MSSI Flyer

Page 1

‘What Australians do over the next few years will have a significant influence on humanity’s prospects for handing on the benefits of modern civilisation to future generations. This book will help Australians to understand their part in the global effort for sustainability.’

Ross Garnaut, Foreword to 2020

2020 – Vision for a Sustainable Society Bringing together leaders from across academia, business and government, this book focuses on practical steps that can steer Australia towards sustainability. In suggesting twenty actions by 2020, it provides a map to a more sustainable future – in a society that is healthier and happier but not radically different to what we enjoy today. In the lead up to the Rio+20 Conference, this book aims to provide Australians with answers to the burning question of the 21st century: ‘Where to from here?’

The full book can also be found at www.sustainable.unimelb.edu.au


Twenty Actions by 2020 Each author in the book, after exploring the challenges and opportunities in their areas of expertise, recommended one key action that could steer our society towards sustainability for 2020. This Twenty Actions table is the key to the book.

Individuals Individual Actions

Effect

Sustainable Outcome

1. ENGAGE PERSONALLY Engage in community activism and monitor resource use and impact of lobbying.

Build local capacity to effect change and reduce carbon footprints.

Decision-making through coalitions of governments and grassroots movements.

2. OWN LESS Choose to reduce ownership of ‘things’ and the size of homes.

Housing will become more affordable and energy consumption will decrease.

Denser cities, requiring shorter commutes and easier access to greenspace; more sharing and fewer ‘things’.

3. REDUCE WASTE Reduce waste in supply chains, by choosing aesthetically imperfect food and low-impact packaging; reduce personal waste; and support food rescue for disadvantaged communities.

Greater food security to feed an increasing population.

Less on-farm wastage; reduce income gap between rural and urban and address ‘nutritional ghettoes’ in cities.

Business Business Actions

Effect

Sustainable Outcome

4. CORE VALUES Integrate sustainability into core business culture to reduce risk and enhance brand and reputation.

Greater business stability and profitability for the long-term.

Corporate leadership; greater employer satisfaction; slower product model redundancy.

5. LABELS Provide product labelling that is digestible, unbiased and trustworthy.

More informed consumer choices, more effective purchasing.

Preventative health reducing healthcare costs; address health and obesity; accelerated the shift to sustainable products.

6. INNOVATIVE DESIGN Lead globallyinnovative design of technologies to reduce GHG emissions and buildings modelled on ecological principles, integrating vegetation and built environment.

More efficient use of sun, water and other natural resources. Incorporation of plants and green spaces for food, cooling, carbon capture and recreation.

Improved physical and mental health; reduced health costs and increased productivity; contribute to climate stabilization.

7. CREATE ZERO CARBON LANDSCAPES Strategically revegetate targeted areas, creating mixed forests and farmland.

Significantly increase carbon storage capacity, improve ecosystem functions and services, diversify rural economies.

Some mitigation of climate change; enhanced wellbeing of rural communities.

8. DESIGN FOR CLIMATE CHANGE Design infrastructure to account for impacts of climate change.

More robust assets that will serve the community over the long term.

Make cities more efficient and less vulnerable to disaster; market and sell solutions internationally.

9. REDUCE DISASTER RISKS Minimise disaster impacts and inequities eg, by studying likely impacts of climate change on Indigenous-owned land and developing plans and kits for every household, workplace and community.

Anticipate and minimise impacts of disasters; make disaster-risk assessment part of planning.

Reduce direct costs and indirect impacts eg, personal trauma and increasing inequity, from increasingly frequent disasters associated with growing population density and climate change.

* We recognise that some of the initiatives listed under ‘Business’ and others may require legislation or subsidies for an interim period, but the primary point of innovation and action resides with business.


Government Government Action

Effect

Sustainable Outcome

10. TEACH ETHICS Introduce courses in sustainability ethics in schools.

Create a more ethical basis (rather than financial) for intergenerational decisions.

