Dimensions of Sustainable Development Sustainable Development – what is it about? - natural ecosystems = sustainable system SD – to live and thrive within the Earth‘s ecological capacity „SD is a complex set of strategies that makes possible to meet people's social needs, both material and spiritual, by using right economic instruments, while respecting environmental limits.“ Sustainable Development – what is it about? - natural ecosystems = sustainable system SD – to live and thrive within the Earth‘s ecological capacity „SD is a complex set of strategies that makes possible to meet people's social needs, both material and spiritual, by using right economic instruments, while respecting environmental limits.“ Sustainable Development Goals (2015 – 2030) Sustainable Development Goals (2015 – 2030) Sustainable Development Goals (2015 – 2030) How to reach? - 4R rule: Reduce – Reuse – Recover – Recycle State policy (mandatory or voluntary measures) Decrease energetic/material consumption How to reach? - 4R rule: Reduce – Reuse – Recover – Recycle State policy (mandatory or voluntary measures) System measures (mandatory or voluntary), and education Decrease energetic/material consumption How to reach? - 4R rule: Reduce – Reuse – Recover – Recycle State policy (mandatory or voluntary measures)Specific solutions System measures (mandatory or voluntary), and education Decrease energetic/material consumption Reduce • Reduction of total material consumption while maintaining or increase the product quality. Reduction of E consumption (legislation x money) 1) Support a research of renewables 2) Appropriate subsidy support for the use of renewable energy sources in suitable areas (biomass, solar, wind) 3) Support for the nuclear fusion research 4) Regulation of the E intensity of buildings - in the EU, about 40% of E is spent for heating of buildings! 5) Promote energy-saving lighting, and turning off 6) Install solar panels on public buildings and subsidize its support for private use 7) Sanction the lighting in public buildings overnight or on weekends Reduce water consumption (legislation x money) 1) Promote water saving measures 2) Install water meters in households (not flat rate) 3) Determine the limit for water losses in the distribution system - Brno 1989 - 25% of drinking water leaked into the ground, 16% now 1) Mulch in parks = retaining moisture without sprinkling 2) Legislative measures for water recycling in industry 3) Recycle „grey water“ for flushing in hotels, offices, homes 4) In the case of water transport from remote places, minimize losses by evaporation 5) Use BAT in various productions 6) Saving faucets and shower-heads 7) Reward ideas of employees how to manage water efficiently Water consumption in paper mills 1900 – 1t water / kg of paper 1990 – 64 kg / kg 1995 – 1.5 kg / kg - re-use of „waste“ water Water consumption in stealworks China – 23-56 m3 /t of steel USA – 6 m3 /t of steel Reduce raw materials consumption 1) Biological waste composting 2) Eliminate the amount of packaging material 3) Replace disposable plastic bags with durable cloth ones 4) Donate usable unnecessary goods to charity (clothing, electronics, furniture, building materials, etc.) Reduction of traffic load I) Increas the share of people in public transport - PT must be attractive enough for people - clean, accurate, comfortable, financially interesting Project CiViTas (CIty-VITAlity-Sustainability) Aims of this EU projects: - promote the introduction of clean and energy efficient PT - promote the development of the industrial sector in the field of PT Public transport in Curitiba (Brasil) - Bus rapid transit - improved bus transport combining bus flexibility and quality of trains/trams with priority in driving - long buses have special lanes reserved - frequent ride, uniform fares everywhere - inspiration for many other South American cities II) Taxi, rental shops, carsharing - basic idea – cars are used on average 1 hour a day, 23 hours stand - taxi - should be affordable, good quality with a good reputation - car rental - suitable for ocasional car rental according to our wishes - carsharing - it is necessary to create a car association, which buys cars and then the cars of the association borrow cars for travel costs - it is said to pay off for anyone who drives less than 10,000 km a year III) Cycling, walking - use of cycling is limited by the passability of cities, lanes for cyclists, parking Reuse• Use an item or material without changing its chemical composition for the purpose for which it was originally intended. Reuse of raw materials / products Water - introduction of methods for drying sludge by compression between sieves (WWTP, slurry, industrial) or reverse osmosis Resources - reuse of lead and sulfuric acid from car-acumulators Second-hands - clothes - toys - ... Recover• Recover – obtaining material or energy from waste. Recovery Energy - cogeneration production of heat and electricity - incineration of suitable waste (tires) in modern power plants / heating plants or cement plants to obtain heat / electricity - eg. Göteborg - 60% energy supplied (electricity and heat) from unconventional sources heat: waste incinerator (largest in Europe) + Shell refinery + heat pumps from WWTP + testing of Volvo engines + from the Chalmers fluidized bed boiler research facility electricity: biofuels and wind farms Materials - use of gypsum from SO2 from the combustion of fossil fuels - production of gypsum boards Recycle• Reuse of material for the same or a similar purpose, or for the manufacture of another product • Generally, the smallest reduction in materials/E consumption, the recycling process is often expensive. - The technological „solutions“ of environmental issues are popular because it does not require significant changes in people's lifestyles and is not contrary to the idea of economy growth - but it is not enough to achieve SD! Example - cars - new cars emit significantly fewer toxic substances and CO2 - according to LCA - much more environmentally friendly Limits of technological solutions - The technological „solutions“ of environmental issues are popular because it does not require significant changes in people's lifestyles and is not contrary to the idea of economy growth - but it is not enough to achieve SD! Example - cars - new cars emit significantly fewer toxic substances and CO2 - according to LCA - much more environmentally friendly Other issues related to motoring persists!!! - affecting the environment by noise and vibration - affecting the landscape and organisms by construction and presence of transport infrastructure - roads (motorways), divide the landscape and complicate/disable movement in the cultural landscape (migrating species, people) - risk of accidents (wildlife or other road users) - issues of motoring in cities → traffic jams, parking spaces, pedestrian and cycling restrictions We have to count all pros x cons Limits of technological solutions Technologies eliminating pollution Technologies increasing soil quality Limits of technological solutions Technologies eliminating pollution Technologies increasing soil quality + Technol. for resources extraction Technol. protecting soil from erosion Limits of technological solutions Technologies eliminating pollution Technologies increasing soil quality + Technol. for resources extraction Technol. protecting soil from erosion + Stable GDP/person Stable population Limits of technological solutions Consuming → consumer society - „A society in which people often buy new goods, especially goods that they do not need, and in which a high value is placed on owning many things“ - the need to acquire "position goods" (proof of social position - recognition) - expresses the situation of social groups or the state (welfare state) - excessive consumption - a hobby / necessity? ownership of tangible goods or services → typical dynamics of shopping and consumption (=waste) Voluntary simlicity x poverty - poverty - low income, low ownership and consumption, feeling deprived, social exclusion, low social status, minimal share of political power - voluntary simplicity - voluntariness, self-sufficiency, diverse interpersonal relationships, active participation in public affairs (municipalities ...) Voluntary simlicity x poverty - poverty - low income, low ownership and consumption, feeling deprived, social exclusion, low social status, minimal share of political power - voluntary simplicity - voluntariness, self-sufficiency, diverse interpersonal relationships, active participation in public affairs (municipalities ...) - the idea of simplicity/modesty - common in ancient philosophy, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Taoism, Confucianism, ancient mythology and natural nations Voluntary simlicity x poverty - poverty - low income, low ownership and consumption, feeling deprived, social exclusion, low social status, minimal share of power - voluntary simplicity - voluntariness, self-sufficiency, diverse interpersonal relationships, active participation in public affairs (municipalities ...) - the idea of simplicity/modesty - common in ancient philosophy, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Taoism, Confucianism, ancient mythology and natural nations Modesty as a part of the social prestige/status - eg. Dutch doctors - modesty and ecological luxury is a prestigious matter, consumption is rejected as unethical, majority and vulgar - env. favorable behavior of the rich is a question of social prestige, but also of personal attitudes → orientation outside material values Voluntary simlicity x poverty - poverty - low income, low ownership and consumption, feeling deprived, social exclusion, low social status, minimal share of power - voluntary simplicity - voluntariness, self-sufficiency, diverse interpersonal relationships, active participation in public affairs (municipalities ...) - the idea of simplicity/modesty - common in ancient