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Mother Pelican
A Journal of Solidarity and Sustainability

Vol. 8, No. 10, October 2012
Luis T. Gutiérrez, Editor
Home Page

motherpelicanlogo2012


Advances in Sustainable Development

SUMMARY & OUTLINE

This supplement attempts to be a radar screen for recent/emerging/forthcoming advances in sustainable development. In selecting items for this supplementary page, priority is given to information about publications and tools with an educational and human-centric focus. This update includes the following reminders that sustainable development has a human face:

1. Suggestions for Prayer, Study, and Action
2. News, Publications, Tools, and Conferences
3. Advances in Sustainable Development
4. Advances in Integral Human Development
5. Advances in Integrated Sustainable Development
6. Sustainability Games, Databases, and Knowledgebases
7. Sustainable Development Measures and Indicators
8. Sustainable Development Modeling and Simulation
9. Fostering Sustainability in the International Community
Note: Items in this page are updated as information is received and as time permits. If the reader knows about new pubs/tools that should be announced in this page, please write to the Editor.

1. Suggestions for Prayer, Study, and Action

SUGGESTIONS FOR PRAYER

PRAYER FOR GLOBAL SOLIDARITY AND SUSTAINABILITY

God our Creator, whose good earth is entrusted to our care and delight,
we pray:

For all who are in captivity to debt, whose lives are cramped by fear,

For all who depend on the earth for their daily food and fuel,

For all who labour in poverty, who are oppressed by unjust laws, who long for a harvest of justice,

For all who are in captivity to greed and waste and boredom, whose harvest joy is choked with things they do not need.

Turn us again from our captivity and restore our vision, that our mouths may be filled with laughter and our tongues with singing.

Amen

The late Janet Morley – adapted by Christian Ecology Link

SUGGESTIONS FOR STUDY

BE INFORMED ABOUT THE RIO+20 AGREEMENT AND FOLLOW-UP

Rio+20TheFutureWeWantCover.jpg
DOWNLOAD
THE FUTURE WE WANT
UN Conference on Sustainable Development
20-22 June 2012


A preliminary analysis of the Rio+20 agreement is offered here. Below are links to some substantive reviews published after the end of the conference:

  • Summany of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (13-22 June 2012), ENB-IISD, 25 June 2012.
  • A first reading of The Future We Want, Jose Ignacio Garcia, EcoJesuit, 25 June 2012.
  • Rio+20: Tim Jackson on how fear led world leaders to betray green economy, Jo Confino, The Guardian, 25 June 2012.
  • Rio+20 - Red Cross Red Crescent Urges Investment in Resilience and Women, IFRCRCS, AllAfrica, 25 June 2012.
  • Rio+20: Who owns the 'Green Economy'?, Matthew Rimmer, SBS, 25 June 2012.
  • Women’s Major Group “Disappointed and Outraged” at the Rio+20 Outcomes, Seyyada Burney, Nourishing the Planet, 25 June 2012.
  • Rio+20: On the Same Planet, But Not the Same Page, Murray Griffin, Bloomberg News, 26 June 2012.
  • BacktoOurCommonFuture.png
    DOWNLOAD
    BACK TO OUR COMMON FUTURE
    Sustainable Development in the 21st Century
    UN SD21 Project, September 2012

    This summary presents selected findings from the SD21 study reports.

  • Food and agriculture: the challenge of sustainability
  • Assessment of implementation of Agenda 21
  • Assessment of implementation of the Rio Principles
  • Challenges and ways forward in the urban sector
  • Building a sustainable and desirable Economy-in-Society-in-Nature
  • Perspectives on sustainable energy systems for the 21st century
  • Lessons learned from sustainable development scenarios
  • Sustainable land management for the 21st century
  • All the reports are accessible at here

