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Sustainability

National Press Foundation

February 16, 2011

Marina Moses, DirectorScience and Technology for Sustainability Program

Policy and Global Affairs DivisionThe National Academies

[email protected] 202-334-2143
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]

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Historical Perspective*

Post WW II Development - US led an international system based oneconomic development, human rights, and peace and security

Development intended to promote human opportunity, quality of lifeand freedom --- Progress

Whats missing??

* Dernbach, Editor Agenda for a Sustainable America

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Historical Perspective, cont.*

In the 70s and 80s

Problems: Widespread poverty

Growing environmental degradation

Systematic causes:

Increasing consumption

of resources

Population growth

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4

World Commission on Environment and

Development (1987)

Created by 1983 U.N. General Assembly resolution Definition of sustainable development: development

that meets the needs of the present withoutcompromising the ability of future generations tomeet their own needs.

Described a threatened future

Called on U.N. General Assembly to

transform this report into a global plan

of action for sustainable

development

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5

United Nations Conference on Environment andDevelopment--1992

At Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit, nations of the world endorsedsustainable development

Agenda 21comprehensive action plan

Rio Declarationstatement of principles

Forest Action Plan

United States participated

actively and agreed

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Rio Declaration Principles

27 principles for sustainable development, including:

- Integrated decision-making

- Precautionary approach

- Intergenerational equity

- Necessity of reducing and eliminating unsustainable patterns ofproduction and consumption and adopting appropriate demographicpolicies

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Additional Principles

- Public participation, public information, and access to justice

- Internalization of environmental costs

- Environmental issues best handled at the relevant level ofgovernment

- Peace, development and environmental protection are

interdependent and indivisible

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Our Common Journey: A Transition towardSustainability(NRC, 1999) described the goals ofsustainability as:

The primary goals of a transition to sustainability over

the next two generations should be to meet the needs

of a much larger but stabilizing human population, to

sustain the life support systems of the planet, and to

substantially reduce hunger and poverty.

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Additional Milestones

Millennium Declaration (U.N. General Assembly, 2000)

Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (World Summit onSustainable Development, 2002)

U.N. Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio deJaneiro, May 2012

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Size: 738 593

Type: 74KB PNG

This image may be subject to copyright.

Accessed fromGoogle Images

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Accessed from

Google Images

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Sustainability

A different way of thinking

Paradigm shift

Organizing Principle

Unique characteristics: grass-roots, transdisciplinary

How does it work?

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Encourage the use of science and technology to achieve long-term

sustainable development.

Goal: to contribute to sustainable improvements in human well-beingby creating and strengthening the strategic connections betweenscientific research, technological development, and decision-making.

The program concentrates on activities with the following attributes: Cross-cutting in nature, requiring expertise from multiple

disciplines; Important both in the United States and internationally; Effectively addressed via cooperation among multiples sectors,

including academia, government, industry, and NGOs.

Science and Technology for Sustainability ProgramPolicy and Global Affairs Division

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Roundtable on Science and Technology for Sustainability Network for Emerging Leaders in Sustainability

Sustainability at the Academies Newsletter Sponsor-Requested Workshops and Studies

Approach Applied Cases Framework Studies

Science and Technology for Sustainability ProgramProgrammatic Elements

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Examples of the Applied Cases

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A Sustainability Challenge: Food Security for All

Objectives Help establish the dimensions of the food security challenge Explore how to sustainably meet growing food demands during the

coming decades

Convene Two Public Workshops in 2011 Measuring Food Insecurity and Assessing the Sustainability of

Global Food Systems (February 2011) Examine the empirical basis for past trends, the current situation and

projections for the future. Exploring Sustainable Solutions for Increasing Global Food

Supplies (May 2011) Examine a set of issues fundamental to assuring that food supplies

can be increased to meet the needs of the worlds growing populationnow expected to grow to 9 billion by the year 2050.

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Regional Approaches to Urban Sustainability

Organize a series of workshops beginning in Fall 2010 to foster discussion ofregional approaches to making U.S. metropolitan areas more sustainable, withan emphasis on building the evidence base upon which policies and programsmight be developed.

Three Major Themes Relevant to Metro Atlanta Transportation & land use Public health & the built environment Water resources conservation

Objectives Discuss the ways that regional actors are approaching sustainability Examine the role that science, technology, and research can play in

supporting efforts to make the region more sustainable Explore how federal agency efforts, particularly interagency partnerships,

can complement/leverage the efforts of other key stakeholders

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Linkage Example

Water and Energy

Thomas Graedel

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Large-scale Desalination

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Large-scale Desalination

Power Distribution Station

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The Issue:

Do we anticipate having enough energy to acquire

the water we need?

