Introduction to Sustainability - Ar. Surya Prakash

SUSTAINBLE PLANNING AND ARCHITECTURE
BY – Ar. SURYA PRAKASH – RAJALAKSHMI SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

INTRODUCTION
TO SUSTAINABILITY

POINTS TO BE DISCUSSED
Concepts of Sustainability
Carryingcapacity
Sustainable development
Bruntland report
Ethics and Visions of sustainability

Some realities to concern
Global
warming
It is the ongoing rise of the
average temperature of
the Earth's climate system.
Also results in the climate
change, global rising
surface temperature,
changes in precipitation.
It increases the amount of
UV radiation that reaches
Earth's surface, which
increases the rate of skin
cancer, eye cataracts, and
genetic and immune
system damage.
It is the pollution of water
bodies, such as lakes,
rivers, seas, oceans as well
as groundwater. It occurs
when pollutants reach
these bodies of water,
without treatment.
It is a mixture of solid
particles and gases in
the air. Car emissions,
chemicals from factories,
dust, pollen and mold
spores may be suspended
as particles.
Biodiversity loss is the
extinction of species
(plant or animal) world
wide, and also the local
reduction or loss of
species in a certain
habitat.
Ozone
depletion
Air
pollution
Water
pollution
Loss of
Bio-diversity

Acid rain
It is a broad term that
includes any form of
precipitation with acidic
components, like sulfuric
or nitric acid that fall to the
ground from atmosphere
in wet or dry forms.
Societal collapse is the fall
of a complex human society.
A collapsed society could
revert to a more primitive
state, be absorbed into
another one, or completely
cease to exist.
It is the lack of sufficient
available water resources
to meet the demands of
water usage within a region.
More than 1.2 billion
people lack access to clean
drinking water.
It is an organized effort by
humans to catch fish or
other aquatic species.
Most fisheries are marine,
rather than freshwater;
most marine fisheries are
based near the coast.
It occurs when the top
soil layer is blown or
washed away.
Conventional agriculture
encourages depletion of
topsoil because the
soil must be plowed and
replanted each year
Collapse
of Worlds
Fisheries
Water
scarcity
Depletion of topsoil
& Soil contamination

Waste
disposal
Removing & destroying or
storing damaged, used or
other unwanted domestic,
agricultural or industrial
products and substances.
It includes burning, burial
at landfill sites or at sea,
and recycling.
They are products designed
to kill certain organisms.
pesticide was found to
increase farm yield far
beyond. Farmers depend
heavily on synthetic
pesticides to control insects
in their crops.
It is a tall, dense jungle. Its
climate is very hot and
humid. Rainforests basically
have four layers to them. As
many as 30 million species
of plants and animals live in
the rain forest.
Millions live with hunger
& malnourishment
because they cannot
afford to buy enough food,
nutritious foods or the
farming supplies they need
to grow enough good food
of their own.
It is a major adverse event
resulting from natural
processes of the Earth;
Eg. floods, hurricanes,
tornadoes, volcanic
eruptions, earthquakes,
tsunamis, storms, etc.
Pesticides
Starvation
and poverty
Rain Forests Natural Disasters

What do we mean by Sustainability?
It is of relating to or being a method of harvesting or using a resource
so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged.
(Webster’s)
DEFINITIONS
Development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs. (Bruntland Report 1987)
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. In ecology the word describes
how biological systems remain diverse and productive over time.

What do we mean by sustainability?
Long-lived and healthy wetlands and forests are examples of sustainable biological systems.
For humans, sustainability is the potential for long- term maintenance of wellbeing, which has
ecological, economic, political and cultural dimensions.

What do we mean by sustainability?
 The concept of Needs –
Comprising of the conditions for maintaining an acceptable life standard for all people.
 The concept of Limits –
Capacity of the environment to fulfill the needs of the present and future.

Why is sustainability important?
The importance of finding a sustainable future is rooted in three issues that are
very much linked to oneanother: *Fossil fuel reduction/ depletion, *Climate
change due to CO2 emissions, and *The increasing costs of energy andwater.
Simply stated, our global future depends onit. We only have one earth. We must find
ways toreduce our harmful impact on the environment.
Nations, such as China and India, become more industrialized, the global demand
and price of fossil fuels will further increase, as will emissions of CO2.
We’re also witnessing steady increases in the prices ofenergy from other
sources, and in turn, the cost of freshwater. This is placing an increasing burden on
economies worldwide.

