Blackboard Reading: The Future Of Sustainability: Re-thinking Environment And Development In The Twenty-First Century,The World Conservation Union

The Future Of Sustainability: Re-thinking Environment & Development In The Twenty-First Century,The World Conservation Union

a. the issue of sustainability in the 21st century
b. meeting the challenge of sustainability 
c. rethinking the “sustainability process”
d. the concept of sustainability became popular in 1969
e. it is possible to industrialize & have economic growth while minimizing environmental damage
f. sustainable development: meets the needs of the present while preserving the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
g. combat 1) environmental degradation that comes with economic growth, 2) create growth to eliminate poverty
h. 1) environmental, 2) social, 3) economic sustainability
i. preservation of the environment > 1) for personal well-being, 2) for the common good
j. the “greening” of business must occur
k. paradox: 1) 21st century is said to be sustainable because a) business, b) government and c) civil society cooperate 
l. evidence that enterprise is 1) less sustainable
m. trade offs can be made: environmental, social, and economic goals
n. strong sustainability: few trade offs, weak sustainability: many tradeoffs
o. economy is emphasized over sustainability
p. the economy is a product of society
q. the environment creates society
r. the biosphere has a limited capacity to absorb pollutants & provide resources & services
s. capacity is close to limits in many places
t. development as usual is often said to be “sustainable.”
u. sustainability is an ethical concept
v. 1970, Club of Rome’s “Limits to Growth,”
w. 1) ecological processes, 2) life support systems, 3) genetic diversity, 4) sustainable utilization of species & ecosystems
1. consumption of living resources as raw material & sinks for waste is high & growing
2. level of poverty is high & inequality is growing
3. degradation of ecosystem services > hurts poor people
4. half of urban pop. in Africa, Asia, Latin America & the Caribbean have diseases associated with inadequate water & sanitation
5. per capita fish consumption declined between ’85 and ’97
6. desertification > affects the livelihoods of millions of people
7. human claim on nature has increased
8. development: 1) economic growth, 2) urbanization, 3) global industrialization
9. the 30 year model of conventional development is unsustainable
10. China: massive increase in consumption of 1) grain, 2) meat, 3) steel, 4) oil, 5) timber
11. the earth is @ a tipping point
12. the model is applauded by the global media as desirable 
13. we can’t consume without limits
14. demand for 1) low fuel prices, 2) high material & energy consumption, 3) ignorance of the social & environmental conditions under which global products are created
15. environmentalist challenges to business are outside of the mainstream 
16. economies are highly integrated now
17. fears of 1) security, 2) cultural change, 3) political threat
18. climate change > sea change & extreme events
19. difficulty of poverty 
20. technology: 1) social, 2) environmental, 3) economic, 4) health consequences. 
21. nuclear fission can change governance 
22. critical natural capital takes a long time to replace
23. numerous hurricanes, tropical storms, earthquakes, flooding, and famine in 2005 and 2006
24. the problem of peak oil
25. “The idea that there is always somewhere to absorb externalities is flawed, and it is a myth of progress that living systems always recover from human demands”
26. biodiversity needs to be preserved
27. pollution of lakes > extinction of species
28. the biosphere is not infinite
29. human wellbeing is not necessarily measured in material goods extracted from nature
30. there is a link between human wellbeing & security
31. a) human health, b) security, c) solidarity must be protected
32. have to meet human needs now & in the future

A New Economy
a. a market is a human institution
b. markets can change the environment
c. markets can exist out of regulatory powers
d. markets can preserve environmental services
e. markets can preserve biological diversity
f. need to transition to a low-carbon economy
g. economy must reflect 1) industrial, 2) economic, 3) and social processes
h. an economy of services instead of objects
i. need less value based on waste
j. engage the 1) imagination, 2) vision, 3) passion, and 4) emotion
k. happiness, freedom, fulfilment, diversity of options vs. jobs, income, wealth, possessions, consumption, power
l. environmental limits, difficult to address politically
m. consumption: positive change or global degradation?
n. environmentalism promising “hell to come” is not the right vision
o. fossil fuel, automobile throw away > 1) reuse, 2) recycle, 3) new energy
p. 1) non-media mass communication, 2) search engines can formulate/disseminate new paradigms
q. 1) businesses, 2) governments, 3) environmental development organizations, 4) civil society groups, 5) religious groups must act
r. taxation of businesses
s. social enterprise can be a vehicle for positive change
t. businesses need 1) governmental regulation, 2) financial incentives
u. citizens: decisions as consumers
v. challenges demand vision & boldness