Sustainability studies

Last updated
The Three Spheres of Sustainability Sustainable development.svg
The Three Spheres of Sustainability

Sustainability studies is an academic discipline that focuses on the interdisciplinary perspective of the concept of sustainability. Programs include instruction in sustainable development, geography, environmental policies, ethics, ecology, landscape architecture, city and regional planning, economics, natural resources, sociology, and anthropology. [1] Sustainability studies also focuses on the importance of climate change, poverty, social justice and environmental justice. [2] More recently, many studies have explored a certain blending of theories to address sustainability issues. Among these concepts, the definition of social learning for sustainability stands out. [3] Many universities across the world currently offer sustainability studies as a degree program. The main goal of sustainability studies is for students to find ways to develop novel solutions to environmental problems. [4]

Contents

History

Towards the end of the 1980s, a new focus emerged globally on the importance of environmental and ecological sustainability. In 1987 the Brundtland Report was delivered by the World Commission on Environment and Development. [5] The commission was appointed to examine the consequences of global environmental change and was chaired by Norway’s Prime Minister, Gro Harlem Brundtland. [6] It introduced the concept of sustainable development, defined as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. [7] Several definitions have been proposed since then (refer to (Pezzoli, 1997) among others) but after almost 20 years of debate a consensus that sustainability assessments ought to: integrate economic, environmental, social and increasingly institutional issues as well as to consider their interdependencies; consider the consequences of present actions well into the future; acknowledge the existence of uncertainties concerning the result of our present actions and act with a precautionary bias; engage the public; includes equity considerations (intragenerational and intergenerational). [8] This report started a paradigm shift in which global actors began to engage in initiatives that sought to focus on sustainable development.

Infographic of world energy consumption by fuel. World-energy-consumption-by-fuel-projections-1990---2035-USDOE-IEA-2011.png
Infographic of world energy consumption by fuel.

Five years after the report was launched, the UN Earth’s Summit in Rio,1992 adopted the Framework Convention on Climate Change. [6] Five years later, this framework helped lead to the creation of the Kyoto Protocol, a plan in which rich nations pledged to reduce their carbon emissions. [6] All countries that partook in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) also signed up to the Kyoto Protocol. Unfortunately progress towards sustainability stalled when the Kyoto Protocol was never ratified by the United States, and other nations consequently ignored their pledges in the agreement. [6]

The UN has composed 17 Sustainable Development Goals that are aimed to be achieved by 2030. The SDG goals include: 1. no poverty, 2. zero hunger, 3. good health and well-being, 4. quality education, 5. gender equality, 6. clean water and sanitation, 7. affordable and clean energy, 8. decent work and economic growth, 9. industry, innovation and infrastructure, 10. reduced inequalities, 11. sustainable cities and communities, 12. responsible consumption and production, 13. climate action, 14. life below water, 15. life on land, 16. peace justice and strong institutions, and 17. partnerships for the goals.

Recently, the United Nations (UN) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report that says “urgent and unprecedented changes are needed to reach the target” of keeping the global temperature at moderate levels. [9] They state that countries must follow the Paris Agreement pledge to keep temperatures between 1.5 degrees Celsius and 2 degrees Celsius, otherwise the earth will faces extreme challenges from climate change, including the eradication of corals and the accelerated melting of Arctic ice caps. [9] The IPCC also explained that a rise in temperatures would trigger catastrophic results in the form of intense natural disasters, unpredictable weather, and food shortages.  In order to prevent this outcome governments would need to require a “supercharged roll-back of emissions courses that have built up over the past 250 years.” [9] In order to do so developments in land use and technological changes are necessary. Carbon dioxide emissions would have to be cut by 45% by 2030 and come down to 0 by 2050. [9] Although this would require carbon prices to be three to four times higher, the consequences of global warming at the current rate would be far more severe. The world is currently on course to reach 3 degrees Celsius of global warming, and scientists have 12 years to impose significant changes to prevent this from happening. [9] This shift towards environmental protection demands a workforce that is more heavily dedicated to studying sustainable development, hence the growing importance of interdisciplinary studies. Individuals studying sustainable development could be focused on reducing the climate in which catastrophic global warming would take place and understanding how policy decisions link to other areas such as urban planning, sociology, economics, and ecology.

Spheres of sustainability

Sustainability comprises three major spheres: the social sphere, the economic sphere, and the environmental sphere. These three spheres can also be referred to as the "triple bottom line" or the three pillars of sustainability. [10] While these spheres are vastly different from one another, they each play a crucial role in maintaining the efficiency of society and the betterment of the planet.