Concept of sustainability
Sustainability is the overarching theme of Environmental Science
01 02 03 04
The sun provides warmth
and fuels photosynthesis.
Reliance on Solar Energy
Astounding variety and
adaptability of natural
systems and species.
Biodiversity
Circulation of chemicals from
the environment to organisms
and then back to environment.
Chemical (Nutrient)Cycling
Competition and limited
resources puts limits on
how much any population
on Earth can grow.
Population Control
Nature has sustained itself for billions of years… It has done so using the four principles:

Concept of four Principles of
Sustainability: Copy Nature
• Concept 1A - Nature has sustained itself for billions of years
by using solar energy, biodiversity, nutrient cycling, and
population control.
• Concept 1B - Our lives and economies depend on energy from the
sun and on natural resources and natural services (natural capital)
provided by the earth.

Nature’s Survival Strategies Follow
Four Principles of Sustainability
• The sun provides warmth andfuels photosynthesis.
• We rely on solarenergy.
• The Sun alone provides all the energy
for the planet.
1. Reliance on solar energy
Solar energy on the environment

• Astounding variety & adaptability ofnatural systems and species.
• Biodiversity: The astounding variety of life forms, the genes they
contain, and the natural servicesthey provide have given
countless ways to adapt to the environmental changes.
• Diversity allows natural systems to function since every player
has a particular role.
• When one player drops out
or is unable to fulfill its role
AND if there is no other
player around to step in,
system function is compromised.
2. Biodiversity
Diversity Makes
a System Stronger.

• Circulation of chemicals from the environment to organisms
and then back to the environment.
• Also called nutrient cycling
• Nutrient Cycling: Chemicals that plants and animals need to
survive and reproduce are recycled by natural processes.
3. Chemical (Nutrient) cycling

• Competition and limited resources puts limits on how much any
population on Earth can grow.
4. Population Control:

Natural Capitals
Categorization of resources
1. Agricultural crops
2. Fresh water
3. Forest products
4. Soils
Products from nature
1. Sunlight 2. Wind Energy
3. Wave Energy
4. Geothermal Energy
Renewable Natural Resources
1. Crude oil 2. Natural gas 3. Coal
4. Copper 5. Aluminum 6. Other metals
Non-Renewable Natural Resources
How renewable a resource is depends
on the timescale of reference.

Natural Capitals
What exactly is the term natural capital refers to? And why it is important?
Air
Air purification
Climate control
UVprotection
Water
Waterpurification
Wastetreatment
Non-renewable minerals
(iron, sand)
Renewable energy
(sun, wind, water)
Population control
Pest control
Life (biodiversity)
Land
Food production
Nutrient recycling
Soil
Soil renewal
Non-renewable energy
(fossil fuels)
Coal Seam
Naturalresources
Natural services Natural Capital = Natural Resources + Natural Services

Our lifestyle is
unsustainable
• Over-exploitation of natural resources that accompanied economic and demographic growth.
• Market failure - Hidden environmental costs are not reflected in market prices.
• Accelerating resource depletion, waste generation, and environment pollution due to shorten
product lifecycles (technology advances) and changing lifestyles since industrial revolution.
• Environmental destruction and degradation: wasting, depleting, and degrading the earth’s
natural capital is happening at an acceleratingrate. Also called natural capital degradation

Carrying Capacity • Key Point #1: An environment can only support as many
organisms as there is available food, water, & freespace.
That is called carrying capacity.
• Different organisms will have different carrying capacities
in the same area.
• Food, water, and free space arethe LIMITING FACTORS
that determine carrying capacity.
• Thus, the carrying capacity of an ecosystem affects every
thing that lives in it.
• Key Point #2: We can read a carrying capacity graph to
predict changes in population size
In ecological terms, the carrying
capacity of an ecosystem is the size of
the population that can be supported
indefinitely upon the available
resources and services of that
ecosystem.
Carrying capacity can also have a broader
meaning. It can be defined as the number
of living things (plants and animals) any
area of land or water can support at any one time.
Living within the limits of an ecosystem
depends on three factors:
• The amount of resources available in the
ecosystem
• The size of the population, and
• The amount of resources each
individual is consuming.