    SUGGESTIONS FOR ACTION

    BECOME A GLOBAL CITIZEN

    WideningCircle17June2012.jpg

    Imagine All the People: Advancing a Planetary Movement
    Contact: Uchita de Zoysa
    Website: www.wideningcircle.org

    unvolunteerslogo.gif

    United Nations Volunteers
    Contact: Jordi Llopart
    Website: www.unv.org


    2. News, Publications, Tools, and Conferences

    NEWS

    cooltexticonnews


    Energy and Climate News


    BURN Energy Journal


    Environmental News Network


    Planet Ark
    World Environmental News


    World News Network


    Mother Earth News


    Climate Action News


    World Technology News


    Sustainable Development Media


    World Pulse


    SustainabiliTank


    Environmental Science & Technology


    AlterNet


    EcoWatch


    WiserEarth News


    New Internationalist


    The Global Journal


    Trade & Environment Nexus


    Yes! Magazine


    Human Development News


    Science Daily
    Earth & Climate News
    Sustainability News
    Science & Society News


    International Institute for
    Sustainable Development (IISD)
    Reporting Services

    Policy-Strategy Coverage

    Sustainable Development Policy & Practice
    Sustainable Development - Small Islands
    Biodiversity Policy & Practice
    Climate Change Policy & Practice
    Energy Policy Issues
    Multilateral Environmental Agreements
    Earth Negotiations Bulletin

    Theme Coverage

    Sustainable Development
    Biodiveristy & Wildlife
    Chemicals Management
    Climate & Atmosphere
    Forests - Deserts - Land
    Human Development
    Intergovernmental Organizations
    Trade & Investment
    Water - Oceand - Wetlands

    Regional Coverage

    Africa
    Asia
    Europe
    Lating America & Caribbean
    Near East
    North America
    South West Pacific

    Rio+20 Coverage

    UNCSDRIOPLUS20
    Sustainable Development Conference
    Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
    4-6 June 2012


    United Nations News Service
    Rio+20: Making it Happen
    UN Sustainable Development News
    UN Gender Equality News


    Value News Network


    Catholic News Service


    Anglican Communion News Service


    Ekklesia Christian News Bulletin


    Religion News Service


    LiveScience News


    Inter Press Service (PSI)


    Triple Bottom Line
    CSR News


    The Progress Report


    Global Health News


    Kosmos Journal


    ELDIS NEWSFEEDS

    Eldis Development Newsfeeds

    General - all subjects

    Newsfeeds by Subject

    Ageing populations
    Agriculture
    Aid and debt
    Children and young people
    Climate Change
    Climate adaptation
    Conflict
    Corporate responsibility
    Education
    Environment
    Finance policy
    Food security
    Gender
    Globalisation
    Governance
    HIV and AIDS
    Health
    Health systems
    ICT for development
    Influencing policy
    Jobs
    Jobs, Events and Announcements
    Livelihoods
    MDGs
    Manuals and toolkits
    Migration
    Participation
    Poverty
    Trade policy

    Newsfeeds by Region

    Africa
    East Asia and Pacific
    Latin America and Caribbean
    Middle East and North Africa
    South Asia

    PUBLICATIONS

    cooltexticonpubs


    Back to Our Common Future
    UN, SD21 Project, September 2012


    Feeding a Thirsty World:
    Challenges and Opportunities
    for a Water and Food Secure Future

    Stockholm International Water Institute, 2012


    Climate Action Book 2011-2012, Climate Action/UNEP, 2012


    Early Warning Systems
    UNEP, 2012


    2012 World Population Data Sheet
    Population Reference Bureau, 20 July 2012


    Trends in Global CO2 Emissions:
    2012 Report

    PBL Netherlands, 18 July 2012


    Pervasive Gloom About the World Economy
    Pew Research Center, 12 July 2012


    Inside Stories on
    Climate Compatible Development

    CDKN, July 2012


    Inclusive Wealth Report 2012
    UN IHDP, June 2012


    The Future We Want
    UNCSD, 22 June 2012


    Renewables 2012 Global Status Report
    REN21, 11 June 2012


    Global Environmental Outlook (GEO-5)
    UNEP, 6 June 2012


    Inclusive Green Growth:
    the Pathway to Sustainable Development

    World Bank, May 2012


    Inclusive Green Growth
    in Latin America & the Caribbean

    World Bank, May 2012


    Ending the Suffering of Millions of Women
    UnCUT Voices Press, May 2012


    Country Reports
    on Human Rights Practices for 2011

    US Dept of State, May 2012


    International Economic Trends
    FRB St. Louis, May 2012


    World of Work Report 2012:
    Better Jobs for a Better Economy

    ILO, May 2012


    Golden Rules for a Golden Age of Gas
    IEA, May 2012


    Ecosystem Services:
    Charting a Path to Sustainability

    NAS, May 2012


    Islamic Solidarity Fund for Development
    ISFD Brochure, ISDB, May 2012


    Global Integrity Report 2011
    Global Integrity, 7 April 2012


    World Development Indicators 2012
    World Bank, April 2012


    Tracking Clean Energy Progress
    IEA, 25 April 2012


    Global Monitoring Report 2012:
    Food Prices, Nutrition, and the
    Millennium Development Goals

