Sustainable Development Handbook

521 Pages·2010·14.139 MB·English

by  Stephen A. Roosa

Sustainable
Development Handbook
2nd Edition

Sustainable
Development Handbook
2nd Edition
By Stephen A. Roosa, Ph.D.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Roosa, Stephen A., 1952-
Sustainable development handbook / by Stephen A. Roosa.
p. cm.
Rev. ed. of: Sustainable development handbook. 2008.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-10: 0-88173-636-8 (alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-88173-637-6 (electronic)
ISBN-13: 978-1-4398-5048-0 (hbk. : alk. paper)
1. Sustainable development--Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Environmental
policy--Handbooks, manuals, etc. 3. Energy conservation--Government policy--
Handbooks, manuals, etc. 4. City planning--Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Title.
HC79.E5R652 2010
338.9’27--dc22
2010020749

Sustainable Development Handbook--2nd edition / by Stephen A. Roosa.
©2010 by The Fairmont Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication
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editors cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions.
iv
Table of Contents
Foreword ............................................................................................................ix
Preface .................................................................................................................xi
Acknowledgements ........................................................................................xiii
Introduction ......................................................................................................xv
Chapter 1—What is Sustainable Development? .........................................1
How Sustainability Evolved ...................................................................3
Major Underlying Cause: Population Growth .....................................3
A Second Major Underlying Cause: Urban Development .................8
A Third Underlying Cause: Increasing Energy Use ..........................14
Energy: Society’s Most Critical Resource ............................................14
Technical Solutions: Ready Now! .........................................................19
One Underlying Effect: Environmental Deterioration ......................22
A Second Underlying Effect: Urban Dislocation ...............................26
A Third Underlying Effect: Changes in Urban Infrastructure .........27
Public Policies in the U.S.: Sustainability, Energy & Cities ..............28
Summary and Conclusions ...................................................................31
Chapter 2—Sustainable Development—A New Social Concept...........35
Sustainability Emerges as a New Social Force ...................................36
The United Nations Earth Summit ......................................................39
Sustainability and Local Governments: Acting Locally ....................42
Definition of Sustainable Development ..............................................44
Linking Sustainability and Energy ......................................................45
Cities—The Largest Consumers of Energy .........................................48
Alternative Energy, Energy Conservation and Energy Efficiency ..54
Energy’s Critical Role in Sustainability ...............................................58
Critiquing the Idea of Urban Sustainability .......................................60
A Different Set of Arguments Against Sustainability ........................64
Political Views on Sustainable Development Policies.......................66
Implementing Sustainable Development Policies .............................73
Observations About Sustainability ......................................................76
Conclusions .............................................................................................77
Summary ..................................................................................................78
v
Chapter 3—The Environment and Sustainable Development ..............81
Waste Management ................................................................................85
The Assault on Freshwater Resources .................................................86
Air Quality ...............................................................................................89
Climate Change ......................................................................................90
Kyoto Protocol ........................................................................................95
Montreal Protocol .................................................................................100
Species Decline and Extinction ...........................................................103
Species Invasion ....................................................................................106
Conclusion .............................................................................................107
Chapter 4—Sustainable Buildings ............................................................113
Land Development Practices ..............................................................115
The Concept of Green Buildings ........................................................117
Comparative Building Energy Performance ....................................120
Energy Star Buildings ..........................................................................121
Green Construction Materials and Methods ....................................122
Rating Systems for Green Buildings ..................................................125
The LEED-NC Rating System .............................................................127
Measurement and Verification is Vital ..............................................136
Measurement and Verification for LEED Projects ...........................139
Green Construction in Schools ...........................................................140
Conclusions ...........................................................................................142
Chapter 5—Sustainable Energy Solutions ...............................................147
Peak Oil ..................................................................................................148
Energy and Carbon Emissions ...........................................................149
Potential for Energy Efficiency ...........................................................151
Opportunities for Energy Efficiency Improvements .......................152
New Buildings and Energy Efficiency...............................................158
Energy Efficiency for Existing Buildings ..........................................159
Energy Technologies of the Future ....................................................169
Energy Conversion Technologies .......................................................170
Energy and the Developing World ....................................................172
Conclusion .............................................................................................173
