Sustainability and Well-being - Frameworks for an integrated approach

Editor's Notes

• #2: In the next couple of slides I will highlight just a few of the many frameworks that seek to address sustainability very broadly, and in doing, incorporate both wellbeing and environmental considerations. One example of this is the need to emphasise more than “the environment” in campaigning and policy rhetoric around climate change - as Jonathan Rowsen notes: “Climate change….is not really about protecting the environment, it’s more about seeing the fragility of the socio-economic fabric that we tend to take for granted.” – Jonathan Rowsen, A New Agenda on Climate Change, RSA http://www.thersa.org/action-research-centre/learning,-cognition-and-creativity/social-brain/reports/a-new-agenda-on-climate-change This article makes a similar point: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/blog/2014/jan/31/climate-change-extreme-weather-earth?CMP=EMCENVEML1631
• #3: Source: http://www.kateraworth.com/doughnut/ While working at Oxfam, economist Kate Raworth developed the “doughnut” model, which takes the Stockholm Resilience Institute’s nine planetary boundaries and overlays them with 11 social boundaries (derived from national contributions about social priorities in the lead up to the Rio+20 conference in 2012). The ideas is that by considering both environmental and social limits, we identify a safe and just space for humanity to operate within. So, we have an environmental ceiling, beyond which lies unacceptable environmental degradation and potential tipping points in Earth systems but also a social foundation beyond which lies unacceptable human deprivation such as hunger, ill-health and income poverty. For example, how can we extend access to electricity without increasing climate change? There are many cases of conflict of interests, e.g. international carbon markets driving a market for forested land (source of carbon credits) which has resulted in some unscrupulous cases of displacing people who have traditionally subsisted on and had original rights to the land. A positive example I know of is from a colleague in India, working for the Bombay Natural History Society where prompting the use of biogas for cooking stoves can mean that villagers don’t deplete woodlands, maintaining the ecosystem services those woodlands provide, preserving habitat for tourism, improving health (no woodsmoke indoors) and even improving safety if humans are encroaching on wildlife to gather wood (as in the case of tiger reserves that Sanjay is responsible for). Kate does not give UK specific examples, focusing more on how we can achieve basic development goals internationally at the same time as environmental goals. However, what might some examples of environmental and social synergies be closer to home – particularly in times where the social “foundation” is under pressure even in the UK? For example, how can we meet the UK’s future energy needs while not hitting our environmental ceiling, and enhancing community resilience and health?
• #4: Stockholm Resilience Institute 2009 undertook a “state of the earth” which considered what are the planetary boundaries that we face? what are the key systems that we need to remain stable in order to live as a species, and for other species to live? and they came up with 9 of those 9 three are in the danger area: climate change, the nitrogen and phosphorous cycles, biodiversity. We are changing our climate – this summer’s record flooding, droughts and melting of sea ice confirms the weight of evidence that we are changing our climate in very significant ways.
• #5: Source: http://www.kateraworth.com/doughnut/ While working at Oxfam, economist Kate Raworth developed the “doughnut” model, which takes the Stockholm Resilience Institute’s nine planetary boundaries and overlays them with 11 social boundaries (derived from national contributions about social priorities in the lead up to the Rio+20 conference in 2012). The ideas is that by considering both environmental and social limits, we identify a safe and just space for humanity to operate within. So, we have an environmental ceiling, beyond which lies unacceptable environmental degradation and potential tipping points in Earth systems but also a social foundation beyond which lies unacceptable human deprivation such as hunger, ill-health and income poverty. For example, how can we extend access to electricity without increasing climate change? There are many cases of conflict of interests, e.g. international carbon markets driving a market for forested land (source of carbon credits) which has resulted in some unscrupulous cases of displacing people who have traditionally subsisted on and had original rights to the land. A positive example I know of is from a colleague in India, working for the Bombay Natural History Society where prompting the use of biogas for cooking stoves can mean that villagers don’t deplete woodlands, maintaining the ecosystem services those woodlands provide, preserving habitat for tourism, improving health (no woodsmoke indoors) and even improving safety if humans are encroaching on wildlife to gather wood (as in the case of tiger reserves that Sanjay is responsible for). Kate does not give UK specific examples, focusing more on how we can achieve basic development goals internationally at the same time as environmental goals. However, what might some examples of environmental and social synergies be closer to home – particularly in times where the social “foundation” is under pressure even in the UK? For example, how can we meet the UK’s future energy needs while not hitting our environmental ceiling, and enhancing community resilience and health?
