Living in the Environment : Concepts, Connections and Solutions Miller
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Planetary Quotas and the Planetary Accounting Framework Comparing Human Activity to Global Environmental Limits
School of Design and Built Environment Curtin University Sustainability Policy (CUSP) Institute Planetary Quotas and the Planetary Accounting Framework Comparing Human Activity to Global Environmental Limits Katherine Meyer This thesis is presented for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy of Curtin University November 2018 i DECLARATION To the best of my knowledge and belief this thesis contains no material previously published by any other person except where due acknowledgment has been made. This thesis contains no material which has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university. Signature: …………………………………………. Date: …21st November 2018…………... ii ABSTRACT Human activity is altering environmental processes to the extent that we are at risk of changing the state of the planet from one that is hospitable to humanity to one that is potentially hostile. The Planetary Boundaries are global environmental limits derived from Earth system Science that together define the “safe operating space”. Within the Planetary Boundaries, the risk of changing the state of the planet is low but already four of the Planetary Boundaries have been transgressed. There is an urgent need to manage human impacts on the global environment so that we can return to the safe operating space. Policy makers and scientists want to use the Planetary Boundaries to manage human impacts on the environment so that we can return to the safe operating space. However, the Planetary Boundaries were not designed to be scaled or compared to human activity. There is a need to translate the Planetary Boundaries into a framework that is accessible and actionable. -
Energy Energy Science and Technology Has Been a Primary Driver of Human Progress for Centuries, and Intensive Energy Use Is Essential to Industrialized Society
Sustainability Brief: Energy Energy science and technology has been a primary driver of human progress for centuries, and intensive energy use is essential to industrialized society. Our energy infrastructure is the foundation that makes almost all commercial activity and modern home life possible. The growth and proliferation of this energy web over the last century has enabled both economic growth and improved quality of life. Along with those advantages and benefits, however, have come increasingly apparent costs, consequences, and risks. Because industrialized civilization depends so heavily on this energy infrastructure, failures or consequences of that infrastructure have a huge impact with economic, social, and environmental implications. The subject of Sustainable Energy addresses the impacts and vulnerabilities of our energy infrastructure, and focuses on reducing the emerging risks in our current approach so as to ensure the continued availability of reliable, cost-effective energy and the quality of life that depends upon it. These risks include the threat of supply disruptions, economic hardship imposed by rising energy costs, environmental impacts, public health issues, social equity issues, and threats related to either man-made (e.g. terrorist) or natural (e.g. extreme weather) causes, among many others. New Jersey citizens and businesses already bear the costs and consequences of our current energy infrastructure, and these impacts are likely to increase over time. Ensuring the long term sustainability of New Jersey’s -
Second Biennial Conference of the United States Society for Ecological Economics
Second Biennial Conference of the United States Society for Ecological Economics May 22-24, 2003 Prime Hotel and Conference Center Saratoga Springs, New York co-sponsored by Gund Institute for Ecological Economics Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Dept. of Economics Santa-Barbara Family Foundation University of Vermont School of Natural Resources U.S. Society for Ecological Economics President John Gowdy Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute President-Elect Secretary-Treasurer Barry Solomon Joy Hecht University of California, Santa Cruz New Jersey Sustainable State Institute Executive Directors Susan and Michael Mageau Institute for a Sustainable Future Board Members at Large Jon Erickson Brent Haddad University of Vermont University of California, Santa Cruz Valerie Luzadis Karin Limburg SUNY College of Environmental SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry Science & Forestry Student Board Member Caroline Hermans University of Vermont Second Biennial USSEE Conference Planning Committee Jon Erickson, Chair University of Vermont Graham Cox Josh Farley Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute University of Vermont Rich Howarth Susan Mageau Dartmouth College Institute for a Sustainable Future Valerie Luzadis Trista Patterson SUNY College of Environmental Science University of Maryland & Forestry Roy Wood Kodak, Inc. SECOND BIENNIAL CONFERENCE OF THE UNITED STATES SOCIETY FOR ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS CONFERENCE SUMMARY Thursday, May 22 Morning 9:00 Registration Opens 11:30 Concurrent Session 1 Afternoon 1:00 Refreshments 1:30 Concurrent Session 2 3:00 -
Environmental Worldviews, Ethics, and Sustainability 25
