Articles tagged with: beyond sustainability

  • Can Global Leaders Change the Approach to Sustainable Development?

    Friday, August 09, 2024 | By

    Agenda 2030 for sustainable global development was set by the United Nations in 2015. This happened after three years of deliberation among leaders from government, industry and society that began with the Rio+20 conference in 2012, UN (United Nations). The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets (UN 2015) are intended to achieve sustainable development by 2030. Recent progress reports show that many targets and goals are not being met due to the COVID-19 pandemic, violent conflict, climate change (UN 2022; 2023), and financial challenges including underinvestment, falling GDP, increasing investment risk, inflation, and massive debt burden (UN 2024). The UN states that “we cannot persist with a morally bankrupt financial system” which also presents developing countries with considerable barriers to achieving sustainable development goals (UN 2023).

    Major transformations in the relationships between developed and developing countries, and between humans and nature, are required to enable global society to achieve the UN’s SDGs. The goals represent a complicated array of ambitions that interact in complex ways. Some goals are complementary and can work in tandem to produce results, other goals are conflicting and require negotiation to find a workable compromise. The complex interactions between the SDGs were not recognized until a group of systems scientists analysed the relationship between some of the goals and targets and how they affected sustainable development in Sweden (Weitz, et al., 2018). These are not widely acknowledged, either, and meaningful transformation is unlikely to occur until they are. Factors such as uncertainty and risk, predictive limitations, siloed approaches, fragmentation, and short-term thinking contribute to this challenge.

    Addressing the relationship between the developed and underdeveloped world requires that both sides recognize the exploitative nature of the relationship itself. The origins of this relationship began with the “discovery” of the Americas and Asia in the 15th century by European explorers, funded by merchants seeking to expand their interests in trade, and still exists, in an ever increasingly exploitative nature, in the present day. This created the foundation for the way that globalization and industrialization developed, based on the exploitation of people and nature, and how each system continues to operate in the 21st century (Lewis & Maslin, 2018). The billions of dollars that flow south as development assistance and investment are insignificant compared to the trillions of dollars of economic benefit that flow north (Hickel, 2017). The basic requirements of food, water, health, and education necessary to reduce poverty cannot be provided if this inequality is maintained. There is no incentive for industrial societies to change this relationship.

    Climate change is arguably the most pressing global environmental problem, and it will affect food and water security, human and environmental health, and lead to flooding of low-lying islands and coastlines. The recent warming data from Copernicus shows that global temperatures from May 2023 to April 2024 were 1.6oC above the pre-industrial average (Copernicus 2024) and it seems likely that the world will be somewhere between 2 to 3o C warmer by 2100. Despite the rapid increase in global temperatures and impending massive economic impacts, efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are not meeting the targets necessary to stay under 2oC (UNEP 2023). As with the UNSDG’s, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) agreements are non-binding. The use of fossil fuels will continue to rise as countries compete to maintain economic growth on a shrinking resource base (Hagens, 2020). UNSDG 8 aims to “sustain per capita economic growth in accordance with national circumstances”, which assumes that infinite economic growth is possible on a finite plant and conflicts with climate change and biodiversity goals.

    The current approach to sustainable development is not working and there is little indication of any change in approach by global leadership. The existing global governance structures are designed to maintain economic growth while attempting to treat symptoms such as biodiversity loss and climate change with technology and financial market solutions. The idea that the UNSDGs are complex and that the consequences of unbridled economic growth are systemic problems that cannot be treated effectively with simple economic and technological solutions is new. People are resistant to change and tend to think about short-term problems rather than take a long-term view to consider changes that accumulate over time. A systems perspective on sustainability issues recognizes that humans are part of nature and that living bioeconomic systems behave unpredictably. Managing unpredictability is difficult for decision-makers, influenced by 300 years of deterministic science, to believe that problems have simple causes and can be fixed with simple solutions. Political leaders think in terms of election cycles, and they are unlikely to change unless there is strong public pressure for them to do so. Global corporations may be aware of the social and ecological costs of their business, but these are not included in cost-benefit analysis and corporate decisions are influenced by market trends and the need to make a profit for shareholders.

