Sustainable development strategies address the issue of how do we have to change the structure and processes of systems we live in to produce more of what we want (sustainable) and less of that which is undesirable (unsustainable) to increase our quality of life. That is why is important. This question gives me a chance to recall the classic work of Donella Meadows (1941 – 2001), late research fellow at MIT. She was a pioneering American environmental scientist, teacher and writer an best known as lead author of the influential book "The Limits to Growth", which made headlines around the world. She proposed a list of places (leverage points) to intervene in complex systems in increasing order of effectiveness. Here they are (from Meadows 2009):
• 12. Numbers: Constants and parameters such as subsidies, taxes, and standards
• 11. Buffers:The sizes of stabilizing stocks relative to their flows
• 10. Stock-and-Flow Structures: Physical systems and their nodes of intersection
• 9. Delays: The lengths of time relative to the rates of system changes
• 8. Balancing Feedback Loops: The strength of the feedbacks relative to the impacts they are trying to correct
• 7. Reinforcing Feedback Loops: The strength of the gain of driving loops
• 6. Information Flows:The structure of who does and does not have access to information
• 5. Rules: Incentives, punishments, constraints
• 4. Self-Organization: The power to add, change, or evolve system structure
• 3. Goals:The purpose or function of the system
• 2. Paradigms: The mindset out of which the system—its goals, structure, rules, delays, parameters—arises.
• 1. Transcending Paradigms
As you can see the most effective leverage points are paradigms and trascending paradigms, very difficult to change but the most effective for a really sustainable change. In the words of Donella "the shared ideas in the minds of society, the great big unstated assumptions, constitute that society’s paradigm, or deepest set of beliefs about how the world works. These beliefs are unstated because it is unnecessary to state them—everyone already knows them. Money measures something real and has real meaning; therefore, people who are paid less are literally worth less. Growth is good. One can “own” land. Those are just a few of the paradigmatic assumptions of our current culture, all of which have utterly dumbfounded other cultures, who thought them not the least bit obvious". Notice, however, that most of the current sustainability research, even the most advanced on complex systems, instead, is focused on the least effective leverage points like the economical aspects likely because decision makers and politicians believe that sustainability is mainly an economic problem (welfare) and it is more approachable in this way (i.e., GDP as a welfare measure). So, "Numbers" like constants and parameters such as subsidies, taxes, and standards become the main focus. This happens for sustainability in environmental protection science too, by just providing numbers, standards, thresholds for pollutants that should not be trespassed, and for species diversity too. However this is a quite myopic viewpoint and I doubt that it can lead to real sustainability ever.
Here is the link for Donella's work www.thesolutionsjournal.com/node/419.
I quote the Brundtland report 'Sustainable Development is development that meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs'. What this entails is that sustainable development is for long term planning for the future needs of citizens. There are also studies proving that it makes economical sense to engage in sustainability practices.
Many areas are affected by sustainability development, for example, it's perceived as a competitive advantage for businesses these days to be sustainable. Stakeholders are demanding for higher transparency on environmental and social issues.
The current rate at which humans are utilizing the earth resources is not sustainable and it will be affecting the environment in a number of ways. Responsible behavior for humans is to utilize the available resources in a way such that the environment will not be affected such that future generations of humans will enjoy the same quality of life that we are currently having. Please see the following publications.
Environmental facts (2010), Ecocycle, http://ecocycle.org/files/pdfs/Eco-CycleEnvironmentalFacts.pdf
Kara, S., S. Manmek, S., and Kaebernick, H. (2007). An Integrated Methodology to Estimate the External Environmental Costs of Products, CIRP Annals - Manufacturing Technology, 56 (1), 9–12.