    Peggy Garvin, World Bank, April 2012


    Measuring Financial Inclusion:
    The Global Findex Database

    Heather Negley, World Bank, April 2012


    2012 Global Cities Index
    and Emerging Cities Outlook

    Peggy Garvin, World Bank, April 2012


    GLAAS 2012 Report:
    UN-Water Global Analysis and Assessment
    of Sanitation and Drinking-Water

    Adrian Janes, WHO, 15 April 2012


    Global Report for Research
    on Infectious Diseases of Poverty

    TDR WHO, April 2012


    A strategy for restoring confidence
    and economic growth through green
    investment and innovation

    Dimitri Zenghelis
    Grantham Research Institute
    in Climate Change and the Environment
    London School of Economics, April 2012.


    World Happiness Report 2012
    Earth Institute, April 2012


    Dimensions:
    The human factor in the
    global environmental debate

    IHDP UNU, Spring 2012


    Map of the Global Transition
    to a New Economy

    GTNE, 17 March 2012


    World Atlas of
    Gender Equality in Education

    UNESCO, 8 March 2012


    Electricity from Renewables
    ECLAREON, Berlin, 13 March 2012


    Themed Edition on
    The Geography of Sustainabilty
    Journal of Sustainability Education, March 2012


    Role of Policy and Institutions
    in Local Adaptation to Climate Change

    ICIMOD, March 2012


    Global Outlook on Sustainable
    Consumption and Production (SCP) Policies

    UNEP, March 2012


    Sustainable Insight:
    Expect the Unexpected

    KPMG, February 2012


    State of the World’s Children 2012:
    Children in an Urban World

    UNICEF, 27 February 2012


    Greening Development:
    Enhancing Capacity for Environmental
    Management and Governance
    ,
    OECD, 10 February 2012


    World Development Report 2012:
    Gender Equality and Development
    ,
    The World Bank, 2012


    Development without Carbon as Climate Policy,
    Elizabeth A. Stanton, Stockholm Environment Institute, January 2012


    Sustainable Energy for All:
    A Framework for Action
    ,
    The Secretary-General’s High-level Group on Sustainable Energy for All, January 2012


    Green Energy for a Billion Poor,
    Nancy Wimmer, World Council of Renewable Energy, 2012


    RESCUE
    (Responses to Environmental & Societal
    Challenges for our Unstable Earth)
    Synthesis Report
    ,
    European Science Foundation,
    Brussels, 16 February 2012


    Research and Education:
    Drivers of Transformation
    ,
    German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU), Berlin, February 2012


    Global Environmental Outlook (GEO-5), UNEP, 6 June 2012"> Global Environmental Outlook (GEO-5),
    Summary for Policy Makers,
    UNEP, 20 February 2012


    The State of Renewable Energies in Europe,
    Adrian Janes, EurObserv'ER, 20 February 2012


    21 Issues for the 21st Century:
    UNEP Foresight Report
    ,
    Peggy Garvin, United Nations, 20 February 2012


    2012 Environmental Performance Index
    EPI, Yale University, 26 January 2012


    Resolving the Food Crisis:
    Assessing Global Policy Reforms
    Since 2007

    ITAP, 25 January 2012


    Human Rights Watch World Report 2012
    HRW, 24 January 2012


    Global Employment Trends 2012:
    Preventing a deeper jobs crisis

    ILO, 24 January 2012


    ASEAN in the Global Economy:
    An Enhanced Economic and Political Role

    ERIA, 23 January 2012


    Global Go-To Think Tanks Report 2011
    TTCSP, 19 January 2011


    Global Economic Prospects 2012
    World Bank, 18 January 2012


    World Economic Situation and Prospects 2012
    United Nations, 18 January 2012


    Ecumenical Women Advocacy Guide
    Ecumenical Women, 10 January 2012


    Human Rights Report 2011
    Odhikar, Bangladesh, 7 January 2012


    Global Risks 2012
    World Economic Forum, January 2012


    Poor People's Energy Outlook 2012:
    Energy for earning a living

    Practical Action, January 2012


    Climate Change and Development Strategy
    U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), January 2012
    One Pager ~ Full Report


