Deborah J. Shields USDA Forest Service - Research SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: What Does it Mean to the Mining Industry – A Summary of U.S. Activity Deborah J. Shields USDA Forest Service - Research

What is sustainable development ? Sustainable development is: a concept of needs; an idea of limitations; a future oriented paradigm; and a process of change. There is no single definition and no single perspective on SD; between 1979 and 2001, over 300 definitions have been identified. In almost all cases, definitions are based on the three dimensions, or bottom lines, of SD - economic, environmental and social.

economy environment society sustainable development

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IS: development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

Sustainable development is often described in terms of wealth, capital or endowments. The types of capital are: Natural Capital: Traditional natural resources, as well as natural assets that are not easily valued monetarily. Human-Made Capital: physical, produced assets that are easily assigned monetary value and sold in markets. Human Capital : generally refers to the health, well-being, and productivity potential of a society. Social Capital : is related to human well-being, but on a societal rather than individual level.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IS: the process by which societies transform economic, environmental, and social capital and capacities in ways that yield constant or increasing opportunities for satisfying human needs and wants generation after generation.

Progress towards the goal of Sustainable Development can be described in terms of principles, criteria and indicators. We will talk about description part later, at this moment it just should be mentioned Ethical framework : is in an honest care and development for present and future generations their well-being within natural and social limitations.

Indicators of Sustainability Goals Principles Criteria Indicators Verifiers

The overarching, strategic Goal is sustainability. A Principle is a fundamental truth, law or ideal that can be used as the basis of reasoning or action. Criteria describe what it means to be sustainable. They represent aspects of a system. An Indicator is a qualitative or quantitative parameter of a system that can be assessed in relation to the criteria.

Applying the concepts of sustainable development to energy and mineral resources in not an oxymoron.

Energy and Mineral Resources are Integral Components of Economic, Social, and Environmental Systems.

A Comprehensive Set of Criteria and Indicators for Nonrenewable Resources are needed.

The Strategy for Incorporating Nonrenewable Resources in Sustainable Resource Management

I: International Consensus on Principles of Sustainability for Nonrenewable Resources International Fora UN CSD International Study Groups CAMMA MMSD

II: National Scale C&I of Sustainability for Nonrenewable Resources Sustainable Minerals Roundtable Criteria & Indicators First Approximation Report

Need for Parallel Efforts Information Flow Linkage versus Control International Demand and an International Nonrenewable Resources Industry

Sustainable Minerals Roundtable: History In June of 1999, the US Forest Service invited stakeholders from Federal agencies, Tribes, industry, nongovernmental organizations and academia to a meeting in Washington, D.C.

Sustainable Minerals Roundtable: History The purpose of this meeting was to: Provide background information on sustainability; Discuss how to extend the Montreal Process C&I to energy and mineral resources; Assess interest in forming a Roundtable to share information on energy and minerals sustainability.

Sustainable Minerals Roundtable: History Based on feedback from participants at this meeting, the Sustainable Minerals Roundtable was formed.

Sustainable Minerals Roundtable: History Activities to date have included introductions to and reviews of: Sustainability concepts for renewable and nonrenewable resources; Montreal Process; WRI material flow work; Indicator theory; Canadian experience with C&I; Scale issues in indicators; MERN; Mining in Alaska; other related activities.

TIMELINE   1. Legal commitment to publish report on state of the land (USDA, USDOI, USDOE, etc. report) by 2003. 2. Compilation of available data for selected indicators, and assessment of how difficult (privacy, cost) it will be to obtain this information should be generated by 2002. First approximation report. 3. Draft indicator set by end of 2001 (list of indicator names w/ no data).

Sustainable Minerals Roundtable: Vision We envision a future in which the capacities of mineral/material and energy systems meet the demands of current and later generations, while maintaining or enhancing the environmental, social, and economic systems in the U.S. and the world.  

Sustainable Minerals Roundtable: Mission The Mission of the Roundtable is to support the nation’s commitment to sustainable development. The Roundtable will develop indicators of sustainability, based on social, economic, and environmental factors, to provide a means for assessing the status and trends of minerals/materials and energy systems

Guiding Principles Develop indicators that will be suitable nationwide. Operate within a framework of Criteria. Acknowledge and utilize as appropriate, other indicator initiatives. Encourage open, consensus-seeking collaboration by government, Tribal governments, non-governmental organizations, industry, academia, and other stakeholders.

Guiding Principles - cont. Use neutral wording. Avoid selecting or not selecting measures with the intent of predetermining the results. Adopt the definition of sustainable development by the Brundtland Commission: development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Measure the effects on economic, environmental, and social systems.

Guiding Principles - cont. Mineral/material and energy systems contribute to sustainable development by finding, extracting, producing, adding value to, using, re-using and recycling mineral/material and energy products in the most efficient manner possible, while respecting the needs and values of other resource users and maintaining and/or enhancing environmental quality for present and future generations. Realizing this goal requires a consideration of intra- and inter-generational equity, mineral consumption and depletion, among other issues.

Sustainable Minerals Roundtable Criteria

A. Conservation of biological diversity (to be addressed by the Forest and Rangeland Sustainability Roundtables) B. Maintenance of capacities to produce commodities B1. Mineral/material and energy systems (including life cycles and recycling and reuse). B2. Ecosystems (e.g. timber and forage). (to be addressed by the Forest and Rangeland Sustainability Roundtables)

C. Maintenance of ecosystem health (forest, range, and aquatic) C. Maintenance of ecosystem health (forest, range, and aquatic). (to be addressed by the Forest, Rangeland and Water Roundtables) D. Conservation and maintenance of air, soil, water (quality and quantity) and physical geology (including quality, quantity and form). E. Maintenance of contribution to global carbon cycle (to be addressed by the Forest and Rangeland Sustainability Roundtables, and many other groups)

F. Maintenance and enhancement of long-term social, economic, and cultural benefits to meet the needs of societies F1. Social, economic, and cultural benefits stemming from energy and mineral/material systems. F2. Social, economic, and cultural benefits stemming from systems other than energy and mineral/material systems. (to be addressed by the Forest, Rangeland and Water Roundtables)

G. Legal, institutional and economic framework to support sustainable development. G1. Relevant to mineral/material and energy systems G2. Relevant to other systems. (to be addressed by the Forest, Rangeland and Water Sustainability Roundtables)

Status and Timeline Preliminary, draft set of indicators has been completed Federal agencies will compile available data Draft First Approximation Report Review and Revision