Section
1 - The Need for a New Paradigm
Succinct
Introductory Online Materials
Factor
of Ten: A Future Worth Having (ANU, Australia)
In
2002, Australia 's National University (ANU) conducted
a month long symposium called A Factor of
10: A Future Worth Having. The symposium
provided a forum for discussion and learning around
how we can work together to create a future worth
having. The booklet created for the symposium
as an introductory piece explains many of the
concepts central to sustainable development, as
well as introducing the notion of a whole-of-society
approach to sustainable development.
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Booklet | View
website
The
International Institute for Sustainable Development
(IISD) (Canada)
For
development to be sustainable it must integrate
environmental stewardship, economic development
and the well-being of all people, not just for
today, but for countless generations to come.
This is the challenge facing governments, non-governmental
organizations, private enterprises, communities
and individuals. IISD's website provides up to
date information on how to achieve this.
View
website
Inspiring
Publications
Natural
Advantage: Blueprint For A Sustainable Future
In
2002, The World Summit on Sustainable Development
asked all nations to prepare an Agenda 21 Blueprint
for their nation. With increasing recognition
that we need to encourage integrated approaches
between business, government and civil society,
the Australian Conservation Foundation's Natural
Advantage is a document that seeks to inspire
such integrated approaches.
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PDF
Natural
Capitalism: The Next Industrial Revolution, Hawken,
P., Lovins, A. & Lovins, H. (1999)
This seminal work features literally hundreds
of case studies that demonstrate the multiple
benefits to business of:
1. increasing resource productivity
and operational efficiency;
2. using biologically inspired production
models, such as closed loop production
systems;
3. developing new business models
based on value and service; and
4. reinvesting in natural capital.
Running
throughout their book is the message that, through
whole system design and resource efficiencies,
companies
can "tunnel through the cost barriers". They demonstrated
that big energy and resource savings can often
cost less than small energy and resource savings.
Containing thousands of fully referenced inspiring
case studies, the authors have generously made
the book freely downloadable.
Download
Book Summary | Download
Chapters |
View
website
'The Next Industrial Revolution' (1998)
by William McDonough and Michael Braungart, The
Atlantic Monthly, October 1998
Albert
Einstein wrote, "The world will not evolve
past its current state of crisis by using the
same thinking that created the situation". Many
people believe that new industrial revolutions
are already taking place, with the rise of cyber-technology,
biotechnology, and nanotechnology. It is true
that these are powerful tools for change, but
they are only tools: hyper-efficient engines for
the steamship of the first Industrial Revolution.
Similarly, eco-efficiency is a valuable and laudable
tool, and a prelude to what should come next.
However, it too fails to move us beyond the first
revolution. It is time for designs that are creative,
abundant, prosperous and intelligent from the
start.
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PDF | View
website
Is
it possible for a green economy to have high economic
performance? From the perspective of
a different economic model, by Phillip Sutton,
Director, Green Innovations Inc.
"In
the public mind, environmentalists and developers
don't agree on much. However over the last two
or three decades there has been agreement on one
thing: that the more you do for the environment
the worse off the economy will be or the more
you promote development the worse off the environment
will be. That is, major trade-offs are required
between the two objectives and there is no possibility
of significant win-win outcomes. The result of
this shared belief is that governments, R&D
institutions and firms have not been encouraged
to explore economically feasible and desirable
paths to an ecologically sustainable economy.
There are however very strong grounds for believing
that the traditional view of greenies and developers
is wrong, that win-win outcomes are possible,
even if society pursues the very strong environmental
policies implicit in a commitment to ecological
sustainability."
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PDF | View
website
The
Need for A New Paradigm: Our Common Future
The
apparent conflict between the interests of
economic development and those of the environment
has created problems globally. In 1983 the
United Nations appointed an international commission
to propose strategies for 'sustainable development':
ways to improve human well-being in the short
term without threatening the local and global
environment in the long term. The Commission was
chaired by Norwegian Prime Minister, Gro Harlem
Brundtland, and it's report, Our
Common Future *, published in 1987, was widely
known as 'The Brundtland Report'. This landmark
work helped initiate a wide range of actions,
including the UN ' Earth
Summits ' in 1992 and 2002*, the International
Climate Change Convention, and worldwide ' Agenda
21 ' programmes.
A
Whole of Society Approach to Sustainable Development
Response
to Rio +10 and
Agenda 21
A
generation of ecologists and engineers from around
the globe has worked on sustainable development
since 1972. This was the year when the United
Nations Conference on the Human Environment occurred
and UNESCO conducted the first metabolism study
that measured the material and energy flows of
a city in order to assist in the adoption of sustainable
development practices. There is, however, widespread
recognition that in spite of excellent work, the
past decade has disappointed initial hopes for
the extent of Agenda 21's implementation. Numerous
pioneers have implemented Factor 4 or even Factor
10, but again these new methods are rarely being
taken up rapidly enough, let alone guaranteeing
permanent systemic change.