Carrying Capacity
• Until eventually, the population size
BECOMES STABLE AT THE CARRYING
CAPACITY • Birth rate = Death rate
Point D
• When a population is BELOW its carrying
capacity, it will INCREASE in size
• Birth rate exceeds death rates
Point A
• But if it increases too much and
rises ABOVE its carrying capacity,
it will DECREASE in size
• Death rate exceeds birth rate
Point B
• This happens over and over… but the
increases and decreases get smaller
and smaller…
Point C
B D
C
A

Examples of carrying capacity
A community that allows its children to be poorly educated, undernourished,
and poorly housed iseroding its human capital.
A community that allows the quality of its social interactions to decline through
lack of trust, respect, and tolerance is eroding its social capital.
A community that allows its buildings, roads, parks, power facilities, water
facilities, and waste processing capability to decay is eroding its built capital.
Additionally, a community that is creating built capital without considering the
future maintenance of that capital is setting itself up for eventual decay.
IN TERMS OF SUSTAINABILITY
A community that is living off the interest of its community capital is living
within the carrying capacity. A community that is degrading or destroying the
ecosystemon which it depends is using up its community capital and is living
unsustainably.

Sustainable development
INTRODUCTION
The term 'sustainable development‘ rose to
significance after it was used by the Brundtland
Commission in its 1987 report Our Common Future.
Point D
It posits a desirable future state for human
societies in which living conditions and
resource-use meet human needs without
undermining the sustainability of natural
systems and the environment, so that
future generations may also meet their needs.
Point A
In the report, the commission coined the
definition as "development that meets the
needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet
their own needs."
Point B
Sustainable development ties together concern for the
carrying capacity of natural systems with the social
and economic challenges faced by humanity.
Point C
B D
C
A
Point
Point
Point
Point
Sustainable development is an
organizing principle for human life on
a finite planet.

Scope of sustainable development
THREE DIMENSIONS/ PILLARS/ COMPONENTS
ENVIRONMENT
Environmental
sustainability
Ecosystem integrity,
Carrying Capacity,
Biodiversity
ECONOMY
Economic
Sustainability
Growth,
Development,
Productivity,
Trickle down
SOCIETY
Social
Sustainability
Cultural Identity,
Empowerment,
Accessibility,
Stability,
Equity
Sustainability requires
the reconciliation of
environmental, social
equity and economic
demands, also referred
to as the "three pillars"
of sustainability or (the
3 E’s). These three
pillars are informally
referred to as people,
planet and profits.

Three
components of
sustainability
• Environment – maintaining the earth’slife support system (e.g., ecosystem
services such as pollutionfiltering).
• Social – maintaining community (civic/ public) capacity that fosters effective
participationand ‘equitable’ treatment of all stakeholders.
• Economic – maintaining an economicsystem that provides a non-declining
standard of living for this and futuregenerations.

Three components of
sustainability
Youcan imagine this as a three-legged stool, with one leg representing
environment, society and economy respectively. This stool will be
stable for you to sit on if all three legs are in placeand balanced.Yet if
any one leg is missing, shorter, or damaged, the stool is no longer
balancedand stableand you might fall if you sit onit.

We should conserve and enhance our resource base, by
gradually changing the ways in which we develop and use
technologies. We should have the primary motive of
protection of environment.
Environmental dimensions of sustainability
Developing nations must be allowed to meet their
basic needs of employment, food, energy, water and
sanitation. If this is to be done in sustainable manner,
then there is a definite need for a sustainable level of
population.
Social dimensions of sustainability
Economic growth should be revived and developing
nations should be allowed a growth of equal quality to
the developed nations.
Economic dimensions of sustainability

What are the ways to implement it?
Elimination of toxic substances
Point D
Reduced waste, effluent generation, emissions
to environment.
Point A
Reduced impact on human health
Point B
B D
C
A
Use of renewable raw materials
Point C
Environmental
sustainability
Point
Point
Point
Point

Disabled,
underprivileged groups
Point D
Worker health
and safety
Point A
Impacts on local
communities
Point B
B D
C
A
Quality of life
Point CSocial sustainability
Point
Point
Point
Point

Creation of additional added value.
Point D
Creation of new markets.
Point A
B D
C
A
Economic
sustainability
Point
Point
PointPoint
Cost reduction through efficiency improvements
and reduced energy and raw material inputs
Point B
Opportunities of sales growth.
Point C