    TOOLS & DATABASES

    cooltexticontools



    Long Range Energy Alternatives
    Planning System (LEAP)

    SEI Energy Community, 29 July 2012


    Industrial Efficiency Policy Database
    IETD, July 2012


    Technology Cost Database for Renewables
    NREL, July 2012


    Mapping the Global Transition
    to a New Economy

    New Economics Institute
    July 2012


    Open Source Software for
    Crowdsourcing for Energy Analysis

    UNIDO, June 2012


    Planet under Pressure 2012
    Debate Graph


    Adaptation Support Tool


    Nitrogen Footprint Calculator


    Terra Populus:
    Integrated Data on
    Population and Environment

    NSF & University of Minnesota
    March 2012


    2012 Environmental Performance Index
    Interactive Map & Database

    EPI, Yale University, January 2012


    Environmental Data Explorer


    Clean Energy Information Portal


    Mapping the Impacts of Climate Change


    Eye on Earth
    Global Mapping

    EEA, December 2011


    Database of Actions on Adaptation
    to Climate Change

    UNFCCC, December 2011


    Climate Scoreboard
    Climate Interactive, 2011


    REN21 Renewables Interactive Map
    REN21, 2011


    Calculator of the
    Carbon Footprint of Nations

    NTNU, 2011


    Geospatial Toolkit (GsT) for
    Integrated Resource Assessment

    NREL, November 2011


    Climate Impact Equity Lens (CIEL)
    Stockholm Environment Institute
    November 2011


    Global Adaptation Index
    Global Adaptation Institute
    Fall 2011


    Gridded Population of the World
    CIESIN, Columbia University, 2011


    The New eAtlas of Gender
    World Bank, 2011


    Statistics and Tools
    for Gender Analysis

    World Bank, 2011


    Gender Statistics Database
    World Bank, 2011


    Live World Data
    The Venus Project, 2011


    RETScreen
    Clean Energy Analysis Software

    RETScreen International, 2011


    IGES CDM Methodology Parameter Data
    IGES, 2011


    IGES Emission Reductions Calculation Sheet
    IGES, 2011


    OECD Sustainable Manufacturing Toolkit
    OECD, 2011


    OECD Family Database


    OECD Social Expenditure Database


    Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services
    and Tradeoffs (InVEST)

    Version 2.1, Natural Capital Project, 2011
    FREE DOWNLOAD


    Interactive Map and Rankings for the 2011 Failed States Index
    Foreign Policy and Fund for Peace, August 2011


    Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC)
    NASA & Columbia University


    IGES GHG Database
    IGES


    Emission Factors Database
    Ecometrica


    Renewables Interactive Map
    REN21


    FICAT
    Forestry Industry Carbon Assessment Tool
    Green Resources, Tanzania


    ACEGES
    Agent-based Computational Economics
    of the Global Energy System


    Climate Hot Map
    Union of Concerned Scientists


    Solar Thermal Barometer
    EurObserv-ER


    BioCarbonTracker
    Ecometrica


    FORMA
    Forest Monitoring for Action
    CGDEV


    WEAP
    Water Evaluation And Planning System
    WEAP21


    GLTN
    Global Land Tool Network
    UN-HABITAT


    UN-Energy Knowledge Network
    including
    Multi-dimensional Energy Poverty Index (MEPI)
    and Energy Development Index (EDI)
    UNIDO


    Measuring Energy Poverty
    Visualization Platform

    STATPLANET & UNIDO


    United Nations Data
    UN Statistics Database
    UN MDG Indicators
    UN Human Development Index (HDI)


    Humanity's Footprint Data
    Ecological Footprint
    Footprint for Nations
    Footprint for Cities
    Footprint for Business
    Carbon Footprint
    Personal Footprint
    Footprint & Biodiversity
    Footprint & Human Development


    Earth Policy Institute Data Sets
    Population, Health, and Society
    Natural Systems
    Climate Change
    Energy Resources
    Transportation Systems
    Food and Agriculture
    Economics & Development


