The paper reviews how the concept of sustainable development has played out in industrialized countries since 1987. It
examines the theory and practice of sustainable development in the context of three criticisms (it is vague, attracts hypocrites
and fosters delusions), and argues for an approach to sustainability that is integrative, is action-oriented, goes beyond technical
fixes, incorporates a recognition of the social construction of sustainable development, and engages local communities in new
ways. The paper concludes with a description of an approach to sustainability that attempts to incorporate these characteristics.
The following paper tries to explain the various reasons that made sustainability so contested by discussing the circumstances surrounding the emergence of the term and its evolution. It also tries to shed some light on the future of sustainability through employing a study technique borrowed from a well established field of human knowledge.
"LIMITS TO GROWTH REVISITED"; White Paper of the 2012 Winter School by the Pa...VolkswagenStiftung
A Winter School on "Limits to Growth Revisited", which was addressed to 60 young researchers of all relevant fields, took place in the week running up to the symposium. Following the event, the participants developed a "White Paper" report which shows their perspectives on the various subjects discussed within the Winter School.
Living Space Needs of Small Housing in the Post-Pandemic Era: Malaga as a case study
* Professor Dr. Carlos Rosa-Jiménez Image result for research orcid , B. Arch. Cristina Jaime-Segura Image result for research orcid
1 and 2 Institute for Habitat, Tourism, Territory, Edificio Ada Byron, Campus de Teatinos, 29071, University of
Malaga, Malaga, Spain.
1 E-mail: cjrosa@uma.es , 2 E-mail: jscristina@uma.es
ARTICLE INFO:
Article History:
Received: 18 June 2021
Revised: 3 August 2021
Accepted: 10 August 2021
Available online: 14 August 2021
Keywords:
Architectural Design;
Lockdown;
Post-Covid City;
Remote Working;
Terraces;
Hygienism.
ABSTRACT D:\My Journal\papers\Vol 4 ISSUE 1\1 senem sadri Turkey\check for updates2020ijcua.tif
The COVID-19 lockdown period has highlighted the ability of housing to accommodate a comprehensive programme typical of the city and its public space. Housing units of under 60 m2 and in blocks of flats are the more vulnerable, as they have a higher percentage of non-community open spaces. That problem was analysed using a methodology based on psychological, urban planning and architectural indicators applied to two coastal cities in the Mediterranean area of southern Spain. The results highlight three aspects in this type of dwelling: the need to consider the orientation of the housing to improve the quality of indoor and outdoor space; the need in public housing policies for a greater number of rooms to facilitate remote working; and finally, the importance of functional terraces overlooking green areas.
JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY URBAN AFFAIRS (2022), 6(1), 51-58.
This document discusses sustainable development (SD). It provides three key points:
1) SD is defined as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." It aims to balance environmental preservation, economic growth, and social welfare both currently and for future generations.
2) SD incorporates three pillars - environmental sustainability, economic sustainability, and sociopolitical sustainability. Environmental sustainability focuses on preserving natural resources, economic sustainability on maintaining economic growth, and sociopolitical sustainability on ensuring social equity.
3) Achieving true SD requires addressing market failures like externalities, undervaluation of natural capital, information asymmetry, and businesses prioritizing short-term gains
1. The document discusses the relationship between climate-induced migration and urbanization in Bangladesh. It reviews literature on how migration has been conceptualized as an adaptation strategy to environmental changes like those from climate change.
2. However, the document argues that not enough attention has been paid to the urban consequences of large numbers of rural migrants moving to cities in developing countries like Bangladesh. Climate change is exacerbating migration and rapid urbanization, but this creates challenges for urban planning and development.
3. The paper aims to address this gap by examining empirical evidence on recent trends of rural-to-urban migration in Bangladesh and the impacts on cities there. Insights into these urban consequences could help countries like Bangladesh develop more resilient and well
The Schumacher Institute submitted a response to the Labour Party's consultation on developing an industrial strategy. Some key points made in the submission include:
- An industrial strategy should be based on principles of being challenge-led, mission-oriented, and values-driven, with a priority on sustainability.
- Fundamental ecosystem and social challenges like resource depletion, climate change, and inequality must inform the strategy.
- Concepts like the green economy, circular economy, and ideas around a "safe and just operating space" could help address these challenges through economic transformation.
- The strategy and policies should support mission-led businesses, corporate governance reform, localisation, and socio-technical innovation to enable the
Roles of Drop-in Centers in Street Children Interventions: Design Guidelines and Humanitarian Emergency Architecture Adaptations
* M.Sc. Ruba Azzam Image result for research orcid, Dr. Karim Kesseiba Image result for research orcid, Dr. Ahmed Abdelghaffar Image result for research orcid
Dr. Mennat-Allah El Husseiny Image result for research orcid
a, b, c and d Department of Architecture and Architectural Engineering and Building Technologies, Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
Email 1: ruba-azzam90@hotmail.com , Email 2: karimkesseiba@gmail.com , Email 3: amaghaffar@gmail.com
Email 4: mennatallahelhusseiny@gmail.com
ARTICLE INFO:
Article History:
Received 9 July 2020
Accepted 3 September 2020
Available online 8 September 2020
Keywords:
Street Children;
Drop-in centers;
Child-Rehabilitation centers;
Architecture for Humanitarian Emergencies;
Child Friendly Spaces (CFS).
ABSTRACT D:\My Journal\papers\Vol 4 ISSUE 1\1 senem sadri Turkey\check for updates2020ijcua.tif
For decades, numerous countries have been witnessing the Street Children phenomenon where millions of children worldwide are subjected to risks. Despite the crucial role of intermediate non-residential interventions - using drop-in centers- in protecting and rehabilitating street children, there is a paucity of research addressing the quality of design of these centers and how architecture might influence their operational process. Those observations invite investigating drop-in centers used in practice from a design perspective and question adapting architectural applications for humanitarian emergencies, focusing on “Child-Friendly Spaces”. The study aims to provide solutions for better quality design, facilitating operational challenges. The methodology undertakes the investigation through primary and secondary axes. This involves conducting literature and international precedents review and secondarily, an Egyptian contextual first-hand documentation and qualitative analysis of selected centers.
JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY URBAN AFFAIRS (2021), 5(2), 151-168.
Towards the Egyptian Charter for Conservation of Cultural Heritages
1 Associate Professor Dr. Corinna Rossi , 2 * Sara Rabie
1 Department of Architecture and Urban Design, Faculty of Architecture, Politecnico di Milano Cairo, Milan, Italy
2 Department of Architecture and Urban Design, Faculty of Architecture, German University in Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
1 E-mail: corinna.rossi@polimi.it , 2 E-mail: sarah.rabie@guc.edu.eg
ARTICLE INFO:
Article History:
Received 5 April 2021
Accepted 15 June 2021
Available online 25 June 2021
Keywords:
Cultural Heritages;
Conservation;
History;
Value;
Authenticity;
Europe;
Egypt.
ABSTRACT
The notion of “Cultural heritage” is quite modern compared to other humanistic fields developed in the last century. Conservation as a science has emerged and took shape during international conventions and treaties in many places in Europe and developed various frameworks to recognize the heritage and its value but based on “Eurocentric bias” criteria. The fact of sharing universal values and common practices during the age of globalization had a significant impact on conservation actions in contexts utterly different from western societies and don’t share the same historical or cultural dimensions. Therefore, this study traces the history of the evolution of conservation in the west from two perspectives; the historical one and the developing methodologies, and the philosophies behind the main theories in conservation. Cultural heritage is a reflection of the identity of the society and its past; thus, this study outlines the development of conservation practices in Egypt within the international approaches in a chronological order to investigate the social response and the impact of the political and cultural influence of the cultural consciousness of the society and the conservation actions in the Egyptian context. Furthermore, to investigate the contribution of international charters in developing national policies in Egypt.
JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY URBAN AFFAIRS (2021), 5(1), 101-111.
The following paper tries to explain the various reasons that made sustainability so contested by discussing the circumstances surrounding the emergence of the term and its evolution. It also tries to shed some light on the future of sustainability through employing a study technique borrowed from a well established field of human knowledge.
"LIMITS TO GROWTH REVISITED"; White Paper of the 2012 Winter School by the Pa...VolkswagenStiftung
A Winter School on "Limits to Growth Revisited", which was addressed to 60 young researchers of all relevant fields, took place in the week running up to the symposium. Following the event, the participants developed a "White Paper" report which shows their perspectives on the various subjects discussed within the Winter School.
Living Space Needs of Small Housing in the Post-Pandemic Era: Malaga as a case study
* Professor Dr. Carlos Rosa-Jiménez Image result for research orcid , B. Arch. Cristina Jaime-Segura Image result for research orcid
1 and 2 Institute for Habitat, Tourism, Territory, Edificio Ada Byron, Campus de Teatinos, 29071, University of
Malaga, Malaga, Spain.
1 E-mail: cjrosa@uma.es , 2 E-mail: jscristina@uma.es
ARTICLE INFO:
Article History:
Received: 18 June 2021
Revised: 3 August 2021
Accepted: 10 August 2021
Available online: 14 August 2021
Keywords:
Architectural Design;
Lockdown;
Post-Covid City;
Remote Working;
Terraces;
Hygienism.
ABSTRACT D:\My Journal\papers\Vol 4 ISSUE 1\1 senem sadri Turkey\check for updates2020ijcua.tif
The COVID-19 lockdown period has highlighted the ability of housing to accommodate a comprehensive programme typical of the city and its public space. Housing units of under 60 m2 and in blocks of flats are the more vulnerable, as they have a higher percentage of non-community open spaces. That problem was analysed using a methodology based on psychological, urban planning and architectural indicators applied to two coastal cities in the Mediterranean area of southern Spain. The results highlight three aspects in this type of dwelling: the need to consider the orientation of the housing to improve the quality of indoor and outdoor space; the need in public housing policies for a greater number of rooms to facilitate remote working; and finally, the importance of functional terraces overlooking green areas.
JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY URBAN AFFAIRS (2022), 6(1), 51-58.
This document discusses sustainable development (SD). It provides three key points:
1) SD is defined as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." It aims to balance environmental preservation, economic growth, and social welfare both currently and for future generations.
2) SD incorporates three pillars - environmental sustainability, economic sustainability, and sociopolitical sustainability. Environmental sustainability focuses on preserving natural resources, economic sustainability on maintaining economic growth, and sociopolitical sustainability on ensuring social equity.
3) Achieving true SD requires addressing market failures like externalities, undervaluation of natural capital, information asymmetry, and businesses prioritizing short-term gains
1. The document discusses the relationship between climate-induced migration and urbanization in Bangladesh. It reviews literature on how migration has been conceptualized as an adaptation strategy to environmental changes like those from climate change.
2. However, the document argues that not enough attention has been paid to the urban consequences of large numbers of rural migrants moving to cities in developing countries like Bangladesh. Climate change is exacerbating migration and rapid urbanization, but this creates challenges for urban planning and development.
3. The paper aims to address this gap by examining empirical evidence on recent trends of rural-to-urban migration in Bangladesh and the impacts on cities there. Insights into these urban consequences could help countries like Bangladesh develop more resilient and well
The Schumacher Institute submitted a response to the Labour Party's consultation on developing an industrial strategy. Some key points made in the submission include:
- An industrial strategy should be based on principles of being challenge-led, mission-oriented, and values-driven, with a priority on sustainability.
- Fundamental ecosystem and social challenges like resource depletion, climate change, and inequality must inform the strategy.
- Concepts like the green economy, circular economy, and ideas around a "safe and just operating space" could help address these challenges through economic transformation.
- The strategy and policies should support mission-led businesses, corporate governance reform, localisation, and socio-technical innovation to enable the
Roles of Drop-in Centers in Street Children Interventions: Design Guidelines and Humanitarian Emergency Architecture Adaptations
* M.Sc. Ruba Azzam Image result for research orcid, Dr. Karim Kesseiba Image result for research orcid, Dr. Ahmed Abdelghaffar Image result for research orcid
Dr. Mennat-Allah El Husseiny Image result for research orcid
a, b, c and d Department of Architecture and Architectural Engineering and Building Technologies, Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
Email 1: ruba-azzam90@hotmail.com , Email 2: karimkesseiba@gmail.com , Email 3: amaghaffar@gmail.com
Email 4: mennatallahelhusseiny@gmail.com
ARTICLE INFO:
Article History:
Received 9 July 2020
Accepted 3 September 2020
Available online 8 September 2020
Keywords:
Street Children;
Drop-in centers;
Child-Rehabilitation centers;
Architecture for Humanitarian Emergencies;
Child Friendly Spaces (CFS).
ABSTRACT D:\My Journal\papers\Vol 4 ISSUE 1\1 senem sadri Turkey\check for updates2020ijcua.tif
For decades, numerous countries have been witnessing the Street Children phenomenon where millions of children worldwide are subjected to risks. Despite the crucial role of intermediate non-residential interventions - using drop-in centers- in protecting and rehabilitating street children, there is a paucity of research addressing the quality of design of these centers and how architecture might influence their operational process. Those observations invite investigating drop-in centers used in practice from a design perspective and question adapting architectural applications for humanitarian emergencies, focusing on “Child-Friendly Spaces”. The study aims to provide solutions for better quality design, facilitating operational challenges. The methodology undertakes the investigation through primary and secondary axes. This involves conducting literature and international precedents review and secondarily, an Egyptian contextual first-hand documentation and qualitative analysis of selected centers.
JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY URBAN AFFAIRS (2021), 5(2), 151-168.