Elements of sustainable development
• Maintaining a sustainable population.
• Maintaining productivity & profitability of environment
and natural resources.
Economic
• Adopting environmental
management methods in policy
and decision making.
• Protecting the environment and
conserving natural resources.
Ecological
• Promoting resource access and
upholding property rights.
• Promoting environmental
awareness, inculcating environment
ethics and supporting environment
management action
Socio-culture
• Improving institutional capacity/
capability to manage
sustainable development.
• Teaching youth about the
importance of sustainable
development.
Institutional• Empowering the people.
• Maintaining peace and order.
• Maintaining world peace through various
organizations.
Political
• Promoting proper management of wastes & residuals.
• Adopting environment-friendly technologies.
Technological

Concepts involved in
sustainable development
Sustainable construction is thecreation and responsible management of a
healthy built environment based on resource efficient & ecological principles.
Sustainably designed buildings aim to lessen their impact on our environment
through energy and resource efficiency. It includes the following principles:
• Minimizing non – renewable resource consumption
• Enhancing the natural environment
• Eliminating or minimizing the use of toxins
Sustainable Construction

Healthful Interior Environment - All possible measures are to
be taken to ensure that materials and building systems do
not emit toxic substances and gasses into the interior
atmosphere. Additional measures are to be taken to clean and
revitalize interior air with filtration and plantings.
Environmental Architecture
Environmental Architecture is a field of engineering that
includes architecture, geography, urban planning, landscape
architecture, and interior design. Environmental design
programs emphasize design principles centered on
sustainability and low ecological impact.
Energy Efficiency- All possible measures are to be taken
to ensure that the building's use of energy is minimal.
Cooling, heating and lighting systems are to use methods
and products that conserve or eliminate energy use.
Concepts involved in sustainable development

Environmental Form- All possible measures are to be taken to relate
the form and plan of the design to the site, the region and the climate.
Measures are to be taken to "heal" and augment the ecology of the
site. Accommodations are to be made for recycling and energy
efficiency. Measures are to be taken to relate the form of building to a
harmonious relationship between the inhabitants and nature.
Ecologically Benign Materials- All possible measures are to be
taken to use building materials & products that minimize destruction
of the global environment. Wood is to be selected based on non
destructive forestry practices. Other materials and products are to
be considered based on the toxic waste out put of production.
Good Design- All possible measures are to be taken to achieve an efficient,
long lasting and elegant relationship of use areas, circulation, building form,
mechanical systems and construction technology. Symbolic relationships with
appropriate history, the Earth and spiritual principles are to be searched for
& expressed. Finished building shall be well built, easy to use & beautiful.
Concepts involved in sustainable development

Green Building- It is the practice of increasing the efficiency of buildings
and their use of energy, water, and materials, and reducing building impacts
on human health and the environment, through better sitting, design,
construction, operation, maintenance, and removal - taking into account
every aspect of the complete building life cycle. Sustainable development
and sustainability are integral to green building.
Ecological building- Aims to create environmentally friendly,
energy-efficient buildings and developments by effectively
managing natural resources. Entails passively and actively
harnessing solar energy and using materials which, in their
manufacture, application, and disposal, do the least possible
damage to the so-called 'free resources' water, ground, and air.

Effective green building can lead to
• Reduced operating costs by increasing productivity and using less energy and
water,
• Improved public and occupant health due to improved indoor air quality, and
• Reduced environmental impacts by using sustainable resources.
What makes a Building Green?
*Reduce human exposure to noxious materials.
*Conserve non-renewable energy and scarce materials.
*Minimize life cycle ecological impact of energy and
materials used.
*Use renewable energy and materials used.
*Protect and restore local air, water, soils, flora and fauna.
*Support pedestrians , bicycles, mass transit and other
alternatives to fossil-fuelled vehicles

Hannover Principles for green building
Living buildings will:
• Harvest all their own water and energy needs on site.
• Be adapted specifically to site and climate and evolve as
conditions change.
• Operate pollution-free and generate no wastes that aren't
useful for some other process in the building or immediate
environment.
• Promote the health and well-being of all inhabitants, as a
healthy ecosystem does.
• Be comprised of integrated systems that maximize
efficiency and comfort.
• Improve the health and diversity of the local ecosystem
rather than degrade it.
• Be beautiful and inspire us to dream.

