Defining Sustainability: Absolutely | Anjila Hjalsted | TEDxGoodenoughCollege
Summary
TLDRThe speaker addresses the overuse and vagueness of the term 'sustainable,' highlighting issues with focus and numbers in sustainability claims. They introduce the concept of 'absolute sustainability,' advocating for a quantifiable definition that measures environmental impact against a set 'allowance.' Using the planetary boundary framework and philosophical approaches, they propose a scientific method to determine if something is truly sustainable, urging a shift towards designing for absolute sustainability to safeguard future generations.
Takeaways
- 🌱 The term 'sustainable' is often used vaguely and can mean different things to different people, leading to confusion and misleading claims.
- 🌾 'Sustainable cotton' typically refers to organic cotton, which is beneficial for reducing pesticides but may have lower yields and higher carbon emissions.
- ☕ The comparison between cow milk and oat milk cappuccinos illustrates the 'numbers problem' in sustainability, where one may be more sustainable than the other but still not meet the ideal standard.
- 🔢 The concept of 'absolute sustainability' is introduced as a way to define sustainability in clear, quantifiable terms, rather than relative terms.
- 👶 The speaker's personal connection to sustainability is highlighted by becoming a parent, emphasizing the importance of considering future generations.
- 📈 The 'Brundtland definition' of sustainability from 1987 is mentioned, noting its age and the need for a more precise and quantifiable definition.
- 🌍 The 'planetary boundary framework' is introduced to provide numerical limits on the strain we can place on the Earth's resources before reaching disastrous levels.
- 🎂 An analogy of sharing a cake is used to explain the concept of determining an individual or society's 'share' of the Earth's resources.
- 🔄 The interdisciplinary approach of combining engineering, science, and philosophy is emphasized to create mathematical equations that can calculate sustainability.
- 🤔 The audience is encouraged to question the sustainability claims of products and services, pushing for a standard of 'absolute sustainability'.
- 💪 The speaker expresses optimism that humanity can achieve absolute sustainability, calling for radical changes in product, service, and policy design to meet this goal.
Q & A
What is the main issue with the term 'sustainable' as it is currently used?
-The term 'sustainable' is often used vaguely and can mean different things to different people. This vagueness can lead to misleading claims and confusion about what truly constitutes sustainability.
What are the two main problems with the concept of sustainability as discussed in the script?
-The two main problems are the 'focus problem' and the 'numbers problem'. The focus problem occurs when sustainability is addressed in only one aspect, ignoring other important factors. The numbers problem arises when something is labeled sustainable but is only slightly more sustainable than the alternative, without a clear standard for comparison.
What is the difference between sustainable cotton and organic cotton as mentioned in the script?
-Sustainable cotton usually refers to organic cotton, which is grown without the use of synthetic chemicals, thus reducing pesticide use and toxic pollutants. However, organic cotton farming is often associated with lower yields, which can lead to increased water use, land use, and carbon emissions.
What is the 'Brundtland definition' of sustainability mentioned in the script?
-The Brundtland definition of sustainability is a widely accepted concept that defines sustainability as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It was introduced in 1987.
What does the script suggest as a more accurate way to define sustainability?
-The script suggests defining sustainability absolutely, by determining the allowable impact on the Earth and comparing it to the actual impact. This approach aims to solve both the focus and numbers problems by broadening the focus and providing a clear, quantifiable standard.
What is the concept of 'absolute sustainability' as proposed in the script?
-Absolute sustainability is a concept where something is considered sustainable if it stays within its environmental allowance, meaning it does not exceed the limits set by the planetary boundary framework in various aspects such as climate change, water, and land use.
How does the script relate the idea of sharing a cake to understanding sustainability?
-The script uses the cake analogy to explain the concept of sharing resources on Earth. To share a cake (or Earth's resources), one must know the size of the cake (the planetary boundaries), who wants to share it (current and future generations), and how to distribute it fairly.
What is the 'planetary boundary framework' mentioned in the script?
-The planetary boundary framework is a set of guidelines that quantify the limits of how much we can strain the Earth's systems before causing irreversible damage. It provides numerical limits for factors like carbon emissions and freshwater use.
How does the script suggest we determine if something is absolutely sustainable?
-The script suggests using mathematical equations derived from philosophical approaches to sharing, which can calculate an exact answer to whether something is sustainable in absolute terms. This involves comparing the environmental impact of an action or product to its allowable limit.
What is the main takeaway from the script regarding our approach to sustainability?
-The main takeaway is that we need to be critical and question the sustainability claims made about products and services. We should strive for absolute sustainability, which requires not just being slightly better than the alternative, but staying within the environmental limits set by the planetary boundary framework.
How does the script encourage us to think about sustainability in the future?
-The script encourages us to think about sustainability in terms of our responsibility to future generations. It emphasizes the importance of defining and achieving absolute sustainability to ensure a livable planet for our children and grandchildren.
