Hello sustainable eco-loggers, This is my first eco-log post! I just graduated from University of Maryland with a minor in Sustainability Studies. We were taught the Brundtland Commission definition of Sustainability, which I believe is clear and concise. Sustainability is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
Michael Riedman On Tue, Jul 17, 2012 at 6:05 AM, Neil Paul Cummins < neilpaulcumm...@gmail.com> wrote: > I'll start off: > > > Sustainability = "the biosphere of the Earth continuing to exist in a > state which can sustain complex life-forms" > > > This is how I define sustainability in my book: > > > > > What Does it Mean to be ‘Green’? : *Sustainability, Respect & Spirituality* > > ** > > *http://www.amazon.com/dp/1907962131/ref=nosim?tag=cranmorpublic-20* > > > Dr Neil Paul Cummins > > http://neilpaulcummins.blogspot.co.uk/ > > > > On Tue, Jul 17, 2012 at 3:58 AM, Wayne Tyson <landr...@cox.net> wrote: > > > Ecolog: > > > > "johoma," thanks for this summary. PLos Biology is leading the way, and > > someday Opens Source journals will be more common, edging out the ripoff > > journals and truly advancing science and education for all. There is more > > work to be done, but PLos Biology is helping to put steam behind the > trend > > toward adaptative progress rather than competitive concentration of power > > that has stultified true progress in the past. Science will prosper in > the > > sunlight as the Information Age emerges from the selfish Dark Ages of > > exclusivity, excess, and concentration of power in the hands of > vulcanized > > institutionalism. > > > > Doomed? Only if "we" persist in our comfortable delusions. > > > > But "sustainability" still needs definition. The term has suffered a > > similar fate that "ecology" has--captured by spinmeisters and twisted > into > > all sorts of buzz-phrases that make all sorts of unsustainable practices > > salable by Mad Av and its ilk. > > > > For starters, Ecolog subscribers could do this right here--define > > sustainability with clarity. > > > > Please proceed. (Can 14,000+ ecologists be wrong?) > > > > WT > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "johoma" <joh...@gmail.com> > > To: <ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU> > > Sent: Monday, June 25, 2012 2:15 PM > > Subject: [ECOLOG-L] Are we doomed yet: A journal debate about science, > the > > practice of sustainability, and communicating issues > > > > > > An excerpt from the PLoS Biology editor-in-chief's overview: > > > > One of the reasons we publish more accessible magazine-like articles in > the > > front section of *PLoS Biology* <http://www.plosbiology.org/home.action> > > is > > to raise awareness about issues that are important both to practicing > > scientists and to the wider public. As an open access journal, we can > reach > > communities and organisations that don’t have access to the pay-walled > > literature, and they in turn can redistribute and reuse these articles > > without permission from us or the authors. The articles we published > > yesterday in our front section provide a case in point. In Rio de Janeiro > > last week, world leaders met for the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable > > Development <http://www.uncsd2012.org/> to ”shape how we can reduce > > poverty, advance social equity and ensure environmental protection”. > We’re > > featuring three articles and an accompanying > > podcast<http://blogs.plos.org/plospodcasts/>from leading ecologists > > and conservation scientists that raise absolutely > > fundamental concerns about the physical limits on resource use that > should > > be considered at the conference—but almost certainly won’t be, because > > sustainability has focused primarily on the social and economic sciences > > and developed largely independently of the key ecological principles that > > govern life. > > > > Burger et al argue that resources on earth are finite and ultimately we > are > > constrained by the same hard biophyisical laws that regulate every other > > species and population on the planet. Famous photograph of the Earth > taken > > on December 7, 1972, by the crew of the Apollo 17 spacecraft en route to > > the Moon at a distance of about 29,000 kilometers. (Photo: NASA) > > > > The inspiration for this article collection came from Georgina > > Mace<http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/people/g.mace>, > > one of our Editorial Board > > members<http://www.plosbiology.org/static/edboard.action>and Professor > > of Conservation Science and Director of the NERC > > Centre for Population Biology <http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/cpb>. It > started > > with an essay > > < > http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001345 > > >submitted > > by Robbie Burger <https://sites.google.com/site/josephrobertburger/>, > Jim > > Brown, <http://biology.unm.edu/jhbrown/index.shtml>Craig > > Allen<http://www.fort.usgs.gov/staff/staffprofile.asp?StaffID=109>and > > others from Jim > > Brown’s lab <http://biology.unm.edu/jhbrown/labmembers.shtml>, in which > > they argue that the field of sustainability science does not sufficiently > > take account of human ecology and in particular the larger view offered > by > > human macroecology, which aims to understand what governs and limits > human > > distribution. The very strong – and seemingly obvious – point they make > is > > that ultimately we are constrained by the same hard biophyisical laws > that > > regulate every other species and population on the planet — and we have > > already surpassed the Earth’s capacity to sustain even current levels of > > human population and socioeconomic activity, let alone future > trajectories > > of growth. And while we often applaud ourselves for doing something > > apparently sustainable at a local level, we ignore the fact that we > > displace the consequences of using up resources either temporally or > > spatially at larger regional or global scales. These authors provide a > > powerful set of examples that show the wider detrimental impacts of > locally > > ‘sustainable’ systems, including that of Portland, Oregon – which ‘is > > hailed by the media as “the most sustainable city in America”’, and the > > Bristol Bay Salmon Fishery, also cited as a success story. (Burger et > al’s > > point here echoes a call for more ecosystem-based management of fisheries > > made recently in another recent *PLoS Biology* article by Levi et > > al< > > > http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.1001303 > > > > > ). > > > > During the editorial process, it became clear that while there was > > agreement that human ecology is a key factor for understanding > sustainable > > resource use , not everyone agreed with the pessimistic and seemingly > > static outlook presented by Burger et al. We therefore commissioned John > > Matthews <http://climatechangewater.org/page2/page2.html> and Fred > > Boltz< > > > http://www.conservation.org/FMG/Articles/Pages/conservation_in_action_fred_boltz.aspx > > >from > > Conservation > > International <http://www.conservation.org/Pages/default.aspx> to > provide > > their more optimistic > > perspective< > > http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001344 > >. > > They argue that the world is a much more dynamic place than that set out > by > > Burger et al and that human ingenuity and adaptability (both human and > > planetary) may provide creative solutions that will allow human societies > > to overcome resource limitation and continue to grow. > > *rest of the story here: ** > > > > > http://blogs.plos.org/biologue/2012/06/20/rio20-why-sustainability-must-include-ecology/ > > * > > * > > * > > * > > * > > * > > * > > *Direct links > > *Georgina Mace’s overview: *The Limits to Sustainability Science: > > Ecological Constraints or Endless Innovation? > > ** > > > > > http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.1001343 > > * > > Her podcast: > > * > > > > > http://blogs.plos.org/plospodcasts/2012/06/19/plos-biology-podcast-episode-05-flirting-with-disaster/ > > * > > > > The Burger et al. piece: *The Macroecology of Sustainability > > ** > > > > > http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.1001345 > > * > > > > Matthews & Boltz: *The Shifting Boundaries of Sustainability Science: Are > > We Doomed Yet? > > ** > > > > > http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pbio.1001344 > > * > > > > > > -- > > http://neilpaulcummins.blogspot.co.uk/ > > > http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Neil-Paul-Cummins/333142776758442 > > > https://twitter.com/#!/neilpaulcummins > > > http://www.linkedin.com/in/neilpaulcummins >