Sustainability Issues & Solutions
1. SITE
POINT 1
Landform/
Microclimate
• Topography,
• Light coloured
surfacing,
• Vegetative
cooling,
• Wind buffering/
channelling,
• Evaporative
cooling
POINT 2
Site Design
• Solar orientation,
• Pedestrian
orientation,
• Transit
orientation,
• Micro climatic
building/ siting
POINT 3
Infrastructure
Efficiency
• Water supply & use,
• Wastewater
collection,
• Storm drainage,
• Street lighting,
• Traffic signalization,
• Recycling facilities

Sustainability Issues & Solutions
1. SITE
POINT 4
Land - Use
• Use density
• Use mix
• Activity
concentrations
POINT 5
Transportation
• Integrated street
network
• Pedestrian,
Bicycle, Transit
• High occupancy
vehicles
• Pavement &
Parking
minimization
POINT 6
On-Site Energy
resources
• Groundwater
• Surface water
• Wind & solar
• District heating/
cooling
• Cogeneration
• Thermal storage
• Fuel cell power

Sustainability Issues
& Solutions Waste Management Strategies
• Waste prevention
• Recycling construction and demolition materials
• Architectural reuse (include adaptive reuse, conservative
disassembly, and reusing salvaged materials)
• Design for material recovery (durability, disassembly,
adaptive reuse)
3. WASTE
Energy efficiency
can be achieved through
• Small is good (Plan form)
• Passive solar design
• Active solar design
• High levels of insulation
• Efficient heating of air & water
• Thermal mass
• Ventilation
• Efficient lighting
2. ENERGY
• Indoor air quality
• Visual quality
5. INDOOR ENVIRONMENT
• Use of renewable, non-toxic materials
• Use of recyclable/recycled materials
• Locally sourced to reduce transport
4. MATERIALS
• Acoustic quality
• Noise control

Toilets • Low flush toilets
• Dual flush toilets (3/6 litres)
• Vacuum or compressed air toilets
• Cistern displacement devices
• Waterless toilets
• Composting toilets (heated or unheated)
• Incinerating toilets
Sustainability Issues & Solutions 6. Water conservation methods
• Urinal controls (infrared, radar, auto flush)
• Waterless urinals
Urinals

• Watercontrol
Outside and garden
• Water saving washers,
control & usage
Clothes Washers
• Auto shut off and
pressure regulators
Water supply
• Rain water recycling systems
• Grey water recyclingsystems
Rain water and grey water

• Push taps
• Flow control, self-closing
• Tap flow regulators
Wash hand basins
• Shower mixers
• Water saving showerheads
• Self-closing shower system
Shower

Principles of Sustainable Design
1. Economy of Resources
 Energy Conservation
 Water Conservation
 Materials Conservation
By economizing resources, the architect reduces the use of non-renewable resources in the construction and operation of
buildings. There is a continuous flow of resources, natural and manufactured, in and out of a building. This flow begins
with the production of building materials and continues throughout the building’s life span to create an environment for
sustaining human well-being and activities. After a building’s useful life, it should turn into components for other buildings.

Principles of
Sustainable Design
 Pre-Building Phase
 Building Phase
 Post-Building Phase
This ―cradle-to-grave‖ approach recognizes environmental
consequences of the entire life cycle of architectural resources, from procurement to return to nature. LCD is based on the
notion that a material transmigrates from one form of useful life to another, with no end to its usefulness.
2. Life Cycle Design

Principles of
Sustainable
Design
While economy of resources and life
cycle design deal with efficiency and
conservation, humane design is
concerned with the livability of all
constituents of the global ecosystem,
including plants and wildlife. This is
deeply rooted in the need to preserve
the chain elements of the ecosystems
that allow human survival.
 Preservation for Natural Conditions
 Urban Design and Site Planning
 Design for Human Comfort
3. Humane Design

Stage 1: Planning Process
 Site selection and planning
 Budget planning
 Capital planning
 Programmeplanning
Stage 2: Design Process
 Client awareness and goal setting
 Green vision, project goals
 Green design criteria
 Team development
 Well-integrated design
 Resource management
 Performance goals
Stage-3: Operation & Maintenance
 Commissioning of building systems
 Building operation
 Maintenance practices
 Renovation
 Demolition
Sustainable Building - Process

Definition of a
Sustainable
Building
A Building that can maintain or
improve: The quality of life and
harmonize withinthe local
climate, tradition, culture,
environment in the region,
conserve energy, resources &
recycling material, & reduce the
amount hazardous substances
to which humans and other
organisms are exposed the local
& global ecosystem throughout
entire building life-cycle

It is necessary to design, operate and maintain and
ultimately dismantle buildings in a manner that
provide:
• Security of building against the natural
disaster.
• Maximize energy and resources efficiency.
• Minimize constructionwasteand
domestic waste.
• Minimize water consumption
• Recycle waste water whereverpossible
• Optimum use of existing building
structure and infrastructure.
• Take maximum advantage of
environmentally benign materials.
• Offer suitable indoor environments that
addressair quality, lighting, acoustics and
special aesthetics.
What does the Sustainable
Design offers?

