Guest Lecture - Montgomery Norton

Urban & Regional Planning - PPD 107

Professor Dallaire

Guest Lecture - Montgomery Norton

Urban & Regional Planning - PPD 107

Professor Dallaire

University of California, Irvine

Winter 2009

Sustainability: Plans, policies & programs

Definition:

• Gro Harlem Brundtland (1987, WCED) - “Our Common Future”

• President Clinton’s Council on Sustainable Development (1993) Council’s report - “Sustainable America”

• The Earth Charter (1995-2000, International Commission of diverse constituents)

Definition

Ecology Economy

Equity

International Developments• United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (1972 -

Stockholm, Sweden)• World Commission on Environment and Development (1987 -

Geneva, Switzerland)• United Nations Conference on Environment and Development

(1988 - New York)• Earthcare Interfaith Network (1989 - Baltimore, MD)• United Nations Conference on Environment and Development -

“The Earth Summit’

(1992 - Rio De Janeiro, Brazil)• World Summit on Sustainable Development (2002 -

Johannesburg, South Africa)• United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural

Organization (2005 - New York)

“The Decade provides an opportunity to join an international movement, and to organize around a common set of principles and priorities (pp,2)” -The Declaration. Vol.7, Number2

Fu-chen Lo and Yue-man Yeung (1998)

• Globalization (pp. 9)

• Food supply. (pp.11)

• Sustainable Development can be achieved. (pp. 12)

Cycles of Civilizations

“The Collapse of Complex Civilizations”

- Joseph Tainter

“Collapse: How societies choose to fail or succeed”

- Jared Diamond

Using satellite images of city lights at night, NASA scientists are mapping the

spread of urban areas around the globe and

monitoring their impact on our planet's ecosystem.

Ecological Footprints

Largest per capita ecological deficits: UAE (-213), Kuwait (-146), U.S. (-89), Belgium/Luxem. (-62), Netherlands (-56)

Largest per capita surplus: Mongolia (163), Namibia (97), Gabon (96), Mauritania (68), Papua New Guinea (65)

Possible Futures National Intelligence Council

(Special Advisory Board to the CIA)

• Davos World

• Pax Americana

• A New Caliphate

• Cycle of Fear

The 2020 Global Landscape Report (2004)

Millenium Ecosystem Assessment

“Ecosystems and Human Well-Being” (2005)

Millenium Ecosystem Assessment

“Ecosystems and Human Well-Being” (2005)

“Considers the intrinsic value of species and ecosystems.”

Plausible Scenarios:Global OrchestrationOrder from StrengthAdapting MosaicTechno Garden

“Considers the intrinsic value of species and ecosystems.”

Plausible Scenarios:Global OrchestrationOrder from StrengthAdapting MosaicTechno Garden

Possible Futures Powerdown, Richard Heinberg (2005)

“No factor has played a greater role in the explosive development of global civilization since the 19th Century than abundant cheap fossil energy”

The alternative is “Powerdown”:1. a strategy to reduce per-capita

resource usage in wealthy countries2. develop alternative energy sources3. distribute resources more equitably4. and reduce the human population

humanely but systematically over time.

What kind of world do we want to live in?

Fill ‘Er Up with Dictators: Petropolitics (Ch. 4)

• Negative correlation between Freedom and the price of Oil

• Petrodollars from the West has funded radical and more fundamentalist Islam

• Leads to more violent jihadism, suppresion of women, entrepreneurialism, and general social freedom, including media & art

Friedman, T.L. (2008). Hot, Flat & Crowded.

Peak Oil, Post Carbon Cities, Powerdown

• “Peak oil production and the arc of depletion that follows”

• The loss of Fossil Fuels and what that means…

(Colin Campbell – the Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas)

Remarks by Bill MoyersRemarks by Bill Moyers

UCI – November 14, 2005

Sponsored by the School of Social Ecology

“The city is first a holy place.” – Kevin Lynch & Lewis Mumford

Sustainability

Declarations

Sustainability

Declarations

The Earth Charter - was called forth by the Brundtland Report (Our Common Future) International Civil Society 1995-2000

The Hannover Principles - sustainability and the built environment William McDonough and Michael Braungart 1992

The Talloires Declaration - define and promote sustainability in higher education University Leaders for a Sustainable Future - 22 University