Promote a moral community based on non-GDP measures of wellness.

11. TAX NON-RENEWABLES Resource tax on all non-renewable resources.

Accelerate substitution of non-renewable resources with green technologies.

Create globally competitive technologies, likely to cause new stimulation of economy.

12. MARKET WATER Introduce watertrading based on markets and property rights for environmental, rural and urban needs.

Allow inter-sector trading and more transparent water prices, without political interference.

Provide greater imperative for better technological and economic decisions for the provision of infrastructure and water for the environment.

13. GO SOLAR Make a commitment to large solar, wind and energy storage installations with emphasis on largescale solar.

Shift to renewable energy at acceptable cost.

Reduce carbon pollution; create new industries; vitalise rural areas while addressing negative economic impacts on others eg, communities in coal basins.

14. PROVIDE CHILDCARE Provide universal and affordable childcare.

Enable low-income families to fully participate in the workforce.

Reduce inequity; increase productivity; increase educational aspirations.

15. VALUE CULTURE Develop frameworks for, and measure impacts of, cultural programs on sustainability.

Improved assessment of value of cultural programs.

Stimulate cultural support for societal change, leading to increased govt commitment to cultural programs.

16. PROMOTE TRANSPORT PYRAMID Provide a public awareness campaign on healthy transport based upon the transport pyramid.

Changes in attitudes and behaviour to different modes of transport.

Greater demand for public transport, separated bikeways, community car ownership, improved health; significant reduction in carbon pollution.

17. RESTORE ECOSYSTEMS Establish an international Ecosystem Restoration Service.

Restore natural ecosystem function to 20 per cent of deforested areas.

Help society adapt to climate change by working with the natural environment and reducing our exposure to future risks.

18. PLAN FOR POPULATION Increase investment in new public infrastructure like water, transport, energy and communications.

Greater efficiency in publicresource usage.

Improved management of demands made by population growth.

Media Media Actions

Effect

Sustainable Outcome

19. ACT RESPONSIBLY Factor sustainability into media coverage, explore the issues, lead debates and find ways to engage the community – for eg, raise awareness of city growth, its inevitability and consequences.

An informed public can make informed decisions and exert pressure on governments, corporates and indeed the media itself to think sustainably.

Will help get each of the key participants of society working in tandem towards a better outcome for all.

20. INVOLVE PUBLIC Establish a not-for-profit national virtual forum capable of synthesising public wisdom.

Bring deliberative democracy to major sustainability issues.

Enable governments to make wiser, faster decisions on path to sustainability and be less swayed by weekly opinion polls.

Illustrations by Michael Weldon www.michaelweldon.com


2020 – Vision for a Sustainable Society Divided into the four key areas governing society – People, Drivers, Cities and Natural Resources – 2020 provides a map to a more sustainable future. Leading thinkers from across academia, business and government confront the issues we face and suggest practical steps towards creating a more sustainable society for future generations.