So
how can we, the next generation, ensure that the
next thirty years differ from the previous thirty?
There have been significant obstacles to change.
This project will demonstrate that our strategies
in the past have been limited, that the environment
movement's areas of focus have been too narrow,
and that growing awareness of the need to live
sustainably is now enabling broader alliances,
networks, and strategies.
In
the last ten to thirty years significant shifts
have occurred in many countries, especially in
Europe, from which 'ecological takeoff' is now
possible. In addition, there is now a wealth of
methodology, underlying science and eco-innovation,
as well as a growing consensus across many sectors
as to what attaining sustainability requires.
We
argue, however, that even this is not enough:
if we are to achieve a significant shift in the
next 30 to 50 years, we need a whole-of-society
approach that engages constructively with all
stakeholders. We argue that this is the real spirit
of Agenda 21 that so clearly outlined how each
sector, each profession could play their part
to help create a sustainable future. Fortunately,
we are not alone in thinking this. Rather, business,
government, civil society and educational institutions
are increasingly demonstrating a preparedness
to act. This will allow the development of as
yet unseen partnerships and integrated approaches
to addressing the complex challenge of sustainable
development.
Leadership
from the Business Sector
World Business Council For Sustainable
Development
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website
Business
Council of Australia
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PDF | View
website
Environment
Business Australia
View
website
Barton
Group
View website
The
Commonwealth Government of Australia
's Environmental Industry Action
Agenda
The Government seeks to make Australia
more competitive by working closely with industry
to identify new opportunities for growth. The
Department has programs to assist the growth of
key industry sectors, and is also engaged in future
arrangements for some established industries.
View website
Australian
Council of Infrastructure and Development (AusCID)Sustainability
Framework Report, 2003
AusCID CEO, Dennis O'Neill, presented the recently
developed handbook entitled Sustainability Framework
for the Future of Australia's Infrastructure at
the Business Leaders Forum for Sustainable Development
held in Sydney on the 29th of May, 2003. This
document forms the basis of a campaign by AusCID
to incorporate sustainability aspects into infrastructure
planning and development in all levels of government
and among the Council's membership. The handbook
is AusCID's contribution towards developing a
new framework for the development of national
infrastructure that takes account of its environmental
and social, as well as economic aspects.
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PDF | View
website
Leadership
from the Banking Sector
Equator
Principles
In October 2002, the International Finance Corporation
(IFC) convened a meeting of banks in London to
discuss environmental and social issues in project
finance. At that meeting, the banks present decided
to try to develop a banking industry framework
for addressing environmental and social risks
in project financing. This led to the drafting
of the Equator Principles. These principles have
been signed by twenty-two banks which in total
are responsible for over 60% of all the loans
to developing countries.
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PDF | View
website
Leadership
from the World Bank
World
Development Report 2003: Sustainable Development
in a Dynamic World
"The next 50 years could see a fourfold increase
in the size of the global economy and significant
reductions in poverty, but only if governments
act now to avert a growing risk of severe damage
to the environment and profound social unrest.
Without better policies and institutions, social
and environmental strains may derail development
progress, leading to higher poverty levels and
a decline in the quality of life for everybody."
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PDF | View
website
Leadership
from Governments
Millennium
Development Goals: A Compact Among Nations to
End Human Poverty (UNDP)
In 2000, 189 governments from around
the world agreed to support the UN's Millennium
Development Goals. "The range of human development
in the world is vast and uneven, with astounding
progress in some areas amidst stagnation and dismal
decline in others. Balance and stability in the
world will require the commitment of all nations,
rich and poor, and a global development compact
to extend the wealth of possibilities to all people."
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PDF | View
website
Further Development Resources
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PDF | View
website
Leadership
from Scientists
The
Science of Climate Change
Recognising the problem of potential
global climate change, in 1988 the World Meteorological
Organization (WMO) and the United Nations' Environment
Programme (UNEP) established the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The role of the
IPCC is to assess the scientific, technical and
socio-economic information relevant for the understanding
of the risk of human-induced climate change. It
does not carry out new research, nor does it monitor
climate related data. It bases its assessment
mainly on published and peer reviewed scientific
and technical literature. The reports from the
IPCC are used in global climate negotiations.
Their findings have been corroborated by the USA
National Academy of Sciences and all other national
scientific academies to date.
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PDF | View
website
Leadership
from Engineers
The
World Federation of Engineering Organisation's
Sustainable Development Report for WSSD, 2002
The
World Federation of Engineering Organisations
(WFEO), a non-governmental organisation (NGO),
was established in 1968 with the support of UNESCO.