Presidents and Chancellors convened by Tufts University President, Jean Mayer in Talloires, France 1990

The Earth Charter - was called forth by the Brundtland Report (Our Common Future) International Civil Society 1995-2000

The Hannover Principles - sustainability and the built environment William McDonough and Michael Braungart 1992

The Talloires Declaration - define and promote sustainability in higher education University Leaders for a Sustainable Future - 22 University

Presidents and Chancellors convened by Tufts University President, Jean Mayer in Talloires, France 1990

The Consciousness of Society

The Consciousness of Society

Invisible order

Law and regulations are symbols and key points of that order. 

Invisible order

Law and regulations are symbols and key points of that order. 

- Lindell Marsh, Lecturer, PP&D

Soft Law vs. Hard Law

• Usually applied to International Law• Soft Law: commitments between parties

that are not legally binding• Hard law: binding laws that is

prescriptive and has authority through legally enforcing commitments for countries (states) and other international subjects.

National Environmental Policy Act of 1969(NEPA) National Environmental

Policy Act of 1969(NEPA) The purposes of this Act are: The purposes of this Act are:

To declare a national policy which will encourage To declare a national policy which will encourage productive and enjoyable productive and enjoyable harmonyharmony between man and his between man and his environment; to promote efforts which will prevent or environment; to promote efforts which will prevent or eliminate damage to the environment and biosphere and eliminate damage to the environment and biosphere and stimulate the health and welfare of man; to enrich the stimulate the health and welfare of man; to enrich the understanding of the ecological systems and natural understanding of the ecological systems and natural resources important to the Nation; and to establish a resources important to the Nation; and to establish a Council on Environmental Quality.Council on Environmental Quality.

The purposes of this Act are: The purposes of this Act are:

To declare a national policy which will encourage To declare a national policy which will encourage productive and enjoyable productive and enjoyable harmonyharmony between man and his between man and his environment; to promote efforts which will prevent or environment; to promote efforts which will prevent or eliminate damage to the environment and biosphere and eliminate damage to the environment and biosphere and stimulate the health and welfare of man; to enrich the stimulate the health and welfare of man; to enrich the understanding of the ecological systems and natural understanding of the ecological systems and natural resources important to the Nation; and to establish a resources important to the Nation; and to establish a Council on Environmental Quality.Council on Environmental Quality.

Case Study: Finland• #1 out of 142-nation study by

World Economic Forum (U.S. #51, EAU last)(2002)

• Finnish National Commission on SD (1993)– National Strategy for SD -

“Towards Sustainable Choices: A nationally and globally sustainable Finland”

• Helsinki– Subcommittee on regionally and

locally SD

“…what matters is that we all take responsibility for the direction and impact of our society.

- Nattrass, B. & Altomare, M. (1999). The Natural Step for Business: Wealth, ecology and the evolutionary corporation. British Columbia, Canada: New Society Publishers.

U.S. Conference of Mayors• Climate Protection Agreement• 911 Mayors, all 50 states, DC & Puerto

Rico = 81,846,188 citizens• 3 actions of commitment

– Meet or beat Kyoto Protocol targets– Urge state & federal gov to do the same– Urge Congress to pass emission trading

system

Effect?

Policy Guides• APA - “Policy Guide on Planning for

Sustainability”• ICLEI - “Local Strategies for Accelerating

Sustainability”• WHO - “Twenty steps for developing a

Healthy Cities project”• RMLU - “Sustainable Community

Development Code”• PHLP (CA DHS) - “General Plans and

Zoning: A toolkit for building healthy, vibrant communities”

Land Use Regulation: Cases and materials

“Almost all court decisions hold that an adopted plan that is not required and made the ‘governing law’ by state statute or local ordinance is ‘advisory’ only, and not legally binding or controlling with respect to a city’s zoning actions” (pp. 209).