Outlines
🌱 The Misuse of 'Sustainability'
The speaker addresses the overuse and vagueness of the term 'sustainable' in various contexts, such as products and practices. They highlight the issue of focus, where sustainability is considered in only one aspect, like organic cotton's reduced pesticide use but not its lower yield and higher carbon emissions. The speaker also discusses the numbers problem, where something is deemed sustainable only in comparison to a less sustainable alternative, using the example of cappuccinos made with cow milk versus oat milk and their respective carbon emissions. They critique the broad and misleading use of the term, which can lead to false claims and confusion about what truly constitutes sustainability. The Brundtland definition from 1987 is mentioned as a starting point but criticized for its lack of specificity and quantifiability.
🤔 Defining Absolute Sustainability
The speaker, now a parent, emphasizes the importance of defining sustainability for the sake of future generations. They introduce the concept of 'absolute sustainability,' which involves determining the allowable impact on Earth and comparing it to the actual impact, thus solving the numbers problem. They propose a comprehensive approach that considers multiple aspects of sustainability, not just climate change, but also water, land, and biodiversity, thereby addressing the focus problem. The idea is to establish whether something stays within its 'allowance' or not, using a mathematical framework that simplifies to the concept of 'sticking to your share.' The speaker acknowledges the challenge of knowing one's share size and likens it to dividing a cake, requiring knowledge of the cake's size, the sharers, and the method of sharing.
🔍 The Framework for Absolute Sustainability
The speaker outlines a revolutionary approach to determining sustainability through a scientific question with a binary answer. They encourage critical thinking about sustainability claims and propose designing with absolute sustainability in mind, which will necessitate radical changes. The speaker believes that humanity can achieve absolute sustainability but emphasizes the need for a clear goal. They end with a call to action, asking if it can be done and affirming that it can, eliciting applause from the audience.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Sustainability
💡Organic Cotton
💡Carbon Emissions
💡Planetary Boundary Framework
💡Absolute Sustainability
💡Cappuccino
💡Misleading Claims
💡Biodiversity
💡Interdisciplinary
💡Philosophical Approaches
💡Mathematical Framework
Highlights
The term 'sustainable' is often misused and can mean different things to different people, leading to confusion and misleading claims.
Sustainability's vagueness can be categorized into two issues: focus and numbers.
Sustainable cotton is often organic, which has benefits but also comes with lower yields and higher carbon emissions.
The concept of 'sustainability' can be misleading when it's used to imply something is more sustainable than another without a clear standard.
An oat milk cappuccino emits less carbon than a cow milk cappuccino, but still exceeds the ideal carbon emission limit for a truly sustainable cappuccino.
The speaker proposes a new approach to defining sustainability, focusing on absolute sustainability rather than relative.
Absolute sustainability is defined as staying within an allowance that does not strain the planet.
The need for a quantifiable definition of sustainability is emphasized, as the current understanding is over 30 years old and too vague.
The concept of 'sticking to your share' is introduced as a way to understand and quantify absolute sustainability.
The planetary boundary framework is mentioned as a way to determine the limits of Earth's resources and environmental impact.
The importance of considering multiple aspects of sustainability, not just climate change, is highlighted.
A mathematical framework is proposed to calculate whether something is sustainable in absolute terms with a simple yes or no answer.
The speaker encourages a critical approach to claims of sustainability and the need for a clear, quantifiable goal.
The goal of absolute sustainability is presented as a radical but achievable target for products, services, and policies.
The speaker calls for a collective effort to redefine and pursue absolute sustainability for the sake of future generations.
The presentation concludes with a call to action to critically evaluate and redefine what true sustainability means.
Transcripts
[Music]
thank you
how many times this week have you heard
something referred to as sustainable
it could have been sustainable cotton
sustainable coffee
sustainable single-use Cutlery I've
heard that
I heard another good one sustainable
coal
I think the best one I've heard yet is
um sustainable Airship Hotel what is
that even I don't know yeah
people use the word sustainability to
mean a lot of things
and the vagueness of the word can be put
into two different groups one of focus
and one of numbers
now the focus problem arises when we say
something is sustainable but we're only
addressing sustainability in one aspect
take sustainable cotton
usually when you dig into it sustainable
cotton is organic cotton
and organic cotton is great if you want
to reduce the amount of pesticides you
use and the toxic pollutants that you
emit into the environment
but organic farming is also associated
with lower yields which means we need to
use more water
we need to use more land
and there are higher Associated carbon
emissions
now the numbers problem arises when we
say something is sustainable but what we
really mean is it's just more
sustainable than something else
take a nice hot cappuccino maybe one you
had this morning
if you had a cow milk cappuccino this
morning it would have emitted around one
kilo of carbon
if on the other hand you had an oat milk
cappuccino this morning it would have
emitted around a third of that
0.3 kilos
so now that's a lot better
but is it good enough
what if I told you I had done the
calculations
to find out that a cappuccino is allowed
to emit only 0.1 kilos of carbon
that means that your oatmeal cappuccino
is actually emitting three times its
allowance already
I uh I read a newspaper
column recently that jokingly said that
it could be considered sustainable
because of recycling the same ideas
I thought that was pretty good
um
so what is sustainability
it's so fluffy
but not not an acute way though not like
this unfortunately
at the moment the word sustainability is
being used to mean anything and
everything
and when a word means everything
it means nothing
throwing around the word sustainability
is actually really dangerous because it
means that people like you and me
we purchase things because we think
they're sustainable when really they're
not
this leads to misleading claims
confusion around what it even means to
be sustainable
sustainability policies which are not
good enough and that's the numbers
problem
or misdirected and that's the focus
problem
the closest thing we come to a broadly
accepted Definition of sustainability
is one that revolves around meeting the
needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future
generations to also meet their needs
now this is good it's a good start but
it's also pretty vague because what does
a need mean do I need the newest iPhone
this is known as the bruntland
definition
when do you guys think this is from
it is from
1987.