philosophy, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Taoism, Confucianism, ancient mythology and natural nations Modesty as a part of the social prestige/status - eg. Dutch doctors - modesty and ecological luxury is a prestigious matter, consumption is rejected as unethical, majority and vulgar - env. favorable behavior of the rich is a question of social prestige, but also of personal attitudes → orientation outside material values - society is no longer stratified into classes, but according to lifestyle → the poorer strives to imitate (looks up to) the richer people → imitation can be more effective than environmental upbringing → spreading under the influence of fashion is faster and more efficient → social elites → influence on legislation, politics and economy Selective demand/consumption - different perspective of voluntary simplicity - a person is demanding, but for certain things → eg. on water quality, environment, public transport, joy of life - it is not about austerity, but about the joy of life instead of joy of property Selective demand/consumption - different perspective of voluntary simplicity - a person is demanding, but for certain things → eg. on water quality, environment, public transport, joy of life - it is not about austerity, but about the joy of life instead of joy of property Postmaterialism - changes in values in some rich western countries, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark x the USA and Canada - transition from materialistic values: material well-being and security, orientation towards economic prosperity, observance of social order, to postmaterialist values: free self-realization, participation in the administration of public affairs, creation of a more humane society, creation of the environment Selective demand/consumption - different perspective of voluntary simplicity - a person is demanding, but for certain things → eg. on water quality, environment, public transport, joy of life - it is not about austerity, but about the joy of life instead of joy of property Postmaterialism - changes in values in some rich western countries, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark x the USA and Canada - transition from materialistic values: material well-being and security, orientation towards economic prosperity, observance of social order, to postmaterialist values: free self-realization, participation in the administration of public affairs, creation of a more humane society, creation of the environment - the change in values is taking place especially in the younger generations, who grew up in a larger economic and societal security (not during the war) → economic prosperity contributes to the spread of postmat. values and vice versa (oil crisis in the 1970s - decline in postmaterialism) Selective demand/consumption - different perspective of voluntary simplicity - a person is demanding, but for certain things → eg. on water quality, environment, public transport, joy of life - it is not about austerity, but about the joy of life instead of joy of property Postmaterialism Essentials to reach a SD To decide for it, and long lasting will = necessary to re-evaluate our life-style - difficult, lengthy, but feasible Successes, once unthinkable - abolition of slavery - smoking restrictions - recycling - relations between France and Germany - etc. The solutions certainly won’t be one-size-fits-all. It’s possible to have a sustainable London and a sustainable Amazonia, but they will function very differently. “A renewable world depends on what you have close to hand,” says McKibben. So living sustainably need not be a step backwards. Some things will change, though. Meat will become a luxury, as its cost is pushed up thanks to the huge amounts of energy and water needed to farm livestock. And while we’ll still be able to take holidays, those weekend jaunts on budget airlines are likely to be a thing of the past because there is currently no tax on aircraft fuel. Porritt believes that doing away with such counterproductive subsidies and tax havens is essential. A global carbon tax and a tax on financial transactions would help to fund ecosystem restoration, public health, education and other crucial steps towards sustainability. “Tax is such a powerful instrument to promote sustainability,” he says. “It’s absolutely fundamental to the transformation we’re talking about.” Porritt and Sanderson are buoyant about the quality of life in a more equitable and sustainable world, without denying the difficulties ahead. “One of the reasons why I think we have failed is that we haven’t given a sense of just how good a world it would be,” admits Porritt. All of which adds up to a vision of a sustainable world that is significantly different from the one that critics envisage. It might mean a leaner and slower way of life for some, but also a healthier, happier and more peaceful world for us and future generations to enjoy. We have the tools. What we do with them remains to be seen.