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1.
Terrascope is a freshman learning community at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in which teams of students
work to find solutions to large ‘unsolvable’ problems and to communicate about those problems with a wide variety of audiences
in multiple formats. The program strongly promotes students’ autonomy in focusing and structuring their work, and student
projects culminate in public presentations, both to general audiences and to panels of technical specialists. Students who
have completed the program tend to show strong engagement with environmental and sustainability issues, as well as the skills
and experience to work intensively on such issues within multidisciplinary teams. Here, we present the program as a case study,
with some discussion of the factors that are key to its operation.
相似文献
Ari W. EpsteinEmail: |
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3.
Research core and framework of sustainability science 总被引:8,自引:6,他引:2
Yuya Kajikawa 《Sustainability Science》2008,3(2):215-239
This paper reviews recent achievements in sustainability science and discusses the research core and framework of sustainability
science. We analyze and organize papers published in three selected core journals of sustainability science: Sustainability Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, and Sustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy. Papers are organized into three categories: sustainability and its definition, domain-oriented research, and a research
framework for sustainability science. First, we provide a short history and define the basic characteristics of sustainability;
then we review current efforts in the following research domains: climate, biodiversity, agriculture, fishery, forestry, energy
and resources, water, economic development, health, and lifestyle. Finally, we propose a research framework for sustainability
science that includes the following components: goal setting, indicator setting, indicator measurement, causal chain analysis,
forecasting, backcasting, and problem–solution chain analysis. We emphasize the importance of this last component for improving
situations and attaining goals. 相似文献
4.
Anindita Sarkar Sucharita Sen Animesh Kumar 《Environment, Development and Sustainability》2009,11(4):751-763
There is a general contention among scholars that first, wheat–paddy cropping pattern is largely responsible for declining
ground water table in Punjab and secondly, that the wheat–paddy cropping system is becoming unsustainable over time as the
yield levels of these two major crops are stagnating. However, the existing evidences do not throw adequate insight into the
stage of groundwater depletion during which the wheat–paddy cycle becomes unsustainable. The paper strengthens the existing
empirical base of sustainability status of this cropping cycle in Punjab. A comparison of irrigation systems in terms of both
trends in yield and stability for wheat and paddy has been attempted to arrive at a holistic appraisal of sustainability aspects
of crop specialization in Punjab. It is observed that the canal dependent irrigation system has performed better as compared
to the overexploited groundwater irrigation system in terms of most of the parameters used in the study.
相似文献
Animesh KumarEmail: |
5.
The University of Tokyo started its Graduate Program in Sustainability Science (GPSS), offering a master of sustainability
science degree, in 2007. The GPSS curriculum consists of: (1) knowledge and concept oriented courses, which cover sustainability-related
subjects from a holistic viewpoint; (2) experiential learning and skills oriented practical courses, which offer practical
exercises to acquire the skills and sensibility required of future leaders; and (3) the Master’s thesis, for which students
are encouraged to address complex sustainability problems through a transdisciplinary approach. Sustainability science is
not a discipline that can be defined simply by the subjects it deals with, but is an academic field characterized by core
principles that include holistic thinking, transdisciplinarity, and respect for diversity. The GPSS has been designed so that
students may gain the capacity to understand and practice these principles. The present paper describes how the GPSS has defined
sustainability education and designed its curriculum accordingly. 相似文献
6.
William Ascher 《Sustainability Science》2007,2(2):141-149
The policy sciences, in offering the most comprehensive approach to policy analysis and the sociopolitical processes that
shape policy outcomes, is particularly appropriate for guiding the analysis required to promote sustainability. This article
presents the main components of the policy sciences framework and demonstrates its potency in the crucial task of deepening
the problem definitions required to select and enact policies to promote sustainability. As such, it provides background for
the policy sciences articles of this special feature.
相似文献
William AscherEmail: |
7.