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Rationale

Understanding the linkages between domains (energy,water, land, non-renewable resources) is essential for thedevelopment of policies and programs supporting long termsustainability.

These linkages are not always recognized or accounted forby federal policies and programs and, in fact, often trigger

unintended consequences.

Sustainability Linkages in the Federal Government

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The Sustainability Silos of the U.S. Government

Health (DHHS)

Land (DoI)

Environmentalquality (EPA)

Minerals(USGS)

Energy (DoE)

Water(NOAA)

Food (DoA)

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The Sustainability Silos of the Experts

Health(medicalresearchers)

Land use(geographers)

Environmentalquality(ecologists)

Minerals(geologists)

Energy (powerengrs., matl. sci.)

Water(hydrolo-gists)

Food (cropresearchers)

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Objectives

To identify and describe the most critical linkages betweendomains, with potential sustainability impacts highlightingtemporal, geographic, and spatial differences.

To develop a decision framework which could be used toanalyze or assess consequences, tradeoffs, and synergiesof policy choices among linked domains.


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LANDSCAPES

Urban

Mineral Rich

Coastal

Agriculture/Forest

Coastal

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After a series of briefings, information-gathering meetings,field visits, and a literature review, the committee will be

able to:o Describe the major linkages inherent in each case study within thedefined landscape

o Determine the government policies and programs influencing themanagement and use of critical resources within each landscape

o Identify sustainability consequences (positive and negative)resulting from existing stove piped policies and programs

o With input from local and federal stakeholders, the committee willexplore options for assuring that key linkages identified in casestudies are recognized and addressed as part of future policydecisions


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Incorporating Sustainability in

the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

A committee under the STS Program will conduct a

study at the request of the U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA)s Office of Research and Development tohelp define efforts to incorporate sustainability conceptsinto Agency programs.

This study will build on existing sustainability efforts inEPA by strengthening the analytic and scientific basis forsustainability as it applies to human health andenvironmental protection within the Agency's decision-making process.

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Incorporating Sustainability inthe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

The consensus report will answer the following questions:

What should be the operational framework for sustainability for EPA?

How can the EPA decision making process rooted in the riskassessment/risk management (RA/RM) paradigm be integrated into this

new sustainability framework?

What scientific and analytical tools are needed to support theframework?

What expertise is needed to support the framework?

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Science and Technology for Sustainability ProgramSpecial Event

Celebrate EPA at 40 and Help Address Environmental Issues for the Future

Launch of a National Research Council StudyIncorporating Sustainability in the U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyTuesday, November 30, 2010

4:005:00 pm

Marian Koshland Science Museum

Corner of 6th and E Street NW Washington DC

Metro: Judiciary Square (Red Line) or Gallery Place (Yellow/Green Line)

A committee under the Science and Technology for Sustainability Program (STS) will conduct a study at the request of the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)s Office of Research and Development to help define their efforts to incorporate

sustainability concepts into agency programs.

This study will build on existing sustainability efforts in EPA by strengthening the analytic and scientific basis for sustainability as it

applies to human health and environmental protection within the Agency's decision-making process.

Program

Remarks:

Ralph J. Cicerone, President, National Academy of Sciences

Lisa P. Jackson, Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyBernard D. Goldstein, University of Pittsburgh, Chair, Ad hoc Committee, Incorporating Sustainability in

the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Question and Answer Session and Reception to follow.

If you plan to attend this event, please register by Monday, November 29th at 5:00 pm at http://www8.nationalacademies.org/isc-

registration/public/default.asp?event=A0ABFE48or call 202-334-2047. Please note space is limited and registration will be closed

once capacity has been met.

For more information on the STS Program, please visit our website at: www.nas.edu/sustainability.
http://www8.nationalacademies.org/isc-registration/public/default.asp?event=A0ABFE48http://www8.nationalacademies.org/isc-registration/public/default.asp?event=A0ABFE48http://www.nas.edu/sustainabilityhttp://www.nas.edu/sustainabilityhttp://www8.nationalacademies.org/isc-registration/public/default.asp?event=A0ABFE48http://www8.nationalacademies.org/isc-registration/public/default.asp?event=A0ABFE48http://www8.nationalacademies.org/isc-registration/public/default.asp?event=A0ABFE48

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Moving forward..

Account for tradeoffs/synergies in the decisions we make

Factor the future into current decisions Be transparent in the decision process

Frame questions differently ask about social, economicand environmental impacts

Think systematically

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Additional Information

Websitewww.nas.edu/sustainability

Monthly newsletter

To subscribe, send email to: [email protected]
http://www.nas.edu/sustainabilitymailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.nas.edu/sustainability

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