Ricoh the copier company defines sustainability, in terms of development and progress, as follows: "We are aiming to create a society whose environmental impact is below the level that the self-recovery capability of the natural environment can deal with." They give a simple example to explain: "For example, the reduction target of CO2 emissions is generally based on the 1990 emission level, but in the future we need to limit emissions based on the estimated emission level that the self-recovery capability of the Earth could deal with.” http://www.ricoh.com/environment/report/
You may also see this:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259648777_SUSTAINABLE_MANUFACTURING__PRINCIPLES_APPLICATIONS_AND_DIRECTIONS
Conference Paper SUSTAINABLE MANUFACTURING – PRINCIPLES, APPLICATIONS AND DIRECTIONS
A survey of more than 1500 businesses worldwide about sustainability by MIT Sloan Management Review indicated the major benefits of Sustainable development for their businesses as:
Improved company or brand image
Cost saving
Competitive advantage
Employee satisfaction
Product, service or market innovation
New sources of revenue or cash flow
Effective risk management
Berns, M., Townend, A., Khayat, Z., Balagopal, B., Reeves, M., Hopkins, M. S., & Kruschwitz, N. (2009). The business of sustainability: what it means to managers now. MIT Sloan Management Review, 51(1), 20-26.
These will automatically mean better environment for the region.
Those are very good answers. I am looking for two authors to prepare very small chapters 7-10 pages for my new book entitle “Sustainability behind Sustainability” and I missed those two ideas (a) why SD is important for citizens (b) Why SD is important for an area
In case that you are interested about will be honour for me to participate both of you. The book will be published from Nova Science and we have until April 20 to send the BOOK. Until now more than 20 chapters in several horizontals subjects of SD are ready
Dear All,
Doubtlessly, Sustainable development is a useful and crucial concept concerning not only the issues of environmental conservation and management and social well being but a wider spectrum of issues as well. Nevertheless, SD practiotioners, followers and advocates need to think about the serious, and in many cases philosophical, intergenerational and intragenerational issues that are surfaced, mostly referring to aspects of equity (e.g. unequal allocation of resources among the various generations or even within the same generation) and well-being standards (e.g. what are the standards for the well-being of the future generations, the american ones, the norwegian ones, the greek ones, or even worse?). This means that we must be very careful when dealing with such issues.
Carr, E.R., 2009. Sustainbale Development. In: J. Baird Callicott and Robert Frodeman (Eds), 2009. Encyclopedia of Environmental Ethics and Philosophy. Vol.2 pp. 295 -298. Macmillan Reference (Gale, Cengage Learning)
Sustainable development as a concept has much benefits both for citizens and an area. It provides an approach to making better and long term decisions on the issues that affect our lives. Efforts to achieve the three pillars of sustainable development – economic growth, environmental stewardship, and social inclusion provide benefits that affect all aspect of human life.
Environmentally, sustainable development helps us to preserve and ensure judicious use of environmental goods that our lives depends on such as air, water, atmosphere, natural vegetation, mineral resources etc. Economically, it insight us to be cautious in the management of goods and services in an economy so as to have a desirable economic growth that satisfy the needs of the present generation and at the same time make room for the future generation. The social benefits on the other hand covers issues such as providing a platform for human empowerment, protecting individual wellbeing and security, elimination of poverty, participation in national development etc.
Sustainable development strategies address the issue of how do we have to change the structure and processes of systems we live in to produce more of what we want (sustainable) and less of that which is undesirable (unsustainable) to increase our quality of life. That is why is important. This question gives me a chance to recall the classic work of Donella Meadows (1941 – 2001), late research fellow at MIT. She was a pioneering American environmental scientist, teacher and writer an best known as lead author of the influential book "The Limits to Growth", which made headlines around the world. She proposed a list of places (leverage points) to intervene in complex systems in increasing order of effectiveness. Here they are (from Meadows 2009):
• 12. Numbers: Constants and parameters such as subsidies, taxes, and standards
• 11. Buffers:The sizes of stabilizing stocks relative to their flows
• 10. Stock-and-Flow Structures: Physical systems and their nodes of intersection
• 9. Delays: The lengths of time relative to the rates of system changes
• 8. Balancing Feedback Loops: The strength of the feedbacks relative to the impacts they are trying to correct
• 7. Reinforcing Feedback Loops: The strength of the gain of driving loops
• 6. Information Flows:The structure of who does and does not have access to information
• 5. Rules: Incentives, punishments, constraints
• 4. Self-Organization: The power to add, change, or evolve system structure
• 3. Goals:The purpose or function of the system
• 2. Paradigms: The mindset out of which the system—its goals, structure, rules, delays, parameters—arises.