Towards the Egyptian Charter for Conservation of Cultural Heritages
1 Associate Professor Dr. Corinna Rossi , 2 * Sara Rabie
1 Department of Architecture and Urban Design, Faculty of Architecture, Politecnico di Milano Cairo, Milan, Italy
2 Department of Architecture and Urban Design, Faculty of Architecture, German University in Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
1 E-mail: corinna.rossi@polimi.it , 2 E-mail: sarah.rabie@guc.edu.eg
ARTICLE INFO:
Article History:
Received 5 April 2021
Accepted 15 June 2021
Available online 25 June 2021
Keywords:
Cultural Heritages;
Conservation;
History;
Value;
Authenticity;
Europe;
Egypt.
ABSTRACT
The notion of “Cultural heritage” is quite modern compared to other humanistic fields developed in the last century. Conservation as a science has emerged and took shape during international conventions and treaties in many places in Europe and developed various frameworks to recognize the heritage and its value but based on “Eurocentric bias” criteria. The fact of sharing universal values and common practices during the age of globalization had a significant impact on conservation actions in contexts utterly different from western societies and don’t share the same historical or cultural dimensions. Therefore, this study traces the history of the evolution of conservation in the west from two perspectives; the historical one and the developing methodologies, and the philosophies behind the main theories in conservation. Cultural heritage is a reflection of the identity of the society and its past; thus, this study outlines the development of conservation practices in Egypt within the international approaches in a chronological order to investigate the social response and the impact of the political and cultural influence of the cultural consciousness of the society and the conservation actions in the Egyptian context. Furthermore, to investigate the contribution of international charters in developing national policies in Egypt.
JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY URBAN AFFAIRS (2021), 5(1), 101-111.
Compexity and Climate: Crash in the World's Food SupplyPaul H. Carr
MIT professor Jay Forrester developed system dynamics, which analyzes complex social systems. He suggested counterintuitive solutions often fail with complex systems as causes and effects can be distant in time and space. Forrester and others like Dennis Meadows predicted issues like food shortages, which Meadows now expects could crash by 2030 due to climate change impacts disrupting agriculture. System dynamics examines unintuitive behaviors to better address root problems versus surface symptoms.
1.1 Sustainable Development Vezzoli Polimi 07 08 3.11vezzoli
This document provides an overview of sustainable development and defines key terms. It discusses the main definitions of sustainable development, including meeting present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their own needs. It also examines the three dimensions of sustainability: environmental, socio-ethical, and economic/legislative. For each dimension, it provides further explanation and considers factors like resource extraction and emissions to analyze environmental sustainability.
Growth in margin of ecological thought by perezLucie Evers
This chapter discusses the debate around economic growth that emerged in the late 1960s. Concerns about pollution, resource scarcity, and overpopulation led some economists and scientists to argue that perpetual economic growth was unsustainable and exacerbating environmental problems. While this view challenged mainstream economic thought, the concept of sustainable development that emerged politically settled the debate without resolving the underlying issues. The chapter will summarize the growth debate, examine Herman Daly's concept of a steady-state economy as an alternative to growth, and explore Serge Latouche's idea of degrowth. It will compare these perspectives and consider their political feasibility and role for social science.
Szoboszlai_Laszlo_VERNACULAR BUILDING DESIGN STRATEGIES FOR MODERN SUSTAINABL...Laszlo Szoboszlai
This document is a thesis submitted by Laszlo Szoboszlai to the University of Waterloo in partial fulfillment of a Bachelor of Environmental Studies degree. The thesis investigates vernacular building design strategies from around the world to help create more sustainable modern buildings. It defines key terms, outlines the scope of study, and reviews literature on vernacular approaches in hot, temperate, and cold regions. The thesis then analyzes various design strategies, forms, and orientations from vernacular buildings in each climate region and evaluates their potential to increase sustainability when applied to modern construction.
DRIE Central Luncheon, June 2011
Presenter: Michael Dudley, Research Associate, Institute of Urban Studies, University of Winnipeg
How many recent natural disasters that have befallen
metropolitan areas in the past several years (forest fires, floods and earthquakes) aren't so much "natural" but are instead the result of (or
exacerbated by) poor planning decisions in the past, such as building on flood plains and other vulnerable locations, but that our "psychology of
previous investment" prevents us from altering our building patterns? As well, our rigid, centralized "big pipes" approach to city building,
infrastructure and commodities makes our cities vulnerable to shocks and
system breakdowns, such as those associated with energy prices and availability. The presentation will argue for the incorporation of resilience principles in urban planning, which in many ways will mean a return to historical practices and forms.
The document discusses the concepts of sound science, sustainability, and stewardship. It provides definitions and explanations for each concept:
1. Sound science refers to scientific research and data that follows rigorous methodology and peer review standards to produce reliable and verifiable results, though different people can interpret "sound science" differently depending on their viewpoint.
2. Sustainability has three pillars - economic, social, and environmental. It involves meeting current needs without compromising the future by maintaining balanced and responsible use of resources.
3. Stewardship is the ethical responsibility to manage resources and the environment carefully as caretakers for future generations, with a duty to respect and protect nature rather than exploit it for selfish gains.
Enhancing Security in Affordable Housing: The Case of Prince Fawaz Project
Professor Dr. Maged Attia Image result for research orcid
Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Planning, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, KSA
Email: mattia@kau.edu.sa
ARTICLE INFO:
Article History:
Received 9 March 2021
Accepted 15 May 2021
Available online 30 May 2021
Keywords:
Environmental crime;
Enhancing security;
Crime rates;
Prince Fawaz project;
Saudi Arabia.
ABSTRACT
The present study argues that the urban form of affordable housing projects affects safety and security. The study examines the level of safety and security in the Prince Fawaz project proposing recommendations that enhance it. Theories and approaches concerned with the environmental crime are initially reviewed. Then, urban and architectural features as well as crime rates and patterns are documented. Also, trace and behaviour observations are carried out. The observations monitored urban features and behaviours associated with crime or fear of crime. Residents’ perception for security and fear of crime is extracted through a questionnaire. A Space Syntax is processed and linked with the questionnaire and observation outputs. Observations demonstrate a semblance of fear of crime which is supported by records of car and home theft. Although the questionnaire reflects a suitable level of security, it points to peripheral spaces and areas around mosques and shops as the less secure. However, enhancing security in the Prince Fawaz project requires urban interventions including controlling access to peripheral spaces, reviving areas detected to be unsafe, repositioning elements causing visual obstacles and enhancing appearance by vegetation and sustainable maintenance. Besides, reformulating the movement network so that an appropriate integration between residents and strangers is achieved. On the conceptual level, the study proves that none of the theories of environmental crime can act as a comprehensive approach; but each can partly work.
This article is an open access
article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license
C:\Users\Hourakhsh\Desktop\CC_By_2020_licnece1.jpg
This article is published with open access at www.ijcua.com
JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY URBAN AFFAIRS (2021), 5(1), 85-100.
The document discusses sustainable development and how it has been misunderstood. It argues that sustainable development aims to improve ecosystems through community engagement and scientific research. However, some celebrities promote environmentalism while living unsustainably. The document also explains that sustainable development allows responsible use of natural resources in a way that conserves them for future generations through techniques that limit environmental impact.
Sustainability in Historic Urban Environments:
Effect of gentrification in the process of sustainable urban revitalization
Dr. Rokhsaneh Rahbarianyazd
Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture, Eastern Mediterranean University, Turkey
E mail: rokhsaneh.rahbarianyazd@gmail.com
A B S T R A C T
Considering three- dimensional process of sustainability (physical- economical and social), the aim of conservation for making historic urban environment sustainable should be matched with these dimensions. Therefore, earlier conservation policies have progressed from a simple and restrictive concern with preservation to an increased concern for revitalization and enhancement. This means a physical revitalization may be short-lived and un-sustained. Within the process of revitalization, historic environments become the main locations of gentrification induced by urban revitalization which may involve social cost. Accordingly, this paper develops theoretical concepts on “sustainability in historic urban environment” with a particular emphasis on social issue in terms of gentrification. Also with the result derived from theoretical parts concludes that social changes through gentrification contribute to sustain the historic environments.
CONTEMPORARY URBAN AFFAIRS (2017) 1(1), 1-9.
https://doi.org/10.25034/1761.1(1)1-9
This series of blog has been prepared by the author (Shahadat Hossain Shaki) for the partial
fulfilment of his master’s program course ―Key Debates in Environmental Governance‖, which has been supervised by Prof. Dr. Maria Kaika.
Blog Link: http://environmentalgovernance.wordpress.com/author/shshakil/
Author can be contacted for further query and suggestions at : shshakil.buet@gmail.com
Dr. Anna Evely. Looking at conservation projects that engage with volunteersAnnaEvely
what are conservation projects that involve volunteers?
why look at conservation projects that involve volunteers?
choosing methods when crossing disciplines: taking an integrative approach
how might participation be linked to attitudes?
how might participation be linked to social learning?
Dr. Anna Evely. Looking at conservation projects that engage with volunteersAberdeen CES
The document discusses conservation projects that involve volunteers and their importance for sustainability and resilience. It explores how participation may be linked to attitudes and social learning, and emphasizes taking an integrative approach when researching these projects by considering different methods and philosophies. Choosing the appropriate research method requires understanding one's philosophical approach.
From (R)evolution to Sustainable Development , Jeronimo & Oliveira, 2011Nuno Gaspar de Oliveira
This article aims to address the issue of Sustainable Development (SD) in an evolutionary perspective within its multidisciplinary scope. The complexity of developments for sustainability has frequently proven difficult in its implementation, evaluation and effective communication.It was our intention to provide an outline of the diverse views on the subject, focusing on globalization as a change of attitude towards sustainability.It is a review of terminology
associated with the SD and its multiple interpretations.It is referenced the apparent and
irrelevant impact of initiatives to solve the economic, social and environmental problem. It emphasizes the influence and importance of strategies and the positioning of SMEs on the way to SD in the policy of act local think global.
JERÓNIMO, WINSTON CENSE, Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research, Departamento de
Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa,
Portugal
OLIVEIRA, NUNO GASPAR DE CIGEST, Assistente Instituto Superior de Gestão, Portugal
The document summarizes key discussions from a conference focused on how architects can contribute to a more sustainable world and transforming architectural education. Key recommendations include: redefining the architect's role to include sustainability; viewing buildings as part of larger living systems; incentivizing sustainability in design schools through funding, lectures, and accreditation; and connecting curriculum, campus operations, and the surrounding community to model sustainable design practices.
Engineers have a responsibility to improve lives around the world. The human population is growing exponentially and placing unprecedented demands on resources. If engineers do not help meet demands for energy, food, and infrastructure, it will be difficult to satisfy needs. Engineers must adopt a new, holistic approach that cooperates with nature instead of controlling it, in order to build a sustainable world and improve lives in an environmentally responsible way.
1) The document discusses research on how social media engagement related to sustainability influences behavioral intentions toward sustainable mobility in alpine regions.
2) A survey of 203 people found that attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control positively influence behavioral intentions to travel in a low-emission way, and that social media engagement moderates these relationships.
3) Specifically, social media engagement strengthens the influence of attitude and perceived behavioral control on behavioral intentions, but weakens the influence of subjective norm on behavioral intentions.
The document discusses several international frameworks and conferences related to climate change, sustainable development, and human rights. It summarizes the goals and outcomes of conferences such as the 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, and the 2009 UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. It also outlines some principles of climate ethics and justice, and examples of climate justice actions and sub-national level actions being taken to address climate change.
Masters Thesis Proposal: An Audience Focused Approach to Framing Climate Chan...Cassie Wandersee
Presentation of proposed thesis research as part of the requirements for graduation. The study was approved by all thesis committee members, department head, and Kansas State University graduate school. The proposed study will examine frames and messages agricultural producer accept related to climate change and the impacts a changing climate has.
A psychossocial approach to understanding underground spacesBambang L
This document discusses the psychosocial factors associated with underground spaces from a cultural psychology perspective. It identifies four main issues with underground spaces: isolation due to limited access to the outdoors; lack of perceived control over the environment; negative cultural associations with being underground; and concerns about perceived security. The document reviews literature on each of these issues and proposes potential solutions, such as adding natural light, greenery, and surveillance, to overcome challenges and promote cooperation and community among underground space users.
Sustainability, characteristics and scientific rootsNuno Quental
This document summarizes the key scientific approaches and principles underlying the concept of sustainability. It identifies three relevant scientific approaches - ecological economics, sustainability transition, and sustainability science. By analyzing these approaches, the document derives four common sustainability principles: 1) acknowledging biophysical limits to economic scale, 2) focusing on societal welfare and development, 3) understanding systems have minimum needs for viability, and 4) recognizing system complexity. It then examines the scientific roots of each principle and discusses how understandings have progressed from static views of limits and impacts to more dynamic, integrated visions.
Susainable development by kashyap gohe;Kashyap Gohel
The document discusses the concept of sustainable development by providing definitions, a brief history, and delineating its domains. It defines sustainable development as meeting present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their own needs. The three main domains are typically defined as environmental sustainability, economic sustainability, and social sustainability, though some frameworks use four domains including politics and culture. The document also discusses criticisms of sustainable development and provides references for further information.
Compexity and Climate: Crash in the World's Food SupplyPaul H. Carr
MIT professor Jay Forrester developed system dynamics, which analyzes complex social systems. He suggested counterintuitive solutions often fail with complex systems as causes and effects can be distant in time and space. Forrester and others like Dennis Meadows predicted issues like food shortages, which Meadows now expects could crash by 2030 due to climate change impacts disrupting agriculture. System dynamics examines unintuitive behaviors to better address root problems versus surface symptoms.
