1. The Challenge of Sustainability
Trends are key, because sustainability is about the legacy we are leaving for future generations
Sometimes unsustainability is easier to recognize...
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2. If today is the typical day on planet earth, humans will:
Add 15 million tons of carbon to the atmosphere
Destroy 115 square miles of tropical rain forest
Create 72 square miles of desert
Eliminate between species
Erode 71 million tons of top soil
Add 2700 tons of CFCs to the stratosphere
Increase the population by 263,000.
David Orr, Ecological Literacy, 1992
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3. Global population continues to rise
Trends and Projections in World Population Growth by Region, Medium Fertility Projection,
The youthful age structure of most developing countries means that their absolute populations continue to grow, even where the rate of increase has declined significantly. For more information, visit
Source: United Nations (U.N.) Population Division, Long Range World Population Projections: Two Centuries of World Population Growth: (U.N., New York, 1992), Table 6, p. 22
Note: Projections are based on the U.N. medium variant.
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4. Urban Growth Spurt Continues
Urban Population Growth,
Between 1990 and 2025, the number of people living in urban areas is projected to double to more than 5 billion; if it does, then almost two thirds of the world’s population will be living in towns and cities. An estimated 90 percent of the increase will occur in developing countries. For more information see
Source: United Nations (U.N.) Population Division, World Urbanization Prospects (The 1996 Revision), on diskette (U.N., New York, 1996).
Note: Developed regions include North America, Japan, Europe, and Australia and New Zealand; developing regions include Africa, Asia (excluding Japan), South America and Central America, and Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand). The European successor states of the former Soviet Union are classified as developed regions, while the Asian successor states are classified as developing regions.
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5. Sustainability involves more than the environment
we must have a prosperous economy that operates on sustainability principles (this is the sine qua non of the “new economy”)
the “social dimension” is also crucial
DEFINE “PROPEROUS”?
Social capital, environmental equity, environmental Justice etc.
Social drivers of environmental issues (resource scarcity equals political strife, equals farming of marginal lands which increases desertification etc.)
each leg of the stool must be of equal importance, or the stool will be unbalanced and topple over...
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6. " According to UN estimates, the richest fifth of the world’s people consume some 66 times as much as the poorest fifth,including 58 percent of total energy. And they own 87 percent of the worlds vehicles, a major source of greenhouse gases. And the two hundred and twenty-five people who comprise the super-rich have a combined wealth of over one trillion US dollars, equivalent to the annual income of the poorest 47 percent of the worlds people. Surely history tells us such imbalances are not sustainable.” - Maurice Strong, Lecture at York University 09/28/01
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7. Sustainable Development: Where has it been?
IUCN (World Conservation Union) 1982 WCS
World Commission on Environment and Development (Brundtland Commission) “Our Common Future”
UNCED (“Earth Summit”) Rio, 1992:
Agenda 21
Rio Declaration
Climate Change, Biodiversity, Desertification etc.
Wider societal involvement; civil society; CSO’s
Environment slips on public agenda post Rio
Governments stalled – “implementation gap” noted both domestically (CESD) and internationally (Rio Plus 5)
Business begins to assume leadership
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8. What are the new drivers?
Increasing consumption of resources and production of wastes
Sophisticated use of the internet by NGO’s, general public
Information links that are now global
Concern for peace and security issues following 9-11
Militancy of opposition to economic globalization
Emphasis on transparency of both businesses and governments
Growing awareness of environmental problems around resources (fisheries), water (Walkerton), forest products (certification) etc. -- and interconnected social and economic implications;
Problems of urban population growth, sprawl,waste,pollution, homelessness, GHG
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9. Sustainable Development: Where is it going?
New paradigms in key disciplines (especially economics)
New tools such as ecological footprint
New concepts like natural capitalism, biomimickry
Greater focus on reporting and measuring progress
New opportunities for partnership across sectors (public, private, civil, education)
Greater recognition of the “ingenuity gap” and the need to understand complex systems
- New governance mechanisms that meet the needs of the shifting social paradigm
- new vision statements/corporate actions plans with Sustainability principles embedded within in
- rise of corporate responsibility shifting from environmental emphasis to a more “ethical”
- sustainable management systems, advent of Sustainable Management officers such as the MES grad at SUNCOR
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10. Implications of the New Paradigm
Knowledge, ingenuity and innovation are key elements of new economy
Replace resource consumption with knowledge, biomimicry etc
Base the new economy on the principles of sustainability (going beyond “knowledge” to wisdom)
“We must substitute our ingenuity, our knowledge, for the use of materials in all areas of the economy in which we interact with natural resources and the natural environment.”
Jonathan Lash, President of WRI,
in a lecture at York University Feb. 22, 2001
Perhaps add a comment or two from Homer-Dixon on ingenuity gap?