Five objectives of a
Sustainable Building
It is necessary to design, operate and maintainand ultimately dismantle buildings in a manner that provide:
• ResourceEfficiency
• Energy Efficiency(including Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction)
• Pollution Prevention (including Indoor Air Quality &Noise Abatement)
• Harmonization with Environment (including Environmental Assessment)
• Integrated and Systemic Approaches (including Environmental ManagementSystem)

Visions of Sustainability
• It is no longer good enough for economies simply to grow.We must also end extreme poverty, a goal in reach by 2030.
• We must manage the economy to protect rather than destroy the environment.
• And we must promote a fairer distribution of prosperity, rather than a society divided between the very rich and
the very poor.
• We use the term “sustainable development” precisely to mean economic growth that ends extreme poverty,
increases social inclusion, & is environmentally healthy.
• Many poor countries’ economies are not growing, and extreme poverty remains widespread.
• Humanity is dangerously changing the climate, depleting fresh water supplies, and poisoning the air and oceans.
• Most economies are becoming less fair as well, with widening gaps between the rich and the poor.
• And violent conflict remains widespread, with the world’s poorest regions the most vulnerable to outbreaks.

• With these challenges in mind, world leaders agreed at the
Rio +20 summit to adopt SDG - Sustainable
Development Goals.
• The world’s governments asked the UN Secretary - General to
co-ordinate the preparation of these goals by the year 2015,
in order to ensure a seamless transition from the Millennium
Development Goals - MDG, which expire that year.
• Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has put into motion several
high- level processes to help devise the SDGs that will have
maximum benefit for humanity during the years 2015-2030.
• The Sustainable Development Solutions Network, created
on to bring together scientists,technologists,businesses,
and development specialists from all regions of theworld.
• The SDSN’s Leadership Council consists of dozens of top
global thinkers and development leaders from rich and poor
countries alike.
• The SDSN Leadership Council has now delivered to the
UN Secretary-General a new report, ”An Action Agenda for
Sustainable Development”.

• End extreme poverty and hunger;
• Achieve development and prosperity for all
without ruining the environment;
• Ensure learning for all children and youth;
• Achieve gender equality and reduce inequalities;
• Achieve health and well-being at all ages;
• Increase agricultural production in an
environmentally sustainable manner, thereby
achieving food security and rural prosperity;
• Make cities productive and environmentally sustainable;
• Curb human-induced climate change withsustainable energy;
• Protect ecosystems and ensure sound managementof natural resources;
• Improve governance and align business behavior with all of the goals.
The idea behind these priorities is to combine the four key dimensions of
sustainable development: 1. Economic growth (including ending poverty),
2. Socialinclusion, 3. A healthy natural environment, and 4. Good
governance (includingpeace). They can thus form the basis for the SDGs
that would apply to all countries from 2015 to 2030.
In its report, the SDSN has identified
ten high-priority goals for sustainable
development:

Ethical Aspects of Sustainability - Bruce Jennings
Rules of conduct or moral principles that guide individual or group
behavior. Branch of philosophy/ ideas which seeks to address questions about morality, concepts like good and bad, right and
wrong, justice, virtue, etc. (also known as moralphilosophy). The study of principles relating to right andwrong conduct;
Morality; the standards that govern the conduct of a person, especially a member of a profession.
Ethics

Ethics or morality has to do with
The principles,
Standards, Rules,
Norms of conduct that make cooperation,
Justice, and Freedom possible.
Ethics is inseparable/attached from
Questions of cultural meaning and social power,
It provides a theoretically based touchstone for
an ideal of justice, right relationship, and
the proper use of power and authority.