1.1 Sustainable Development Vezzoli Polimi 07 08 3.11vezzoli
This document provides an overview of sustainable development and defines key terms. It discusses the main definitions of sustainable development, including meeting present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their own needs. It also examines the three dimensions of sustainability: environmental, socio-ethical, and economic/legislative. For each dimension, it provides further explanation and considers factors like resource extraction and emissions to analyze environmental sustainability.
Growth in margin of ecological thought by perezLucie Evers
This chapter discusses the debate around economic growth that emerged in the late 1960s. Concerns about pollution, resource scarcity, and overpopulation led some economists and scientists to argue that perpetual economic growth was unsustainable and exacerbating environmental problems. While this view challenged mainstream economic thought, the concept of sustainable development that emerged politically settled the debate without resolving the underlying issues. The chapter will summarize the growth debate, examine Herman Daly's concept of a steady-state economy as an alternative to growth, and explore Serge Latouche's idea of degrowth. It will compare these perspectives and consider their political feasibility and role for social science.
Szoboszlai_Laszlo_VERNACULAR BUILDING DESIGN STRATEGIES FOR MODERN SUSTAINABL...Laszlo Szoboszlai
This document is a thesis submitted by Laszlo Szoboszlai to the University of Waterloo in partial fulfillment of a Bachelor of Environmental Studies degree. The thesis investigates vernacular building design strategies from around the world to help create more sustainable modern buildings. It defines key terms, outlines the scope of study, and reviews literature on vernacular approaches in hot, temperate, and cold regions. The thesis then analyzes various design strategies, forms, and orientations from vernacular buildings in each climate region and evaluates their potential to increase sustainability when applied to modern construction.
DRIE Central Luncheon, June 2011
Presenter: Michael Dudley, Research Associate, Institute of Urban Studies, University of Winnipeg
How many recent natural disasters that have befallen
metropolitan areas in the past several years (forest fires, floods and earthquakes) aren't so much "natural" but are instead the result of (or
exacerbated by) poor planning decisions in the past, such as building on flood plains and other vulnerable locations, but that our "psychology of
previous investment" prevents us from altering our building patterns? As well, our rigid, centralized "big pipes" approach to city building,
infrastructure and commodities makes our cities vulnerable to shocks and
system breakdowns, such as those associated with energy prices and availability. The presentation will argue for the incorporation of resilience principles in urban planning, which in many ways will mean a return to historical practices and forms.
The document discusses the concepts of sound science, sustainability, and stewardship. It provides definitions and explanations for each concept:
1. Sound science refers to scientific research and data that follows rigorous methodology and peer review standards to produce reliable and verifiable results, though different people can interpret "sound science" differently depending on their viewpoint.
2. Sustainability has three pillars - economic, social, and environmental. It involves meeting current needs without compromising the future by maintaining balanced and responsible use of resources.
3. Stewardship is the ethical responsibility to manage resources and the environment carefully as caretakers for future generations, with a duty to respect and protect nature rather than exploit it for selfish gains.
Enhancing Security in Affordable Housing: The Case of Prince Fawaz Project
Professor Dr. Maged Attia Image result for research orcid
Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Planning, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, KSA
Email: mattia@kau.edu.sa
ARTICLE INFO:
Article History:
Received 9 March 2021
Accepted 15 May 2021
Available online 30 May 2021
Keywords:
Environmental crime;
Enhancing security;
Crime rates;
Prince Fawaz project;
Saudi Arabia.
ABSTRACT
The present study argues that the urban form of affordable housing projects affects safety and security. The study examines the level of safety and security in the Prince Fawaz project proposing recommendations that enhance it. Theories and approaches concerned with the environmental crime are initially reviewed. Then, urban and architectural features as well as crime rates and patterns are documented. Also, trace and behaviour observations are carried out. The observations monitored urban features and behaviours associated with crime or fear of crime. Residents’ perception for security and fear of crime is extracted through a questionnaire. A Space Syntax is processed and linked with the questionnaire and observation outputs. Observations demonstrate a semblance of fear of crime which is supported by records of car and home theft. Although the questionnaire reflects a suitable level of security, it points to peripheral spaces and areas around mosques and shops as the less secure. However, enhancing security in the Prince Fawaz project requires urban interventions including controlling access to peripheral spaces, reviving areas detected to be unsafe, repositioning elements causing visual obstacles and enhancing appearance by vegetation and sustainable maintenance. Besides, reformulating the movement network so that an appropriate integration between residents and strangers is achieved. On the conceptual level, the study proves that none of the theories of environmental crime can act as a comprehensive approach; but each can partly work.
This article is an open access
article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license
C:\Users\Hourakhsh\Desktop\CC_By_2020_licnece1.jpg
This article is published with open access at www.ijcua.com
JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY URBAN AFFAIRS (2021), 5(1), 85-100.
The document discusses sustainable development and how it has been misunderstood. It argues that sustainable development aims to improve ecosystems through community engagement and scientific research. However, some celebrities promote environmentalism while living unsustainably. The document also explains that sustainable development allows responsible use of natural resources in a way that conserves them for future generations through techniques that limit environmental impact.
Sustainability in Historic Urban Environments:
Effect of gentrification in the process of sustainable urban revitalization
Dr. Rokhsaneh Rahbarianyazd
Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture, Eastern Mediterranean University, Turkey
E mail: rokhsaneh.rahbarianyazd@gmail.com
A B S T R A C T
Considering three- dimensional process of sustainability (physical- economical and social), the aim of conservation for making historic urban environment sustainable should be matched with these dimensions. Therefore, earlier conservation policies have progressed from a simple and restrictive concern with preservation to an increased concern for revitalization and enhancement. This means a physical revitalization may be short-lived and un-sustained. Within the process of revitalization, historic environments become the main locations of gentrification induced by urban revitalization which may involve social cost. Accordingly, this paper develops theoretical concepts on “sustainability in historic urban environment” with a particular emphasis on social issue in terms of gentrification. Also with the result derived from theoretical parts concludes that social changes through gentrification contribute to sustain the historic environments.
CONTEMPORARY URBAN AFFAIRS (2017) 1(1), 1-9.
https://doi.org/10.25034/1761.1(1)1-9
This series of blog has been prepared by the author (Shahadat Hossain Shaki) for the partial
fulfilment of his master’s program course ―Key Debates in Environmental Governance‖, which has been supervised by Prof. Dr. Maria Kaika.
Blog Link: http://environmentalgovernance.wordpress.com/author/shshakil/
Author can be contacted for further query and suggestions at : shshakil.buet@gmail.com
Dr. Anna Evely. Looking at conservation projects that engage with volunteersAnnaEvely
what are conservation projects that involve volunteers?
why look at conservation projects that involve volunteers?
choosing methods when crossing disciplines: taking an integrative approach
how might participation be linked to attitudes?
how might participation be linked to social learning?
Dr. Anna Evely. Looking at conservation projects that engage with volunteersAberdeen CES
The document discusses conservation projects that involve volunteers and their importance for sustainability and resilience. It explores how participation may be linked to attitudes and social learning, and emphasizes taking an integrative approach when researching these projects by considering different methods and philosophies. Choosing the appropriate research method requires understanding one's philosophical approach.
From (R)evolution to Sustainable Development , Jeronimo & Oliveira, 2011Nuno Gaspar de Oliveira
This article aims to address the issue of Sustainable Development (SD) in an evolutionary perspective within its multidisciplinary scope. The complexity of developments for sustainability has frequently proven difficult in its implementation, evaluation and effective communication.It was our intention to provide an outline of the diverse views on the subject, focusing on globalization as a change of attitude towards sustainability.It is a review of terminology
associated with the SD and its multiple interpretations.It is referenced the apparent and
irrelevant impact of initiatives to solve the economic, social and environmental problem. It emphasizes the influence and importance of strategies and the positioning of SMEs on the way to SD in the policy of act local think global.
JERÓNIMO, WINSTON CENSE, Center for Environmental and Sustainability Research, Departamento de
Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa,
Portugal
OLIVEIRA, NUNO GASPAR DE CIGEST, Assistente Instituto Superior de Gestão, Portugal
The document summarizes key discussions from a conference focused on how architects can contribute to a more sustainable world and transforming architectural education. Key recommendations include: redefining the architect's role to include sustainability; viewing buildings as part of larger living systems; incentivizing sustainability in design schools through funding, lectures, and accreditation; and connecting curriculum, campus operations, and the surrounding community to model sustainable design practices.
Engineers have a responsibility to improve lives around the world. The human population is growing exponentially and placing unprecedented demands on resources. If engineers do not help meet demands for energy, food, and infrastructure, it will be difficult to satisfy needs. Engineers must adopt a new, holistic approach that cooperates with nature instead of controlling it, in order to build a sustainable world and improve lives in an environmentally responsible way.
1) The document discusses research on how social media engagement related to sustainability influences behavioral intentions toward sustainable mobility in alpine regions.
2) A survey of 203 people found that attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control positively influence behavioral intentions to travel in a low-emission way, and that social media engagement moderates these relationships.
3) Specifically, social media engagement strengthens the influence of attitude and perceived behavioral control on behavioral intentions, but weakens the influence of subjective norm on behavioral intentions.
The document discusses several international frameworks and conferences related to climate change, sustainable development, and human rights. It summarizes the goals and outcomes of conferences such as the 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, and the 2009 UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. It also outlines some principles of climate ethics and justice, and examples of climate justice actions and sub-national level actions being taken to address climate change.
Masters Thesis Proposal: An Audience Focused Approach to Framing Climate Chan...Cassie Wandersee
Presentation of proposed thesis research as part of the requirements for graduation. The study was approved by all thesis committee members, department head, and Kansas State University graduate school. The proposed study will examine frames and messages agricultural producer accept related to climate change and the impacts a changing climate has.
A psychossocial approach to understanding underground spacesBambang L
This document discusses the psychosocial factors associated with underground spaces from a cultural psychology perspective. It identifies four main issues with underground spaces: isolation due to limited access to the outdoors; lack of perceived control over the environment; negative cultural associations with being underground; and concerns about perceived security. The document reviews literature on each of these issues and proposes potential solutions, such as adding natural light, greenery, and surveillance, to overcome challenges and promote cooperation and community among underground space users.
Sustainability, characteristics and scientific rootsNuno Quental
This document summarizes the key scientific approaches and principles underlying the concept of sustainability. It identifies three relevant scientific approaches - ecological economics, sustainability transition, and sustainability science. By analyzing these approaches, the document derives four common sustainability principles: 1) acknowledging biophysical limits to economic scale, 2) focusing on societal welfare and development, 3) understanding systems have minimum needs for viability, and 4) recognizing system complexity. It then examines the scientific roots of each principle and discusses how understandings have progressed from static views of limits and impacts to more dynamic, integrated visions.
Susainable development by kashyap gohe;Kashyap Gohel
The document discusses the concept of sustainable development by providing definitions, a brief history, and delineating its domains. It defines sustainable development as meeting present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their own needs. The three main domains are typically defined as environmental sustainability, economic sustainability, and social sustainability, though some frameworks use four domains including politics and culture. The document also discusses criticisms of sustainable development and provides references for further information.
A Transition Research Perspective On Governance For SustainabilityCassie Romero
This document discusses governance for sustainability from a transitions research perspective. It presents the transitions approach as an integrated way to understand and guide society toward sustainable development. The transitions approach views society as a complex adaptive system undergoing continuous structural changes. Governance for sustainability transitions should focus on facilitating and stimulating open social processes toward sustainability through negotiation of values, exploration of new alternatives, and experimentation and learning, rather than direct control or optimization of existing systems. The key research questions are how to understand transition dynamics and how to influence the pace and direction of ongoing societal changes toward sustainability.
Chemical engineering and competences in ecologyeSAT Journals
Abstract
Environmental degradation, global warming and sustainable development are topics to be included in the curriculum of the
chemical engineer to reach cognitive skills and attitude competences to deal with these burning issues of today. While the current
curricula have some materials dealing with the issue of ecology and pollution, the authors have found, by means of a survey, that
students are not sufficiently informed or trained to understand the complexity of pollution, global warming and sustainable
development. Therefore we recommend to support the formation of these competences through the cross and hidden curricula.
Keywords: Competences, Global Warming, Pollution, Ecology, Sustainable Development.
A Matter Of Opinion How Ecological And Neoclassical Environmental Economists...Rick Vogel
This document discusses a survey of economic sustainability researchers from Germany on their views related to sustainability and economics. The survey aimed to understand how researchers from different schools of thought view these issues and how they group themselves. Key results include:
- Two primary clusters were identified, one largely representing the ecological economics school of thought and the other capturing the neoclassical view.
- However, both clusters shared a conceptual definition of sustainability that considers ecological, social and economic dimensions, and aims to preserve society's development potentials.
- Both clusters also agreed on critiquing "pure economic growth" strategies and identified many overlapping future research topics.
- Main divides were on how to achieve sustainability, including suitable policy measures.
This document discusses globalization and its impact on social-ecological systems using the case of the rhino horn trade. Globalization has increased connectedness between actors involved in the rhino horn trade across international borders. While globalization has led to increased poaching threatening rhino populations, it has also strengthened collaboration between anti-poaching efforts. Social-ecological systems theory views the environment and human systems as coupled. The potential legalization of rhino horn trade in South Africa is discussed as an example of adaptive governance seeking to reduce poaching incentives while generating funds for conservation.
1. Sustainable development is a new term but the concepts have a long history. It is difficult to precisely define what sustainable development is, when development is sustainable, and how to achieve sustainability.
