Transition to Sustainability

111 Pages·2008·2.52 MB·English

Transition to Sustainability:
Towards a Humane and Diverse World
IUCNFutureofSustainabilityInitiative2008
ISBN:978-2-8317-1072-3
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isprintedonFSCpaper. Citation:Adams,W.M.andJeanrenaud,S.J.(2008).TransitiontoSustainability:
TowardsaHumaneandDiverseWorld.Gland,Switzerland:IUCN.108pp.
Foreword 1
ExecutiveSummary 3
Acknowledgements 5
why? 1.TheChallengeofSustainability 8
2.DoYouFeelLucky? 10
3.Environment:SurvivingtheAnthropocene 14
4.Equity:LivingwithOurselves 22
5.BeyondtheSustainabilityIndustry 30
what? 6.DecarbonisetheWorldEconomy 34
7.CommittoJusticeandEquity 43
8.ProtectLife 51
how? 9.BuildaOne-PlanetEconomy 58
10.RejuvenatetheGlobalEnvironmentalMovement 74
11.BuildtheWiderArchitectureofChange 82
12.InspireSustainabilityTransitions 93
1
Weareataturningpointinthehistoryoftheglobalenvironmental
movement.AsIUCNcelebratesits60thanniversary,andmarkssix
decadesofglobalconservationachievement,itisalsotakingstock
oftheurgentchallengesfacinglifeonearthandreviewingits
strategies.
enewmillenniumstartedwithaprofoundwake-upcall.Overthepast
eightyearsscientistsworldwidehaveprovidedpolicymakerswithsome
dauntingfacts,whichtakentogetherpresentanalarmingpictureofthe
future.
In2005welearnedthatnearlytwo-thirdsoftheworld’secosystems–our
lifesupportsystems–aredegradedandbeingusedunsustainably,leading
toirreversibledamageinsomecases.In2007welearnedthatthe
evidenceforclimatechange,resultingfromcarbondioxideemissions
fromhumanactivities,isnowunequivocal,withpotentiallycatastrophic
results.Wearealsonearingaperiodofpeakoil,thepointatwhich
themaximumrateofglobalpetroleumproductionisreached,after
whichsuppliesdeclineandpricesrise,withprofoundimplicationsfor
theglobaleconomy.
Alltheseissuesareinterdependentandthreatentheworldandhuman
wellbeingthroughtheircascadingeffectsonfood,water,energyand
resourcesecurity.Theyarealsoallcomingtoaheadtogether,andat
afasterpacethanmostpolicymakerscouldhavepredicted.Noone
isimmunefromtheirinfluences,althoughtheyhitthepoorestand
mostvulnerablegroupsthehardest.Itisclearthatwearefacing
profoundchangestolifeasweknowit.The‘futureisn’twhatitused
tobe’,asthesayinggoes,andtherearenomapsforthepathahead.
IUCNhasalwaysstoodupfortheprotectionoflifeanddefendedthe
diversityandbeautyofthenaturalworld.eimperativeofcaringfor
theearthandpeoplehasneverbeengreater,andyetthechallengesahead
arebiggerthananythingwehaveeverfacedbefore,andbusinessasusual
isnolongeranoption.erearenosimplesolutions.echallengesare
toobigforonesector,onecountry,andonestrategytoaddressalone.
Weneedtofacethechangesaheadwithvision,withcourage,with
compassionforalllifeonearth–andincollaborationwithothers.
2
Howdowedothis?Thispapercallsforatransitiontosustainability,
butmorethanthat,itcallsfortheenvironmentalmovementtomakea
step-changeinhelpingsocietylivelightlyandequitablyontheearth.
Wemustdemonstratetherelevanceofourknowledgetoallsectorsof
societybecausewealldependonbiodiversity,andinalanguagethat
peoplecanunderstand.Weneedtoplayaroleinrethinkingreal
wealthandinreinventingeconomicsystemsthatarefitforasingle
planet.Weneedtorejuvenatetheenvironmentalmovementand
developinstitutionsthatareresponsive,dynamic,equitableand
resilient.Weneedtodeveloppracticaltoolsandcoherentpolitical
strategiestohelpusmakethetransition.Aboveallwemustgo
beyondcountingtheproblemsand‘doomandgloom’messagesto
fosteringthevisionthatgivesushopeandthatinspiresustochange.
Timesliketheserequireanevolutionaryleapinconsciousness.Science
providesuswiththeknowledgeweneed.Nowweneedthewisdom
todirectourcollectiveaction.WearegratefultoIUCN’sCouncilfor
catalysingthisreviewofconservationandsustainabledevelopmentand
forhelpingtosetthedirectionoftheevolutionofourfield.Wethank
themandallourpartnerswhoarejoiningusinthisurgentcollective
endeavour.Wehopethatthispaperwillstimulatedebateandhelpmark
awatershedinthinking.
ValliMoosa
President
IUCN
JuliaMarton-Lefèvre
DirectorGeneral
IUCN
3
AsKennethBouldingpointedoutbackin1965,‘inaspaceship,there
arenosewers’.Thechallengeofsustainabilityattheendofthefirst
decadeofthethirdmillenniumoftheCommonEraisstilltheonethat
hismetaphorcaptured.Howdowedevisestrategiesforsocietythat
willallowapeaceful,equitable,fulfilledhumanfuture:ahumanefuture