• Climate Protection– GHG Inventory & Climate Action Plan

• Energy– Energy Plan, CFL Distribution (60,000), Community

Energy Partnerships, Energy Conservation, Renewable Energy Programs

• Recycling and Waste Management– Waste Diversion, Zero Waste Resolution, Recycling

• Sustainability– OCGP Green Team, Irvine Build Green & LEED, Green

Purchasing Policies, City Facilities, Green Ribbon Environment Committee, CSA

• Transportation– Alt. Fuel Vehicles, Zero Emission Vehicles, IBC Shuttle,

Irvine Trans. Center, Bikeways

• Water– Conservation (Sustainable Landscaping Guidelines),

HOA Pilot Prog., Orange County Great Park

• Events

UC Policy on Sustainable Practices (March 22, 2007)UC Policy on Sustainable Practices (March 22, 2007)

• Green Building Design

• Clean Energy Standard

• Climate Protection Practices

• Sustainable Transportation Practices

• Sustainable Operations

• Recycling & Waste Management

• Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Practices

• Green Building Design

• Clean Energy Standard

• Climate Protection Practices

• Sustainable Transportation Practices

• Sustainable Operations

• Recycling & Waste Management

• Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Practices

(10 Campuses - 214,000 Students)(10 Campuses - 214,000 Students)

Irvine Unified School DistrictIrvine Unified School District Energy Update: Feb. 2009 A Vision for Energy Self-Sufficiency

Facilities Grounds/Landscaping District Vehicles Curriculum Corporate/Community Partnerships

Cafeteria Programs Site Green Teams

Energy Update: Feb. 2009 A Vision for Energy Self-Sufficiency

Facilities Grounds/Landscaping District Vehicles Curriculum Corporate/Community Partnerships

Cafeteria Programs Site Green Teams

Blowers, A. (1993). Planning for a sustainable environment: A report by the Town and Country Planning Association. London: Earthscan Publications Ltd.Blowers, A. (1993). Planning for a sustainable environment: A report by the Town and Country Planning Association. London: Earthscan Publications Ltd.

- The deliberate diversion of money - The deliberate diversion of money from activities or processes, which are from activities or processes, which are

environmentally damaging to ones, which environmentally damaging to ones, which are environmentally or ecologically are environmentally or ecologically essential for our long-term security.essential for our long-term security.

- The deliberate diversion of money - The deliberate diversion of money from activities or processes, which are from activities or processes, which are

environmentally damaging to ones, which environmentally damaging to ones, which are environmentally or ecologically are environmentally or ecologically essential for our long-term security.essential for our long-term security.

The Diversionary Principle

Localized Energy Production

• Wind Energy

• Solar Power

• Micro-Turbine Generators (Methane/Natural Gas)

• Fuel Cells (Methane/Natural Gas)

The Food System

• Relocalization

(Community

Organic Gardens - “Victory Gardens”)

• Vertical Farms

• Free-Range

• Organic

• Biodiversity

• Natural, less

processed foods

Opportunities• The end of the Cold War. • The Iraq Wars/the “War on Terror” • America’s infrastructure.• The U.S. and Global Economic Crisis

Sustainability... will depend on replacing maladaptive assumptions...

Sustainability... will depend on replacing maladaptive assumptions...

Changing Basic Assumptions

Clark, M.E. (1995). Changes in Euro-American Values Needed for Sustainability. Journal of Social Issues, 51, 4, 63-82. New York - Plenum

Press.

The Limits to Positivism

All Knowledge is scientific knowledge

All scientific knowledge is empirically verifiable

One must use the same methods to study the physical world as one uses to study the social and educational worlds

If knowledge exists, it exists in some definite, measurable quantity

Nature is uniform and whatever is studied remains consistent in its existence and behavior.

(Authentic knowledge is based on sense experience)

ResponsibilityChallenges

Solutions Paradigm Shift

Global Crisis

The End...

Thank You!

Sustainably,

Montgomery Norton

In-Class QuestionsWhat was your favorite aspect

of sustainability from this presentation?From your project paper?And why?

What aspects of the sustainability equation are missing?And why?

Recommended Environment Classes

• International Environmental Management

• Elements of Environmental Design

• First-Year integrated Program in Environmental Studies

• Environmental Quality & Health

• Brownfields: Law & Politics

• Global Environment Issues

• Sustainability

How to get involved...?Students for Sustainability

OC Society for Conservation BiologyAnteaters for Recycling & Conservation

UC Irivne Sustainability CoalitionSustainable Energy/Technology

Environmental Law SocietyEngineers without Borders

Real Food Challenge Green Campus