2. Nearly every country has made efforts to promote sustainable development since the 1990s, but more work remains both conceptually and in implementation. Breakthroughs are expected in establishing sustainable development as a discipline and perfecting its methodologies and approaches.
3. Cooperation is needed across disciplines, sectors, regions and countries to fully understand sustainable development strategies and goals.
This document outlines a flexible framework for exploring discourses of sustainable development. It describes a research methodology that draws on Ulrich Beck's theory of reflexive modernity and risk society to examine sustainable development at both the global and local levels through two case studies. The first case study involves ethnographic research within the United Nations to analyze representations of sustainable development from different nations. The second examines a local carbon reduction project in Plymouth, England using mixed quantitative and qualitative methods. The methodology is informed by debates around realist and constructivist epistemologies of risk. It aims to develop a third perspective that acknowledges both social influences on risk perceptions and underlying responsibilities for actions and social change.
Sustainable development is the greatest challenge of our time. It brings together a number of global problems—pollution and intoxication of the space in which we live; poverty and starvation; climate change; depletion of mineral and organic
resources; ecological devastation; and global inequity
ER Publication,
IJETR, IJMCTR,
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GrowthD o n e l l a M e a d o w s • J o r g e n R a n d e.docxwhittemorelucilla
Growth
D o n e l l a M e a d o w s • J o r g e n R a n d e r s • D e n n i s M e a d o w s
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‘NOT EVERYTHING BEARS REPETITION, BUT TRUTH DOES –
especially when that truth is both denied by entrenched interests
and verified by new information’
H E R M A N E . D A LY
former World Bank senior economist and professor, University of Maryland
‘It is time for the world to re-read Limits to Growth! The message of
1972 is more real and relevant in 2004, and we wasted 30 valuable
years of action by misreading the message of the first book’
M AT T H E W R . S I M M O N S
founder, Simmons & Company International, the world’s largest energy
investment banking firm
‘If you only read one book … make this it!’
L . H U N T E R L O V I N S
co-author, Natural Capitalism
‘An impressive sequel [that] shuns gloom and doom
to be boldly pragmatic about the future’
Kirkus Reviews
In 1972, Limits to Growth shocked the world and forever changed the
global agenda by demonstrating that unchecked growth on our finite planet
was leading the Earth towards ecological ‘overshoot’ and pending disaster.
The book went on to sell millions of copies and ignited a firestorm of
controversy that burns hotter than ever in these days of soaring oil prices,
wars for resources and human-induced climate change.
This substantially revised, expanded and updated edition follows on from
Limits to Growth and its sequel Beyond the Limits, which raised the
alarm that we have already overshot the planet’s carrying capacity.
Marshalling a vast array of new, hard data and more powerful computer
modelling, and incorporating the latest thinking on sustainability, ecological
footprinting and limits, this new book presents future overshoot scenarios
and makes an even more urgent case for a rapid readjustment of the global
economy towards a sustainable path. This is compelling and, indeed,
essential reading for all concerned with our common future.
D O N E L L A M E A D O W S was Adjunct Professor of Environmental Studies at
Dartmouth College, USA. J O R G E N R A N D E R S is a policy analyst and
President Emeritus at the Norwegian School of Management. D E N N I S
M E A D O W S is Professor of Systems Management and Director of the Institute
for Policy and Social Science Research, University of New Hampshire, USA. ,!7IB8E4-ahbeej!
ISBN 978-1-84407-144-9
E A R T H S C A N www.earthscan.co.uk
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The 30-Year ...
Critical Approaches to the Concept of Sustainable DevelopmentAI Publications
It has been observed that while living in harmony with nature on earth until the industrial revolution, with the industrial production and consumption society formed after the industrial revolution, humanity has started to dominate nature more and the damage caused to nature has increased. Economic growth, contrary to expectations, increasing inequality in the distribution of income, the impoverishment of the broad masses of the natural environment in the emergence of problems such as destruction of natural resources, growth and development of the concept of sustainable development has revealed the new concept. Sustainable development suggests that both economic development can continue and the ecological system can be protected; the contradiction between the environment and development will disappear. The concept of sustainable development has been considered to be able to solve many country problems since its first appearance, and has been applied to many fields such as economics, politics, the environment and social culture. In fact, there are many aspects of the concept of sustainable development that are open to criticism. The aim of this study is to address the criticisms brought to the concept with a collective perspective. For this purpose, the criticisms brought to the concept of sustainable development based on the previous studies conducted on the subject were examined. It is thought that the study will contribute to the literature by eliminating the lack of a critical perspective on sustainable development in this way.
This document proposes a new framework for studying online climate change communication based on an encoding/decoding model that accounts for pluralistic internet texts and audiences. It summarizes previous research that focused on risk communication, media framing, and the information deficit model. It argues more research is needed on cultural discourses, conceptualizing audiences beyond passive recipients, and analyzing communication on digital platforms given their rise. A new approach is needed to understand audiences as both consumers and producers of online content regarding climate change.
The document discusses the concept of sustainable development. It provides definitions of development and sustainable development. Sustainable development aims to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. It ties together environmental concerns and social challenges. The document also examines different perspectives on sustainable development and argues that a supranational authority is needed to properly implement public policy initiatives to promote sustainable development.
This document discusses David Orr's essay "What is Education For?". It summarizes that Orr argues universities should make environmental sustainability a priority in their curriculum to teach future generations its importance. By choosing a sustainability-focused curriculum, a university demonstrates the responsibility students have to care for the environment. The document also discusses how knowledge and technology have advanced faster than human ability to use them responsibly, as shown by catastrophes like Chernobyl. Overall, Orr believes education should create responsible adults by teaching students not just academic subjects but also their duty to the environment.
This thesis analyzes two cases of forest sector innovation in Canada - the Great Bear Rainforest Agreement and the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement. It uses a multi-paradigm approach to gain insight into how civil society groups can advance transformative social change. The research contributes new understanding of the deliberate agency and cross-scale processes involved in systemic change efforts. It analyzes the cases through multiple theoretical lenses and provides a synthesis of key patterns of agency and cross-scale dynamics in transforming unsustainable systems. The thesis findings have implications for responding to complex sustainability challenges through innovative, multi-level responses that span boundaries.
Essay On Conservation Of Environment. Article on conservation of environment...afjzdtooeofvaa
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An Introduction To The Criticism On Sustainable DevelopmentAndrew Molina
This document provides an introduction to sustainability and criticism of sustainable development. It discusses the historical background of sustainable development, from early publications raising awareness of environmental limits in the 1970s to the globalization of environmental politics. It also summarizes the mainstream definition of sustainable development and various criticisms around concepts like growth, efficiency, and participation. The document aims to contextualize sustainable development and establish a working approach.
This document provides an overview of the key concepts in sustainability assessment as presented in an introductory module developed by Prof. A. Lapkin of the University of Cambridge. It discusses definitions of sustainability from the 18th century focusing on sustainable forestry and traces the evolution of thinking on sustainability through the industrial revolution and enlightenment period. Key milestones discussed include the 1987 Brundtland Commission report which operationalized sustainable development around meeting needs, investing, technology, and institutions. The document also introduces stakeholders in sustainability assessment.
This document provides an overview of sustainability and sustainable development concepts from their origins in the 18th century through modern definitions and frameworks. It discusses early mentions of sustainability in relation to forestry management. Key periods and thinkers discussed include the Enlightenment, Marx, and the emergence of ideas around a global knowledge sphere. The Brundtland Commission report in 1987 is highlighted for providing an influential operational definition linking development, environment and equality. The document outlines stakeholder groups and goals of sustainability assessment, emphasizing a life cycle approach. Key concepts like footprint, costs, and useful function are also introduced.
Similar to Squaring the circle? Some thoughts on the idea of sustainable development (20)
Evolving Lifecycles with High Resolution Site Characterization (HRSC) and 3-D...Joshua Orris
The incorporation of a 3DCSM and completion of HRSC provided a tool for enhanced, data-driven, decisions to support a change in remediation closure strategies. Currently, an approved pilot study has been obtained to shut-down the remediation systems (ISCO, P&T) and conduct a hydraulic study under non-pumping conditions. A separate micro-biological bench scale treatability study was competed that yielded positive results for an emerging innovative technology. As a result, a field pilot study has commenced with results expected in nine-twelve months. With the results of the hydraulic study, field pilot studies and an updated risk assessment leading site monitoring optimization cost lifecycle savings upwards of $15MM towards an alternatively evolved best available technology remediation closure strategy.
Kinetic studies on malachite green dye adsorption from aqueous solutions by A...Open Access Research Paper
Water polluted by dyestuffs compounds is a global threat to health and the environment; accordingly, we prepared a green novel sorbent chemical and Physical system from an algae, chitosan and chitosan nanoparticle and impregnated with algae with chitosan nanocomposite for the sorption of Malachite green dye from water. The algae with chitosan nanocomposite by a simple method and used as a recyclable and effective adsorbent for the removal of malachite green dye from aqueous solutions. Algae, chitosan, chitosan nanoparticle and algae with chitosan nanocomposite were characterized using different physicochemical methods. The functional groups and chemical compounds found in algae, chitosan, chitosan algae, chitosan nanoparticle, and chitosan nanoparticle with algae were identified using FTIR, SEM, and TGADTA/DTG techniques. The optimal adsorption conditions, different dosages, pH and Temperature the amount of algae with chitosan nanocomposite were determined. At optimized conditions and the batch equilibrium studies more than 99% of the dye was removed. The adsorption process data matched well kinetics showed that the reaction order for dye varied with pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order. Furthermore, the maximum adsorption capacity of the algae with chitosan nanocomposite toward malachite green dye reached as high as 15.5mg/g, respectively. Finally, multiple times reusing of algae with chitosan nanocomposite and removing dye from a real wastewater has made it a promising and attractive option for further practical applications.
ENVIRONMENT~ Renewable Energy Sources and their future prospects.tiwarimanvi3129
This presentation is for us to know that how our Environment need Attention for protection of our natural resources which are depleted day by day that's why we need to take time and shift our attention to renewable energy sources instead of non-renewable sources which are better and Eco-friendly for our environment. these renewable energy sources are so helpful for our planet and for every living organism which depends on environment.
Recycling and Disposal on SWM Raymond Einyu pptxRayLetai1
Increasing urbanization, rural–urban migration, rising standards of living, and rapid development associated with population growth have resulted in increased solid waste generation by industrial, domestic and other activities in Nairobi City. It has been noted in other contexts too that increasing population, changing consumption patterns, economic development, changing income, urbanization and industrialization all contribute to the increased generation of waste.
With the increasing urban population in Kenya, which is estimated to be growing at a rate higher than that of the country’s general population, waste generation and management is already a major challenge. The industrialization and urbanization process in the country, dominated by one major city – Nairobi, which has around four times the population of the next largest urban centre (Mombasa) – has witnessed an exponential increase in the generation of solid waste. It is projected that by 2030, about 50 per cent of the Kenyan population will be urban.
Aim:
A healthy, safe, secure and sustainable solid waste management system fit for a world – class city.
Improve and protect the public health of Nairobi residents and visitors.
Ecological health, diversity and productivity and maximize resource recovery through the participatory approach.
Goals:
Build awareness and capacity for source separation as essential components of sustainable waste management.
Build new environmentally sound infrastructure and systems for safe disposal of residual waste and replacing current dumpsites which should be commissioned.
Current solid waste management situation:
The status.
Solid waste generation rate is at 2240 tones / day
collection efficiently is at about 50%.
Actors i.e. city authorities, CBO’s , private firms and self-disposal
Current SWM Situation in Nairobi City:
Solid waste generation – collection – dumping
Good Practices:
• Separation – recycling – marketing.
• Open dumpsite dandora dump site through public education on source separation of waste, of which the situation can be reversed.
• Nairobi is one of the C40 cities in this respect , various actors in the solid waste management space have adopted a variety of technologies to reduce short lived climate pollutants including source separation , recycling , marketing of the recycled products.
• Through the network, it should expect to benefit from expertise of the different actors in the network in terms of applicable technologies and practices in reducing the short-lived climate pollutants.
Good practices:
Despite the dismal collection of solid waste in Nairobi city, there are practices and activities of informal actors (CBOs, CBO-SACCOs and yard shop operators) and other formal industrial actors on solid waste collection, recycling and waste reduction.
Practices and activities of these actor groups are viewed as innovations with the potential to change the way solid waste is handled.
CHALLENGES:
• Resource Allocation.
Improving the viability of probiotics by encapsulation methods for developmen...Open Access Research Paper
The popularity of functional foods among scientists and common people has been increasing day by day. Awareness and modernization make the consumer think better regarding food and nutrition. Now a day’s individual knows very well about the relation between food consumption and disease prevalence. Humans have a diversity of microbes in the gut that together form the gut microflora. Probiotics are the health-promoting live microbial cells improve host health through gut and brain connection and fighting against harmful bacteria. Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus are the two bacterial genera which are considered to be probiotic. These good bacteria are facing challenges of viability. There are so many factors such as sensitivity to heat, pH, acidity, osmotic effect, mechanical shear, chemical components, freezing and storage time as well which affects the viability of probiotics in the dairy food matrix as well as in the gut. Multiple efforts have been done in the past and ongoing in present for these beneficial microbial population stability until their destination in the gut. One of a useful technique known as microencapsulation makes the probiotic effective in the diversified conditions and maintain these microbe’s community to the optimum level for achieving targeted benefits. Dairy products are found to be an ideal vehicle for probiotic incorporation. It has been seen that the encapsulated microbial cells show higher viability than the free cells in different processing and storage conditions as well as against bile salts in the gut. They make the food functional when incorporated, without affecting the product sensory characteristics.