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11. Governance Implications of the New Paradigm
Governments can’t do it all
Problems are linked, and horizontal
Need systems thinking, “integrated” long-term planning and decisions
Go beyond “silos and solitudes”
Collaboration across sectors and jurisdictions
Transparent, participatory decision-making
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12. Sustainability Challenges
Economic growth
& development
Material
consumption
& waste
production
Technological
change S
Redesigning
manufacturing& the economy
Driving
Forces
Globalization
”Smart”
Resource
Stewardship
Energy
Sources
and
Consumption
Civil Society
NGO’S
Business
Challenges
Changes
Transportation
Sustainable Cities
Population
growth and
movement
Loss of
biodiversity
& habitat
Governance
Public
Policy
Choice
Makers
Urban
Infrastructure
& land use
Individuals
Government
Land & water
management
Food
Supply
Pollution
Public
Education
Inequity
Climate Change
Education &
new ideas /
paradigms
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13. The Role of Business Providing sustainable products & service
that improve quality of life with benign or positive environmental impacts
Providing products & services sustainably
with maximum eco-efficiency/dematerialization using “smart” design (DfE), closed loop production, biomimicry, etc
Meeting the “triple bottom line”
Cross-sector partnerships and collaboration
“The achievement of sustainability will mean billions of dollars in products, services, and technologies that barely exist today. Whereas yesterday’s businesses were often oblivious to their negative impact on the environment and today’s responsible businesses strive for zero impact, tomorrow’s businesses must learn to make a positive impact. Increasingly, companies will be selling solutions to the world’s environmental problems.” -- Stu Hart
Sustainability present huge challenges, but it also opens up enormous opportunities for business. Since this is the focus of SEA, I won’t say more about this now. But what about the role of other key “choice-makers”?
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14. The Role of Government “Steering” society toward sustainability
Creating a favorable “habitat” for sustainability
Getting the prices right
“Smart” regulation (using a full suite of policy instruments)
“Walking the talk” by practicing sustainability
Promoting a “culture of sustainability”
New forms of partnership
The term government comes to us through Latin from the Greek word for “helmsman” (kybernes). Government’s role is to help steer “spaceship Earth” onto a more sustainable trajectory.
Perhaps you could use that great new word “euph…” to add to this discussion.
Janine Benyus sees government’s role a little differently. She says “policy makers are habitat creators”. Their job is to create a habitat within which sustainability in all sectors of society can flourish.
In order to accomplish this mission in a period of fiscal conservatism, digital communication, and heightened public awareness and concern, governments must explore new “policy instruments” and new forms of collaboration (including better “horizontal management” of their own activities and policies.)
We’ll be looking more closely at government and governance in tomorrow afternoon’s workshop.
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15. The Role of Civil Society Organizations
To educate and inform
To advise and to warn
To articulate the public interest
To mobilize the public to action
To criticize and encourage
To collaborate for implementation
The term “civil society” has come into common use to describe the myriad organizations that are not part of government or business. Many of them draw extensively on volunteers, but increasingly the leading “CSO’s” are well funded (typically by donations from individuals, but also from foundations, governments, and in some instances businesses).
The internet has made global links among CSO’s, and between members of the public and CSO’s, commonplace.
Though a number of CSO’s (especially Environmental NGO’s of ENGO’s) began as adversaries to business and/or government, the common agenda of sustainability is opening up many opportunities for collaboration and partnership among these 3 sectors.
Viewed positively, such collaboration flows from all 3 sectors “getting on the same page”. Critics are skeptical about this, and refer with disapproval to “getting into bed” with “the enemy”.
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16. The Role of Individuals
To become informed
To change their own behavior
As consumers:
to support sustainability-oriented companies
As citizens:
to demand sustainability commitments from governments
As mentioned earlier, we are all here as leaders of organizations in the private, public, or civil sectors. But we also all lead individual lives, and play overlapping roles as consumers, citizens, family members, and volunteers.
Throughout this seminar we will explore opportunities for personal transformation that can reinforce the leadership we will be exercising in out organizations (or what I call our “day gigs”).
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17. An Emerging Culture of Sustainability
From overconsumption (“Whoever dies with the most toys wins.”) to sufficiency
“Voluntary simplicity”
Greater concern for nature, and the well-being of the ecosystem
Greater concern for other human beings living today
Greater concern for “temporal equity”
Support for decisions that take long term effects into consideration
Support for decision-makers with that perspective and for businesses that embody sustainability principles and practices
Need a lead in to this slide
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18. The Aboriginal Thanksgiving Address
Finally, we acknowledge one another, female and male.
We give greetings and thanks that we have this opportunity to spend some time together.
We turn our minds to our ancestors and our Elders. You are the carriers of knowledge, of our history.
We acknowledge the adults among us. You represent the bridge between the past and the future.
We also acknowledge our youth and children. It is to you that we will pass on the responsibilities we now carry. Soon, you will take our place in facing the challenges of life. Soon, you will carry the burden of your people.
Do not forget the ways of the past as you move toward the future.
Remember that we are to walk softly on our sacred Mother, the Earth, for we walk on the faces of the unborn, those who have yet to rise and take up the challenges of existence.
We must consider the effects our actions will have on their ability to live a good life.
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