Sustainability Perspectives: Science, Policy and Practice: A Global View of Theories, Policies and Practice in Sustainable Development

351 Pages·2020·9.601 MB·English

by  Peter A. Khaiter, Marina G. Erechtchoukova

Strategies for Sustainability
Peter A Khaiter
Marina G Erechtchoukova Editors
Sustainability
Perspectives:
Science, Policy
and Practice
A Global View of Theories, Policies and
Practice in Sustainable Development
Strategies for Sustainability
Serieseditor
RodrigoLozano,UniversityofGävle,Gävle,Sweden
StrategiesforSustainability
Theseriesfocusesonimplementationstrategiesandresponsestoenvironmentalproblemsatthe
local,national,andgloballevels.
Ourobjectiveistoencouragepolicyproposalsandprescriptivethinkingontopicssuchas:sustain-
abilitymanagement,sustainabilitystrategies,lifestylechanges,regionalapproaches,organisational
changes for sustainability, educational approaches, pollution prevention, clean technologies,
multilateraltreaty-making,sustainabilityguidelinesandstandards,sustainabilityassessmentand
reporting, the role of scientific analysis in decision-making, implementation of public-private
partnershipsforresourcemanagement,regulatoryenforcement,andapproachestomeetinginter-
generationalobligationsregardingthemanagementofcommonresources.
We favour trans-disciplinary perspectives and analyses grounded in careful, comparative
studiesofpractice,demonstrations,orpolicyreforms.Thislargelyexcludesfurtherdocumentation
ofproblems,andprescriptivepiecesthatarenotgrounded inpractice,orsustainabilitystudies.
Philosophically, we prefer an open-minded pragmatism – ““show us what works and why”” –
ratherthanabiastowardatheoryoftheliberalstate(i.e.““command-and-control””)oratheory
ofmarkets.Weinvitecontributionsthatareinnovative,creative,andgobeyondthe‘businessas
usual’approaches.
WeinviteAuthorstosubmitmanuscriptsthat:
− Prescribehowtodobetteratincorporatingconcernsaboutsustainabilityintopublicpolicyand
privateaction.
− Documentwhathasandhasnotworkedinpractice.
− Describe what should be tried next to promote greater sustainability in natural resource
management,energyproduction,housingdesignanddevelopment,industrialreorganization,
infrastructureplanning,landuse,andbusinessstrategy.
− Develop implementation strategies and examine the effectiveness of specific sustainability
strategies.
− Focusontrans-disciplinaryanalysesgroundedincareful,comparativestudiesofpracticeor
policyreform.
− Provideanapproach“...tomeetingtheneedsofthepresentwithoutcompromisingtheability
offuturegenerationstomeettheirownneeds,”anddothisinawaythatbalancesthegoalof
economicdevelopmentwithdueconsiderationforenvironmentalprotection,socialprogress,
andindividualrights.
Themescoveredintheseriesare:
Sustainabilitymanagement
Sustainabilitystrategies
Lifestylechanges
Regionalapproaches
Organisationalchangesforsustainability
Educationalapproaches
Pollutionprevention
Cleantechnologies
Multilateraltreaty-making
Sustainabilityguidelinesandstandards
Sustainabilityassessmentandreporting
Theroleofscientificanalysisindecision-making
Implementationofpublic-privatepartnershipsforresourcemanagement
Governanceandregulatoryenforcement
Approachestomeetinginter-generationalobligationsregardingthemanagementofcommon
resources
Moreinformationaboutthisseriesathttp://www.springer.com/series/8584
Peter A. Khaiter (cid:129) Marina G. Erechtchoukova
Editors
Sustainability Perspectives:
Science, Policy and Practice
A Global View of Theories, Policies and
Practice in Sustainable Development
123
Editors
PeterA.Khaiter MarinaG.Erechtchoukova
SchoolofInformationTechnology SchoolofInformationTechnology
FacultyofLiberalArtsandProfessional FacultyofLiberalArtsandProfessional
Studies Studies
YorkUniversity YorkUniversity
Toronto,ON,Canada Toronto,ON,Canada
ISSN2212-5450 ISSN2452-1582 (electronic)
StrategiesforSustainability
ISBN978-3-030-19549-6 ISBN978-3-030-19550-2 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19550-2
©SpringerNatureSwitzerlandAG2020
Thisworkissubjecttocopyright.AllrightsarereservedbythePublisher,whetherthewholeorpartof
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Preface
The concept of sustainable development is a multifaceted global problem which
was recognized, introduced, and articulated over the course of several decades.