Optimizing Post Remediation Groundwater Performance with Enhanced Microbiolog...Joshua Orris
Results of geophysics and pneumatic injection pilot tests during 2003 – 2007 yielded significant positive results for injection delivery design and contaminant mass treatment, resulting in permanent shut-down of an existing groundwater Pump & Treat system.
Accessible source areas were subsequently removed (2011) by soil excavation and treated with the placement of Emulsified Vegetable Oil EVO and zero-valent iron ZVI to accelerate treatment of impacted groundwater in overburden and weathered fractured bedrock. Post pilot test and post remediation groundwater monitoring has included analyses of CVOCs, organic fatty acids, dissolved gases and QuantArray® -Chlor to quantify key microorganisms (e.g., Dehalococcoides, Dehalobacter, etc.) and functional genes (e.g., vinyl chloride reductase, methane monooxygenase, etc.) to assess potential for reductive dechlorination and aerobic cometabolism of CVOCs.
In 2022, the first commercial application of MetaArray™ was performed at the site. MetaArray™ utilizes statistical analysis, such as principal component analysis and multivariate analysis to provide evidence that reductive dechlorination is active or even that it is slowing. This creates actionable data allowing users to save money by making important site management decisions earlier.
The results of the MetaArray™ analysis’ support vector machine (SVM) identified groundwater monitoring wells with a 80% confidence that were characterized as either Limited for Reductive Decholorination or had a High Reductive Reduction Dechlorination potential. The results of MetaArray™ will be used to further optimize the site’s post remediation monitoring program for monitored natural attenuation.
Presented by The Global Peatlands Assessment: Mapping, Policy, and Action at GLF Peatlands 2024 - The Global Peatlands Assessment: Mapping, Policy, and Action
Climate Change All over the World .pptxsairaanwer024
Climate change refers to significant and lasting changes in the average weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It encompasses both global warming driven by human emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. While climate change is a natural phenomenon, human activities, particularly since the Industrial Revolution, have accelerated its pace and intensity
Microbial characterisation and identification, and potability of River Kuywa ...Open Access Research Paper
Water contamination is one of the major causes of water borne diseases worldwide. In Kenya, approximately 43% of people lack access to potable water due to human contamination. River Kuywa water is currently experiencing contamination due to human activities. Its water is widely used for domestic, agricultural, industrial and recreational purposes. This study aimed at characterizing bacteria and fungi in river Kuywa water. Water samples were randomly collected from four sites of the river: site A (Matisi), site B (Ngwelo), site C (Nzoia water pump) and site D (Chalicha), during the dry season (January-March 2018) and wet season (April-July 2018) and were transported to Maseno University Microbiology and plant pathology laboratory for analysis. The characterization and identification of bacteria and fungi were carried out using standard microbiological techniques. Nine bacterial genera and three fungi were identified from Kuywa river water. Clostridium spp., Staphylococcus spp., Enterobacter spp., Streptococcus spp., E. coli, Klebsiella spp., Shigella spp., Proteus spp. and Salmonella spp. Fungi were Fusarium oxysporum, Aspergillus flavus complex and Penicillium species. Wet season recorded highest bacterial and fungal counts (6.61-7.66 and 3.83-6.75cfu/ml) respectively. The results indicated that the river Kuywa water is polluted and therefore unsafe for human consumption before treatment. It is therefore recommended that the communities to ensure that they boil water especially for drinking.
Epcon is One of the World's leading Manufacturing Companies.EpconLP
Epcon is One of the World's leading Manufacturing Companies. With over 4000 installations worldwide, EPCON has been pioneering new techniques since 1977 that have become industry standards now. Founded in 1977, Epcon has grown from a one-man operation to a global leader in developing and manufacturing innovative air pollution control technology and industrial heating equipment.
Epcon is One of the World's leading Manufacturing Companies.
Squaring the circle? Some thoughts on the idea of sustainable development
1. COMMENTARY
Squaring the circle? Some thoughts on the idea of
sustainable development
John Robinsona,b,*
a
Sustainable Development Research Initiative (SDRI) in the Institute of Environment, Resources and Sustainability,
University of British Columbia, 219-1924 West Mall, Vancouver, Canada V6T 1Z2
b
Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, 219-1924 West Mall, Vancouver, Canada V6T 1Z2
Received 30 May 2002; received in revised form 23 March 2003; accepted 30 October 2003
Abstract
The paper reviews how the concept of sustainable development has played out in industrialized countries since 1987. It
examines the theory and practice of sustainable development in the context of three criticisms (it is vague, attracts hypocrites
and fosters delusions), and argues for an approach to sustainability that is integrative, is action-oriented, goes beyond technical
fixes, incorporates a recognition of the social construction of sustainable development, and engages local communities in new
ways. The paper concludes with a description of an approach to sustainability that attempts to incorporate these characteristics.
D 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Sustainable development; Sustainability; History of ideas; Community applications
In the foregoing story I have striven to narrate the
process involved in a defeat. I thought, first, of
the Bishop of Canterbury who proposed to
demonstrate the existence of God; then, of the
alchemists who sought the philosopher’s stone;
next, of the vain trisectors of the angle and
squarers of the circle.
Jorge Luis Borges: Averroe¨s’ Search
1. Introduction
There are three classical problems in Greek math-
ematics that were extremely influential in the devel-
opment of geometry. One of them is the problem of
squaring the circle: how to construct geometrically a
square equal in area to a given circle. The problem
was famous enough in ancient Greece that Aristo-
phanes devotes an anecdote to it in the late fifth
century BC, from which, apparently the popular term
‘‘circle-squarer’’ was derived, meaning one who
attempts the impossible. The problem went on to
bedevil mathematicians for over 2000 years until
Lindeman proved that the circle cannot be squared
in a ‘‘planar’’ fashion (i.e. with compass and ruler). In
the meantime, however, and indeed since, the math-
ematical world has been flooded by attempts to solve
the problem.
I introduce this story in order to make a simple
analogy. The term ‘‘sustainable development’’ has
been seen by some as amounting essentially to a
contradiction in terms, between the opposing imper-
atives of growth and development, on the one hand,
0921-8009/$ - see front matter D 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2003.10.017
* Tel.: +1-604-822-9188; fax: +1-604-822-9191.
E-mail address: johnr@sdri.ubc.ca (J. Robinson).
www.elsevier.com/locate/ecolecon
Ecological Economics 48 (2004) 369–384
2. and ecological (and perhaps social and economic)
sustainability on the other. These critics might indeed
be said to believe that trying to achieve sustainable
development amounts to trying to square the circle, in
the sense of trying to achieve the impossible.
Moreover, the analogy cuts a bit deeper than that.
At the heart of the problem of squaring the circle is
the attempt to reconcile two incommensurable areas,
which cannot be expressed in terms of each other,
using the algebraic equivalent of a ruler and com-
pass. As I will argue below, a similar problem of
incommensurability lies at the root of some of the
most serious criticisms of the concept of sustainable
development.
This paper represents an attempt to grapple with
the concept of sustainable development. It will briefly
touch on the history of the concept, and the record to
date of attempts to implement it. Some lessons will be
derived from this historical review and one attempt to
apply those lessons will be described, with a few
pointers at the end about the arduous process of
squaring the circle in this field. The focus throughout
will be on sustainable development as it has been
written about in industrialized countries.1
It is hoped,
however, that some of the analysis or conclusions may
have a broader applicability.
2. Sustainable development or sustainability?
Given the large array of concerns that have been
expressed about the concept of sustainable develop-
ment, it is perhaps not surprising that some have
found it desirable to develop alternative terminology
to express some of the same concerns about the
linkage between environmental and social issues. In
particular, while government and private sector organ-
izations have tended to adopt the term sustainable
development, academic and NGO sources have been
more prone to use the term sustainability in similar
contexts.
In part this reflects the more managerial and incre-
mental approach used in the Brundtland report which
first popularized the concept of sustainable develop-
ment. Such an approach almost by definition is more
attractive to government and business than a more
radical one. However, a more fundamental reason for
this tendency to divide on terminological grounds is
due to a concern, on the part of NGO and academic
environmentalists, that development is seen as synon-
ymous with growth, and therefore that sustainable
development means ameliorating, but not challenging,
continued economic growth. On this view, the pre-
ferred term ‘sustainability’ focuses attention where it
should be placed, on the ability of humans to continue
to live within environmental constraints.
I will return to this underlying issue below. But for
the moment I will continue to use the term sustainable
development, since that is the language in terms of
which much of the debate has been framed. Moreover,
it carries within it the dynamic tension between
poverty and environmental concern that is the most
radical message of the Brundtland Commission.
3. Sustainable development: brief history of an
idea
It may be useful to recall that the concept of
sustainable development emerged out of particular
historical context.2
Along with the concept of a
sustainable society (Brown, 1981), the concept of
sustainable development emerged in the early and
mid 1980s (Clark and Munn, 1986; IUCN/UNEP/
WWF/FAO/UNESCO, 1980; World Commission on
Environment and Development, 1987) as an attempt
to bridge the gap between environmental concerns
about the increasingly evident ecological consequen-
ces of human activities and socio-political concerns
about human development issues. In that sense sus-
tainable development was a logical extension of argu-
2
For an earlier discussion of that history, which contrasts the
sustainable development and climate change discourses, see Cohen
et al. (1998). For more conceptual analyses of sustainable
development, see Pezzoli (1997); Mebratu (1998).
1
This paper will not engage with the literature that discusses
third world perspectives on sustainability and environmentalism.
For a recent overview, see Guha and Martinez-Alier (1997).
However, the arguments presented here are consistent with the view
that sustainable development approaches should move beyond a
technocratic, nature-centered view and explicitly address issues of
power, the distribution of wealth, and the locally grounded
experience of natural and human-made processes of production.
J. Robinson / Ecological Economics 48 (2004) 369–384370
3. ments within the environmental literature of the
1960s, 1970s and early 1980s.
In turn those arguments had injected a new set of
concerns into an environmental literature that since the
late 19th century had been strongly focussed on ques-
tions about whether and how to preserve or conserve
natural areas. On the one hand were those who favored
the preservation of natural areas in what was perceived
to be a pristine (i.e. undeveloped) form. This ‘preser-
vationist’ position was often expressed in explicitly
romantic or spiritual terms and had its intellectual roots
in American transcendentalism and European Roman-
ticism. The alternative ‘conservationist’ position also
favored the protection of natural areas, but this pro-
tection was essentially a form of enlightened self-
interest, conserving land and resources for later human
use, including resource extraction and what today we
would call eco-tourism. This position was often,
though not always, explicitly rooted in a utilitarian
and social philosophy that had as its goal the greatest
good for the greatest number, and promoted access to
the wonders of nature for all (Nash, 1982).
From the point of view of this paper, the importance
of this difference is that the spectrum between a
utilitarian and a more spiritual approach to environ-
mental concern remains as contested terrain in the
sustainability literature and environmental movement.
As we will see, one’s interpretation of the meaning and
significance of the concept of sustainable development
is conditioned by one’s position on this spectrum.
While the conservation/preservation debate played
out largely in the areas of wilderness preservation,
renewable resource extraction and natural area man-
agement, a different set of concerns achieved promi-
nence in the second half of the 20th century.3
These
concerns centered around the issues of pollution, non-
renewable resource depletion, and population growth
(Boulding, 1966; Carson, 1962; Ehrlich, 1968; Har-
din, 1968; Meadows et al., 1972).
Interestingly enough, this set of issues was also the
locus of a debate not dissimilar to that between the
preservationists and conservationists. This was nicely
illustrated in the argument between Paul Ehrlich and
Barry Commoner in the early 1970s, which took the
form of a disagreement over which were the most
important causes of environmental degradation. To
Ehrlich, the key problems were human overpopulation
and overconsumption, problems that required funda-
mental changes in underlying individual beliefs and
behaviors, while Commoner argued that the key term
in determining impact was often technology, suggest-
ing a rather different focus for finding solutions (see
Commoner, 1991; Ehrlich and Ehrlich, 1991).4
The debate between Commoner and Ehrlich initi-
ated a discussion about the relative importance of
technology and individual human responsibility that
has been an abiding theme in the population/resources/
pollution literature since the early 1970s. While it is by
no means identical to the utilitarian/spiritual divide in
the wilderness/renewable resource literature, there are
intriguing similarities between the two disagreements.
In each case one side focuses more on questions
related to values and fundamental changes in individ-
ual attitudes towards nature (the sustainability argu-
ment) while the other side takes what they believe to
be a more pragmatic and collective approach, oriented
towards efficiency gains and improvements in tech-
nology (i.e. sustainable development). Both sides of
these divides often band together in marriages of
convenience against what are seen as explicitly anti-
environmental arguments, but the well-springs of their
concern, and their ultimate goals, are rather different.
One way to summarize these connections is shown
in Table 1, which groups the various positions dis-
cussed here into two columns: technical fix and value
change. Table 1 also suggests a linkage between
preferred use of either the term ‘‘sustainable develop-
ment’’ or ‘‘sustainability’’, and the two columns in the
table.
The divisions shown in Table 1 are meant to be
suggestive, not definitive. They have something in
common with earlier typologies, particularly those
derived from O’Riordan’s (1981) distinction between
ecocentric and technocentric approaches (cf. Pepper,
1996) though the focus here is more on the nature of
3
As Hays (1987) has pointed out, these concerns had their
roots in debates over local environmental quality in the fields of
waste management and urban improvement. Such issues found a
new form of expression in the pollution and resource depletion
debates of the 1960s.