Sustainability is an interdisciplinary subject; therefore, much like a Venn diagram, these spheres overlap. When the social and economic spheres intersect, this is known as social justice. The economic and environmental spheres make the subject of environmental stewardship. Lastly, environmental justice is then established when the environmental and social spheres connect. [13]

Social Justice: Social justice is important when ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to thrive and make a sufficient living, as well as making sure the economy can operate smoothly. [12] A big debate in many nations is how much money should be going to welfare programs- it is crucial to find a balance between helping citizens while having enough money for the governing body to run. Another issue commonly discussed with social justice is workers' rights. Workers can be exploited by businesses, so policies regarding safe working conditions and fair wages ensure that workers are treated fairly. For example, Fairtrade is a symbol that can be found on products that verify that the resources used to product the item is ethical.

Environmental Stewardship: Environmental stewardship involves the collaboration of businesses and environment-centered initiatives. These actions are angled to not only help the planet but also save money for the business. Organizations may consider efforts to reduce their waste. This could look like switching from plastic to paper packaging or recycling any unused products. Also, businesses could look for ways to manage their energy more efficiently. Using a renewable energy source rather than nonrenewable source and limiting production times are both examples of how a business can adopt energy-saving techniques. [14]

Environmental Justice: Environmental justice is the intersection between social and environmental issues. This intersection involves providing equitable access to environmental protections and funding for all populations. [15] Climate change events like natural disasters, increased temperatures, and unpredictable weather patterns disproportionately impact lower-income and impoverished communities. Oftentimes, these communities do not have the means to move away from their neighborhoods. An example of an environmental justice issue in the United States is the lack of properly working septic tanks in Lowndes County, Alabama. In her book "Waste: A Woman's Fight Against America's Dirty Secret," Catherine Coleman Flowers explains the environmental issues that this impoverished community faces. A predominantly African American area, many residents have lived with raw sewage in their backyards because they cannot afford to buy or install a septic system. Furthermore, these residents can be criminally charged for not having working septic tanks, even for those who cannot afford the cost. Not only are residents forced to live in unhygienic conditions, but they are also punished by the government. Coleman Flowers and other environmental justice advocates have dedicated years in their fight to achieve justice for the residents of Lowndes County. [16]

A global example of environmental justice is the impact that climate change events are having on third-world countries. Former Irish President Mary Robinson published "Climate Justice," a book that amplifies the voices of those in different countries around the world who are fighting climate change daily. Robinson tells the story of Constance Okollet, a resident of Uganda, who is facing seasons of floods and droughts regularly, making food and water supply scarce. An activist from Vietnam, Vu Thi Hien, shares the impacts that war and deforestation has had on her country's land and people. The former president of Kiribati, Anote Tong, has considered moving the entire nation off of their island to another because of sea levels rising. Robinson shares these stories to spread awareness of the impacts that climate change is having around the world, especially to smaller, poorer nations. [17]

When each of these spheres overlap equally, like at the center of the Venn Diagram, sustainability has been established.

Careers in sustainability studies

Sustainability studies emphasize an interdisciplinary approach to environmental problems, so it can lead into many future careers such as:

Professional in sustainability studies earn between $75,000 to $93,000 and is based on the average salaries of those in engineering and environmental sciences. [19] Chief sustainability executives earn an average of $167,000. [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

Sustainable development is an approach to growth and human development that aims to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The aim is to have a society where living conditions and resources meet human needs without undermining planetary integrity. Sustainable development aims to balance the needs of the economy, environment, and social well-being. The Brundtland Report in 1987 helped to make the concept of sustainable development better known.

Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physics, biology, meteorology, mathematics and geography to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems. Environmental science emerged from the fields of natural history and medicine during the Enlightenment. Today it provides an integrated, quantitative, and interdisciplinary approach to the study of environmental systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental justice</span> Social movement

Environmental justice is a social movement that addresses injustice that occurs when poor or marginalized communities are harmed by hazardous waste, resource extraction, and other land uses from which they do not benefit. The movement has generated hundreds of studies showing that exposure to environmental harm is inequitably distributed.

Global governance refers to institutions that coordinate the behavior of transnational actors, facilitate cooperation, resolve disputes, and alleviate collective action problems. Global governance broadly entails making, monitoring, and enforcing rules. Within global governance, a variety of types of actors – not just states – exercise power.

A sustainable business, or a green business, is an enterprise which has a minimal negative impact or potentially a positive effect on the global or local environment, community, society, or economy—a business that attempts to meet the triple bottom line. They cluster under different groupings and the whole is sometimes referred to as "green capitalism". Often, sustainable businesses have progressive environmental and human rights policies. In general, a business is described as green if it matches the following four criteria:

  1. It incorporates principles of sustainability into each of its business decisions.
  2. It supplies environmentally friendly products or services that replace demand for nongreen products and/or services.
  3. It is greener than traditional competition.
  4. It has made an enduring commitment to environmental principles in its business operations.