Environmental Worldviews, Ethics, and Sustainability 25 Biosphere 2—A Lesson in Humility C O R E C A S E S TUDY In 1991, eight scientists (four men and four women) were sealed sphere’s 25 small animal species went extinct. Before the 2-year inside Biosphere 2, a $200 million glass and steel enclosure period was up, all plant-pollinating insects went extinct, thereby designed to be a self-sustaining life-support system (Figure 25-1) dooming to extinction most of the plant species. that would add to our understanding of Biosphere 1: the earth’s Despite many problems, the facility’s waste and wastewater life-support system. were recycled. With much hard work, the Biospherians were A sealed system of interconnected domes was built in the also able to produce 80% of their food supply, despite rampant desert near Tucson, Arizona (USA). It contained artificial ecosys- weed growths, spurred by higher CO2 levels, that crowded out tems including a tropical rain forest, savanna, and desert, as well food crops. However, they suffered from persistent hunger and as lakes, streams, freshwater and saltwater wetlands, and a mini- weight loss. ocean with a coral reef. In the end, an expenditure of $200 million failed to maintain Biosphere 2 was designed to mimic the earth’s natural chemi- this life-support system for eight people for 2 years. Since 2007, cal recycling systems. Water evaporated from its ocean and other the University of Arizona has been leasing the Biosphere 2 facility aquatic systems and then condensed to provide rainfall over the for biological research and to provide environmental education tropical rain forest. -
Jeremy Baskin, “Paradigm Dressed As Epoch: the Ideology of The
Paradigm Dressed as Epoch: The Ideology of the Anthropocene JEREMY BASKIN School of Social and Political Sciences University of Melbourne Victoria 3010, Australia Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT The Anthropocene is a radical reconceptualisation of the relationship between humanity and nature. It posits that we have entered a new geological epoch in which the human species is now the dominant Earth-shaping force, and it is rapidly gaining traction in both the natural and social sciences. This article critically explores the scientific representation of the concept and argues that the Anthropocene is less a scientific concept than the ideational underpinning for a particular worldview. It is paradigm dressed as epoch. In particular, it normalises a certain portion of humanity as the ‘human’ of the Anthropocene, reinserting ‘man’ into nature only to re-elevate ‘him’ above it. This move pro- motes instrumental reason. It implies that humanity and its planet are in an exceptional state, explicitly invoking the idea of planetary management and legitimising major interventions into the workings of the earth, such as geoen- gineering. I conclude that the scientific origins of the term have diminished its radical potential, and ask whether the concept’s radical core can be retrieved. KEYWORDS Anthropocene, ideology, geoengineering, environmental politics, earth management INTRODUCTION ‘The Anthropocene’ is an emergent idea, which posits that the human spe- cies is now the dominant Earth-shaping force. Initially promoted by scholars from the physical and earth sciences, it argues that we have exited the current geological epoch, the 12,000-year-old Holocene, and entered a new epoch, Environmental Values 24 (2015): 9–29. -
Our Common Future
Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future Table of Contents Acronyms and Note on Terminology Chairman's Foreword From One Earth to One World Part I. Common Concerns 1. A Threatened Future I. Symptoms and Causes II. New Approaches to Environment and Development 2. Towards Sustainable Development I. The Concept of Sustainable Development II. Equity and the Common Interest III. Strategic Imperatives IV. Conclusion 3. The Role of the International Economy I. The International Economy, the Environment, and Development II. Decline in the 1980s III. Enabling Sustainable Development IV. A Sustainable World Economy Part II. Common Challenges 4. Population and Human Resources I. The Links with Environment and Development II. The Population Perspective III. A Policy Framework 5. Food Security: Sustaining the Potential I. Achievements II. Signs of Crisis III. The Challenge IV. Strategies for Sustainable Food Security V. Food for the Future 6. Species and Ecosystems: Resources for Development I. The Problem: Character and Extent II. Extinction Patterns and Trends III. Some Causes of Extinction IV. Economic Values at Stake V. New Approach: Anticipate and Prevent VI. International Action for National Species VII. Scope for National Action VIII. The Need for Action 7. Energy: Choices for Environment and Development I. Energy, Economy, and Environment II. Fossil Fuels: The Continuing Dilemma III. Nuclear Energy: Unsolved Problems IV. Wood Fuels: The Vanishing Resource V. Renewable Energy: The Untapped Potential VI. Energy Efficiency: Maintaining the Momentum VII. Energy Conservation Measures VIII. Conclusion 8. Industry: Producing More With Less I. Industrial Growth and its Impact II. Sustainable Industrial Development in a Global Context III. -
Energy Degradation and Ecosystem Development: Theoretical Framing, Indicators