this definition is literally older than
me
so it still isn't working because we
don't know we can't agree on what
sustainability looks like
and in my entire lifetime we've not been
able to come up with a more accurate or
even quantifiable Definition of
sustainability really
well I say
let's change that
I would like to introduce you
absolute sustainability I would like to
show you how we can Define
sustainability absolutely
sometimes meaning can be hidden in plain
sight
so take the word sustainable
it is something that is able to sustain
itself
it is sustainable
something that sustains itself into the
future
now
this whole thing about the future has
become much more important to me
recently
since becoming a parent
I am the mother of a one-year-old
and now this problem is not just about
me
it's about my son
it's about his life
about his future children
and generations to come
but in order to achieve sustainability
we need to know what it looks like
so let's define absolute sustainability
together
and let's build off the notion that
something is sustainable when it is able
to sustain itself into the future
without putting too much strain on the
planet
but how do we know if it can or cannot
that's the question right well like this
we determine how much something is
allowed to impact the Earth
and we then compare it to how much it
does impact the earth now these are two
numbers that we can compare solving the
numbers problem
we then repeat that process for multiple
different aspects of sustainability not
just climate change but water and land
biodiversity
we solve the focus problem because we
broaden our Focus
so through Power of calculation this
means that we're actually able to answer
the question of whether something is
sustainable in absolute terms or not yes
or no
and the idea
that it all comes down to
the definition that I want to propose is
this
something is sustainable in absolute
terms
if it stays within its allowance
so sticking to your share that's it
uh I was told that I couldn't put the
mathematical equations on these slides
because it would scare people off that's
fine but um these are the words that the
mathematical framework boiled down to
sticking to your share
I'll repeat that
sticking to your chair
to your Sierra stick you must
yeah I think you're getting it it's
great
but now all of you are left with a
question which is Angela that's great
but how do I know how big my share is
and that's an excellent question it all
starts with asking the right questions
so to answer this I would like you to
picture
a cake
well we need to know three things in
order to share this cake
we need to know the size of the cake
how big is it
we need to know
who wants to share the cake
and we need to know how to share the
cake between the people who want it
so now for the next step here I'd like
you to do a little mind exercise with me
I'd like you to imagine that this cake
is actually
the Earth
so the Earth gives us things that we all
want to share such as air and water and
land
now let's tackle the first question
how big is the cake how big is this pool
of resources that we have to share
well thankfully some really prominent
researchers have come up with this
framework it's called the planetary
boundary framework
and it puts numbers on how much we can
strain our planet before we reach utter
disaster basically
so the green area in the middle there
that's where we want to be within the
limits
and the red is where we've already
exceeded the limits
now in one of these Focus areas
it tells us exactly how much carbon we
can emit into the atmosphere before we
experience unacceptable and catastrophic
climate change
in another
how much fresh water we can use before
we don't have enough
now I know this is some pretty Grim
stuff but um it does one really good
thing which is it answers our first
question
it answers how big the cake is puts
numbers on how much wriggle room we have
within each of these nine environmental
Focus areas
so far so good
the second question is pretty simple
who wants to share the cake
well we all do us and future Generations
the third question is where it gets
really tricky
interdisciplinary even
this is where engineering science meets
philosophy in a wonderful swirly
cocktail
this is where colleagues and I we took
philosophical approaches to sharing and
we turned them into mathematical
equations which allowed us to calculate
an exact answer as to whether something
is sustainable or not in absolute terms
yes or no it's as simple as that
and if no which it will often be
then how far away are we
so this is pretty revolutionary
because
you all now know
that the question of whether something
is sustainable or not is a scientific
question with a simple answer yes or no
so be critical next time you hear
something referred to as sustainable
is this cotton sustainable in absolute
terms
we need to start designing products and
services and even policies
with the goal of absolute sustainability
in mind
and this will force us to be really
radical because
better
is not good enough
historically the combined efforts of the
human race have proven to achieve
incredible things
I believe we still can
we just need to know what the goal is
and the goal
is absolute sustainability
can we do it
yes
absolutely
thank you
[Applause]
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