Engaging Students and the Research Community in Sustainability Challenges One academic’s view:...

Engaging Students and the Research Community in Sustainability Challenges

One academic’s view:Pamela Matson

Stanford UniversitySchool of Earth Sciences & The Woods Institute for

the Environment

What does“sustainability”

mean?

Nature

EarthBiodiversityEcosystems

Life Support

Ecosystem ServicesResourcesEnvironment

Community

CulturesGroupsPlaces

What Is To Be Sustained?

People

Child SurvivalLife ExpectancyEducationEquityEqual Opportunity

Economy

WealthProductive SectorsConsumption

Society

InstitutionsSocial CapitalStatesRegions

For How Long?

25 years

“Now and in the future”

Forever

Linked By

OnlyMostly

ButAndOr

Figure 1.1 Sustainable development: common concerns, differing emphases.

Sustainability can be a confused and contested term…

The Business World is comfortable with:

The three legged stool3E’sTriple Bottom Line

http://computingforsustainability.wordpress.com/2009/03/15/visualising-sustainability/

Many different definitions,

but most have in common an attention to both

people and their environment, and the

well-being of future generations as well as the well-being of

people today

The most critical goal of the 21st Century:

Meeting the needs of people today and in the future

Sustaining the life support systems of the planet

NRC. 1999. Our Common Journey

1 – 2 billion persons are…

• illiterate adults

• without adequate shelter

• without access to safe water or sanitation

• without access to electricity

• undernourished

7,000,000,0007,000,000,000

Social needs are not being met

- Air Pollution

- Climate change

- Acidification of the oceans

- ~50% land surface has been converted

- Biodiversity loss 100+ times faster

- 60% of ecosystem services in decline

- Water and soil resources limitations

- Nitrogen over-enrichment

- Mineral resource limitations

7,000,000,0007,000,000,000

Life support systems are degraded

Meeting the needs of people today

Sustaining atmosphere, water, climate and ecosystems

food

energy

water

education

Air quality

Waterquality,quantity

Climate change

Species loss

Focus at the intersection of human needs and life support systems

Meeting the needs of people today

Sustaining atmosphere, water, climate and ecosystems

What will it take for a transition to sustainability?

- new knowledge, tools and approaches- knowledge linked to action- educated leaders and the public


- new knowledge, tools and approaches- knowledge linked to action- educated leaders and the public- hope, inspiration, and motivation- the will to change and to ‘walk the walk’- leadership by corporations, citizens, governments, non-profits, universities ( and a stable human population….)


- new knowledge, tools and approaches

Areas for Action

Water--

-CitiesUrban Challenge

-IndustryIndustry

EnergyEnergyEnergy

BiodiversityLiving ResourcesSpecies & Ecosystems

AgricultureAgricultureFood Security

HealthHuman Population

Population

Kofi Annan, 2002WSSD:An

Achievable agenda

NAS-BSD, 1999Our Common

Journey

WCED, 1987Our Common

Future

energy supply is the source of most

– indoor and outdoor air pollution

– hydrocarbon and trace-metal pollution of soil and ground water

– oil added by humans to the seas

– carbon dioxide emissions, leading to climate change

Environmentally…

In research, education, and business, a focus on Energy Alternatives

SolarWindWaterOcean sourcesNuclearGeothermalBiofuels

Fuel switching (to natural gas)Carbon capture and storage

food

energy

water

education

Air quality

WaterQuality,quantity

Climate change

Species loss


An energy focus, butnot a sustainability focus?

food

energy

water

education

Air quality


Climate change

Species loss


food

energy

water

education

Air quality


Climate change

Species, ecosystem loss


food

energy

water

education

Air quality


Climate change

Species, ecosystem loss


The nexus of energy, food, water, climate, etc

Energy alternatives in the context of human needs and life support systems

SolarWindWaterOcean sourcesNuclearGeothermalBiofuels…..