The WFEO currently represents an estimated 15
million engineers. ComTech is the WFEO Standing
Committee on Technology. Its purpose is the sharing,
transferring and assessment of technology with
a strong emphasis on sustainable development.
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PDF | View
website
The World Federation of Engineering Organization's
Rio +5 Reports
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PDF | View
website
Leadership
from the Professions: Engineers Australia
"The achievement of sustainability
objectives will require holistic actions by all
sections of society (personal, business, political
and legal), and will require considerable cultural
change to societal customs and aspirations. This
necessitates the development of transitional pathways
from the present situation to the preferred future."
Institution of Engineers Australia Sustainable
Energy Taskforce Report, August 2001.
Leadership
from Scientific and Engineering Research Institutions
Commonwealth
Scientific and Industry Research Organization
(CSIRO)
CSIRO's strategic plans, reports and
goals.
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PDF | View
website
CSIRO's
Sustainability Network: Elizabeth Heij (Facilitator)
"My thinking behind the Network is that
the creativity needed to build more sustainable
pathways of development lives not just in "temples
of knowledge" but within individuals in all
age groups and all levels, right across the world
community - and information is the fuel to fire
it up! Change is too important and too urgent
to depend entirely on the top-level decision makers
of today; we need dialog at all levels - and especially
with the decision makers of tomorrow. I therefore
deliberately keep newsletter content broadly interdisciplinary."
The Network has a CSIRO Intranet site and a public-access
website with back-issues of newsletters are available.
Simply click on the link below.
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PDF | View
website
Leadership
from State Governments
Queensland's Sustainable Industries Division
of the EPA
The TNEP Secretariat would like to formally
thank Dr John Cole, Director, Sustainable Industries
Division (SID), Environmental Protection Agency
Queensland, for recently committing to support
TNEP by becoming a Project Partner. We would also
like to thank Cheryl Paten, a member of the TNEP
working group, for her lead in developing this
relationship. The SID is a solutions-driven EPA
initiative at the forefront in assisting Queensland
industry achieve higher levels of environmental
performance while boosting profitability and competitiveness.
Through voluntary partnership arrangements, business
assistance programs and information facilities,
the SID has helped industry and communities better
integrate business and environmental decision
making in the achievement of eco-efficiency, innovation
and business growth. Program focus areas include
the agri-business and food processing sectors
and also the urban development and the built environment
industries. Major programs have been delivered
in cleaner production, renewable energy rebates,
water recycling and greenhouse gas abatement.
The Division is currently re-organising its activities
into three signature programs: WasteWise Queensland,
EnergyWise Queensland, and WaterWise Queensland.
View website
Western
Australian State Sustainability Strategy
The first government in Australia to
develop a truly integrated whole of government,
partnership driven approach to sustainable development
is the Western Australian (WA) Government. This
arose partly from business demands for clear frameworks
within which to operate. The WA Government has
also shown extraordinary leadership in running
the 3rd conference of the Regional Government
Network for Sustainable Development in September,
2003.
Conference:
View
website
Strategy:
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PDF | View
website
Leadership
from Civil Society
The
Australian Collaboration
The Australian Collaboration is a group
of leading civil society bodies within Australia
working towards a just and sustainable Australia
. It comprises six NGO's and ATSIC: They the Australian
Council of Social Services (ACOSS); the National
Council of Churches of Australia (NCCA); the Federation
of Ethnic Communities Council (FECCA); the Australian
Conservation Foundation (ACF); the Australian
Consumers Association (ACA); and the Australian
Council for Overseas Aid (ACFOA). They have worked
together to create a 100 page report which: describes
key social, cultural and environmental issues
facing Australia ; explains why new policies and
initiatives are needed; and makes sixteen specific
and four overarching recommendations.
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PDF
Leadership
from the Education Sector
UN
Decade of Education in Sustainable Development:
2005-2015
The
World Summit on Sustainable Development recommended
to the United Nations General Assembly that "it
consider adopting a Decade of Education for Sustainable
Development starting in 2005" (para. 117d, Plan
of Implementation). In December 2002, resolution
57/254 on the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable
Development, beginning 1 January 2005 , was adopted
by consensus. The resolution was introduced by
Japan and co-sponsored by 46 countries. The UN
General Assembly's resolution designated UNESCO
as the lead agency for the promotion of the Decade
and requested the organization to develop a draft
international implementation scheme.
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website
Leadership
from Universities
UNESCO's
Global Higher Education For Sustainability Partnership
Initiative
UNESCO's
GHESP initiative describes itself as "Four international
organisations with a strong commitment to making
sustainability a major focus of higher)".
