Sustainability Models and Concepts

Study Notes

Traditional financial metrics need expansion to include social and environmental impact
Sustainability has three pillars: people (social impact), planet (environmental impact), and profit (economic impact)
Key concepts include "needs" (prioritizing essential needs of the world's poor) and "limitations" (imposed by technology and societal organization on the environment)
Mulligan's principles include acknowledging interconnections, limits to growth, prevention over cure, intragenerational and intergenerational equity, respecting diversity, and moving from consumerism to quality-of-life goals.
Carson's "Silent Spring" and Ehrlich's "Population Bomb" highlight concerns about environmental impact

The 1972 "Stabilized World" scenario proposed technological and social measures, two children per family, higher service consumption, and emission reduction
Schumacher's critique of unlimited growth advocates for responsible consumption, human-centered economics, appropriate technology, small-scale solutions, and sustainability

Models provide simplified representations of reality, highlighting essential elements, allowing for measurement and calculation, and explaining reality.

Strong sustainability emphasizes ecological integrity and non-substitutability of natural capital
Weak sustainability allows for substitution of natural capital with human-made capital, focusing on balancing economic growth with environmental considerations

Large-scale transformations affect Earth's systems (environmental, economic, social, and political).
Human activities, like population growth, fossil fuel use, and land-use change, are major drivers of global change

Weather describes the short-term conditions of the atmosphere, while climate is the long-term weather pattern in a specific area

The greenhouse effect is a natural process where gases in Earth's atmosphere trap some heat, keeping the planet warm enough for life.
Human activities cause increases in greenhouse gases, resulting in an enhanced greenhouse effect and climate change.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the ethical behavior of a company
Intra-generational equity focuses on fair access to resources and environmental benefits within the current generation
Inter-generational equity prioritizes future generations' needs by minimizing environmental harm and ensuring resource preservation for posterity
Stakeholders are any individual or group who can affect or be affected by a company's actions or decisions

Modern civilization relies on ever-increasing energy use, leading to concerns about resources, impacts
The "energy ladder" shows how fuel usage changes based on income level