Sustainability and

Sustainable Development

Dr. Andrew Wallace PhD

Overview

What do we mean; sustainability?

What do we mean; sustainable

development?

Why do we need sustainability or

sustainable development?

How can we achieve sustainability?

What do we mean;

sustainability? A dictionary definition:

of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting

or using a resource so that the resource is not

depleted or permanently damaged [Webster's]

meets the needs of the present without

compromising the ability of future generations

to meet their own needs.

[Brundtland Commission]

What do we mean;

sustainability? Resources

What we have

Production

What we make

Life style

How we use it

What do we mean; sustainable

development? Sustainable development is a socio-

ecological process characterized by the

fulfilment of human needs while

maintaining the quality of the natural

environment indefinitely. [wikipedia]

What do we mean; sustainable

development? Maintain our socioeconomic system

indefinitely!

Oxymoron

Our current socioeconomic system depend on

exponential growth

We have finite resources

Why do we need sustainability?

Environment

Pollution

Soil erosion

Pesticides

Waste disposal

How effective are efforts to

combat these problems?

Starvation and Poverty

About 800 million

people go hungry

Efforts to stop hunger,

starvation and poverty

in the world has come

to a halt

Yet we have more

food than we can eat!

Global Warming

Climate change

How effective are we

at combating this?

Rain Forests

From 14% to 6%

Estimated that it could

be gone by mid 21st

century

Why do we need sustainable

development? The current socio-economic system

Growth

The current socio-economic system

Business

Government

People

How can we achieve

sustainability? Society as:

Technology

People

How can we achieve

sustainability? The technical aspects of society should be

run by those who are experts in the

technology

The people part run by true democracy

How can we achieve

sustainability? The technical aspects run with the

following goal:

Highest possible standard of living for as long

as possible

Highest standard of living

Units of productions managed by experts

No profit

Minimise energy

Minimise waste

Balance production with demands

/ needs

For as long as possible

Minimise environmental impact

Balance the needs of society

with the needs of the eco-system

Balance

Balance

To balance the system we propose a

system using energy rather than money

Energy is needed to run anything

Money is debt and value is subjective

Therefore not a true measure of the system

Energy credits are given equally to all

citizens

They decide what is to be produced

Enter Technocracy!

Technocracy offers

a alternative socio-

economic system

Summary

There are a number of complex problems

in the World today

The underlying cause is the current socio-

economic system

Technocracy aims to replace the current

system with an alternative system

Technical aspects rules by experts

No money but energy credits