The ethical analysis typically has the following four central components:
What qualities (virtues
/vices) does the agent
represent / exemplify?
An evaluation / assessment
of the characterand
intentionsof the
agent—
What rights or duties
does the action fulfill
or violate?
What benefits or
harms are brought
about by theaction?
An evaluation of the
consequences /concerns
(most often understood as
causal effects) of an
action—
An evaluation of the
context within which
actions take place —
An evaluation of inherent,
characteristic properties
of an action—
This fourth aspect has the most direct connection with the
commonsense meaning of the concept of “sustainability”
Does the action support
or undermine the system
or context which makes
the action possible &
meaningful in the
firstplace?

A new discipline that analyzes the issues regarding our
moral obligations to future generations with respect
to theenvironment. Sustainablelivingor development:
“Livingon the Earth’s income, not its capital.”
Sustainability Ethics
Rules of conduct/ moral principles that guide individual
or group behavior. The focus in business ethics is on
awareness of organization values, Guidelines and codes,
and behaving within those boundarieswhen faced with
problems in business or professional work. (SHRM)
Business Ethics
The branch of ethics that examines the questionsof moral right
and wrongrelating to the management, protection, or
endangerment of the naturalenvironment. A cluster of beliefs,
values and norms regarding how humans should interact with
the environment.
Environmental
Ethics

Brundtland Commission
Formally known as the World Commission on Environment and D
evelopment (WCED). The Bruntland Commission's mission is to
unite countries to pursue sustainable development together. To
rally countries to work & pursue sustainable development together,
the UN decided to establish the Brundtland Commission. The
Brundtland Commission officially dissolved in December 1987 after
releasing our common future, also known as the Brundtland report
, in October 1987, a document which coined, and Defined the mean
ing of the term Sustainable development- “development that
meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability
of future generations to meet their own needs.”

Ten years after the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human
Environment, most of the global environmental challenges had clearly not
been adequately addressed. In several ways, these challenges had grown.
The 1980 World Conservation Strategy of the International Union for the
Conservation of Nature was the first report that included a very brief chapter
on a concept called "sustainable development".
In December 1983, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, asked the
Prime Minister of Norway, Gro Harlem Brundtland, to create an organization
independent of the UN to focus on environmental & developmental problems
and solutions after an affirmation by the General Assembly resolution in the
fall of 1984.This new organization was the Brundtland Commission.
The organization aimed to create a united international community with
shared sustainability goals by identifying sustainability problems worldwide,
raising awareness about them, & suggesting the implementation of solutions.
In 1987, the Brundtland Commission published the first volume of ―Our
Common Future,‖ the organization’s main report. ―Our Common Future‖
strongly influenced the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992 and
the third UN Conference on Environment and Development in Johannesburg,
South Africa, in 2002. Also, it is credited with crafting the most prevalent
definition of sustainability.
History of the organization

The 1983 General Assembly passed Resolution 38/161 "Process of preparation of the
Environmental Perspective to the Year 2000 and Beyond", establishing the Commission,
in the General Assembly: Suggesting that the Special Commission, when established,
should focus mainly on the following terms of reference for its work:
(a)To propose long-term environmental strategies to achieving sustainable development
to the year 2000 and beyond;
(b)To recommend ways in which concern for the environment may be translated into
greater cooperation among developing countries and between countries at different
stages of economic and social development and lead to the achievement of common
and mutually supportive objectives which take account of the interrelationships
between people, resources, environment and development;
(c)To consider ways and means by which the international community can deal more
effectively with environmental concerns, in the light of the other recommendations in
its report.
(d)To help to define shared perceptions of long-term environmental issues and of the
appropriate efforts needed to deal successfully with the problems of protecting and
enhancing the environment, a long-term agenda for action during the coming decades,
and aspirational goals for the world community, taking into account the relevant
resolutions of the session of a special character of the Governing Council in 1982.
Focus of the organization

1. Re-examine the critical issues of environment and development and to formulate innovative, concrete, and realistic action proposals to
deal with them; 2. Strengthen international cooperation on environment and development and to assess and propose new forms of
cooperation that can break out of existing patterns and influence policies and events in the direction of needed change; and 3. Raise the level
of understanding and commitment to action on the part of individuals, voluntary organizations, businesses, institutes, & governments.
The Commission focused its attention in the areas of population, food security, the loss of species and genetic resources, energy, industry, &
human settlements - realizing that all of these are connected and cannot be treated in isolation one from another.
Brundtland Commission's mandates