Ecological Indicators 20 (2012) 204–212 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Ecological Indicators jo urnal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ecolind Energy degradation and ecosystem development: Theoretical framing, indicators definition and application to a test case study ∗ Alessandro Ludovisi Dipartimento di Biologia Cellulare e Ambientale, Università di Perugia, Via Elce di Sotto, 06123 Perugia, Italy a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t Article history: During the last few decades, the so-called “maximum dissipation principle” has raised a wide debate as Received 21 May 2011 a paradigm governing the development of ecological systems. In the present contribution, after having Received in revised form 5 February 2012 discussed the meaning of the term energy degradation within the framework provided by the entropy Accepted 9 February 2012 and the exergy balance, it is suggested to distinguish three different facets of the phenomenon of the energy degradation, respectively dealing with the overall, system and environmental degradation. In Keywords: relation with ecological indication, the above classification shows that different types of indicators of Ecological indicators energy degradation can be defined, thus emphasising that a clear reference to the specific facet consid- Ecological orientors Entropy ered should be made in order to avoid ambiguous statements. The behaviour of several thermodynamic Exergy indicators, which include previously derived indices and a new set of entropy-based indicators, is exam- Lake Trasimeno ined along the seasonal progression in a lake ecosystem, and the effectiveness of the considered indicators in characterising the development state is evaluated by comparing their responses with the main succes- sional traits of the phytoplankton community. -
The Emergy Perspective: Natural and Anthropic Energy Flows in Agricultural Biomass Production
The emergy perspective: natural and anthropic energy flows in agricultural biomass production Marta Pérez-Soba, Berien Elbersen, Leon Braat, Markus Kempen, Raymond van der Wijngaart, Igor Staritsky, Carlo Rega, Maria Luisa Paracchini 2019 Report EUR 29725 EN This publication is a Technical report by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the European Commission’s science and knowledge service. It aims to provide evidence-based scientific support to the European policymaking process. The scientific output expressed does not imply a policy position of the European Commission. Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for the use that might be made of this publication. Contact information Name: Maria Luisa Paracchini Address: JRC, Via Fermi 2749, I-21027 Ispra (VA), Italy Email: [email protected] Tel.: +39 0332 785223 EU Science Hub https://ec.europa.eu/jrc JRC116274 EUR 29725 EN PDF ISBN 978-92-76-02057-8 ISSN 1831-9424 doi:10.2760/526985 Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2019 © European Union, 2019 The reuse policy of the European Commission is implemented by Commission Decision 2011/833/EU of 12 December 2011 on the reuse of Commission documents (OJ L 330, 14.12.2011, p. 39). Reuse is authorised, provided the source of the document is acknowledged and its original meaning or message is not distorted. The European Commission shall not be liable for any consequence stemming from the reuse. For any use or reproduction of photos or other material that is not owned by the EU, permission must be sought directly from the copyright holders. -
Eolss Sample Chapters
JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATION – Vol. II - Sustainability - Stephen Viederman SUSTAINABILITY Stephen Viederman Former President, Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation, New York, USA Keywords: Sustainability, sustainable development, equity, justice, environment, conventional economics, democracy, public participation, vision, social construct, ‘rules of the game’, multinational corporations, population, consumption. Contents 1. Introduction 2. What is Sustainability? 2.1 Sustainability is a Social Construct 2.2 Sustainability is a Vision of a Desired Future 2.3 Sustainability is a Process With a Beginning But No End 2.4 Sustainability is Qualified By Context and is Location Specific 2.5 Sustainability is About the Ecosystem and its Interrelationships With Other Subsystems 3. Sustainability: A Definition 4. Barriers to Sustainability 4.1 The Capacity to Envision the Future 4.2 The “Rules of the Game” 5. Issues 5.1 Sustainability and the Multinational Corporation 5.2 Dimensions of Sustainable Development 5.3 Population, Consumption, and Sustainability 6. Conclusion Bibliography Biographical Sketch Summary Sustainability has become reified, as if one day society was unsustainable and the next day it becomes sustainable. In reality, sustainability is about a participatory process with a beginning and no end, a vision of the future, an ideal, a goal. It is a social construct that is UNESCOunattainable by definition, because – understanding EOLSS of the goal and definition of the vision will change with time. Much of the discussion of sustainability has been focused on environmental or ecological sustainability with little attention to the human dimension. WhileSAMPLE it is true that the environment CHAPTERS is the basis for all life and all production, in fact, in the absence of attention to issues of equity and justice, the environment cannot be sustained. -
