Sustainability. Hope or Hype?

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2 Sustainability Hope or Hype?

3 What do we mean by the term sustainability?

4 Note, however, that sustainable has come to be used in many contradictory ways sustainable growth sustainable security sustainable deficit sustainable brands sustainable countertops sustainable flooring sustainable insulation sustainable kids sustainable Las Vegas sustainable paint sustainable quarrying sustainable sushi sustainable zipper 65,300,000 hits on Google Does it mean anything? Can it be operationalized?

5 For example, a new age of automobility is upon us: can it be made sustainable? (Or is that the wrong question?)

6 Sustainbility: Analytics & Practice Definitions Operationalization Limits to growth Population Technologism Consumptionism Space & societies Political organization Social practices

7 We live in societies with very complex arrangements, relatively fixed practices, yet undergoing constant & rapid changes: where do we even begin to think about sustainability?

8 Dueling Ontologies & Epistemologies Hopwood, Mellor & O Brien (2005), p. 41

9 Let s look at some attempts to define the term. Sustainable Development is Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two key concepts: the concept of needs, in particular the essential needs of the world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and the future needs. (Brundtland Commission, 1987).

10 Report of the World Summit on Sustainable Development Johannesburg, South Africa, 26 August-4 September 2002 These efforts will also promote the integration of the three components of sustainable development--economic development, social development and environmental Protection--as interdependent and mutually reinforcing pillars. Poverty eradication, changing unsustainable patterns of production and consumption and protecting and managing the natural resource base of economic and social development are overarching objectives of, and essential requirements for, sustainable development.

11 William Clark & Nancy Dickson, in Sustainability Science The challenge of sustainable development is the reconciliation of society s development goals with the planet s environmental limits over the long term [with a] focus on the dynamic interactions between nature and society, with equal attention to how social change shapes the environment and how environmental change shapes society (p. 8059) (William C. Clark & Nancy M. Dickson, Sustainability Science, PNAS 100, #14 (July 8, 2003): , at:

12 John Robinson in: Squaring the Circle Sustainability requires the simultaneous reconciliation of three imperatives: The ecological imperative is to stay within the biophysical carrying capacity of the planet, the economic imperative is to provide an adequate material standard of living to all, and the social imperative is to provide systems of governance that propagate the values that people want to live by. (p. 381) (John Robinson, Squaring the Circle? Some Thoughts on the Idea of Sustainable Development, Ecological Economics 48 (2004):369-84, at:doi: /j.ecolecon )

13 Lutz Newton & Freyfogle: Conservationists need to [craft] an appealing vision of a life in which people prosper on the land while respecting the land s processes, mysteries and beauties land health can serve as the conservationists overall goal. (Julianne Lutz Newton & Eric T. Freyfogle, Sustainability: a Dissent, Conservation Biology 19, #1 (2005): 23 32, at: pp. 24, 30) W. Rees, cited in Ehrenfeld: it might be argued that for ecological sustainability, we must come to feel in our bones that the violation of nature is a violation of self (David Eherenfeld, Sustainability: Living with the Imperfections, Conservation Biology 19, #1 (2005):33 35, at: p. 34) Ehrenfeld: a vibrant, fertile, self-perpetuating community of life that includes people, other life forms, soils, rocks, and waters (id., p. 34; NB: what about air?) Padoch & Sears: What could be more morally correct than working to make certain that the means of production (of, for example, energy, timber, and shoes), technologies of waste management, and uses of natural resources do not result in depletion of the natural resources, degradation of the ecosystems, and contamination of the environment upon which human life our biological, social, and economic well-being depends (Christine Padoch & Robin R. Sears, Conserving Concepts: in Praise of Sustainability, Conservation Biology 19, #1 (2005): 39 41, at: p. 40).

14 To what do we give conceptual priority? Human needs or ecosystem function? And what about arguments that humans both transform and are integral to nature?

15 What kinds of operationalizing concepts do we need to think about sustainability? The tendency is to think in terms of fixed concepts that can be tweaked For example: Limits to growth which imply resource constraints, pollution space, population size But limits may be contingent on other factors, e.g., needs & wants; technological options; social organization; spatial configurations; history & practices People are habit-driven & dislike certain forms of social change That is why price incentives are so attractive: relatively simple to implement, even if politically risky

16 Limits to growth We are consuming natural resources at a prodigious rate (who is we? ) The Earth s resources are limited & will be depleted There are also limits to pollution space Substitution could replace some resources, but not ecosystem services If we do not constrain our consumption, civilization will almost surely crash Constraints can come in various fashions & flavors html

17 People use resources Rich people use too much per person Poor people use too much in aggregate There are too many people World population must be reduced The rich must consume less What does this mean for economic arrangements? How could this be accomplished? Population size

18 Technologism ( technological fix ) Humans are intelligent & ingenious People are a resource for innovation & new practices We often find technical ways to fix social problems we think We can find technological means to address problems & overcome constraints For example, CO 2 sequestration, carbon-based materials, renewable energy sources, etc. Through cradle-to-cradle systems, we can reuse & recycle almost indefinitely

19 Consumptionism Patterns of consumption are the problem Consumption is driven by simulated wants, not needs We have to want less & find satisfaction in other ways This can reduce our ecological footprint This demands a change in the way we think & live

20 Our societies are not organized for sustainability Our living & working patterns are too resource-intensive These must change in terms of configuration & movement We need to change patterns of mobility We need to build & live in more compact spaces We need to sustain landscapes & ecosystem functions

21 Therefore, political organization is the problem Governments survive by economic growth Economic interests hold sway over them Changes in practices will not come by choice States could become authoritarian or Patterns of political decisionmaking must change (ecological democracy, etc.)

22 We have to transform social practices: action, meanings, things, consequences The sustainability problem arises in the context of everyday practices Practices tend to be habitual rather than deliberate or wholly conscious These meet needs, provide services, get us through the day, and are very social How do such practices change? Can we explain or imagine changing practices? What are the drivers of such changes? How does this fit into the sustainability universe?

23 These do not really address question of practice Hopwood, Mellor & O Brien (2005), p. 41

24 What can be said about sustainability as a type of Green Thinking? It is an end rather than a project or set of actions It is teleological in that is envisions an idealized condition of life It often means what the speaker wants it to mean It is therefore a mix of contradictory elements We do better to look for examples of changes in social practices & what combinations of norms, beliefs, practices & effects generate such changes