The Good, The Bad and The Young’ns

The Good: Society, in general, are more aware that Climate Change is happening as opposed to the issue being debated. More-so since 2007 when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Reports presented the scientific basis of Climate Change, the social and economic impacts and adaptation considerations. 

The Bad: People are not quite sure what to do to fix it (or feel their small actions are insignificant) or feel so overwhelmed by the extent and complexity of Climate Change they disconnect from it.

The Young’ns: Every generation improves and evolves (or so we hope). I am excited to see the new norms, the new common sense, and the fresh eyes to lay on the problems of generations past.

“Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see.” (Neil Postman) 

A new generation usually equates to a new way of thinking which is why our children can not be left out of current sustainability related decisions. When a news report stated on the way to school one morning that the cocoa bean (and thereby chocolate) was in danger due to climate change, my daughter and I discussed what we would be willing to do to keep chocolate. In a matter of seconds we completely agreed it would be worth getting up 1-2 hours earlier and walking the 5 km to school every morning if meant saving chocolate. I don’t believe I had such conversations of compromise and value as a child (older teen, yes, but for very different self serving reasons). Her perspective of her place in the world right now is far greater than mine at her age. Another pinpoint on my map of hope :).

My daughter at Earth Day celebrations 2006

My daughter recently reported that BC Lions football players did a presentation at her school. I immediately thought that it must have been a pep talk about staying active, anit-bullying or ‘don’t do drugs’ when her words slammed the brakes on my runaway thought train. “They talked to us about sustainability and energy conservation!” She proceeded to tell me that she knew about most of the stuff they were saying but did like their idea of putting on a sweater when you get chilly instead of turning the heat up.

Which in fact happened a couple days later when she announced she was cold and in the same breathe “BUT don’t turn the heat up, I’m going to get a sweater”. Her main thought: ‘It was cool to have important people talk to us about what we can do to help’!

Grass Root Changes- Not Just a Catch Phrase

Albert Einstein says it best when he says "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." You need a new way of thinking - a paradigm shift.

I remember when recycling first became mandatory and thinking my 80 + year old grandma will be toughest to convince, then my parents, but my little sisters would be great they were young enough to roll with it (they probably don’t even remember a time when everything went into ONE bag!).

Source: Google Images

To my surprise my grandma was completely on board - she said she never understood why ‘we younger folks’ threw everything away, as many items could have been reused for other purposes. Quick calculation to confirm ….. my grandmother survived the depression, a time when waste was foolish and not feasible. Have times really changed from that perspective?

My parents were the most difficult by far to encourage, doing it SOLELY because their daughter was an environmental professional and they were obligated (I was reminded of this fact often). Until I moved away that is! When I came home for a visit, -paradigm shift- I was being scolded for not placing items in the appropriate bin or not recycling something that clearly was recyclable! It was their system, created at the most grass root of levels. They worked together, learned form their mistakes (by enduring waste left behind on several occasions for improper separation), took control and involved the rest of the family. 

My parents made it work for them on their terms and became stewards of the family waste! A ‘bottom up’ approach worked best, as it has in many successful sustainability initiatives, like in Samsø, Denmark.  I was shocked but it gave me hope. If people this resistant can make it happen AND own it….. ahh, a pinpoint on my map of hope :)

Samsø is a 100% energy self sufficient Danish island that made it happen on their own, their way to win an energy competition in less than 10 years!

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsø

Complex Systems & Biodiversity

I must note that I do not agree with the statement at the beginning that says “so the Earth can do what it was designed to do, provide air, fresh water, produce food, and allow us all to have a high quality of life forever”, how presumptuous! I do agree with the point that we are in a downward spiral and each unsustainable act is just speeding up the vortex and we humans must change our ways to have hope for the future.

Systems

Systems Theory aims to understand all parts to a whole, their respective relationships with each other and the subsystems within. There are several ways for systems to operate i.e. closed looped, open looped, simple, complex and can be influenced by both positive and negative feedback.

Closed
A closed looped system is one that does not depend on external sources of energy or matter in order to flow. Examples of such a closed ecological system are the human made “Biosphere 2” and “Melissa” (Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative)projects, created in the United States and Europe respectively (Canada plays a role in MELiSSA). Both have been created from a space agency perspective as potential products for future stations on other planets (i.e. Mars). They simulate portions of Earth’s natural systems, on a smaller scale.






Biosphere 2

Source: http://www.bio5.org/node/1303

Airflow, trace gas sampling, CO2 injection and partition placement- Biosphere 2 Centre.

Source: http://www.biology.ed.ac.uk/research/groups/jdeacon/biosphere/mesocos.htm



….or one could create their own closed ecological system....