Nevertheless,theconceptstillrequiresathoroughandcomprehensiveinvestigation.
Itisobviousthattheentirescopeofthesustainabilityissuescannotbeaddressedby
asinglebook.
This volume appears in the “Strategies for Sustainability” series focusing on
implementation strategies and responses to sustainability problems – at the orga-
nizational, local, national, and global levels. The main objective of the series is to
encouragepolicyproposalsandprescriptivethinkingontopicssuchassustainabil-
ity management, sustainability strategies, lifestyle changes, regional approaches,
organizationalchangesforsustainability,educationalapproaches,pollutionpreven-
tion, clean technologies, multilateral treaty-making, sustainability guidelines and
standards, sustainability assessment and reporting, the role of scientific analysis
in decision-making, implementation of public-private partnerships for resource
management,regulatoryenforcement,andapproachestomeetinginter-generational
obligationsregardingthemanagementofcommonresources.
Thebookpresentsoriginalresearchpapersonthestateoftheartinsustainability,
anditisintendedforabroadaudience,primarilyfromtheacademia,environmental
authorities, industry, forestry, agriculture, and land and water management, and
can be of interest for researchers, graduate students and practitioners in the areas
of sustainable development and environmental sciences, business managers and
analysts, and policy- and decision-makers, who will find valuable sources of
informationfortheirprofessionalactivities.
Thecontributionsreceivedforthebookreflectgeographicallydisperselocations
from New Zealand to Nepal and from Australia to the United States. Thus, the
book sets out a worldwide perspective of the science, policy, and practice of
sustainabilityinNorthandSouthAmericas,Europe,Asia,Australia,andOceania.It
isaclearindicationofagrowinginteresttowardtheissuesofsustainability–locally,
internationally, and globally. The chapters in the volume also explore country-
specific development and applications of sustainability principles. We would like
to thank all the researchers who responded to the call for chapters and submitted
v
vi Preface
manuscriptstothisprojectfortheirhardworkundertightdeadlinesandhighquality
ofthecontributedpapers.
Thehighscientificqualityofthematerialwasalsoassuredbyarigorousreview-
ing process by the leading researchers and practitioners in respective fields from
Argentina,Australia,Austria,Canada,India,NewZealand,PalestinianTerritories,
Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and the United States. We
are grateful to our reviewers whose names are not listed in the volume due to
theconfidentialityoftheprocess.Theirvoluntaryserviceandinsightfulcomments
helpedtheauthorstoimprovethequalityofthemanuscriptsaswellasassistedthe
editorsindecision-makingoneachchapter.
WewouldliketoexpressourappreciationtotheentireteamofSpringerNature
with very special thanks going to the series editor of Strategies for Sustainability,
the publishing editor Dr. Fritz Schmuhl, and his editorial assistant, Catalina Sava.
WearegratefultotheProjectCoordinator(Books)PrasadGurunadhamandProject
ManagerAbdulBariIshrathAraofSPiTechnologiesfortheirenthusiasticsupport
andexceptionaleditorialandproofingworkonbehalfoftheteamofauthors.