    Changes to how people approach sustainability will come from innovators who recognize the environmental degradation caused by the current human-nature relationship and seek alternatives that deliver human well-being while working to restore the ability of nature to maintain a stable environment.

     

    References

    Copernicus 2024 Monthly Climate Bulletin for April. https://climate.copernicus.eu/april-2024-11th-consecutive-warmest-month-globally?utm_source=socialmedia&utm_medium=li&utm_id=news-cb-2404

    Hagens, N. 2020. Economics for the future – Beyond the superorganism Ecological Economics 169 106520 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.106520

    Hickel, J. The Divide: A Brief Guide to Global Inequality and its Solutions. W.W. Norton, New York.

    Lewis, S. and M. Maslin. 2018. The Human Planet: How we Created the Anthropocene. Yale University Press.

    United Nations 2012 The Future We Want: Outcome document of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development https://sdgs.un.org/sites/default/files/publications/733FutureWeWant.pdf

    United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for sustainable development (A/RES/70/1). New York, NY: UN General Assembly. Retrieved from https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda

    United Nations Environment Program 2023 Broken Record: Temperatures hit new highs, yet world fails to cut emissions (again). Nairobi. https://doi.org/10.59117/20.500.11822/43922

    United Nations 2024 United Nations, Inter-agency Task Force on Financing for Development, Financing for Sustainable Development: Financing for Development at a Crossroads. Available from: https://developmentfinance.un.org/fsdr2024.

    Weitz, N., H.Carlsen, M. Nilsson, & K. Skånberg. 2018. Towards systemic and contextual priority setting for implementing the 2030 Agenda. Sustain Sci 13:531–548. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-017-0470-0

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    Categories: Beyond Sustainability Blog

  • Beyond sustainability: radical transformation through system thinking – a lesson in patience and adaptation

    Thursday, July 18, 2024 | By

    Liette Vasseur presents at an event in front of a group of seated attendees between bookcases

    The New Frontiers Exploration Grant was awarded to the Beyond Sustainability international project team on April 1, 2020 – two weeks after the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

    Imagine: A project consisting of an international transdisciplinary team established to research new ways of thinking about how humans interact with non-humans and the natural environment (and how to transform that relationship through system thinking in order to go beyond sustainability) without being able to interact in person or spend time directly in the field. Even worse, the project was also intended to include meaningful interactions with local people, involving youth, community members and other researchers, and between the research team itself. The implications are many, with the most notable being that “the human brain is the result of tens of thousands of years of evolution, while technology is rapidly evolving, the brain, is configured to manage interactions and communications with others face to face”.1

    Why does it matter whether communication between people is less effective when it’s done through technology as opposed to in person? In the context of the Beyond sustainability: radical transformation through system thinking research project, this disparity in communication methods is not merely a matter of preference; it carries profound implications, particularly regarding its collaborative ventures.

    Communication researchers tend to agree that all forms of digital and virtual communication can “replace” an in-person, face-to-face experience2. With face-to-face communication, however, is still considered to be the ‘the gold standard’3.  Face-to-face communication surpasses all other communications methods in its ability to inspire and mobilize people. Before a single word is spoken, it allows for the full conveyance of not just verbal content, but also the nuanced messages of tone, voice modulation, emotion and body language. Directly addressing individuals, making eye contact and delivering precise information serves as an effective means to underscore and reinforce key points.

    The first year of the project meant engaging only in a virtual way with very little interaction with the public. Meetings with the team became more complicated with schedule restrictions due to time zones and other obligations. It was also clear that activities on the computer, such as email., for example, caused distractions during virtual meetings. The virtual community cafes that the team hosted did not draw in a large crowd of people, especially at the beginning of the second year of the project. It seemed that people’s calendars were becoming overly saturated with virtual, screen-based events that were used as a medium to talk to and learn from others. 