Content’s of our common futurePART I. COMMON CONCERNS
1.A Threatened Future
2.Towards Sustainable Development
3.The Role of the International Economy
PART II. COMMON CHALLENGES
4.Population and Human Resources
5.Food Security: Sustaining the Potential
6. Species and Ecosystems: Resources for Development
7. Energy: Choices for Environment and Development
8.Industry: Producing More With Less
9.The Urban Challenge
10. Managing The Commons
11. Peace, Security, Development, and the Environment
12. Towards Common Action: Proposals For Institutional and Legal Change

Summarization of the report
However, the Report was unable to identify the mode(s) of
production that are responsible for degradation of the
environment, and in the absence of analyzing the principles
governing market- led economic growth, the Report postulated
that such growth could be reformed and expanded; this lack of
analysis resulted in an obfuscated-introduction of the term
sustainable development.
The report deals with sustainable development and the change of
politics needed for achieving it. The definition of this term in the
report is quite well known and often cited:
"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs
of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs". It contains 2 concepts:
 the concept of "needs", in particular the essential needs
of the world's poor, to which overriding priority should
be given; and
 the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technolog
y and social organization on the environment's ability to
meet present and future needs."

Sustainable development is about Social Progress which recognizes the needs of everyone
Sustainable development is about ensuring Employment and Economic security for everyone
Sustainable development is about Environmental Protection being at the centre of everything we do
Sustainable development is about Prudent Use of the earth’s natural resources

Question and answers
What is the significance of carrying
capacity?
The carrying capacity is a measure of
how many individuals can a given
ecosystem provide for. An individual
and its population is dependent on
various components of its ecosystem
for necessities such as food, habitat,
etc. An ecosystem can only
successfully support a given
population.
How is carrying capacity related to
sustainability?
In ecological terms, the carrying
capacity of an ecosystem is the size of
the population that can be supported in
definitely upon the available resources a
nd services of that ecosystem. Living
within the limits of an ecosystem
depends on three factors: the amount of
resources each individual is consuming.
What happens if the carrying capacity
is exceeded?
Carrying Capacity. When the number
of births equals the number of deaths,
the population is at its carrying
capacity for that habitat. ... If resources
are being used faster than they are
being replenished , then the species
has exceeded its carrying capacity. If
this occurs, the population will then
decrease in size.
What is the concept of carrying capacity?
The carrying capacity of a biological species in
an environment is the maximum population
size of the species that the environment can
sustain indefinitely, given the food, habitat,
water, and other necessities available in the
environment.
What factors determine carrying
capacity?
Carrying capacity is defined as the "
maximum population size that an
environment can sustain indefinitely.
" For most species, there are four
variables that factor into calculating
carrying capacity: food availability,
water supply, living space, and
environmental conditions.

Questions BankPart A – 2 Mark Questions
1. Write the three pillars of sustainability.
2. When was the Bruntland report commissioned?
3. Define sustainability.
4. What is mean t by carrying capacity?
5. Define sustainable development as given in Bruntland report.
6. Give any two visions of sustainability.
7. State the need for sustainable development. 8. How does
sustainable development make economic sense for society?
9. Why do population and carrying capacity matters in the
context of sustainability?
Part B – 10 Mark Questions
1. Highlight the key points put forth in “Our common Future” for a sustainable development.
2. Elaborate on the concepts, ethics and visions of sustainability.
3. Briefly write the concept of sustainability.
4. Discuss on Bruntland report on sustainability.
5. Elaborate on the ethical challenges involved in the promotion of sustainability.
6. Define carrying capacity. State the limiting factors related to the carrying capacity. List the factors that are affecting it.
7. Suggest ways to avoid clash between expanding human demand and limited ecological capacity.
8. Explain briefly about the three dimensions of sustainability.
9. Explain in detail about the concept of Sustainability and sustainable development.
10. Explain the issues and solutions related to sustainable development.
11. An ethical approach to sustainability suggests that
society has an obligation to restrain wasteful uses of
resources among the affluent, but it also has a special
obligation to foster economic development for the
poorest of the poor, all while maintaining environment
al resource protection”, - Discuss.

Introduction to Sustainability - Ar. Surya Prakash

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to Introduction to Sustainability - Ar. Surya Prakash

Similar to Introduction to Sustainability - Ar. Surya Prakash (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Introduction to Sustainability - Ar. Surya Prakash