What is Sustainability?

1. What is Sustainability?

2. Sustainability, in the broad sense, is the ability to endure….to keep going. • For humans, it can also refer to our ability to maintain our wellbeing - a ‘good’ quality of life for all people. • What does “good quality of life” mean? • http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/ • Article 25 of the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.

3. Our well-being depends on the wellbeing of the natural world –for air, water, food, shelter… • The Earth has limits! • Without a healthy natural environment, our existence is impossible.

4. What would happen if……… • Deep sea oil drilling was banned? • Households in Caledon or Brampton were limited to one vehicle? • Crop pesticides were banned in Canada? • Canada boycotted all products made in China because that country is installing 400 coal-fired electricity generating facilities per year?

5. If we want to become truly sustainable, we need to balance the 3 Ps: Planet (Environment)People (Society)Prosperity (Economy)

6. We can think of sustainability as having Three Pillars (or legs of a stool) – remove one of them and the whole thing falls over.

7. The 3 Pillars of Sustainability Are our actions 1. Bearable? Can they continue? 2. Equitable? Are they fair to everyone? (just and impartial) Viable? Can they be done with current materials and circumstances? Environmentally Socially Economically

9. If all three are accomplished we have achieved sustainability!

10. Some would argue against the pillar analogy and picture the three like this. Would the economy or society even exist without the environment?

11. When decisions get made, these are questions that should be asked! • Will earth’s resources be preserved? • Are social equity & peace promoted?Is poverty addressed? (Who benefits and who suffers?) • Can economic growth continue to occur without current or future expense to the environment?

13. Better definition? • There is no universally accepted definition for sustainability or sustainable development. • The terms mean different things to different people

14. However, the following definition includes the elements that are regarded as essential by most people: • “Sustainability is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” • Note the words: • •“needs” (twice) → refers to necessities of life, such as shelter, food and basic health care, not whims and wants. • •“compromising” → there are limits.

15. The term is now being used by industry……maybe not appropriately!E.g. Is mining sustainable?