Culture as trigger for sustainability transition in the water domain: the case of the Spanish water policy and the Ebro river basin 总被引:2,自引:2,他引:0
There is a mounting body of literature dealing generally with the dynamics of transitions of human systems towards sustainability
and specifically with the different stages and processes of transitions. However, the question of why transition processes
occur in the first place remains largely unexplained. This paper explores the concept of transition triggers, such as culture
or material resource scarcity, and provides a theoretical framework to explain the emergence of a transition and its relation
to recent developments in Spanish water policy. We adapt the general framework provided by current transition theory and gather
empirical evidence and insights from processes occurring within the Spanish policy context and the Ebro river basin in particular.
Our results show that the sole existence of biophysical limits to water use or development cannot explain the start of a possible
sustainability transition in this domain in Spain. Changes in the existing water policies in the direction of sustainability
were not ignited by people directly affected by water scarcities but by a coalition of sensitive agents, mostly from academia,
NGOs and local constituencies, who managed to articulate new identities, integrate multiple sources of policy relevant knowledge,
and develop new values under the umbrella of the new water culture movement.
相似文献
Akgun IlhanEmail: |
8.
Himayatullah Khan Ehsan Inamullah Khadija Shams 《Environment, Development and Sustainability》2009,11(2):375-392
This study explores the interlinkages among population, environment and poverty and presents empirical evidence in a developing
country like Pakistan. It gives alternative views on population environment linkages. It explains poverty trap, market based
harmony, and dual effect of poverty on the basis of a link between population growth and natural resource degradation. In
addition, the paper also highlights social and political instability through population-poverty-environment spiral. It also
presents empirical evidence on population-environment-poverty nexus in Pakistan. It also compares environmental sustainability
index and human development index for selected Asian countries. The paper also gives scores for different components of environmental
sustainability index for Pakistan and compares these with India. The paper concludes that the causal relationship between
poverty and environment works in both directions, often through changes in GDP and population. Population stress does not
have any significant direct effect on all aspects of environmental status in Pakistan.
相似文献
Himayatullah KhanEmail: |
9.
10.
Laura K. Schmitt 《Environment, Development and Sustainability》2009,11(1):19-42
Soil erosion in many parts of the developing world poses a threat to rural livelihoods, to the sustainbility of the agricultural
sector, and to the environment. Most erosion prediction models are mechanistic and unsuited to quantify the severity of soil
erosion in a data-limited developing world context. The model developed in this paper for Negros Island, in the central Philippines,
is based on the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation, but contains important innovations such as the movement of eroded soil
over the landscape, simulating deposition on lower slopes and in waterways. It also includes a term describing farmer strategies
to reduce soil erosion, which are typically ignored in erosion prediction models. A two-sample t-test found that model-predicted sediment loading values were not significantly different from field-measured sediment loading
values when corrected for watershed size (P = 0.857). The model predicts an annual loss of 2.7 million cubic meters of sediment to waterways such that by 2050 more than
416,000 ha of agricultural land will be rendered unproductive due to erosion. Farmer behavior conserves soil, but on the steepest
slopes soil conservation practices are not adequate to prevent erosion. Of two proposed strategies to control soil erosion
in the rural Philippines, the model suggests that a complete switch to tree crops would conserve more soil than universal
terrace adoption. However, even under these conservation scenarios, erosion threatens the areal extent of upland agriculture
on Negros, and hence the sustainability of the island’s food supply.
相似文献
Laura K. SchmittEmail: |
11.
Bhaskar Nath 《Environment, Development and Sustainability》2008,10(4):471-486
Most environmental professionals and decision-makers, and certainly the public at large, hold the view that the integrity
of earth’s natural environment will be conserved for posterity and sustainable development achieved if all the nations rigorously
enforced their environmental and emission standards. It is argued in this paper that this view, sincerely held by many as
an “axiomatic truth,” is mistaken and misplaced. This is because as a biogeochemical entity the Earth has limited self-regenerative
capacity (SRC) to cope with anthropogenic pollution, and all kinds of environmental problems ensue when that limit is exceeded.
Indeed, mounting environmental problems now occurring on all fronts amply testify to the fact that the limit has already been
exceeded. They also provide necessary and sufficient proof that environmental and emission standards have been woefully inadequate
for protecting earth’s natural environment and life-support systems. It is argued that true global environmental sustainability
will be achieved, paving the way to true global sustainable development, if and only if global environmental and emission
standards are set so that global anthropogenic pollution does not exceed the limit of earth’s natural SRC to cope with such
pollution. These and related issues are discussed in this paper. A simple mathematical model using basic mathematics is also
presented to explain how the phenomenon of “positive feedback” works in some of the environmental problems to exacerbate environmental
degradation and progressively to erode nature’s SRC.