• 1. Transcending Paradigms
As you can see the most effective leverage points are paradigms and trascending paradigms, very difficult to change but the most effective for a really sustainable change. In the words of Donella "the shared ideas in the minds of society, the great big unstated assumptions, constitute that society’s paradigm, or deepest set of beliefs about how the world works. These beliefs are unstated because it is unnecessary to state them—everyone already knows them. Money measures something real and has real meaning; therefore, people who are paid less are literally worth less. Growth is good. One can “own” land. Those are just a few of the paradigmatic assumptions of our current culture, all of which have utterly dumbfounded other cultures, who thought them not the least bit obvious". Notice, however, that most of the current sustainability research, even the most advanced on complex systems, instead, is focused on the least effective leverage points like the economical aspects likely because decision makers and politicians believe that sustainability is mainly an economic problem (welfare) and it is more approachable in this way (i.e., GDP as a welfare measure). So, "Numbers" like constants and parameters such as subsidies, taxes, and standards become the main focus. This happens for sustainability in environmental protection science too, by just providing numbers, standards, thresholds for pollutants that should not be trespassed, and for species diversity too. However this is a quite myopic viewpoint and I doubt that it can lead to real sustainability ever.
Here is the link for Donella's work www.thesolutionsjournal.com/node/419.
No Andras is research q which hides lots of assumptions. Sustainability, however, is more than limits on population or restraint in consumption (though these are important). It mainly means that the choice of technologies and goods must be focuses on the requirements of ecosystem integrity, ecosystem capacity to “absorb, adopt and resume thinks” and species diversity as well as to social goals. I personally agree with Prof Giovannis Zurlini (Professor just to know u have the same name with my Brother- ). And yes prof Giovanni the classic work of Donella’s give us several answers. A strong sustainability approach is based on the idea that substitutability between natural and manufactured capital is limited. Rather, the two are seen as complements -- factors that must be used together to be productive. For example, a fleet of fishing boats is of no use without a stock of fish. In the case of critical natural capital ( according to Pearce and Warford, 1993, p. 53) (for example essential water supplies), substitutability is close to zero. The strong sustainability approach implies that specific measures distinct from the ordinary market process are necessary for the conservation of natural capital. It also implies limits on macroeconomic scale. The economic system cannot grow beyond the limitations set by the regeneration and waste-absorption capacities of the ecosystem end much more
Energy resources are needed for societal development, and sustainable development requires a supply of energy resources that is sustainably available at reasonable cost and
causes no or minimal negative societal impacts. Clearly,energy resources such as fossil fuels are finite and thus lack the characteristics needed for sustainability, while others
such as renewable energy sources are sustainable over the relatively long term. Environmental concerns are also a major factor in sustainable development, as activities that degrade the environment are not sustainable. Since much environmental impact is associated with energy use, sustainable development requires the use of energy resources, which cause as little environmental impact as reasonably possible. Clearly, limitations on sustainable development due to environmental emissions can be overcome in part through increased efficiency, as this usually leads to less environmental impact for the same services or products. The term sustainable development was introduced in 1980, popularized in the 1987 report of the World Commission on Environment and Development (the Brundtland Commission), and given a global mission status by the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The Brundtland Commission defined sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” The Brundtland Commission noted that its definition contains two key concepts: (1) needs, meaning “in particular the essential needs of the world’s poor,” and (2) limitations, meaning “limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment’s ability to meet present and future needs” (OECD, 1996).
Sustainable development (SD) s indeed important:
a) Mother nature's resources are limited and are to be used judiciously.
b) SD is also a way of life prompting a harmonious balance between human beings and nature .
c) SD also balances the world views of developed economies, emerging economies and under-developed economies so as to have a shared perception about the process of development.
d) It is also interesting to note that Gandhiji’s message of sustainable living is a reminder on SD. His contribution to SD involved : His numerous experiments in simple living and high thinking. He believed that with simple living the resources of
the mother earth can sustain us comfortably and his famous saying that earth provides us enough for our needs but not for our greed is relevant in today's so called technology driven world. He also emphasized on all inclusive growth of the society, a prerequisite for SD !!
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