Chapter 6—Corporate Sustainability Programs ......................................177
Examples of Corporate Sustainability Initiatives ............................182
Sustainability and the Automobile Industry ....................................188
vi
Developing a Corporate Sustainability Plan ....................................191
Service Industries .................................................................................197
Challenges to Implementing Corporate
Sustainability Programs ...............................................................198
Benefits of a Corporate Sustainability Program ...............................200
Conclusions ...........................................................................................201
Chapter 7—Local Policies for Sustainable Development .....................205
The Types of Choices Available to Cities ..........................................209
Examples of Local Sustainability Programs .....................................213
Comparing Cities and Their Policies .................................................216
Local Energy Management Policies ...................................................217
Sustainable Local Policies ....................................................................224
Organizational Participation Policy ...................................................231
Local Environmental Programs ..........................................................236
Summary ................................................................................................242
Chapter 8—How Sustainable Development
Policies Affect Planning .....................................................................245
Linking Comprehensive Planning and Sustainability ....................248
Planning for Sustainability ..................................................................251
Planning for Sustainability on the Other Side of the Atlantic ........254
Transportation and Highways ............................................................256
Redesigning Communities ..................................................................260
The New Urbanism ..............................................................................264
Energy and Planning ............................................................................268
Conclusion .............................................................................................272
Chapter 9—Tracking Local Sustainable Development ..........................277
Part A: Indicators of Sustainability ....................................................278
Part B: Identifying Values for Quantitative Indicators ...................293
Part C: What Can Cities Do? ...............................................................325
Chapter 10—Learning from Las Vegas ......................................................333
Assessing Las Vegas .............................................................................334
History of Las Vegas.............................................................................335
Sustainability Concerns of Las Vegas:
Environmental and Developmental ...........................................340
Las Vegas Enters the Nuclear Age .....................................................342
vii
Other Sustainability Concerns ............................................................344
Qualitative Sustainability Indicators .................................................347
Quantitative Sustainability Assessment ............................................353
Conclusions ...........................................................................................356
Lessons Learned ...................................................................................358
Chapter 11—Local Carbon Reduction Policies ........................................363
Local Governmental Policies ..............................................................365
Cities Going Green ...............................................................................370
Austin City Limits on Carbon ............................................................372
Cambridge Community Carbon Reduction Project ........................374
Ranking Cities Based on Their Carbon Emissions ..........................375
Public and Private Sector Partnerships .............................................378
International Local Governmental Initiatives ..................................380
Summary ................................................................................................380
Chapter 12—International Sustainability ................................................385
Examples of International Sustainability Efforts and Issues ..........386
Havana, Cuba ........................................................................................390
Venice, Italy ...........................................................................................400
Summary ................................................................................................409
Chapter 13—What the Future Holds: Creating a Sustainable World ..415
The Economics of Oil and Sustainability ..........................................417
Policies ...................................................................................................420
Corporations .........................................................................................422
Technologies ..........................................................................................424
Alternative Energy ...............................................................................426
Reducing Carbon Emissions ...............................................................429
City and County Governments ..........................................................430
Buildings ................................................................................................432
Green Products .....................................................................................434
Partnerships to Achieve Sustainability .............................................435
Conclusion .............................................................................................439
Bibliography ..................................................................................................443
Appendices .....................................................................................................465
List of Abbreviations......................................................................................465
viii
A1. Population, Land Area and Estimates of Population Density ..........469
A2. Raw Values for Selected Indicators or Measures of Energy Use ...470
A3. Summary of Indexed Values for
Selected Indicators or Measures of Energy Use ........................471
A4. Indexed Values for Significant Indicators and
Measures of Energy Use ...............................................................472
A5. Changes in Energy Use 1990 -2000 ....................................................473
Index ................................................................................................................475
ix