相似文献
Bhaskar NathEmail: |
12.
Modern urban life is characterized by the consumption of materials and energy, which are imported from all over the world
and discharge waste that in many cases has a negative impact on ecosystems far from the cities in which they consumed. Indeed,
cities cannot survive without worldwide hinterlands for resources and emissions sequestration. The ecological footprint (EF)
concept provides valuable insights into the human appropriation of resources relative to earth’s carrying capacity, and therefore
it enables us to compare human demands with nature’s supply and provides an indicator of human ecological sustainability.
An attempt was made to calculate the EF of Ra’anana, Israel as a case study, to compare the EF-value with the expected for
ecological sustainability and to emphasize the dependence on overseas ecosystems. Ra’anana, a town of 67,300 inhabitants in
the year 2002, is considered a ‘dormitory town’ with a high quality of life. The EF was calculated using mainly the component
method. The calculated EF for Ra’anana is 4.0 ha/resident which means that the required hinterland, located all over the world,
is nearly 180 times the size of the town. The town’s EF is twice the value expected for sustainability on a global scale.
We draw several scenarios in order to reduce the EF. On a national basis as well as with the town case study, electric energy,
food and waste can be reduced and in turn would have a dramatic impact on the EF.
相似文献
Meidad KissingerEmail: |
13.
Joanne Kauffman 《Sustainability Science》2014,9(4):419-430
This public symposium explored ways to integrate knowledge about and strengthen cooperation on complex and interconnected global sustainability issues. (The symposium was organized by the United Nations University (UNU), The University of Tokyo Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science (IR3S), as well as UNESCO. Co-organizers were the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology-Japan (MEXT) and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). Participants included representatives from key institutes and UNESCO’s programs in the areas of water, ocean and ecological sciences as well as social and natural sciences, UNESCO Member states, scholars and policymakers. The symposium program and list of speakers is attached. See also www.isp.unu.edu). The central question put to symposium deliberations was one that many policy- and decision-makers as well as academic scholars struggle with today: how can we overcome barriers to action that will put societies around the world on a path to a more stable and sustainable future? This article examines the presentations made during the symposium and draws upon them to explore opportunities for sustainability scientists to help meet this challenge. The paper is divided into three parts: Part I provides a brief introduction that places the symposium in context of current debates on sustainability science and discusses (a) the role of UNESCO and (b) the relevance of sustainability science to policy- and decision-making for sustainable development. Part II examines three steps that can be taken now to overcome barriers to sustainability and the role of sustainability science in each (a) building societal and environmental resilience; (b) increasing collaboration across geographical and disciplinary boundaries as well as between scientists and decision-makers; and (c) enhancing education for sustainable development (ESD). The paper concludes with a review of why these keys are essential and steps that can be taken in the future to facilitate their widespread application at multiple scales. 相似文献
14.
Brad Allenby Cynthia Folsom Murphy David Allen Cliff Davidson 《Sustainability Science》2009,4(1):7-15
Sustainable engineering is a conceptual and practical challenge to all engineering disciplines. Although the profession has
experience with environmental dimensions of engineering activities that in some cases are quite deep, extending the existing
body of practice to sustainable engineering by including social and cultural domains is a significant and non-trivial challenge.
Nonetheless, progress is being made, as a recent study undertaken by the Center for Sustainable Engineering in the United
States demonstrates.
相似文献
Brad AllenbyEmail: |
15.
This paper is a response to a recent special issue of Regional Environmental Change, “Quantifying vulnerability to drought from different disciplinary perspectives” (vol. 8, number 4, 2008). In this paper,
we examine some of the challenges facing efforts to understand vulnerability to drought through quantification as they are
manifest in some of the articles in this special issue.
相似文献
Edward R. CarrEmail: |
16.