    World Bank
    World Development Indicators (WDI)


    ZACAT-GESIS
    Data for the Social Sciences


    STAR Database Beta-Test Now in Process
    Invitation to Participate

    Links Government Investment,
    Science, Technology,
    Firms, and Employment


    Sustainable Society Index
    Interactive Map


    Interactive Mapping of
    Population and Climate Change

    Population Action International


    Global Advocates Toolbox
    Population Action International


    Teaching and Learning
    for a Sustainable Future:
    Dissemination and Training Toolbox

    UNESCO Education for
    Sustainable Development


    Economic Input-Output
    Life Cycle Assessment (EIO-LCA)

    Green Design Institute
    Carnegie Mellon University


    CONFERENCES & JOURNALS

    cooltexticonconf


    Conference Alerts
    Find Conferences Worldwide
    by Topic, Country, or Keywords.



    Calls for Papers
    Find Calls for Papers Worldwide
    by Specialization, Country, or Keywords.



    Journal Articles
    The latest Tables of Contents
    from thousands of scholarly journals
    Search by journal title, ISNN, or keywords


    Conferences


    Metadata for Meeting Global Challenges
    DCMI International Conference
    Kuching, Malaysia, 3-7 September 2012


    International Conference on
    Culture, Politics, & Climate Change

    Boulder, Colorado, USA
    13-15 September 2012


    Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN) Congress
    Munich, Germany
    14-16 September 2012


    3rd International Conference on
    Degrowth for Ecological Sustainability
    and Social Equity

    Venice, Italy, 19-23 September 2012


    World Clean Technology Summit (WCTS)
    Kampala, Uganda
    26-28 September 2012


    Evidence for Sustainable Development
    Berlin, Germany, 5-6 October 2012


    CLIMATE 2012 / KLIMA 2012
    The World's CO2-friendly Scientific
    On-line Climate Conference
    "Climate Change, Island States
    and Sustainable Technologies"
    Hamburg, Germany, 5-9 November 2012


    IADIS International Conference on
    Sustainability, Technology and Education

    Perth, Australia, 28-30 November 2012


    Ninth International Conference on
    Environmental, Cultural, Economic
    and Social Sustainability

    Hiroshima, Japan, January 23-25, 2013


    Earth System Governance Tokyo Conference
    UNU, Tokyo, Japan
    28-31 January 2013


    Decisions that Work:
    Linking Sustainability, Environmental Responsibility
    and Human Well-being

    Society for Human Ecology
    Canberra, Australia, 5-8 February 2013


    International Conference on
    Trade, Markets and Sustainability
    , Symbiosis Institute of International Business (SIIB)
    Pune, India, 22-23 February, 2013


    Twelfth North American
    Basic income Guarantee Congress

    NABIG, 8-10 May 2013


    European And Latin American Conference
    On Climate Change Management

    Antigua, Guatemala, Central America
    29-30 August 2013

    3. Advances in Sustainable Development

    ENBIISDHEADER.jpg
    Summany of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development
    Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 13-22 June 2012
    Earth Negotiations Bulletin
    International Institute for Sustainable Development
    25 June 2012

    "The third and final meeting of the Preparatory Committee for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20), Pre-Conference Informal Consultations Facilitated by the Host Country, and the UNCSD convened back-to-back in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 13-22 June 2012. During their ten days in Rio, government delegations concluded the negotiations on the Rio outcome document, titled “The Future We Want.” Representatives from 191 UN member states and observers, including 79 Heads of State or Government, addressed the general debate, and approximately 44,000 badges were issued for official meetings, a Rio+20 Partnerships Forum, Sustainable Development Dialogues, SD-Learning and an estimated 500 side events in RioCentro, the venue for the Conference itself.

    "In closing the Conference, UNCSD President Dilma Rousseff (Brazil) stressed that Rio+20 was the most participatory conference in history and was a “global expression of democracy.” Taking place in parallel to the official events, approximately 3,000 unofficial events were organized throughout Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Governments and the Rio Conventions organized Pavilions showcasing their experiences and best practices, and the Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development, a Global Town Hall, a People’s Summit, the World Congress on Justice, Governance and Law for Environmental Sustainability and spontaneous street actions were just a few of the many events around the historic city of Rio de Janeiro, discussing the Rio+20 themes and the broader requirements for sustainable development implementation."