The four founding partners of the Global Higher
Education for Sustainability Partnership (GHESP)
initiative: the International Association of Universities
(IAU : www.unesco.org/iau
); the University Leaders for a Sustainable
Future (ULSF: www.ulsf.org/
); COPERNICUS-CAMPUS ( www.copernicus-campus.org/
); and UNESCO
have combined forces in a unique effort to
mobilise universities and higher education institutions
to support sustainable development in response
to Chapter 36 of Agenda 21 ( www.unep.org/Documents/
). A memorandum of understanding has
been signed to undertake joint actions in the
area of higher education and sustainable development.
The partnership came about as a result of the
work of the Commission on Sustainable Development
(CSD), and in anticipation of the 2002 World Summit
on Sustainable Development (WSSD). GHESP
was extended for a further five year period in
September 2002 in order to implement a renewed
action plan. In total there are over 1000
Universities who are formally members of the UNESCO
GHESP initiative.
RMIT
Global Sustainability Institute
Global Sustainability is an emerging
agenda that impacts on all of us. Globalisation,
together with revolutions in information, communications,
environmental and community awareness and action
are driving corporate leaders, politicians and
citizens to address the future in new and very
different ways. RMIT Global Sustainability (GS@RMIT)
has been established to develop these concepts
in practical ways so they can be applied to the
work of RMIT itself, and to organisations in the
private and public sectors. Drawing on RMIT's
academic expertise, research capabilities and
extensive network of external partners in Australia
and overseas, the Centre will assist RMIT and
others to become working models of Global Sustainability.
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website
ANU's
National Institute For Environment
The
National Institute for Environment (NIE) aims
to foster research and education to create an
environmental future worth having. NIE brings
together environmental teaching and research from
the Australian National University 's diverse
schools, centres and faculties. In conjunction
with the Australian and international community
NIE's members are providing practical solutions
for environmental challenges. The NIE has the
following:
•
Deliver practical options for environmental challenges
•
Communicate with the Australian and international
community
•
Foster social and financial support for environmental
research and education
•
Enhance educational outcomes and employment prospects
for students
•
Bring together and support ANU staff and students
to work on environmental themes.
View
website
Sample
of inspiring leadership from around the world
Japan
Japan
For Sustainability
Japan
for Sustainability provides a variety of information
on the environment and sustainability, both from
Japan and globally, via their web site and e-mail
magazines. They work to develop special partnerships
with people in Asia in order to cooperate to find
paths toward sustainability in their region. They
welcome feedback and comments from overseas and
share them in Japan and with their partners in
Asia , so that efforts and activities in the region
can be improved by learning from each other.
View
website
Institute
for Global Environmental Strategies (Japan)
"Established
in 1998, the Institute for Global Environmental
Strategies (IGES) is an independent, not for profit
think tank, based in Japan , that goes beyond
research to provide practical ways to protect
the earth's environment and to realize greater
sustainability and equity in the global community.
While the outlook of IGES is global, the principal
geographical scope of its activities is Asia and
the Pacific region, an area which is experiencing
rapid economic development and which will affect
the global environment through its population
growth, urban environmental problems and other
environmental issues. The IGES mission is to move
human society to become more environmentally and
socio-economically sustainable."
View
website
UN
Centre For Technology Transfer (Japan)
In
May 1991, UNEP's Governing Council took a decision
to further strengthen its role in sustainable
urban and freshwater basin management by calling
for the creation of an International Environmental
Technology Centre (IETC). The Centre was inaugurated
in October, 1992, in Japan and its Osaka and Shiga
offices officially opened in April, 1994. The
IETC state that they "pay specific attention to
urban environmental problems such as water supply,
sewage, solid waste, energy, loss of green and
natural spaces, urban sprawl, land contamination,
traffic, transport, air pollution and noise. With
urban populations growing two and a half times
faster than its rural counterpart, the UN estimates
that the level of urban population will cross
the 50 percent mark in 2005. By 2025, more than
three fifths of the world's population will live
in urban areas. The urban population in that year
will be approximately 5.2 billion, of whom 77
percent will live in developing countries."
View
website
Zero
Emissions Research Initiative (Japan)
The
ZERI Foundation was established in October, 1996,
in response to the need to translate ideas, visions
and scientific knowledge into concrete projects.
The ZERI Foundation's goal is the efficient production
of all the goods and services society needs without
any form of waste: no liquid waste, no gaseous
waste, and no solid waste. This goal is the basis
of a new zero emissions production and consumption
model that imitates nature (the output from one
becomes the input for another), and is more competitive
and more productive. By eliminating waste, we
can respond to the pressing need of all humanity
for water, food, health care, shelter, energy,
and jobs, without destroying the ecosystem. This
is not just theory, but is being implemented and
serves as a basis for inspiration and hope.
View
website
Charters
and Declarations