foradiverseearth?
Peoplearehavinganunprecedentedimpactontheplanetthroughthe
expansionofindustrialcapacity,andtheurbanizationandsocio-cultural
changesthataccompanyit.Indeed,geologistsnowproposethatthis
shouldberegardedasanewgeologicalepoch,theAnthropocene.
Survivingitwillbequiteachallenge.Todoso,willrequirearapidand
effectivetransitiontosustainability.
Atransitiontosustainabilitymaybenecessary,butisitpossible?It
willcertainlynotbeeasy.Thispaperconsiderswhattheenvironmental
movementcandotohelpmakeithappen:atransitiontoaworldthat
sustainsabundant,diverseandworthwhilelife,humanandotherwise,
anddoessohumanely.
4
Therearethreethingsweneedtodo: Howdowedothis?Thereisnomagic
bullet,butsolutionsinclude:
•First,decarbonizetheworldeconomy:
wemustachievedramaticreductionsin •Createaneconomythatcanfitona
carbonusebyincreasedtechnical singleplanet:wemustchangetheway
efficiency,andbyde-linkingenergy wethinkaboutgrowthandprosperity,to
generationfromcarbonproduction,and achievemorewithless.Weneedtouse
energyusefromeconomicgrowth. lesscarbonandothermaterials,create
lesswaste,createmorerealwealthand
•Second,committheenvironmental
qualityoflife.
movementtoapathofjusticeandglobal
equity:justiceandequityarecentralto •Rejuvenatetheglobalenvironmental
anytransitiontosustainability. movement:themovementmusthelplink
togethercommunitiesandorganizations
•Third,protectthebiosphere:the
workingoutpracticalsolutionsto
conservationofnatureisthefulcrumfor
sustainabilitychallenges,andwaystolive
widerchangetowardssustainability.
withmorehappinessandlowerenergy
andmaterialconsumption.
•Buildaninstitutionalarchitectureto
bringaboutchange:transitionto
sustainabilitydependsonthe
collaborativeandcoherentactionsof
politicalandbusinessleaders,
governments(fromcitytonation),and
aneffectiveinternationalenvironmental
regime.
Transitiontosustainabilityisvitally
important,andveryscary.Weneedtocalm
ourfearsandbuildourcapacitytohope.
5
Future of Sustainability
Initiative
ProjectCoordinatorandWriter: TheIUCNFutureofSustainabilityprojectwascatalysedbythe
SallyJeanrenaud,IUCN PresidentandtheIUCNCouncilof2005–2008.
SeniorConsultantandLead
Author: IUCNwouldliketothankthemanypeoplewhohavehelpedshapethe
BillAdams,Universityof projectbetween2006–2008,includingthe460participantsfrom70
Cambridge countriesinitse-discussionForum:eFutureofSustainability:Have
yoursay! Specialthanksgotothefollowingfortheirparticipationinthe
IUCNSustainabilityForums;theiractivesupportoftheinitiative;orfor
Sponsors theircommentsonthecurrenttext:
ChristensenFund
GrethelAguilarRojas;NobutoshiAkao;OdehAlJayyousi;JuanMarco
FordFoundation
Álvarez;SteveBass;TomBigg;RubensHarryBorn;LesterBrown;
InternationalInstitutefor SusanBrown;PurificacióCanals;MarionCheatle;MunyaradziChenje;
EnvironmentandDevelopment
AngelaCropper;BarbaraDubach;HollyDublin;SilviaEarle;Pablo
IUCN Farias;AlistairGammell;MarkHalle;RobertHofstede;Lynn
UnitedNationsEnvironment Holowesko;MariaIvanova;JavedJabbar;BillJackson;Jean-Paul
Programme Jeanrenaud;AbanMarkerKabraji;DavidKaimowitz;AshokKhosla;
JimLeape;MarcusLee;GabrielLopez;NikLopoukhine;Hillary
WWFInternational
Masundire;CatherineMcMullen;JeffMcNeely;BrendenMackey;
PatrickM'Mayi;CláudioCarreraMaretti;JuanMartinez-Alier;Julia
Marton-Lefèvre;ChristineMilne;RussMittermeier;MarkMoody
Stewart;ValliMoosa;MohanMunasinghe;JamesMurombedzi;Aimé
Nianogo;ManfredNiekisch;DumisaniNyoni;ThierrydeOliveira;Mark
Radka;CarlosManuelRodriguez;MurielSaragoussi;David
Satterthwaite;ZohirSekkal;DianeShand;FulaiSheng;Gordon
Shepherd;JaneSmart;MonthipSriatanaTabucanon;AchimSteiner;
FrancisSullivan;IbrahimThiaw;TonBoonvonOchssée;KenWilson;
AlexeyYablokov;MohammadYunus;LuZhi.
Contributionstothistextaregratefullyacknowledgedfrom:
SteveBass,MarionCheatle,JuanMartinez-Alier,DavidSatterthwaite,
FrancisSullivanandKenWilson.

7
why?
Environmentalists have been demanding
change in the name of sustainability for
more than four decades: from the
renewed neo-Malthusianism of the
1970s to the green economy optimism
of the first decade of the twenty-first
century; from spaceship earth to ‘earth
plc’. So why do we need drastic change
now, just as the world is getting
comfortable with the idea of
sustainability? Surely we are all
environmentalists now?