andethical philosophy.”

15. Food, localism and Community self sufficiency • Almost none • Hard to acheve self Sufficient economy

16. Government planning and Environmental Policy Netherlands led the way with its National Environmental Policy Plan, which hasbeen revised numerous times over the past 20 years European Union’s 2008 Sustainable Consumption and Production and Sustainable Industrial Policy • In fact, governments have done much in recent decades to promote sustainability. Costa Rica leads the world in percentage of protected territory with 26% Solar PV's share in the overall consumed electricity grew exponentially since 1990, doubling every 1.56 years, or growing 56% annually on average. Bhutan is carbon negative

18. Questions • With the speed we are progressing do you think we can achieve sustainability in 2050? • Will you obey if government enforces law to walk if distance is less than 3 kilometers? • Who among Government, Companies(National and multinational) and People should be more responsible for achieveing Sustainability? • Can the country be self sufficient?