Future of Sustainability 2030

Welcome to the Future of Sustainability in 2030

Group Members

Yojiro Fukaya
Eric Lam
Ynzhu (Carrie) Ma
Hugh Malkin
Kay Mei Tan

Introduction

"Meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

Research Questions

What is the history?
How did sustainability start?
What are the driving forces in the past?
Who/what does sustainability effect the most?
Who is the best/worst at sustainability?
How is sustainability measured?
Why does sustainability matter?
What is most important to sustain?
What does sustainability mean?
Do we need to be sustainability

How sustainability can effect on economy?
How sustainability can effect on our life?
Why do we need sustainability now?
What is the motivation for companies to work for sustainability?
How will growth in developing countries effect on sustainability?
Can technological development solve environmental issues dramatically?
What is the urgent issue relating to sustainability?
What can we do as a individual?

1. What is the purpose of sustainability? Why does it matter? What is it?
2. Is sustainability a slow or fast change? What changes are present day solutions and which are long-term solutions?
3. What is the balance of profits and sustainability?
4. What is the definition of Sustainability? Lifestyle, products, CO2?
5. Is less bad of sustainability actually good? What is the goal of sustainability? What is sufficient?
6. Are things really measureable?
7. Where should the solution come from? Is there a universal answer?

Water: Is It the Key Limiting Factor?
What is sustainability?
What is the value of the global services for sustainability e.g. air and water purification, agricultural pollination, nutrient cycling, soil enrichment, climate stabilization, medicinal products and drought mitigation?
What would happen if we do not work on sustainability?
How much should be done?
Who should be responsible for sustainability e.g. government, individuals, country?
How bad is the current situation?
What happened if we slow growth? Does that mean that we do not need to work on sustainability?

Driving Forces

1. Resources
2. Alternative Energy
3. Technological Development
4. Education
5. Information sharing
6. Business
7. Green Business
8. CSR

Regulation

(Global, not each country)

Kyoto Protocol (http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php)

The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The major feature of the Kyoto Protocol is that it sets binding targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European community for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions .These amount to an average of five per cent against 1990 levels over the five-year period 2008-2012.

Values

Values as a foundation for sustainable behavior
http://www.bcca.org/ief/ddahl01b.htm

Dahl says: To achieve sustainability, several types of values need to be considered:
- values with respect to fellow human beings;
- the value attached to material things and consumption;
- the importance given to the environment;
- the purpose of life.
If the purpose of life is defined as the fulfilment of individual material needs and drives and the denial of any other goal in life, the resulting value set will be very different from one that sets higher humanistic goals, or one that defines the real purpose of life as the acquisition of spiritual qualities, with participation in society seen as a means to that end.

References

Erasumus prof. Michael Braungart (co-author Cradle to Cradle)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B8fTujfL30

Robert Rubinstien (Green Investment)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBUV1PJE8r4

The Limits to Growth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Limits_to_Growth

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
http://unfccc.int/2860.php/

Kyoto Protocol
http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php

Books

Natural Capitalism
Limits to Growth
Triple Bottom Line

News Articles

New Green Business
http://money.cnn.com/2009/03/24/smallbusiness/trash_talker_terracycle.fsb/index.htm?postversion=2009032512
http://www.terracycle.net/

Notes

http://scenariothinking.org/wiki/index.php/Image:Notes_1.doc
http://scenariothinking.org/wiki/index.php/Image:Notes_2.doc