4
The debate was expressed in terms of the famous IPAT
equation, developed by Ehrlich and Holdren (1971). For a more
extensive and nuanced discussion of the IPAT discussions, see Dietz
and Rosa (1994).
J. Robinson / Ecological Economics 48 (2004) 369–384 371
4. the proposed response than the value positions (an-
thropocentric vs. biocentric) involved.
It is in this context that the concept of sustainable
development was articulated. And it too had diverse
roots. While concepts such as maximum sustained
yield had been common in the resource extraction
literature for some time, a broader and more socially
oriented concept of sustainability had been introduced
by Brown (1981) to convey the need to look beyond
short-term environmental consequences and face up to
the institutional changes required to create a society
that would be able to stay indefinitely within envi-
ronmental limits. This approach also characterized the
World Conservation Strategy (IUCN/UNEP/WWF/
FAO/UNESCO, 1980), which concentrated on the
ecological conditions that must be met if those limits
were not to be surpassed.5
However, the work of the UN Commission on
Environment and Development (the Brundtland Com-
mission) led in a rather different direction, focused
more on socio-political and distributional issues and
also less inclined to argue for drastic changes in
behavior and priorities. In keeping with its mandate
to look at both environment and development issues,
the Commission focussed a good deal of attention
on social and economic conditions in developing
countries, and their connection to environmental
degradation.
The result was a report that was a curious combi-
nation of radical and reformist elements (World Com-
mission on Environment and Development, 1987).
The radical aspect emerged from the explicit linkage
made between environment and development issues.
The report argued that the problems addressed by
these two sets of issues are entwined to the point that
ecological sustainability cannot be achieved if the
problem of poverty is not successfully addressed
around the world. The radical implications of trying
to act on this suggestion can hardly be over-stated.
Essentially the Brundtland report argued for integrat-
ing the vast and complex issue of environmental
deterioration with the equally vast and complex issue
of human development and poverty, and suggested
that both had to be resolved simultaneously and in a
mutually reinforcing way.
The reformist element had to do with the strongly
human-centered nature of the Brundtland report,
which led to the suggestion that the solution to both
over- and under-consumption, and thus the answer to
environmental concerns, lay in promoting more, not
less, human development, albeit development that was
sensitive to environmental concerns. In a formulation
that was to become notorious, the Brundtland Com-
mission called for a ‘‘5–10-fold’’ increase in gross
world industrial activity over the next century to meet
the needs of the poor.
Of course these two aspects of the Brundtland
report are closely linked. If under-development is
threatening the global environment and human wel-
fare, then more development is clearly required. If,
however, as Brundtland also argued, over-develop-
ment is an equal threat, then more of the same kind of
development is just as clearly not the answer. The
answer, therefore, must lie in a new form of ‘sustain-
able’ development, defined as development which
5
In fact the trajectory of the World Conservation Strategy
argument represents a particularly interesting case. In its 1981
version the WCS was almost entirely focused on ecological issues,
though its three basic principles (sustainable resource use,
maintenance of biotic diversity, and preservation of life support
systems) did cut across the crude divide I have constructed here
between wilderness and renewable resource harvesting issues, on
the one hand, and pollution, population and non-renewable resource
extraction, on the other. By the time the second WCS was published
in 1991 (IUCN/UNEP/WWF, 1991), the focus had shifted
significantly toward organizations and institutional questions, or
the human dimensions of the problem. The Brundtland report was
published in between these two WCS reports. In a similar way, the
International Geosphere–Biosphere Program of the International
Council of Scientific Unions was established in 1984, while the
Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change Program was
first proposed in 1988 at a meeting sponsored by the International
Federation of Institutes of Advanced Study, the UN University and
UNESCO. In all of these cases, the first impulse was derived from,
and based on, the natural sciences, while the subsequent
development broadened both the institutional and substantive focus
to incorporate a more problem-drive, human-centered approach.
Table 1
Forms of environmentalist response
Technical fix Value change
Natural area
management
Conservation
(utilitarian)
Preservation
(romantic)
Pollution and
resources
Technology
(collective policies)
Lifestyles
(individual values)
Preferred
language
Sustainable
development
Sustainability
J. Robinson / Ecological Economics 48 (2004) 369–384372
5. ‘‘meets the needs of current generations without
compromising the ability of future generation to meet
their own needs’’ (World Commission on Environ-
ment and Development, 1987, p. 23).
The interesting thing about this dichotomy between
the reformist and radical impulses in the Brundtland
report is that both of these impulses exist on the
‘pragmatic’ side of the technology/individual respon-
sibility axis described above. As suggested in Table 1,
there is no emphasis on spiritual values, or individual
responsibility in the Brundtland report. Rather the
focus is on collective institutional responses, efficien-
cy gains, and social responsibility. Like the conserva-
tionists, Brundtland embodies an anthropocentric
approach focussing on human needs. And like the
‘‘Commoner’’ side of the Ehrlich–Commoner debate,
the Brundtland report calls for great improvements in
technology and efficiency. As a result, as suggested in
Table 1, both the reformist and the radical sides of the
Brundtland arguments embody this pragmatic collec-
tivist approach, which is quite different than the much
more individualistic and personal ‘sustainability’ ap-
proach typical, for example, of much North American
environmentalism.6
It is this particularly complex intellectual history
that underlies the reactions to the concept of sustain-
able development since 1987. We turn now to the
criticisms that have been mounted against the concept.
4. Concerns and criticisms
From the beginning of the emergence into promi-
nence of the term sustainable development, skepticism
was expressed by many in the environmental com-
munity. Much of the criticism centered on the argu-
ment presented in the Brundtland report that global
economic product would have to increase 5–10-fold
in order for sustainable development to be achieved.
This was greeted with cries of incredulity and horror
by an environmental movement weaned on Kenneth
Boulding’s and Herman Daly’s arguments about the
need for a steady-state economy (Boulding, 1966;
Daly, 1973, 1980), for a more recent statement, see
Daly and Cobb (1994). Another basis of concern to
environmentalists and researchers who had been in-
volved in extensive arguments and confrontations
with government and industry was the alacrity with
which the rhetoric of sustainable development was
picked up by government and industry and used in
ways that seemed to many to move in the opposite
direction. A particular concern here was the way in
which the ‘‘development’’ side of the sustainable
development argument was being equated with eco-
nomic growth.
In 1991, as opinion polls from around the world
were reporting an unprecedented level of public
concern for the environment, and as preparations for
the Earth Summit in 1992 were gathering steam, a
critique of the concept of sustainable development
was published in a NGO publication, Probe Post
(Gibson, 1991). In that article Gibson noted three
bases of concern about the concept: it was vague; it
would attract hypocrites and it was likely to foster
delusions. Twelve years later, it may be useful to
return to those three concerns, and see how the issues
expressed in that typology have played out since that
time. In each case, I will begin with a brief discussion
of the nature of each concern, and then try to evaluate
how that concern relates to more recent developments.
4.1. Vagueness: what is sustainable development?
One of the most striking characteristics of the term
sustainable development is that it means so many
different things to so many different people and
organizations. The literature is rife with different
attempts to define the term (see Mebratu, 1998;
Pezzoli, 1997 for overviews) and debates have erup-
ted between those who prefer the three pillars ap-
proach (emphasizing the social, ecological and
economic dimensions of sustainable development),
or a more dualistic typology (emphasizing the rela-
tionship between humanity and nature), or others (see
discussion in Gibson, 2002).
Given these difficulties, it is perhaps not surprising
that different conceptions of the meaning of sustain-
able development and sustainability tend rather to
reflect the political and philosophical position of those
6
It is interesting to speculate whether these factors of focus and
scale help to explain the much more receptive response in parts of
Europe to Agenda 21, a classically Brundtlandesque program, than
is typical in North America. In terms of its rhetoric at least, Western
European environmentalism seems much more collectivist than in
North America.
J. Robinson / Ecological Economics 48 (2004) 369–384 373
6. proposing the definition more than any unambiguous
scientific view (Mebratu, 1998).
All this being said, however, it remains to ask
whether this lack of definitional precision is a serious
problem. Certainly it can add confusion to the polit-
ical and academic debates around the term, and indeed
contribute to the other problems discussed below. Yet
it is worth pointing out that there can be some
advantages to leaving it somewhat open just exactly
what is meant by the term sustainable development.
Diplomats are familiar with the need to leave key
terms undefined in negotiation processes and in much
the same way the term sustainable development may
profit from what might be called constructive ambi-
guity. Certainly the plethora of competing definitions
in the literature suggests that any attempt to define the
concept precisely, even if it were possible, would have
the effect of excluding those whose views were not
expressed in that definition.
Arguably, it makes sense for definitions, perhaps
many of them, to emerge from attempts at implement-
ing sustainable development, rather than having def-
initional rigor imposed from the outset. While intel-
lectually frustrating from the point of view of science,
this may be the appropriate approach in the messy
world of the politics and policies of sustainable
development. In other words, the lack of definitional
precision of the term sustainable development may
represent an important political opportunity.
4.2. Hypocrisy: fake greenery
A related but perhaps more serious issue has to do
with the way sustainable development language is
being used to promote what may be unsustainable
activities. The basic concern here has to do with what
might be called cosmetic environmentalism on the part
of both government and business, prompted by the rise
of public concern over environmental and social issues.
Of course the problem of cosmetic environmental-
ism is made possible in part by the vagueness dis-
cussed above, which permits many different claims of
sustainable practice to be made. Yet it operates at a
somewhat different level. The issue here is not so
much how sustainable development is defined in
principle as how it is measured in practice. The
question is whether such specific measurements
emerge better out of agreement on the principles of
sustainable development or out of a more chaotic
process of learning by doing.
Again, it is instructive to consider this issue in the
light of developments over the last decade. The charge
of hypocrisy or cosmetic environmentalism brings to
the forefront the question of measurement. How can
we evaluate the claim that a particular product is
‘‘green’’, ‘‘environmentally benign’’ or ‘‘socially re-
sponsible’’? What criteria should be used to weigh
such claims? How does one measure and compare,
say, habitat destruction versus greenhouse gas emis-
sions, or either against unfair labor practices in
developing countries?
The past decade has witnessed a virtual explosion in
attempts to grapple with these issues. At the most
aggregate level this has led to a huge literature in
indicators of social and ecological sustainability, and
myriad attempts to apply such indicators in various
jurisdictions. But probably the greatest impact has been
in the area of sustainability standards and certification
for products and services. There has been a substantial
movement from uncertified labeling of individual
products by firms acting alone to the emergence of an
increasingly organized industry for certification and
standard-setting that embraces partnerships between
industry, academia and mainline NGOs. More and
more industries are following in the footsteps of the
chemical and forestry industries in adopting certifica-
tion regimes and actively investing in their develop-
ment, often in partnership with the very organizations
that they have been fighting with for decades.
It is important to recognize that the effects of these
standards are to some degree independent of the
intentions of the industries adopting them. In a per-
haps ironic twist, it turns out that, having been forced
by public pressure to adopt standards of environmen-
tal performance or social responsibility, the private
sector has found that the credibility of those stand-
ards, and thus any competitive advantage they create,
are greatly enhanced by adopting processes of mea-
surement and certification that are transparent, open,
subject to credible expert review, and that involve
NGO participation.
Of course these developments do not by them-
selves guarantee that environmentally or socially
benign practices will be followed. Yet they represent
a remarkable development over quite a short period of
time. It is hard to imagine that any transition to a more
J. Robinson / Ecological Economics 48 (2004) 369–384374
7. sustainable society would be possible without the
progress in labeling, standards and certification that
have been induced by concerns over green hypocrisy.
4.3. Delusions (1): sustainable development as an
oxymoron
The most serious level of concern about the concept
of sustainable development is that it fosters delusions.
Here I want to distinguish between two ways in which
that can be true. The first is the question of whether the
concept of sustainable development makes sense in
principle, even in its present vague form.
To put it in terms of the Brundtland formula, is it
possible to increase world industrial output by 5–10-
fold in a way that is environmentally sustainable? This
is of course a reformulation of the old physical limits
to growth debate. A whole suite of environmental
scientists is on record as suggesting that these limits
are real, and proximate.7
If so, then that would seem
to make nonsense of the view that global industrial
output could expand many-fold.
While in its original formulation the limits to
growth argument had entirely to do with biophysical
limits and the physical scale of human activity, there
also exists a somewhat different version of that
argument that focuses more on what might be called
the social limits to growth. First raised by Hirsch
(1976) in the context of the scarcity of what he called
‘‘positional goods’’, the idea that there may be social,
political and institutional constraints on traditional
forms of economic development also connects to a
long history in literatures critical of the political,
social and distributional impacts of industrialization.
It suggests that we may run up against the social
consequences of the Western model of development
before we reach any ecological limits.
What is common to both the biophysical and social
arguments about constraints on economic growth is
the view that continuation of current trends is ulti-
mately unsustainable. This concern is less easy to
respond to than the concerns over vagueness and
hypocrisy. This is because there exists great uncer-
tainty about the nature and nearness of either ecolog-
ical or social limits to growth and the degree to which
these can be affected by political or social changes
and/or technological change. That being said, there is
an empirical dimension to this question. It is partly a
matter of demonstration whether significant changes
in matter and energy throughput, on the one hand, and
social and political decision making, on the other,
could allow continued economic development without
unsustainable social and ecological impacts.