The Earth Institute is a research institute at Columbia University created in 1995 for addressing complex issues facing the planet and its inhabitants, with a focus on sustainable development. With an interdisciplinary approach, this includes research in climate change, geology, global health, economics, management, agriculture, ecosystems, urbanization, energy, hazards, and water. The Earth Institute's activities are guided by the idea that science and technological tools that already exist could be applied to greatly improve conditions for the world's poor, while preserving the natural systems that support life on Earth.

Sustainable procurement or green procurement is a process whereby organizations meet their needs for goods, services, works and utilities in a way that achieves value for money on a life-cycle basis while addressing equity principles for sustainable development, therefore benefiting societies and the environment across time and geographies. Procurement is often conducted via a tendering or competitive bidding process. The process is used to ensure the buyer receives goods, services or works for the best possible price, when aspects such as quality, quantity, time, and location are compared. Procurement is considered sustainable when organizations broadens this framework by meeting their needs for goods, services, works, and utilities in a way that achieves value for money and promotes positive outcomes not only for the organization itself but for the economy, environment, and society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate justice</span> Concept for social justice in climate change context

Climate justice is a type of environmental justice that focuses on the unequal impacts of climate change on marginalized or otherwise vulnerable populations. Climate justice seeks to achieve an equitable distribution of both the burdens of climate change and the efforts to mitigate climate change. The economic burden of climate change mitigation is estimated by some at around 1% to 2% of GDP. Climate justice examines concepts such as equality, human rights, collective rights, justice and the historical responsibilities for climate change.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sustainability</span> Societal goal and normative concept

Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions : environmental, economic, and social. Many definitions emphasize the environmental dimension. This can include addressing key environmental problems, including climate change and biodiversity loss. The idea of sustainability can guide decisions at the global, national, organizational, and individual levels. A related concept is that of sustainable development, and the terms are often used to mean the same thing. UNESCO distinguishes the two like this: "Sustainability is often thought of as a long-term goal, while sustainable development refers to the many processes and pathways to achieve it."

International economic law is a dynamic and evolving field of international law that governs the regulation and conduct of states, international organizations, and private entities in the global economic landscape. This field encompasses a diverse range of disciplines, including aspects of public international law, private international law, and domestic law applicable to international business transactions, and domestic laws relevant to international business transactions.

Climate governance is the diplomacy, mechanisms and response measures "aimed at steering social systems towards preventing, mitigating or adapting to the risks posed by climate change". A definitive interpretation is complicated by the wide range of political and social science traditions that are engaged in conceiving and analysing climate governance at different levels and across different arenas. In academia, climate governance has become the concern of geographers, anthropologists, economists and business studies scholars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UNU-CRIS</span> Institute in Belgium

The United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies (UNU-CRIS) is a Research and Training Institute of the United Nations University (UNU). Based in Bruges, Belgium since 2001, UNU-CRIS fosters a better understanding of the processes of regional integration and cooperation and their implications in a changing world order. UNU-CRIS specialises in the comparative study of regional integration, monitoring and assessing regional integration worldwide and in the study of interactions between regional organisations and global institutions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate change and poverty</span> Correlation of disproportionate impacts of climate on impoverished people

Climate change and poverty are deeply intertwined because climate change disproportionally affects poor people in low-income communities and developing countries around the world. The impoverished have a higher chance of experiencing the ill-effects of climate change due to the increased exposure and vulnerability. Vulnerability represents the degree to which a system is susceptible to, or unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate change including climate variability and extremes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earth system governance</span> Field of scholarly inquiry in the social sciences

Earth system governance is a broad area of scholarly inquiry that builds on earlier notions of environmental policy and nature conservation, but puts these into the broader context of human-induced transformations of the entire earth system. The integrative paradigm of earth system governance (ESG) has evolved into an active research area that brings together a variety of disciplines including political science, sociology, economics, ecology, policy studies, geography, sustainability science, and law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human rights and climate change</span>

Human rights and climate change is a conceptual and legal framework under which international human rights and their relationship to global warming are studied, analyzed, and addressed. The framework has been employed by governments, United Nations organizations, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, human rights and environmental advocates, and academics to guide national and international policy on climate change under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the core international human rights instruments. In 2022 Working Group II of the IPCC suggested that "climate justice comprises justice that links development and human rights to achieve a rights-based approach to addressing climate change".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sustainable Development Goals</span> United Nations goals for people for 2030