    Videoconferencing can also hamper creativity4. It limits cognitive concentration because participant focus is often concentrated on verbal content and all that is happening on the screen, and in the backgrounds, rather than on the key nuances of communication (body language, tone, emotion, etc3,4).

    The Beyond Sustainability project was initially meant to engage the broader public through activities such as proactive camps, conversation circles, community cafés and artistic events. The pandemic brought new risks to public health involved with in person interaction that were not predetermined during the preparation of the project. Best efforts were made, however, to engage with the public virtually through a host of on-line events that were held. 

    To ensure participation and co-creation of knowledge with youth, community members, private sector, governmental officials and Indigenous partners, the Beyond Sustainability project established a Clubhouse meeting room. Clubhouse is an audio-based social media app that allows people from around the world to engage in live conversations. The Beyond Sustainability Team ran weekly conversations on a specific topic each week from August 2021 until April 2023. It had a huge advantage: the team reached over 500 people worldwide, in countries that would not have been reached in any other way. In this regard, it was very successful with higher impact than what would have been achieved by remaining solely at the local level. 

    Empowering the next generation of researchers was an important goal of the Beyond Sustainability project.  The formation of the Young Professionals in research Exploration Group served as a testament to this commitment, providing a platform for students to dive deeper into discussions on radical transformations and the future of sustainability. The work of the group culminated in an artistic event in the third year of the project: Transforming Environmental Awareness with Artistic Interventions: a showcase of video art, fiber art, and a live performance. The event offered an alternative way to build environmental awareness through sustainability discourse rethinking and showcased the out-of-the-box thinking required to transform our currently unsustainable social-ecological systems.  

    The project drew to a close in the form of a Think Tank, where a group of “system thinking” researchers (three from the original project team and three new thinkers) met in person at Brock University to chart a new course of moving beyond sustainability. The work of the Think Tank was motivated by the alarming reality that society has surpassed the boundaries of the traditional “sustainability” model, symbolized by the three-legged stool. This model has been made obsolete by an economic system driven by profit and power, disregarding the well-being of both humanity and the planet. The Think Tank research team understands that as society navigates this chaotic phase, it presents opportunities to instigate paradigm shifts and enact transformative change, paving the way towards a future that is secure and equitable for all. 

    The timing of a global pandemic, which led to a worldwide surge in outdoor activities, coinciding with the work of the Beyond Sustainability research team as they embarked on a journey to redefine humanity’s relationship with the environment was indeed interesting. Did it change the relationship between nature and humans? That’s difficult to know. What we do know is changing mindsets and bringing more awareness can create a new path for humans and the planet. Alone, nobody can change the world, but small groups of people working together can change part of it. Over time, these small changes can create radical transformation, and the world is forever changed, for the better.

    1. Schwartz, L., Levy, J., Endevelt-Shapira, Y., Djalovski, A., Hayut, O., Dumas, G., & Feldman, R. (2022). Technologically-assisted communication attenuates inter-brain synchrony. doi:10.1101/2022.06.06.494185
    2. Walther, J. B. Theories of computer-mediated communication and interpersonal relations. In Sage Handbook of Interpersonal Communication (eds. Knapp, M. L. & Daly, J. A.) (Sage, 2011).
    3. Stieger, S., Lewetz, D., & Willinger, D. (2023). Face-to-face more important than digital communication for mental health during the pandemic. Scientific Reports, 13(1). https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-34957-4#ref-CR11 
    4. Brucks, M. S., & Levav, J. (2022). Virtual communication curbs creative idea generation. Nature, 605(7908), 108-112. doi:10.1038/s41586-022-04643-y

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    Categories: Beyond Sustainability Blog, Uncategorised

  • Beyond Sustainability: Engaging communities for transformative action

    Monday, May 27, 2024 | By

    Beyond sustainability panelists stand in a row after an even

    As part of the Beyond Sustainability research project, invited speakers and the public focused on sharing perspectives on effecting meaningful change at an event on January 25, 2024. Invited panelists included, from left: Patrick Robson, Christopher Warren, Derek Davy, Abiola Oke, Liette Vasseur.