The term ‘sustainability science’ has been employed to refer to a scientific trend, movement or program aimed at studying problems related to human–nature interactions. However, since it does not have its own set of principles for knowledge building and lack of a definition of a study object, sustainability science is not a science, at least in the usual sense of the word. A study object is the conceptual delimitation of the problems tackled by a science, and therefore, its search in the context of a science of sustainability requires exploring different notions of sustainability. This article presents different perspectives on the concept of sustainability and analyzes the viability to assume them as study object of sustainability science. Such exploration demands concepts based on a processual ontology that directs the researcher toward the dynamic, historic and temporal and social-ecological character of problems of unsustainability. The concept of social-ecological resilience seems to comply with such requirements. 相似文献
17.
Gregory Ponthiere 《Environment, Development and Sustainability》2009,11(4):677-694
This paper aims at assessing the extent to which the ecological footprint indicator (EF) can be regarded as an exhibit allowing
an intergenerational trial about the use of natural resources. For that purpose, we examine various criticisms questioning
the relevancy of EF measures for the study of environmental justice between generations. We explore the difficulties raised
by the physical—and highly aggregated—nature of EF measures, as well as problems related to the number, the possible non-existence,
and the tastes of future generations. The extent to which postulates on nature’s regeneration and technological progress affect
the significance of EF studies is also discussed. It is concluded that those criticisms, by identifying various weaknesses
of EF measures for the study of intergenerational justice, point to several crucial refinements of existing EF-based analyses.
相似文献
Gregory PonthiereEmail: |
18.
Himayatullah Khan 《Environment, Development and Sustainability》2009,11(2):293-305
Using survey-based data approach for modeling the demand for environmental goods/resources, this study estimates income and
price elasticities of demand for improved environmental quality of two National Parks in Northern Pakistan. The study uses
data from two studies. The estimates indicate that improved environmental quality effects can be described as a luxury and
an ordinary and price elastic service. Confidence intervals show however that the classification as a luxury is not statistically
significant. Income elasticities of willingness to pay are estimated for a broad range of environmental services. The study
finds that income and willingness to pay vary directly and significantly. The elasticity estimates, in general, are greater
than zero, but less than unity. The study concludes that environmental improvements are more beneficial to low-income groups
than for high-income groups.
相似文献
Himayatullah KhanEmail: |
19.
In this study we perform an ecological analysis of the resources use in the diet of the ribeirinho populations of the Barcelos municipality, Rio Negro, Amazonas, Brazil. Data on food composition, seasonality, and origin
took place during three field trips between 1999 and 2000. Data were gathered based on structured interviews and observations
from a total of 320 meals of 114 randomly selected families and 164 fishing trips. The staple food of the studied populations
is based on fish and manioc, although the food niche amplitude can vary according to the factors such as the access to imported
food items, resources seasonality, and socio-economic conditions. The migration to urban centers along with the changes in
subsistence activities (reduction of small-scale agriculture and specialization in commercial fishing) may result in changes
in the food habits of ribeirinho populations from Rio Negro.
相似文献
Alpina BegossiEmail: |
20.
Akimasa Sumi 《Sustainability Science》2007,2(1):67-76
Environmental issues and the future sustainability of society are among the greatest concerns facing society today. How to
formulate a pathway toward a sustainable society is a critical question. Several issues associated with this question are
presented and discussed. First, a structuring of the issues is presented. The environment can be said to consist of three
systems—the natural, social, and human—and their interactions; environmental problems may therefore be defined in terms of
perturbations of the interactions among the three systems. A sustainable society can be realized by restoring these interactions.
Next, the characteristics of the issues are discussed. Because environmental issues relate to the future, forecasts of the
future are essential. Because it is impossible to predict the future with complete accuracy, however, we should develop a
method of using information about the future with allowance for error. It should be noted that error characteristics differ
according to their time-scale. Third, the relationship between environmental issues and society is discussed. To take collective
action on these issues we need society-wide consensus, which requires a reliable and objective platform. Here, more attention
must be paid to the distribution of knowledge across society, because scientific knowledge in a modern society tends to be
monopolized by research organizations. The role of the media is therefore important. Another important factor is the commitment
of the general public; user-friendly ways of galvanizing such commitment should be developed.
相似文献
Akimasa SumiEmail: |