Toronto,ON,Canada PeterA.Khaiter
MarinaG.Erechtchoukova
Introduction
For this book, we invited contributions on methodological and applied aspects of
sustainability and sustainable management from different countries and regions
around the globe. The chapters discuss approaches to sustainability assessment
and demonstrate how ideas of sustainability and sustainable management are
incorporatedintopublicpoliciesandprivateactionsatlocalandnationallevels.The
book presents the current directions of scientific thinking and success in the field
ofsustainabledevelopment.Theconceptualideasandcase-basedimplementations
showcase how the theory of sustainability and its approaches can be applied to
public policy development and actual realization in local and regional sustainable
practices.Theauthorsfocusonpromotinggreatersustainabilityinnaturalresource
management, energy production and storage, housing design, coastal planning,
land use, and business strategy, including sustainability indicators, environmental
damages,andrelevanttheoreticalframeworks.Thechaptersreflectenvironmental,
economic, and social issues in sustainable development, challenges encountered,
andlessonslearnedaswellassolutionsproposed.
Structurally, the book is divided in three parts. Part I is dedicated to scientific
or theoretical foundations of sustainability. At the same time, the authors discuss
and demonstrate practical applications of their thoughts. The opening chapter, by
theeditors,providesanintroductiontothefundamentalsofsustainability,including
a brief historic overview of the concept. The idea of sustainability is articulated
on the basis of ecosystem services and formalized in a theoretical framework
in terms of a meta-modeling approach. In moving the concept of sustainability
toward design and implementation, the architecture of the environmental software
modelingframeworkispresented.SyaifudinandWu(Chap.2)discusssustainable
development in Indonesian regions where significant economic growth over the
past several decades has been achieved at the cost of environmental degradation.
Currently,theGovernmentofIndonesiaviewssustainabilityasanimportantgoalin
thecountry’slong-termdevelopmentplanning.Thechapterpresentsastudyaimed
at measuring and analyzing sustainability at the provincial level in Indonesia by
developing composite indices, so that they reflect four aspects of sustainability:
economic, environmental, social,andinstitutionalpillars.Prato(Chap.3)presents
vii
viii Introduction
a framework that identifies a preferred sustainable management action and its
application to sustainable fuel treatment of forests in the United States. The
proposed framework has been applied in a case study that determines which fuel
treatment strategy is preferable for US Forest Service Land in Flathead County,
Montana, over a 50-year planning period. The objectives in the study express
sustainabilitygoalsthroughminimizingexpectedresidentialmonetarylossesfrom
wildfire, minimizing expected deviation of forest ecological conditions from their
historic range and variability, and maximizing expected net returns from timber
harvesting associated with fuel treatment. Trofimchuk (Chap. 4) explores sustain-
ability of water ecosystems as self-organizing systems. The existing approaches
to the assessment of water quality may not provide control of thousands of new
pollutantsintothewaterbodies.Throughtheresultsofmanyyearsofexperimental
work,thechapterdescribesthecriteriaofecosystemstabilityandfunctioningonthe
basisofthermodynamicparameters.
PartIIdealswithpromotingsustainabilitythroughpolicies.Theopeningchapter
inthispartbyEavesetal.(Chap.5)investigateshowprecautionarypolicyplanning
can shape sustainable land use development in the coastal environment of New
Zealand. There is an evolving risk and exposure to hazards that are perpetuated
by sea level rise and extreme storm events that manifest from a changing climate.
It is proposed that a sustainable dynamic adaptation to these hazards through a
managedprocesscancreatealong-termresilienceforcommunities.Tyaglovetal.
(Chap.6)isfocusedonmeasuresaimedatremediationofenvironmentaldamages
accumulated from the past and the necessity to formulate them in the form of
regionalandfederalpoliciesasameansofpromotingsustainability.Viewingfrom
environmentalandeconomicperspectives,theanalysisrevealsthemaincomponents
of the restoration process including environmental objects, stakeholders, tools,
institutions responsible for policy implementation, and enforcement mechanisms.
Thomsonetal.(Chap.7)documentthedevelopmentofanoutcome-basedplatform
forassessmentofsustainabilityperformanceofcommoditycropagricultureinthe
UnitedStates.Themulti-stakeholderdevelopmentprocessisdescribedshowingco-
designoftheplatformwithfarmersandindustrialstakeholders,includingbrandand
retailcompanies.Assustainabilityprogramsinagricultureareincreasinglyfocused
onmeetingenvironmentalobjectives,thiscasestudyprovidesusefullessonsregard-
ing scientific metrics and key environmental performance indicators. Danilenko et
al. (Chap. 8) present assessment and forecast of surface water quality as the key
elements of effective water resource management given that the state of natural
ecosystems,includingaquaticecosystems,hasdecisiveimportanceforsustainable
socialandeconomicdevelopment.Theauthorsargueforregionalstandardsonthe
content of pollutants in water bodies taking into account specific local conditions
of their formation for the development of ecologically justifiable water protection
measures as the necessary premise for sustainable development of the territories.