3 Scenario 1: Earth Charter This Is a World in Which Humans Have A
Scenario 1: Earth Charter This is a world in which humans have a respect for all life. People understand themselves as part of an integrated biosphere and focus on finding balance and harmony with each other and nature and focus on nurturing a thriving and healthy world. With expanding equity and inclusion, a broadening of the definition of knowledge and science leads to extreme new insights and advancements in a highly interconnected and richly diverse world. There is a porous boundary between human focus and non-human focus as people honor all species’ labor and space. Conservancy in interconnected systems and infrastructure become so efficient that “waste” is no longer a common term in language. Data are collected, monitored, and analyzed to ensure interspecies equity. The result is species return to pre-human levels as the human population stabilizes. Technology and advancements combined with the inclusion of art and expression have led to the development of new approaches to learning and the delivery of knowledge that are increasingly adaptive, personalized and driven by the student. Institutional models of education are obsolete as education is no longer measured by degree but by knowing, adaptiveness, creativity, continuity of learning and freedom of thought and expression. Universal access to learning and education leads to broad societal agency and empowerment. The public has a great acceptance of science with an acknowledgement that science must integrate with other world views that ecumenically bridges all faith traditions. Current Drivers and Trends Signaling the Potential of this Scenario The progressive and global orientation and activism of youth combines with the growing climate justice movement to create an unprecedented and sustained societal shift toward a new understanding of humans as part of a complex and vulnerable living system and environment. -
The Importance of Energy Quality in Matching Supply and Demand
information paper IP 5/12 tHe IMPORTANCe OF ENERGY QUaLITY IN MATCHING SUPPLY AND DEMAND robin Wiltshire, Jonathan Williams and abhilash rajan energy used in buildings accounts for around half of the UK’s total carbon emissions. most of this energy is used for space heating, so minimising heat losses is a high priority. the heating requirement of buildings is primarily dependent on the building fabric, so less energy is needed to heat better-insulated buildings. However, the quality or grade of energy needed for space heating is very low. Low-grade energy, eg industrial waste heat, is available in large quantities and can be used in low-temperature internal distribution systems, such as underfloor heating. adopting lower building-heat distribution temperatures increases the availability and viability of a wide range of low-carbon and renewable heat sources. this information paper examines the importance of energy quality in matching energy supply and demand and will be of interest to those working in the field of energy in buildings, including building services engineers, building contractors and specifiers. introduction Buildings generally use very-high-grade energy derived from fossil fuels (Figure 1). By recognising that the energy quality required in buildings varies significantly Figure 1: Different forms of very-high-grade energy according to purpose, the energy supply can be adapted to maximise efficient use of resources. This integrated to reduce energy demand but also to provide the energy approach offers opportunities to maximise the use of needed in the most appropriate and beneficial manner. freely available heat and renewable energy technology. -
An Introduction to the Concept of Exergy And
Energy and Process Engineering Introduction to Exergy and Energy Quality AN INTRODUCTION TO THE CONCEPT OF EXERGY AND ENERGY QUALITY by Truls Gundersen Department of Energy and Process Engineering Norwegian University of Science and Technology Trondheim, Norway Version 3, November 2009 Truls Gundersen Page 1 of 25 Energy and Process Engineering Introduction to Exergy and Energy Quality PREFACE The main objective of this document is to serve as the reading text for the Exergy topic in the course Engineering Thermodynamics 1 provided by the Department of Energy and Process Engineering at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. As such, it will conform as much as possible to the currently used text book by Moran and Shapiro 1 which covers the remaining topics of the course. This means that the nomenclature will be the same (or at least as close as possible), and references will be made to Sections of that text book. It will also in general be assumed that the reader of this document is familiar with the material of the first 6 Chapters in Moran and Shapiro, in particular the 1st and the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics and concepts or properties such as Internal Energy, Enthalpy and Entropy. The text book by Moran and Shapiro does provide material on Exergy, in fact there is an entire Chapter 7 on that topic. It is felt, however, that this Chapter has too much focus on developing various Exergy equations, such as steady-state and dynamic Exergy balances for closed and open systems, flow exergy, etc. The development of these equations is done in a way that may confuse the non-experienced reader.