• #6: Crucially it is clear that our current model of economic growth, which is driving unsustainable over consumption is broken. Number of planets - research by the Global Footprint Network suggests consuming at the current rate of the UK would require 3.4 planets' resources, USA would need 5 planets India 0.4 planets China just 1 planet.  Earth Overshoot Day is the point in the year when we have used up as much of the earths total resources as the earth itself can regenerate in a year – since 1980s have been in deficit – in 2011 the moment of overshoot was 27th September – we are using appx 135% of our planets resources per year.
• #7: Source: http://www.oneplanetliving.net/ One Planet Living is a framework developed by BioRegional and WWF that allows us to examine the sustainability challenges we face and to make it easy for people to lead happy and healthy lives while only using a fair share of the Earth's resources. We can see here that culture and community are viewed as key components of a sustainable development approach, as well as health and happiness – the framework is an opportunity to consider how we can create solutions that achieve multiple benefits. More integrated approaches can be more positively received and longer lasting.
• #8: Focusing on health and happiness, we can ask what are the synergies between these factors and the environmental considerations in the One Planet Flower “flower”? These factors also resonate with the NEF Five Ways to Wellbeing: Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Keep Learning, Give which Happy Museum Project has drawn on: http://www.neweconomics.org/projects/entry/five-ways-to-well-being
• #9: Creating opportunities for participation in the arts and culture are of course at the heart of what museums and other cultural organisations do. This One Planet Living principle asks us to consider what impact our cultural organisations have on the wider community more broadly, how they can contribute to the development of “social capital”, and again invites us to consider possible synergies with other principles.
• #10: Forum for the Future created Horizons with the Technology Strategy Board. Horizons is a tool and exercise that companies can work through, but it shares many framing aspects with Kate’s donut. Through a series of cards, Horizons describes the safe environmental limits an economy must operate within, the social and political foundations that enable our societies to flourish and the essential needs for humans to survive and thrive. These factors will drive market changes and without taking those into account, investments are more likely to fail. For more information, see: http://www.forumforthefuture.org/blog/introducing-horizons
• #13: The UN Global Compact – Cities Programme… MELBOURNE Fourth dimension should be added to the dimensions of sustainable development. To reflect the complexity of contemporary society.“Culture: Fourth Pillar of Sustainable Development”, passed on 17 November 2010. CULTURE recognised as key to sustainable development.
• #14: Kate created the doughnut in the lead up to the Rio+20 conference in 2012 on Sustainable Development. The ideas is that these would follow on from the 2000 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) the UN which end in 2015. Excitingly, there is also a call to integrate culture into sustainable development strategies. Culture-led development = benefits: preserve cultural heritage, social inclusivity and rootedness, creativity, entrepreneurship, trust, values on environmental stewardship - all crucial for ongoing development and responding to CC. REGENERATIVE. BAC designing their new building based on an energy-poor future. A way of accessing knowledge that was response to physical environment and materials, not cheap energy.
• #15: In July 2011 the UN General Assembly passed a historic resolution “Happiness: towards a holistic approach to development”. Member countries measure the happiness of their people and to use this to help guide their public policies. April 2012 - the first UN high-level meeting on happiness and well-being, chaired by the Prime Minister of Bhutan. World Happiness Report was published, followed some months later by the OECD Guidelines setting an international standard for the measurement of well-being. The aim is to see happiness incorporated into development of more holistic sustainable development goals. So here we see both culture and happiness gaining increasing traction with the sustainable development agenda.The world happiness report links happiness and well-being to community resilience, noting: Our ability to “adapt” is not just about infrastructure and technology but about people.
• #16: 2014 Natural environment