Braaten et al. (Chap. 9) explore the use of indicators for water management
by drawing on the Australian National Water Account dataset, specifically their
applicabilityandusefulnessaswellaslimitationsforwatersustainabilityreporting
andpotentialutilizationbyenvironmentalauthorities.Itisassessedwhichindicators
Introduction ix
provide the most insight into water sustainability, best suitability for addressing
contemporarysustainabilityissues,andhowindicatorscould/shouldbeappliedby
decision- and policy-makers. Banjade and Paudel (Chap. 10) provide a historical
account of how the concept of sustainability has been advanced over time in
Nepal where the Himalayan environmental degradation has forced to revisit the
approaches to forest sector governance of highly vulnerable hill areas to integrate
environmental,social,andeconomicdimensions.Theauthorsexaminetheconcept
of sustainability in relation to these three dimensions and analyze existing forest
sector policies and programs in relation to increased market interface and in the
contextofclimatechangethreatsandfoodsecuritycrises.
Part III is focused on implementing the ideas of sustainability in practice. In
the first chapter of this part, Scarpati and Capriolo (Chap. 11) analyze seasonal
precipitation trends over a 40-year period in 16 drainage basins of the Buenos
Aires Province, one of the main crop production areas in Argentina. The results
showadecreasingtendencyovermanyareasandcallforahighneedofirrigation
duringtheentireyear.Thisinformationisimportanttoplanforirrigationmeasures
in support of sustainable agricultural production in the region taking into account
thatclimatechangesarealsolikelytochallengeexistingspatiotemporalpatternsof
plant species, cultivated crop systems, and their management. Cakici et al. (Chap.
12)discusstherecentdevelopmentsoflow-costandhighlyefficientstoragedevices
andtheirroleinsupportingsustainableenergysupply.Theauthorsarguefornovel
techniqueswhichwillproducemultifunctionalwell-definednanostructuredhybrids
consistingofcarbonsandconjugatedpolymersthathavepotentialforapplications
in sustainable energy storage devices (e.g., supercapacitors, batteries, fuel cells,
solarcells,andphotoanodes).PaudelandImteaz(Chap.13)presentanexperience
withaprudentandoptimalgovernmentrebateforrainwatertankinstallationwitha
casestudyforanAustraliancoastalcity,Adelaide.Itisfoundthatpaybackperiods
widely vary depending on region, tank, roof, and demand scenario. Accordingly,
a variable rebate scheme is recommended to optimize government’s spending.
Shekhovtsovetal.(Chap.14)dealwithincorporatingtheprinciplesofsustainable
developmentinlong-termsocioeconomicplanningatregionalandmunicipallevels
in a large industrial and agricultural area – Rostov region, Russia. The authors
investigate the best practices of strategic planning of sustainable initiatives based
onthethoroughanalysisofthedynamicsofsustainabilityindicators,majorstake-
holders, and organizations involved in the due process and formulate appropriate
recommendations. Tahir et al. (Chap. 15) highlight the most recent approaches to
resilience and sustainability of water supply in the Middle East where countries
heavily depend on desalination for freshwater procurement. The authors evaluate
the possible vulnerabilities and the ways of technological diversification to ensure
that constant water supply can be maintained without relying on fossil fuel-based
plants. A review of the national programs in the region looks promising as they
implement ongoing projects, such as Mega Reservoir, and research programs in
solar desalination and pretreatment techniques. Kumar et al. (Chap. 16) present
an Indian nation-scope study of the current status of forest fringes and their role
in sustainable development. The recent phenomenal increase in human population