On the biophysical front, the past decade has
witnessed an explosive growth in concepts such as
eco-efficiency, dematerialization, design for environ-
ment, industrial ecology, and biomimicry, and a much
more limited set of examples in practice (Allenby and
Richards, 1994; Benyus, 1997; Hawken et al., 1999;
von Weizsacker et al., 1997; World Business Council
for Sustainable Development and United Nations
Environment Program, 1998). What these arguments
have in common is a view that, by learning from
highly efficient natural processes, which have evolved
elegant and resource-efficient solutions to producing
life under a wide variety of circumstances over
billions of years, we can design industrial systems
that will use a fraction of the matter and energy
throughput require to produce the same products in
conventional industrial processes. Building on the
second law efficiency analyses of the late 1970s and
early 1980s, there has emerged a wide array of
principles and practices that are intended to reap the
benefits of this efficiency revolution.8
Of course, those who argue strongly for the
existence of biophysical limits, and proponents for
what has been called ‘strong sustainability9
would
7
For an example, see the May, 2000 statement of 61
Academies of Science around the world entitled ‘‘Transition to
Sustainability: The Contribution of Science and Technology’’
(http://interacademies.net/intracad/tokyo2000.nsf/all/home).
8
For a recent discussion of the promise and perils of industrial
ecology arguments, see Robinson and Mendis (in press), and the
other chapters in that volume.
9
The distinction between strong and weak sustainability was
coined by Pearce et al. (1989). Proponents of weak sustainability
argue that all forms of ‘natural capital’ are commensurable with and
can be substituted for by human-made capital, thus the goal should
be to maintain total capital stocks, while advocates of strong
sustainability argue that some natural capital stocks are incommen-
surable and non-substitutable, and thus must be maintained
independently of the growth of other forms of capital. For an
exchange on these issues see the articles by Beckerman, Daly,
Jacobs, Skolimowski and Common in Environmental Values 3–5
(1994–1996).
J. Robinson / Ecological Economics 48 (2004) 369–384 375
8. reply that such gains merely postpone the inevitable
collapse.
Responses have been slower to emerge on the
social side of the limits arguments. However, during
the 1990s, partly in response to successful and well-
publicized opposition to particular corporate activi-
ties such a clear-cutting forests in Western Canada,
disposing of oil rigs, trade in toxic chemicals, or
support for military regimes in developing countries,
there emerged a growing movement focussing on
issues of corporate social responsibility. In a similar
way to industrial ecology and eco-efficiency, corpo-
rate social responsibility, and a general concern with
stakeholder participation in corporate decisionmaking,
has spawned a set of activities, journals, training
seminars and policies in boardrooms around the world.
While it is much too early to say whether this trend will
continue, or have a significant impact on corporate
behavior, the social dimensions of corporate activity
have at least been put on the agenda.
Perhaps the only unambiguous conclusion that can
be reached about biophysical or social limits to
growth is that whether approaches based on eco-
efficiency and corporate social responsibility are suf-
ficient or not, they are necessary steps towards a more
sustainable world. From the point of view of bio-
physical or social limits to growth, the paths to
sustainability and sustainable development do not
immediately diverge.
4.4. Delusions (2): pursuing the wrong agenda
While concerns over the viability of continued
economic growth cut to the heart of debates over
sustainable development, an even more fundamental
problem exists. Does the concept of sustainable de-
velopment distract us from the real problems and
potential solutions by focussing our attention on the
wrong issues? Independent of the partly empirical
question of whether limits are being exceeded, this
concern suggests that the concept of sustainable
development may simply be taking us in the wrong
direction.
This concern takes two forms, depending on whe-
ther one’s concerns are primarily biophysical or social.
Moreover, the problem is tied up with the two under-
lying strains of the environmental argument described
earlier.
From the point of view of biophysical concern, the
key problem is that the sustainable development
position is ultimately a purely anthropocentric one.
As noted earlier, both the more radical and the more
reformist formulations of the sustainable development
position exist on the pragmatic side of the debates in
the environmental literature between those arguing for
fundamental value and behavioral change and those
who focus on the development of technology and on
institutional reform. In the end, these underlying
debates turn on a difference between a primarily
utilitarian focus on human well-being and a more
spiritually-oriented focus on our relation with the
natural world. Like the conservationist and efficien-
cy-oriented strains in the environmental literature, the
rhetoric of sustainable development is about achieving
sustainability for human purposes and ultimately
conveys faith in the ability of humans to solve
environmental and social problems through the appli-
cation of reason.
However, from the point of view of those adopting
a non-anthropocentric or biocentric position on the
appropriate relationship between humanity and nature,
this means that the sustainable development argument
simply misses the point. What is needed, this argu-
ment runs, is a new ethic; a new set of values; and a
new way of relating to the natural world. In the words
of David Suzuki, because we are so dependent on
natural systems, ‘‘we must learn to regard the planet
as sacred’’ (Suzuki and McConnell, 1997).
On the social side, similar concerns exist. The
concern here is that sustainable development is seen
as innately reformist, mostly avoiding questions of
power, exploitation, even redistribution. The need for
more fundamental social and political change is sim-
ply ignored. Instead, critics argue, proponents of
sustainable development offer an incrementalist agen-
da that does not challenge any existing entrenched
powers or privileges. In this sense the mantra of
sustainable development distracts us from the real
social and political changes that are required to
improve human well-being, especially of the poor,
in any significant way. This argument finds current
expression in the anti-globalization movement around
the world (Klein, 2000) which in turn is related to a
larger critique of the political and economic character-
istics of modern Western culture (Margalit and Bur-
uma, 2002).
J. Robinson / Ecological Economics 48 (2004) 369–384376
9. So even if sustainable development were not a
contradiction in terms, even if significant growth in
economic activity were possible without running up
against ecological or socio-political limits, this per-
spective suggests that this would not be desirable
since it would be at the expense of the kind of
relationship with nature, and other people, that we
need to create a truly sustainable society.10
Sustain-
able development, on this view, is a classic case of a
technological fix, which will perpetuate the underly-
ing disease by treating only the symptoms.
This is perhaps the most fundamental critique of
the concept of sustainable development and it is the
one least susceptible to resolution. It calls into ques-
tion the whole trajectory of industrial society and
poses the question of whether an entirely different
path could be taken. At this point, this critique often
joins hands with an essentially romantic sensibility
that conceives of Nature as a moral and spiritual force,
and posits an alternative biocentric ethic, and accom-
panying radical shift in attitudes, individual behavior
and politics, or else with a radical social argument,
that critiques the current neoliberal economic order
and proposes an alternative political economy. In
terms of the language of Table 1, this amounts to
critiquing the concept of sustainable development
from the viewpoint of sustainability.
If we look at developments over the past decade
with regard to this issue, it is hard to see any clear
pattern. In the academic world, there has been further
development and refinement of, and even some com-
munication between, such fields as deep ecology,
social ecology, ecofeminism, green politics, and
non-anthropocentric environmental ethics. New
strains of thought have merged on issues such as
anti-globalization, complex adaptive systems analysis
or business and sustainability. However, no clear
overall position or argument seems to have emerged
from these developments.
With regard to action in the world, the picture is
equally unclear. On the one hand, progress has been
slow in achieving sustainable development goals. And
the upsurge of political support for environmental
causes characteristic of the early 1990s seems to have
subsided. Certainly the general intellectual climate in
industrialized countries has become more supportive
of business and hostile to government intervention
over this period. Economic globalization proceeds
apace, and governments seem ever less able or willing
to take strong positions on environmental or social
issues.
On the other hand, evidence of growing unhappi-
ness with the mantra of conventional development is
also prevalent. As mentioned above, the anti-global-
ization movement, represents a visible form of resis-
tance to ‘‘business as usual’’ politics and economic
decision-making, which may signal a shift in the
debate from a focus on explicitly environmental or
even social causes to a more generalized critique of
some of the characteristics of modern industrialized
society (Klein, 2000). And there is an upsurge of
sustainable development activities on the parts of
business, NGOs and local governments in some parts
of the world.
Perhaps all that can be said is that while there is
evidence of new conceptual and practical develop-
ments in the area of sustainable development, it is not
clear whether such developments can become signif-
icant enough to challenge the powerful contrary trends
in indicators such as energy use, emissions, land
appropriation, poverty, militarism and breakdown in
governance systems. The question of whether a more
fundamental transformation in underlying values and
attitudes is required to create such substantial change
remains an open one.
5. The lessons
So where does this leave us? Are sustainable
development, or sustainability, hopelessly confused,
or fatally compromised, concepts, or do they offer
some hope of helping us navigate the stormy seas of
unsustainable social and environmental practices? As
a step towards answering this question, what follows
is an attempt to draw out some of the specific lessons
of preceding sections of this paper. A basic principle
10
Note, however, that the biophysical and socio-political
arguments outlined in this section of the paper are not themselves
always happy bedfellows. The tension between the more socially
minded and more biophysically-oriented activist arguments has
been remarked upon by many writers since the 1980s. See, for
example Redclift (1987). It also is the primary basis of an earlier
debate between the deep ecologists and social ecologists (see
Bookchin, 1991; Eckersley, 1988; Tokar, 1988).
J. Robinson / Ecological Economics 48 (2004) 369–384 377
10. adopted here is that the issues on both sides of Table 1
need to be included. This suggests a shift from the
language of sustainable development to a more inclu-
sive language that includes the issues on the right-
hand side of the figure. To that end, this paper will use
the term sustainability to describe this broader ap-
proach. This is also consistent with a growing shift
even in government and private sector publications
towards the use of the term sustainability. However,
this should be understood to be an inclusive use of the
term sustainability, which includes the issues on both
sides of that table.
5.1. Sustainability must be an integrative concept,
across fields, sectors and scales
If sustainability is to mean anything, it must act as
an integrating concept. In particular, it is clear that the
social dimensions of sustainability must be integrated
with the biophysical dimensions. This is the central
message of the Brundtland report and it is no less
compelling now than in 1987. Developments over the
intervening period have made it clear just how diffi-
cult this will be. But it is also increasingly obvious
that solutions that address only environmental, only
social or only economic concerns are radically insuf-
ficient. What is needed is a form of transdisciplinary
thinking that focuses on the connections among fields
as much as on the contents of those fields; that
involves the development of new concepts, methods
and tools that are integrative and synthetic, not disci-
plinary and analytic; and that actively creates synergy,
not just summation.
In addition to integrating across fields, sustainabil-
ity must also be integrated across sectors or interests.
It is clear that governments alone have neither the will
nor the capability to accomplish sustainability on their
own. The private sector, as the chief engine of
economic activity on the planet, and a major source
of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship, must
be involved in trying to achieve sustainability. And
their activities must also be supplemented by the
monitoring, questioning and alternative service deliv-
ery roles of an active NGO sector.
Yet the combination of government and business
is insufficient. Without at least the tacit support of
civil society, even government, industry and the NGO
sector acting together cannot get us there. Without
a political constituency for change, a market for
different products and consumption patterns, and so-
cial acceptance of both the public policy and the pri-
vate sector actions needed to accomplish these goals,
no fundamental changes in behavior or practice are
possible.
And this broad partnership must also involve the
active participation of the research and teaching
community. In virtually every area of sustainability,
more research, and better-trained citizens, are needed.
While not every researcher and teacher can or should
be focussed on these issues, there is a need for the
academy to focus its attention more strongly on
developing the knowledge, tools and training required
to address the challenge of sustainability.11
A final dimension of integration has to do with the
various scales of analysis and action. Clearly the very
concept of sustainability is predicated on a need to
think across temporal scales. And both the social and
ecological dimensions of the term bring to the fore the
need for spatial integration. The disciplinary division
of knowledge in the university system means that
many cross-scalar issues get lost in the ‘white spaces’
between disciplines. The concept of sustainability
may have a role in helping to bridge some of those
gaps.
5.2. Beyond concepts to action
While there will continue to be need for concep-
tual, theoretical and methodological development re-
lated to sustainability, the fundamental nature of the
divisions illustrated in Table 1 means that there will
not develop a single coherent conceptual approach to
sustainability. Nor, as suggested above, is such an
approach necessary. Instead what are needed are new
forms of social learning (Robinson, 2003), which
allow sustainability approaches to be hammered out
in diverse socio-political and environmental circum-
stances. While conceptual refinement will always
occur, the acid test will be the way things play out
11
I have argued elsewhere that the need for new forms of
interdisciplinarity and partnership with the community require some
major changes in institutional organization at the university, having
to do, for example with relations with the outside community and
also with internal reward systems. See http://www.oldadm.ubc.ca/
apac/memo.htm.
J. Robinson / Ecological Economics 48 (2004) 369–384378
11. in the streets. There is an inevitably experimental, and
experiential, nature to sustainability.
5.3. Technical fixes are necessary but not sufficient
Given the extent of environmental deterioration
and human misery around the world, we should
actively pursue improvements in the efficiency and
social and environmental impacts of delivering goods
and services (i.e. focus on the issues raised by the left-
hand side of Table 1). If the optimists are right, we can
reduce by up to an order of magnitude the negative
impacts of achieving a particular level of material
well-being. That offers the potential, at the margin, of
increasing material well-being without increasing neg-
ative environmental impacts. Moreover, designing
human systems to be more in accord with ecological
principles is consistent with the development of an
environmental ethic of the kind called for by many
environmentalists. In fact, the more serious the prob-
lems of unsustainability, the more we need to reduce
negative environmental impacts per unit of economic
activity.
However, even if the more optimistic views of the
potential for approaches like industrial ecology, de-
materialization, eco-efficiency, biomimicry and others
turn out to be correct, these approaches will not
themselves represent a sufficient response to the
challenge of sustainability, even in the short-term.