    By: Liette Vasseur and Jocelyn Baker

    As the Beyond Sustainability project neared completion, the project team continued to engage the public through impactful events. On January 25, 2024, a small panel of individuals, committed to going beyond the standard of conventional sustainability, gathered to share their perspectives on effecting meaningful change. The event aimed to highlight tangible actions that can motivate society to move beyond sustainability and actively seek innovative and transformative approaches that challenge existing boundaries and push the concept of sustainability to new levels.

    Among the invitees were Liette Vasseur, UNESCO Chair on Community Sustainability: From Local to Global; Christopher Warren from Sustainability Leadership (Hamilton); Abiola Oke, a graduate of Niagara College’s Beekeeping Program; and Derek Davy, CEO of Econse Water Technologies. Facilitating the event was Patrick Robson, Professor of Environmental Studies at Niagara College. Each panelist discussed their own approaches to advancing sustainability, highlighting the need for transformative thinking and action.

    The event also provided a platform for public participation, inviting attendees to share their insights and ideas. Responses to questions such as “What does sustainability mean to you?” brought forward interesting perspectives, like the idea of ecosystem maintenance, long-term conservation, and conscientious decision-making. Notable responses included the “the ability to maintain an ecosystem”; “the practice and the methodology that allow the conservation of the environment and people in the long term”; “to enjoy the fruits of the tree without destroying it for future generations”; “being aware of how your actions directly and indirectly impact the environment while taking steps to gradually make better decisions when it comes to said impact”; “keeping the long-term benefit for something of value”; “conscientious communities where no one is left behind and growth is dependent on what the earth can provide”; and, “taking care of the earth so it will continue to take care of my children”.

    When getting further into the idea of “beyond sustainability,” participants stressed the necessity for societal paradigm shifts, behavioral changes, and holistic viewpoints.

    Responses included:

    • “A change in how societies operate and make their decisions. It moves further beyond the three pillars of sustainability. In simple terms, it is changing the mindset.”
    • “A behavioural change of people. Shifts in the way people consume, a decrease in waste, and a raised awareness of the effects that individual decisions have on the environment and society.”
    • “Hopeful imagining that we can reframe sustainability away from the idea of sacrifice”
    • “Going beyond the concept we know about sustainability which is meeting our need now while meeting the needs of future generations (economics, society, environment). It means considering the world systems as a whole and world issues as complex and interconnected”
    • “A holistic viewpoint of life in all aspects, both on an individual and grand scale.”

    The discussions encouraged attendees to reconsider their personal views and daily actions. Many expressed a newfound awareness of the interconnections between their behaviours and environmental impacts. Some found it surprisingly possible to reduce their carbon footprints through minor lifestyle adjustments, while others remained skeptical, concerned about inaction, particularly among large corporations.

    Despite varying viewpoints, common ground was seen in a commitment to promoting sustainability beyond its conventional boundaries. As one participant summarized, every small change contributes to a larger transformation. This sentiment resonated throughout the event, reinforcing the need for radical action in the face of global crises.

    The panelists’ contributions further defined pathways to achieving beyond sustainability.  Oke, for example, outlined her vision of equalizing environmental, societal, and economic considerations advocating for individual carbon footprint reduction as an important step.  Davy shared his insights into combating water pollution through innovative on-site treatment technologies, emphasizing the importance of community engagement in addressing environmental challenges. Warren encouraged participants to consider scale and geography when looking at options, recognizing that the solution should not cause more harm than the problem itself.

    The Beyond Sustainability event provided an opportunity to discuss strategies for moving to new ways of thinking about sustainability that are more ambitious and progressive than what is commonly accepted or practiced. The action-oriented approach showcased practical solutions challenging attendees to think beyond the status quo and commit to meaningful change. This collective reframing, although on a small scale, is especially important amidst the urgency imposed by accelerated planetary changes.

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