GHG and Climate Change

Food production and security

Biodiversity

Ecosystem services

Water resources

Other pollutants

Trade and security

Equity and justice

Governance and institutions

GHG and Climate Change

Food production and security

Biodiversity

Ecosystem services

Water resources

Other pollutants

Trade and security

Equity and justice

Governance and institutions

Areas for Action

Water--


-IndustryIndustry

EnergyEnergyEnergy




Population


Achievable agenda


Journey


Future

food

energy

water

shelter

Air quality


Climate change


BiodiversitySpecies loss

A conservation focus, butnot a sustainability focus

food

energy

water

shelter

Air quality


Climate change



An ecosystem services perspective

SeafoodFood Crops &

LivestockForest ProductsEnergy Crops

Carbon storageProvision of WaterFire PreventionFlood ControlSedimentation

ControlPest ControlPollination

Spiritual ValuesEducational ValuesInspirationAesthetic ValuesSocial RelationsSense of PlaceRecreationTourism

Options: e.g., Biodiversity

Areas for Action Meeting Needs and Protecting Life Support Systems

Water--


-IndustryIndustry

EnergyEnergyEnergy




Population


Achievable agenda


Journey


Future

food

energy

water

shelter

Air quality


Climate change



Version 1Program focused on the Nexus:Integrating multi-disciplinaryknowledge and perspectives to understand and develop viable solutions for people and the environment

Earth Systems ProgramStanford’s interdisciplinary major in environment and sustainabilitycreated in 1992 to provide a new type of education in problem solving for environment and resource challenges

• 2012: 175 majors and 56 co-terminal masters

• Tracks: - Biosphere- Oceans- Agriculture/land systems- Energy - Anthrosphere- Climate

Engages:

54 Faculty / 17 Departments / 6 Schools,

School of Earth Sciences is “home”

Version 2Key sustainability issues

(cross-cutting, relevant no matter what nexus)

• Understanding production-consumption relationships• Analyzing and managing synergies and tradeoffs between

human well-being and the environment• Maximizing resilience and reducing vulnerability of coupled

human-environment systems• Identifying tipping points and thresholds• Understanding and improving governance systems• Improving models of human-environment systems• Designing effective decision support systems• Monitoring progress toward sustainability• Encouraging innovation

Clark and Levin 2010, Kates et al 2001

Version 3

Sustainability Impact = P x C/P x I/C

PopulationConsumption per capitaImpact per consumption

Robert Kates, after Holdren and Ehrlich

“Guess how many people this jar can hold before something really bad happens. Hint: don’t guess wrong.”

Source: United Nations Population Division, World Population Prospects, The 2008 Revision.

World Population Growth Is Almost Entirely Concentrated in the World's Poorer Countries…

and it is slowing.World Population (in Billions): 1950-2050

Total Fertility Rate(~kids per family)

1950: 5.0

2011: 2.5

(ranges from 0.9-7.0)

Population

• Growth is slowing and a stable population is within sight!

But:

- fertility rates could drop further and “momentum” could be slowed

Health care, reduced infant mortality rates, family planning, education and employment opportunities for women make a difference….

Consumption per person

- levels of consumption needs to increase in the less developed world, but how much is enough? - can it decrease in the developed world?


Understanding consumer decision-making requires the combination of ethics, economics, history, psychology, sociology, anthropology…

What does it take to satisfy and satiate?


Impact per consumption

Lots of progress and lots of opportunity

“ the new industrial revolution”

Version 3Maybe useful for a course,

probably not a program!!



Kates, after Holdren and Ehrlich

What other versions??

A Transition to Sustainability?

What will it take?

Sustainability Science

Focus on interactions in the human-environment system(or human-technology-environment interactions)

Focus is on development and use of fundamental knowledge not just for understanding but for problem solving

Usually interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary

Often place-based; attention to scale and cross-scale interactions

Quest for Fundamental understanding?


- new knowledge, tools and approaches- linking knowledge to action

How can we most effectively link knowledge with decision making

for sustainability??

The “pipeline” model of knowledge and technology transfer rarely works….

Knowledge producers

Knowledge users

Reject the “pipeline” model of knowledge and technology transfer

Knowledge producers

Knowledge Users

-Promote multi-directional, on-going information flow and dialogue

- Promote collaborative production of trusted knowledge, involve stakeholders in its creation

Clark, Matson, Lebel, Gallopin, et al

For students, service learning, in university operations and beyond, is one way to engage


- new knowledge, tools and approaches- linking knowledge to action- educating leaders and the public


- new knowledge, tools and approaches- linking knowledge to action- educating leaders and the public

We’re here to learn from each other!


- new knowledge, tools and approaches- linking knowledge to action- educating leaders and the public- hope, inspiration, and motivation- the will to change and to ‘walk the walk’- leadership by corporations, citizens, governments, non-profits, universities ( and a stable human population….)

IMAGINE!IMAGINE!

Engaging Students and the Research Community in Sustainability Challenges One academic’s view:...

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