Foundations of Sustainability Lectures

Summary: Home page for my two Foundations of Sustainability lectures, October 17 and 24, 2012.

TOC: Introduction | Origins of Sustainability | Economic Aspects

Introduction

This site houses notes for Foundations of Sustainability lectures. We will address two learning goals from the syllabus for SUST605:

  1. Present and engage different definitions of sustainability and sustainable development, October 26
  2. Present an appreciation of the domain of economics of sustainability, November 2

October 17: The Brundtland Commission As the Origins of Sustainable Development

This material covers the original report from the Brundtland Commission and explains its origins and implications.

  1. Browse the Brundtland Report and sample its findings and logic. This is a seminal historical document. I will explain the Brundtland Commission Report in class.
  2. Read the important Overview, noting the way that sustainable development was framed and the language used to define sustainable development, quoted below. Read the Brundtland section on sustainable development carefully. Note the Report's succinct working definition of sustainability: "Humanity has the ability to make development sustainable to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
  3. Please view the presentation for our class session.
  4. See Professor Hayes's overview of Brundtland and the origins of Sustainable Development, which lays out important concepts for the course.
  5. Wiki presentation on Brundtland by Professor Hayes, including Wiki on Intergenerational Concerns and on Triple Bottom Line
  6. Background notes, part one and part two
  7. Background: Successor statement: The 3rd Nobel Laureate Symposium on Global Sustainability, Stockholm May 2011.

October 24: Economic Aspects of Sustainability

These readings introduce economic aspects for sustainers.

  1. Please review the instantly classical article by Steffen, Will & Paul J. Crutzen & John R. McNeill. 2007: The Anthropocene: Are Humans Now Overwhelming the Great Forces of Nature?, Ambio v36n8 (December 2007): 614-621.
  2. Please see my presentation on the Anthropocene.
  3. Beyond Brundtland: Read Wolfgang Sachs, Fairness in a Fragile World: The Johanessburg Agenda, short version. Also, the full version is recommended.
  4. Please see my presentation on Sachs.
  5. I also recommended Donella Meadows, Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System. See a shorter version. Note especially the leverage given to paradigm shifts.
©Wayne Hayes, Ph.D. | Initialized: 10/9/2011 | Last Update: 10/24/2012 | V. 2.4, Build #28