    To keep reading this comprehensive summary report, click SUMMARY
    For coverage on worlwide energy access issues, click ENERGY
    For coverage on world justice, governance, and environmental law issues, click JUSTICE
    For day by day coverage of the conference proceedings, click DAY BY DAY

    4. Advances in Integral Human Development

    UNDPHDR2011EQUITY198
    HDR 2011 FREE DOWNLOAD
    Human Development Report 2011
    Sustainability and Equity:
    A Better Future for All
    UNDP, November 2011

    "This Report explores the integral links between environmental sustainability and equity and shows that these are critical to expanding human freedoms for people today and in generations to come. The point of departure is that the remarkable progress in human development over recent decades that the Human Development Report has documented cannot continue without bold global steps to reduce environmental risks and inequality. We identify pathways for people, communities, countries and the international community to promote environmental sustainability and equity in mutually reinforcing ways.

    "The cover diagram symbolizes how different policies can have different implications for sustainability and equity. Whenever available, we should prefer solutions that are good for the environment while also promoting equity and human development. Pursuing sustainability and equity jointly does not require that they be mutually reinforcing. In many instances they will not be. Sometimes the most feasible alternative involves trade-offs between sustainability and equity and requires explicit and careful consideration. No trade-off is isolated from a society’s structural and institutional conditions, and so we must address the underlying constraints and identify positive synergies between sustainability and equity. This Report is aimed not only at finding positive synergies but also at identifying ways to build them."


    On RIO+20 and integral human development:


    5. Advances in Integrated Sustainable Development

    The latest from James Gustave Speth:


    The latest from Yale University:

    Summer Symposium on
    Religion and Environmental Stewardship
    5-7 June 2012.

    Go to PDF with LARGE IMAGE

    GLOBAL GROWTH TRENDS
    GlobalGrowthTrends233x296.jpg
    Source: Yale Religion & Ecology Forum

    RECENT UPDATES ON "LIMITS TO GROWTH"

    What was the real message of "Limits to Growth"?

    Source: Club of Rome Videos and YouTube

    COMPARISON OF "LIMITS TO GROWTH" SCENARIOS WITH FRAGMENTS OF RECENT TRENDS
    LTG1972PBL2009.jpg
    Source: Growing within Limits: A Report to the Global Assembly 2009 of the Club of Rome
    Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL), 2009

    See the webcast of the symposium on
    Limits to Growth: Challenges to Building a Sustainable Planet
    Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, 1 March 2012

    The Influence of Donella Meadows and the Limits to Growth
    Rob Dietz, The Daly News, 30 March 2012

    MIT Predicts Half of Humanity to Be Culled in Post-Industrial Crash
    Aaron Dykes, Real News Reporter, 10 April 2012

    Has Civilization Passed the Environmental Point of No Return?
    Madhusree Mukerjee, Scientific American, 23 May 2012

    2052: A Global Forecast for the Next Forty Years
    A Report to the Club of Rome
    Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of The Limits to Growth
    by Jorgen Randers, Chelsea Green, July 2012

    6. Sustainability Games, Databases, and Knowledgebases

    The Global Transition to a New Economy (GTNE) world map and database:

    GTNEwebsitegraphic.png
    GTNE Map and Database by the New Economics Institute & International Partners


    The Earth Charter Game is now available in two languages (English and Portuguese):


    Earth Charter Game from Instituto Harmonia na Terra on Vimeo.

    7. Sustainable Development Measures and Indicators

    2012 Environmental Performance Index (EPI)
    Switzerland Ranks at Top of the 2012 EPI
    and Latvia Takes #1 Spot in New Trend EPI Rankings
    Ysella Yoder, Yale University, 26 January 2012

    EPI2012COVER.jpg

    The Summary for Policymakers provides a quick look at the EPI framework and methodology,
    and summarizes the overall EPI and Pilot Trend EPI rankings, results, and conclusions.