Tabletop Biosphere

Instructions & Source: http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/how-to/diy-tabletop-biosphere-089370

When you think about it though, earth is like a spaceship! Do you think astronauts are wasteful - where would they place there waste on their relatively tiny ship? Do they use toxic products that could contaminate their water or air systems?Truth is, spacecraft and mission design maximize every single possible opportunity to be efficient, healthy and NOT be wasteful. It makes sense from time, health, financial, fuel, etc., perspectives.

Imagine how different our community, country and world would look if the folks from CSA, NASA and other space agencies were to change places with our politicians?

Negative Feedback
Negative feedback is a method of regulation that lessons the intensity of the system thereby allowing the system to remain relatively stable and somewhat predictable, although if this is the only type of feedback, stagnation is inevitable. 


An example of negative feedback in our environment - one that effects climate change - is that of clouds and surface temperature. 

Source: http://apollo.lsc.vsc.edu/classes/met130/notes/chapter16/neg_feedback.html

Positive Feedback
Positive feedback is the opposite of negative in that the intensity of the system is amplified as opposed to regulated, this type of feedback will result in big changes and eventual system collapse. 


An example of positive feedback is the decreasing albedo effect (reflection of the sun's rays by ice); as the atmosphere warms and melts ice, there is less reflection back to space resulting in further warming of the atmosphere.

Source: http://www.newint.org/features/2009/07/01/arctic-climate/

Open
An open system operates when an input is entered into the system and an output leaves the system with each pass through a separate cycle. What comes out of the system does not influence inputs therefore feedback loops are not present in open looped systems. Examples include many industries (raw materials in, processing then product out), my word processing program (if I stop typing - no product), and my favorite open system…... my coffeemaker :)


Complex
Complex systems are mathematically based theories that are used across several disciplines such as Sociology, Meteorology, Computer Science, Economics, Chemistry in attempts to apply and associate a form of order to chaos; trying to understand the grey area between predicable order and randomness. Each of the three rings (described in previous blog post) - Environment, Society and Economics are complex systems in their own right and are they are intricately linked with each other which improves their longevity as a whole.

It is thought that a complex system

 is sustainable by virtue of it’s ability to 

adapt thereby giving way to resiliency.

Biodiversity
Biodiversity is a complex system with subsystems, feedback loops, etc. Need I say more at this junction about the intrinsic value of maintaining it?


Did you know.....

Source: http://www.cvconservationstrategy.org/biodiversity/

Plasma Ball Meets Three-ringed Circus

Sustainability is not a simple concept to grasp, even a CBC program has recently referred to it as a “squishy” term. Literally translated from it’s Latin origins it means ableness & support/bear or the ability to support! Enter the squishy, to support what exactly?

The most common and consistent definition around the world today is a result of the Brundtland Report ("Our Common Future" - World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987)

“Development that meets the needs of today's generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”

This is a fantastic jumping point for getting your head around sustainability because from here many other definitions have been triggered each with a slightly different take on the cause and most just as valid as they different. At the very least you will no doubt be seeking further clarification on:

“development”

“meets”

“needs”

“future generations”

Sustainability definitions can vary from one extreme to the other like the IUCN/UNEP/WWF. Caring for the Earth: A Strategy for Sustainable Living. (Gland, Switzerland: 1991):

“Improving the quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of supporting ecosystems”

New Media Alliance “Decade of Sustainable Development: Marxist indoctrination of children”.(Shelton, Connecticut: 2006): 

“Sustainable development is key to the destruction of American culture, values, ethics and foundational principles”

It is, however, becoming more widely accepted that our environment, our economy and our society are interdependent, albeit, the degree to which is an immediate priority is still hotly debated. A recently noted soundbite highlights this debate:

  Politician: “When our economy picks up, we hope to have more money for environmental programs”

     

  Environmental Activist: “You do realize that without an environment, we don’t have an economy?”

A paradigm shift regarding the interconnectedness of environment, economy and society has started. Even hard core environmental activists are accepting that they must  work with and not against big industry and other economic engines. A team approach (with personal interests not at the forefront) can help diffuse the “Tragedy of the Commons” situation we are increasingly finding our globe in. 

I see a plasma ball meeting a three-ringed circus. The circus - our planet. The three rings (1) Environment - maintaining biodiversity and living within the carrying capacity of our natural systems. (2) Society - successful democratic governance maintaining the sustainable values by which we wish to live. (3) Economy - all citizens of earth living with the most basic of needs.

Like chaos and chemical equations, sustainability will most always be in a state of flux, forever trying to reach a sense of equilibrium…. a sense of peace. Any input or output from anywhere on the sphere effects the almost gyroscopic flow. 

There may be a brief moment when all rings are aligned - this will be known as destination Sustainability - when that moment passes efforts and resources must once again ignite and work towards the common aligning goals.