This is because achieving reductions in the environ-
mental impacts of economic activity does not neces-
sarily translate into improvements in the quality of life
for all. It is easy to imagine cases where the gains
from such approaches are appropriated disproportion-
ately by those who already are well-off, leaving those
at the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid as badly,
or worse, off as before. Evidence for the likelihood of
such outcomes can be seen in the ‘‘enclave econo-
mies’’ and affluent gated communities of today.
And or course, deferring the arrival of limits does
not make those limits non-existent. For both of these
reasons, if sustainability is to contribute to a better life
for all, then it will be necessary to go beyond technical
fixes and begin to address profound issues of oppor-
tunity, distribution, material needs, consumption and
empowerment. These questions, in turn raise impor-
tant issues of social and political organization and
governance. These issues are likely to be much more
intractable than those related to achieving improve-
ments in eco-efficiency.
5.4. The social constructions of sustainability
We have seen that differences in views about the
meaning and value of sustainability are rooted partly
in different philosophical and moral conceptions of
the appropriate way to conceive of the relationship
between humanity and nature. This means that what
can and should be done to achieve a sustainable
society is not fundamentally a scientific or technical
issue. And this in turn has important implications for
the way we conceive of the role of science, and indeed
expertize in general, in addressing these dilemmas.
In this way, the sustainability debate connects to a
larger set of issues about science and knowledge in
modern society. In common with virtually every
discipline in the social sciences and humanities,
debates over sustainability span a spectrum between
an empirically based view of science as, in the main,
telling us true things about the real world, and a more
skeptical, and relativistic perspective that argues that
scientific understanding is, to some degree at least,
socially constructed.12
Without engaging with this general debate here, I
want to suggest that the tension between these two
views must be addressed in any attempt to develop a
viable sustainability strategy. In this connection, the
distinction made by Newby (1993), between a more
science-based and a more problem-based approach to
sustainability may be a useful way to conceive of this
issue. As argued elsewhere (Cohen et al., 1998),
sustainability, unlike, say, climate change, is an inher-
ently problem-driven rather than scientific, concept.
Of course, good scientific analysis is crucial to
addressing the problems of unsustainability. We need
to tap our best current understanding of how complex
ecological, social and economic systems interact, and
what the likely implications of various forms of action
are. However, in the end, sustainability is ultimately
an issue of human behavior, and negotiation over
12
For a general discussion of the emergence of this debate in
Western culture, see Tarnas (1991). For an extended discussion of
the distinction between a ‘descriptive’ and an ‘interpretive’
approach to social science and how that relates to climate change
issues, see Jasanoff and Wynne (1998);Rayner and Malone (1988).
J. Robinson / Ecological Economics 48 (2004) 369–384 379
12. preferred futures, under conditions of deep contingen-
cy and uncertainty. It is an inherently normative
concept, rooted in real world problems and very
different sets of values and moral judgements. And
science itself is not entirely neutral with respect to
some of these issues. Three conclusions follow. First,
scientific analysis can inform, but not resolve the
basic questions posed by the concept of sustainability.
Second, scientific analysis itself embeds important
value judgements and social commitments that them-
selves must be open for examination and discussion.
Finally, other forms of knowledge (e.g. traditional
environmental knowledge, various forms of lay under-
standings of risk) have important things to contribute
to the sustainability discussion.
5.5. Engaging the community
A particular aspect of the human dimensions of
sustainability that deserves special mention is the need
to develop methods of deliberation and decision
making that actively engage the relevant interests
and communities in thinking through and deciding
upon the kind of future they want to try and create. We
have seen that there is a wide diversity of viewpoints
as to what sustainability is and entails. And I have
argued that there is constructive ambiguity in keeping
open some of these issues. The other side of that coin
is that there is a need to develop processes that make
use of that constructiveness, that allow diversity to be
expressed without creating paralysis.
This is particularly the case where there exist
fundamentally different views about questions of value
and meaning. We have seen that underlying many of
the debates in the sustainability field are a serious of
deep-lying questions about the purpose and meaning of
human life and it relationship to the natural world.
These are profoundly moral and political issues, which
require thoughtful deliberation and collective resolu-
tion. And on those issues, the principles of democracy
imply that every citizen has equal expertise.
The most fundamental political question that is
raised by the debates in the sustainability field is
how serious the problems are. Are problems of
ecological or socio-economic unsustainability minor
bumps on the road to a better future for all, or are
they evidence of the need for fundamental transfor-
mation in society? Is the goal reform or revolu-
tion?13
This question can only meaningfully be
answered I think as part of a incremental process of
collective decision making that is based on, but not
determined by, expert knowledge; that is open to
multiple perspective but not paralyzed by them; that
allows for, and reinforces, social learning and changes
in views over time; and that is provisional but concrete.
Achieving the forms of social engagement implied
by these reflections raises a whole host of difficult
methodological and conceptual issues, including
questions related to where and how to combine lay
and expert forms of understanding, the relative roles
of researchers and community participants, and the
distinction between research and advocacy (Robinson
and Tansey, 2002). These are issues we need to come
to grips with if we are serious about creating new
partnerships between the academy and the various
communities within which it exists.
6. An application
Over the past 25 years, a number of researchers
have been working on articulating an approach to
sustainability that embodies some of these lessons.
The intellectual trajectory of this approach is repre-
sented by a series of papers and books that outline a
vision of sustainability that is problem-centered, and
that integrates social, economic and environmental
dimensions.14
The methodological trajectory is ex-
pressed in a series of ‘‘soft energy path’’ and ‘‘sus-
tainable society’’ scenario analysis projects that build
on earlier arguments about futures analysis and alter-
native energy paths.15
This work suggests that sustainability may usefully
be thought of in two dimensions. The substantive
13
This is the central question in a fourth year undergraduate
course on the history of environmental thought that Bob Gibson and
I have been teaching, originally together but now separately, for the
past 15 or so years. For one version of that course, see http://
www.sdri.ubc.ca/teaching_learning/formal_course_2001.cfm#3). I
would like to thank many generations of thoughtful students for
their help in thinking through some of these issues.
14
See Robinson et al. (1990); Robinson and Tinker (1997);
Robinson et al. (1996); van Bers and Robinson (1996).
15
The projects are described in Bott et al. (1983); Robinson et
al. (1996); Healey (1999). For the underlying methodological
arguments, see especially Robinson (1982); Robinson (1988);
Robinson (1990); Robinson (1991); Robinson (1992).
J. Robinson / Ecological Economics 48 (2004) 369–384380
13. dimension indicates that sustainability requires the
simultaneous reconciliation of three imperatives.
n The ecological imperative is to stay within the
biophysical carrying capacity of the planet,
n the economic imperative is to provide an adequate
material standard of living of all, and
n the social imperative is to provide systems of
governance that propagate the values that people
want to live by (Robinson and Tinker, 1997).
It is suggested that this might be accomplished by a
twin strategy of dematerialization (reducing matter/
energy throughput per unit of economic activity) and
what we call ‘‘resocialization’’ (increasing human
well-being per unit of economic activity).
An equally important dimension of sustainability is
the procedural one. Here we can argue for the view
that sustainability can usefully be thought of as the
emergent property of a conversation about desired
futures that is informed by some understanding of the
ecological, social and economic consequences of
different courses of action (Robinson, 2003; Robinson
and Tansey, 2002). This view acknowledges the
inherently normative and political nature of sustain-
ability, the need for integration of different perspec-
tives, and the recognition that sustainability is a
process, not an end-state. It must be constructed
through an essentially social process whereby scien-
tific and other ‘expert’ information is combined with
the values, preferences and beliefs of affected com-
munities, to give rise to an emergent, ‘co-produced’
understanding of possibilities and preferred outcomes.
In keeping with these approaches to sustainability,
we have been involved over the past 4 years in a
research project, the Georgia Basin Futures Project,
which is intended to involve residents of the Georgia
Basin region of Canada in thinking through some of
these issues and in exploring the dimensions of
desirable futures for the region (Tansey et al.,
2002). Through the development and use of extreme-
ly user-friendly modeling tools, and working in very
close partnership with 17 private, public and NGO
sector organizations, we are combining expert knowl-
edge, as embedded in the modeling system, with
public values, attitudes, beliefs and preferences in
the generation of new forms of understanding about
what types of future choices, and trade-offs, are
acceptable or unacceptable to different individuals
and groups. We are studying these forms of interac-
tion and trying to reach conclusions about whether
they are a fruitful way to engage communities in
thinking through such questions.16
The approach to sustainability outlined here is only
one of many possible ways to respond to the issues
raised in this paper. However, it does illustrate that it
is possible to combine the lessons described here in
programs of research and community engagement.
7. Sustainability: squaring the circle?
In this paper, I have tried to suggest that the
concept of sustainability is fruitful in two related
ways. First, it provides a focus for a series of concerns
that go to the heart of the interconnected debates over
environmental, social and economic conditions.
These concerns are important and addressing them
directly is a condition for useful progress. The debate
over the concept and practice of sustainability brings
those concerns to the surface in a particularly pointed
way.
Second, I have tried to suggest that it is possible to
conceive of sustainability in a way that is sensitive to
these concerns, and even offers some useful avenues
forward in addressing them. Key to this argument is
the view that sustainability should not be conceived of
as a single concept, or even as a consistent set of
concepts. Rather it is more usefully thought of as
approach or process of community-based thinking that
indicates we need to integrate environmental, social
and economic issues in a long-term perspective, while
remaining open to fundamental differences about the
way that is to be accomplished and even the ultimate
purposes involved.
Such a formulation may seem so open and flexible
that it is vacuous. But I believe it is not. A brief return
to the metaphor with which this paper opened may
help to show why.
I began this paper by suggesting that, as long ago
as ancient Greece, the concept of squaring the circle
was used as a metaphor for an impossible task,
16
A full description of our project, and its various publi-
cations and Working Papers to date, can be found at http://www.
basinfutures.net.
J. Robinson / Ecological Economics 48 (2004) 369–384 381
14. because it involves trying to reconcile two essentially
incommensurable quantities. I think it is fair to say
that the history of the debates over sustainability
illustrates exactly that kind of incommensurability.
On the one hand, there exists a view that says that
the fundamental problems of unsustainability are
technological and economic, that massive improve-
ments in human welfare and environmental conditions
are available through efficiency improvements and
technological change, if we can only unleash the
innovative spirit of the business sector and get our
policies and decisions to move in the direction of
sustainability. On the other hand, there is the view that
sustainable development is at best self-contradictory,
and at worst a false veneer of sustainability on a
deeply unsustainable path towards increased growth,
and undesirable environmental and social impacts,
which can only be avoided through a fundamental
value change at the individual level. Ultimately these
two views, and their myriad variants, are based on
incommensurable views on moral, political and epis-
temological issues.
In the end, the mathematical problem of squaring
the circle was solved by the recognition that, using the
techniques of planar geometry, no solution was pos-
sible. Instead, new tools that transcended these limi-
tations were required.
I would argue that the equivalent development in
the field of sustainability is the recognition that
multiple conflicting views of sustainability exist and
cannot be reconciled in terms of each other. In other
words, no single approach will, or indeed should be,
seen as the correct one. This is not a matter of finding
out what the truth of sustainability is by more sophis-
ticated applications of expert understanding (the com-
pass and ruler). Instead we are inescapably involved
in a world in which there exist multiple conflicting
values, moral positions and belief systems that speak
to the issue of sustainability. While it is crucial to
identify points of empirical disagreement and to
resolve those with better research and analysis, the
ultimate question are not susceptible to empirical
confirmation or disconfirmation. What is needed,
therefore, is a process by which these views can be
expressed and evaluated, ultimately as a political act
for any given community or jurisdiction.
The power of the concept of sustainability, then,
lies precisely in the degree to which it brings to the
surface these contradictions and provides a kind of
discursive playing field in which they can be debated.
This in turn encourages the development of new
modes of public consultation and involvement
intended to allow multiple views to be expressed
and debated. And new developments in information
and communication technology offer the potential of
engaging various communities in exploring alterna-
tive futures in new and exciting ways.
This is not to say that sustainability is the inevi-
table happy outcome of encouraging conversations
among stakeholders, nor is it to ignore deep structural
issues having to do with power, control, material
interest, and access to resources. But it is to suggest
that sustainability is necessarily a political act, not a
scientific concept.
Sustainability, on this view, is not a set of future
conditions of society that will allow us to achieve the
three imperatives listed above, or something like
them. It is not even a process of moving toward some
predetermined view of what that would entail. Instead
sustainability is itself the emergent property of a
conversation about what kind of world we collectively
want to live in now and in the future. The problem of
squaring the sustainability circle will not be resolved
by new research, better science, and teaching people
to understand the true nature of the problems, desir-
able as these may be. Instead, the way forward
involves the development of new forms of partner-
ship, and new tools for creating political dialogue, that
frame the problems as questions of political choice,
given uncertainly and constraints; that renounce the
goal of precise and unambiguous definition and
knowledge; and that involve many more people in
the conversation.
Acknowledgements
An earlier version of this paper was given as the
opening Hammond Lecture at the Faculty of Envi-
ronmental Sciences at the University of Guelph on
October 25, 2001. I would like to acknowledge the
Hammond family and the Faculty of Environmental
Sciences for inviting me to give this lecture. The
paper has also benefited from comments from the
following colleagues: David Brooks, Ann Dale,
Mohan Munasinghe, Dale Rothman, Rob Swart, Jon
J. Robinson / Ecological Economics 48 (2004) 369–384382
15. Tinker, and David Victor, and two anonymous
reviewers whose comments led to a substantial
reformulation of the arguments presented here. My
thanks to them all.
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