    FORTHCOMING: New Global Green Economy Index, Dual Citizen Inc (September 2012)

    8. Sustainable Development Modeling and Simulation

    The graph below is a simple simulation of
    world population, gross production/consumption, and energy availability trends:

    SDSIM2.0.5.8.BAU.jpg
    As of EOY 2011, World Population = 7 Billion, World GDP = 61 Trillion PPP Dollars,
    World Energy Use = 0.5 Zeta Joules (or approx 82 billion barrels of oil), and
    Average Consumption per Capita = 9000 Dollars

    The simulation tipping points would seem to approximate current trends. If the supply of usable energy from fossil fuels peaks and declines as shown by the green curve, how much energy would have to be generated from other sources to support the current GDP output? Even for the sake of social solidarity and ecological sustainability, would most people in the "developed" nations be able/willing to "survive" with $9000/year?

    The past cannot be changed, and the future is unknown, but there is empirical evidence to the effect that:

    1. Fossil fuel resources are high in energy content but are not infinite.
    2. Fossil fuel emissions are environmentally detrimental and/or potentially unsafe.
    3. Currently known clean energy alternatives offer relatively low energy content.
    Given that fossil fuels are being depleted, pollution levels are damaging the environment, and clean energy alternatives may not provide enough energy to sustain industrial economies, is it wise to just continue doing "business as usual" and trusting that some earthshaking technological breakthrough will come to pass soon enough? Is it fair for people in the "developed" nations to keep indulging in energy consumption and waste while approx. one billion people must subsist on $2 per day or less?

    9. Fostering Sustainability in the International Community


    UN launches
    Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN)
    to help find solutions to global problems

    The scale of the global sustainable development challenge is unprecedented. The fight against extreme poverty has made great progress under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), but more than 1 billion people continue to live in extreme poverty. Inequality and social exclusion are widening within most countries. With the world at 7 billion people and current annual GDP of US$70 trillion, human impacts on the environment have already reached dangerous levels. As the world population is estimated to rise to 9 billion by 2050
    SDSN2012BANNER.png
    and global GDP to more than US$200 trillion, the world urgently needs a framework for sustainable development that addresses the challenges of ending poverty, increasing social inclusion, and sustaining the planet.

    Under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General, and in line with the recently launched High-level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) was announced on August 9, 2012 and will provide global, open and inclusive support to sustainable-development problem solving at local, national, and global scales. The SDSN will work together with United Nations agencies, other international organizations, and the multilateral funding institutions including the World Bank and regional development banks, to mobilize scientific and technical expertise to scale up the magnitude and quality of local, national and global problem solving, helping to identify solutions and highlighting best practices in the design of long-term development pathways.

    The Sustainable Development Solutions Network: Mobilizing scientific and technical expertise for local, national, and global problem solving

    Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs, Special Advisor to UN Secretary-General on the MDGs, will direct the project with the core aim of creating an open, inclusive, and world-class global network of expertise and problem solving. The network will comprise mainly universities and scientific research institutes, but will also tap technical expertise within technology companies, science foundations and academies of sciences and engineering. Columbia University's Earth Institute will serve as the Secretariat for the Network.

    The global network will accelerate joint learning and help to overcome the compartmentalization of technical and policy work by promoting integrated approaches to the interconnected economic, social, and environmental challenges confronting the world.

    The network should therefore spawn a new kind of sustained problem solving, in which experts, leaders, and citizens in all parts of the world work together to identify, demonstrate, and implement the most promising paths to sustainable development.

    PRESS RELEASE: View the full text of the press release

    OPERATIONAL LAUNCH: The SDSN website will launch September 1, 2012.

    POINT OF CONTACT: Erin Trowbridge, trowbridge@ei.columbia.edu

    UNITED NATIONS
    Sustainable Energy for All
    INITIATIVE

    Three broad objectives to be achieved by 2030:

  • Ensuring universal access to modern energy services
  • Doubling the rate of improvement in energy efficiency
  • Doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix
  • Sustainable Energy for All: Actions and Commitments

    UNSEFA2030
    Sustainable Energy for All

    UNITED NATIONS
    Global Environmental Outlook (GEO-5)
    Summary Report, UNEP, 20 February 2012
    Full Report, UNEP, 6 June 2012

    Three highest priorities:

  • Aligning governance to the challenges of global sustainability
  • Transforming human capabilities for the 21st century
  • Ensuring food safety and food security for 9 billion people

  • GEO5UNEP2012.jpg
    Global Environmental Outlook (GEO-5)


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