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a collection of 17 global objectives established by the United Nations in 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. These goals aim to address a broad range of interconnected global challenges, including poverty eradication, environmental sustainability, social equity, and economic growth, under the guiding principle of "leaving no one behind." Designed to replace the Millennium Development Goals, the SDGs apply universally to all countries, irrespective of their development status, and seek to promote peace, prosperity, and the health of the planet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental issues in Yemen</span>

Located in West Asia, Yemen’s environmental issues involve mainly water scarcity, environmental pollution, and climate change. However, UNDP reported in 2023 that years of humanitarian and development crises undermine socio-economic development and worsen environmental conditions. A recent report ranked Yemen 163 out of 166 countries in terms of progress to meet Sustainable Development Goals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate change education</span> Education that aims to address and develop effective responses to climate change

Climate change education (CCE) is education that aims to address and develop effective responses to climate change. It helps learners understand the causes and consequences of climate change, prepares them to live with the impacts of climate change and empowers learners to take appropriate actions to adopt more sustainable lifestyles. Climate change and climate change education are global challenges that can be anchored in the curriculum in order to provide local learning and widen up mindset shifts on how climate change can be mitigated. In such as case CCE is more than climate change literacy but understanding ways of dealing with climate

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disability and climate change</span>

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Paris Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) are connected through their common goals of addressing global challenges and promoting sustainable development through policies and international cooperation.

References

  1. ↑ Detail for CIP Code 30.3301, Title: Sustainability Studies.. Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP), The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), National Center for Education Statistics, US Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences. Accessed 10 May 2011
  2. ↑ "Compare 85 Masters Programs in Sustainability Studies". masterstudies.com. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  3. ↑ Silva-Jean, Marcos da; Kneipp, Jordana Marques (April 2024). ""Social learning, innovation, and sustainability: The search for directions beyond a systematic literature review"". Heliyon. 10 (7): e28431. Bibcode:2024Heliy..1028431S. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e28431 . ISSN   2405-8440. PMC   10998087 . PMID   38586408.
  4. ↑ Cohen, Steven (13 February 2012). "The Growing Field of Sustainability Studies". HuffPost . Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  5. ↑ "History and Sustainability". www.histecon.magd.cam.ac.uk. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "The paradigm shift towards sustainability must go ahead at full speed". D+C. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  7. ↑ Du Pisani, Jacobus A. (June 2006). "Sustainable development – historical roots of the concept". Environmental Sciences. 3 (2): 83–96. Bibcode:2006JIES....3...83D. doi:10.1080/15693430600688831. ISSN   1569-3430. S2CID   216113039.
  8. ↑ Gasparatos, Alexandros; El-Haram, Mohamed; Horner, Malcolm (May 2008). "A critical review of reductionist approaches for assessing the progress towards sustainability". Environmental Impact Assessment Review. 28 (4–5): 286–311. Bibcode:2008EIARv..28..286G. doi:10.1016/j.eiar.2007.09.002 . Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Watts, Jonathan (2018-10-08). "We have 12 years to limit climate change catastrophe, warns UN". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  10. ↑ Robertson, Margaret (2021). Sustainability Principles and Practice (3rd ed.). Routledge. p. 4. ISBN   978-0367365219.
  11. 1 2 3 "What are the Three Pillars of Sustainable Development?". greenly.earth. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  12. 1 2 3 Soken-Huberty, Emmaline (2020-02-13). "What Does Social Justice Mean?". Human Rights Careers. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  13. ↑ "Sustainable Materials: The Seventh Perspective of a Bioregional Lifestyle". CascadiaNow!. 2016-09-21. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
  14. ↑ "A Presentation on Environmental Stewardship" (PDF). National Environmental Policy Act.
  15. ↑ "Learn About Environmental Justice". United States Environmental Protection Agency. 13 February 2015.
  16. ↑ Coleman Flowers, Catherine (2020). Waste: One Woman's Fight Against America's Dirty Secret. The New Press.
  17. ↑ Robinson, Mary (2018). Climate Justice. Bloomsbury Publishing.
  18. ↑ Ajeng, Aaronn Avit; Abdullah, Rosazlin; Ling, Tau Chuan; Ismail, Salmah; Lau, Beng Fye; Ong, Hwai Chyuan; Chew, Kit Wayne; Show, Pau Loke; Chang, Jo-Shu (2020-11-01). "Bioformulation of biochar as a potential inoculant carrier for sustainable agriculture". Environmental Technology & Innovation. 20: 101168. Bibcode:2020EnvTI..2001168A. doi:10.1016/j.eti.2020.101168.
  19. 1 2 "What is a Sustainability Studies Major and is it Right for Me? | Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide". Career Advice & Interview Tips | WayUp Guide. 2017-07-31. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.