Sustainability 2.0 Meeting Update

On Tuesday September 30th I join approximately 150 invited guests at the Royal Academy of the Arts in London for a panel discussion entitled Sustainability 2.0 Does sustainability need and upgrade? I took with me the opinions solicited from members of this listserv. Now I am reporting back on that meeting. The panel was chaired by Caroline Lucas, who is the leader of the Green Party of England and Wales and a member of the European Parliament. Other Panelists were Bill Adams, Moran Professor of Conservation and Development, University of Cambridge Brenda Boardman, Senior Researcher, Environmental Change Unit, University of Oxford Paul Ekins, Professor of Energy and Environmental Policy, King?s College London Tim Lang, Professor of Food Policy, City University, London Nick Robins, Head of Climate change Centre of Excellence, HSBC Each of the panelists began with a 10 minute statement for or against an upgrade of sustainability, and they all came out in favor of and upgrade.

Two common points which were brought up were the then, proposed, Wall Street Bailout and an August 2 warning which is getting attention in Europe that we have only 100 months before we hit the tipping point on irreversible climate change. Climate change was central to everyone?s support of an upgrade. The main argument being that climate change was going to be so catastrophic that we needed to reach sustainability in 100 months, something that we were unable to do in the 21 years since Our Common Future launched the sustainability movement. The banking crisis was frequently cited as being evidence that if the threat was perceived resources would be available. Discussion tended to revolve around climate change and social equity. But there were people who wanted to argue the definition of sustainability, if the people had as much responsibility as corporations and to plug their own books on the subject.

In my opinion, the most important question before the panel was never answered. That question was finally voiced as the last question of the evening, but none of the panelists chose to address it. That question was ?why did Our Common Future fail to mobilize the action needed to become sustainable?? Without the answer to this question upgrading Sustainability is meaningless.. We need to mobilize the public and governments to become sustainable, and Our Common Future failed to do this. If the upgrade (whatever form that takes) fails as well then we?re pretty much doomed.