claim s a typi piec ca e fo r sh signi lly cann el ot af fican ford ter. Fa t at capi vela ta l. the If th start, to cons Affo are truc dwellers ey rdab su but t an le Liv slow in th ccessful start ea ing ly bu ything rnin eir ho in sc g so ild th thei me r ho use. O avengi eir m ng, ften uses tena they oney or , th nts, su ey ffici inve supp used w st it to im lemen ently to ill later slow tin exte prov g in acco nd e th evol mm deve utio eir ho come odat n th lo info pment an is obse using. T at is th e rmal rv en hrou hous d improv ed the gh th Bu ing. emen incr emen is af fo t the t in rdab such ta l patt ility area beca erns s of can us and be sam e any foun prob maj e is d cl lems popu sues. W or Aus oser tral ith th latio of to n ga ther e maj ian ci e th ty fa home ces pric is difficu ered to ority of e ev geth the the lty er yo co er in un in a ne ca prov tr y’s Choic fe n af Wha ford iding ho w citie hous es of tra t Is . s, usin ing; nspo Usu few of g at Affo ally choic ten af rtation ch a ford rda es. ‘inex , we able ange wi hous pens unde bility ing th the loc ive; the ? finan is iso rstand de lated ation of reas wh cing onab th and in fa finition af fo . Bu la nd offer e ly de om in th ild so ct and s pric rdability ‘affor , illus eO met th re ed is wit scrib are du tr ’, xfor hing dabl m as ated ce ed wo e ho will chea else, eans land the m with d Dictio which fam h m me’. show is or such nary that th tgag ply on ‘forw wo ilie peop ‘car en a farm is no that A n et ym e sam e ra chea and, ard, land as gree s pl r le ing nd te t p k w ol ‘a e . in se x fforda adva ogic onw Usu in desir ’ which n field anted al di phrase ard, ally, nce, ua g w cris wit ab for job wor sites ct to pu bilit y’ ac asso is so l form le neig s, k in ith is, h , un anything w deriv ionary ciated compl t fort hb A as m er in prod ish ’. es fr om not sault vic runn disa inc h, to w dust ourhoo ewhat othe uc Thi How with ‘o om tiv P ds re h rial r tim in bil lud hat . e cont s olde ppor hous then land , or brow mote fr foe aid n’s er from industry r mea ribute, tuni s o g ho itie ing are in P om that do w re n fie othe ty’. or w ning f d me s, we ‘opp g’ if o is su ld sitfr r wo aren ork cen was unde we ortu A s no r desirab arehou t om les cou wor ften o,m rk rrou es t fo a ni co rs se le ne ‘reas ndedca tand ty’ te book nsid est s sh ns kin 1 ing l Le rce chan on ighb s, again n ra er by , G d by A ‘affor ic elt ellin g Jan pa av In p ou p g the of ho ably pr ther th nt r ro iso H a e e rh a dabl ec hony vio ers re wth ousin r lar u oods ic qu s usin an La dig e Dow len an g . m teend eive ar y nts che ticip tha g its ed ’? W restric estion cost as to g: Do T Manag e ns in w inim tal e ca ; th elf by ce d ho ck em of ting he ‘a 18 201 of ch me. atio t ha le ose n re o n hisee or choi ffordabi y Confli ent an it to of la reduci duce 20 to usin f a ous k b04 um ave we 1. E ild It is n is s a d ce lit ct ng ?, an nd, y’ hi Af fo re the ss p ek li w a e each an A lth an prim g an dequ H cons cost ough d no des issu y simpl rdable fore age ay a s o gible n bo n en the isted com d truc at ea d a em es su pone n-di in rn tit is th a sim ta x , w t t f g tion n etric eq avoid ry h san e in lth scre ch nt at hic he plist cost ov work or lem ew . k u e ita co ic, ge tionary as inco of its a hous s an a a e a it e h e r b me, ehol nera d inco is ate rnm ing dop nt he y fin y in le d lth-c tion me, expe d lly ac m we t p cu o ns do no e on ho should cept In alth din the iscrim are, , an ed rre f th ent-f aren ed sp ed ta es. g usin d t ne un ts nt are d uca e rget are ige and of hea g, as end 30 cess in ly n d no arily D pe th lth atio lin une tion $5 atio ed ac perc ownes ill r cent 89 na r ‘… us y well e ‘Y of I n a ked qua , fo eive .40 l an oss far ou nd nd ou be som ustrates to l a od eone , a sy cc no d so a b mo ng ing ng igen co who cio roa re pe ou ntr stem ess 20 Au t n-

t or y sp onhead n a C Tr onique

n lo ne Pa 44 ta l its lt en m em su al a re nal ern 7. ov 200 ividu as erso ed g n s p d es ter In rt in ge in gas our desig car t e o th rep era use of ily nger por l to ge e av nho ult a r s se a n s t a n g M in ha a th gree res prim . Pa an tr f to ate C rali ir rd e g ile ali t o lim lso th co C a ac mate ust the is bein mob ustr cen y A is and f li A C In t o his m auto of er t b r t d an en l. T yste te ent 8 p por nspo tion c le a e e l s riv r p r a r tra ollu rc pe trav rt cia peo g p pe , o p d o so kin , of nsp the p 53 020 g to ase air g e l in lin tory tra und ke u in 2 rdin oad-b loca vid ov d s is o h me pr , m an aro l ma ns acco a. R to o n s ce s r wil issio ns, trali uto m tion ces uma g, d istan nd ays c pla ste stic h in d a ilw em issio Aus ntrib sy nne me n Ra alk ng- utes eas of Do atio o t n em orks r co avi or ic c wee ost on w ts ; lo e ro of id stic sp t a d e W ajo m ed me ing ry bo t r a a ng ran nom be or Do ipp rs to f a m og. o ds nd all sh ca h is F to o e c c h er e x in . m o ep ng sm e one ted ht ial go ities n d nd s ped the e sse th Lig erc s a Pa n a m lo io d h u m icle s, ely cre s to co veh an mm rtat als deve oug ute larg ve o m o ro hr co nsp anim cks ha syste ut to he dt de b e e n e t B a tra ated g tra olve . nt s t r g r . W le t ly s s me ck tic lkin s ev tion nt has n. nspo day eetin on e rcyc use art Tru B oto ep M wa ietie ova ncie n vatio tra ld to m ave gativ :D n h g a atio o c rce to d or ne lon y n so d in ce ou rt in icate e w aid We e t .S an Sin spo al 09 cy. l th the ocie ed ist f th en p w. n na 20 cien h s o ic n a o d h ti tr log sop s o be orr ea s in Effi s o ent, eac pte s d on y recr of hno ely ee ha tom acce stem nm ay, r issi erg ad o s em d En -ro sy tec rem he n ion of Off t t or ort envir uld ort an ex ve t tten eds d nsp ge r co sp e 20 Tra han ser le a ne alis tran f ou you C 1. n en o t , re ur ure ate lit rld ’s we tio ity ave o ts r bet sump ore, e Figof Clim wo ently s of abil e h c pa fo on erm ar rec pact stain y. W m nts c rth rt r, im m su nom ion. l I ou rgy Fu spo cto o t ta acc ene s. ran er se ter d ec rsec en ctor orld ission m t oth an inte nm rt se of w em s fro any an iro nspo cent xide sion than v En e tra per n dio emis r rate Th d 25 rbo gas ste fa an d ca ouse t a a an enh ing e gr reas c in

T

173

13

2 19

People

Ethics Culture Awareness and Behaviour Local Matters Matter Public Wisdom Mental Health Disease Corporate Sustainability Government

he Ind ec lik op s d 1 s p ibu le 1’ tra e r t ic ig o th e p righ eno nom ange ly to ag rep lian eople e to e or s : ict t il us ic T .A t b d in of ur lu e in str you dic he e d 12– is heir a 2 a n rem tes g p ator lth, isad 4 y that v s t e e a c h ot e a eir ople com om ntag ars nd dis ’. T pa mu ed red nit ve ad v he ry w y rem anta table ith ot ge. ea A to rea nd so f

Natural Resources

Drivers

Population Equity Consumption Greenhouse Gas Emissions & Climate Change Energy

Cities

Changing Cities Affordable Living Built Environment Infrastructure Transport Adaptive Design Handling Disasters

Ecosystem-Based Adaptation Water Food Zero Carbon Land-Use

What do we need to reach a sustainable society? • Narratives: a sustainable future will be attractive. •A ctions: specifics to achieve sustainability. Largely, behaviour and policy changes, not technology. •E vidence: research to identify what is needed and its impact when it occurs. Publicise success. • Commitment: join the movement. • Partners: civil society, government, business and media working in concert.

www.sustainable.unimelb.edu.au


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.