Sustainability principles and practice 2nd edition

p.i Sustainability Principles and Practice This new and expanded edition builds upon the first edition’s accessible and comprehensive overview of the interdisciplinary field of sustainability The focus is on furnishing solutions and equipping the student with both conceptual understanding and technical skills for the workplace Each chapter explores one aspect of the field, first introducing concepts and presenting issues, then supplying tools for working toward solutions Techniques for management and measurement as well as case studies from around the world are provided The second edition includes a complete update of the text, with increased coverage of major topics including the Anthropocene; complexity; resilience; environmental ethics; governance; the IPCC’s latest findings on climate change; Sustainable Development Goals; and new thinking on native species and novel ecosystems Chapters include further reading and discussion questions The book is supported by a companion website with links, detailed reading lists, glossary, and additional case studies, together with projects, research problems, and group activities, all of which focus on real-world problem solving of sustainability issues The textbook is designed to be used by undergraduate college and university students in sustainability degree programs and other programs in which sustainability is taught Margaret Robertson is a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and teaches at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon, USA, where she coordinates the Sustainability degree program p.iii Sustainability Principles and Practice Second Edition Margaret Robertson p.iv Second edition published 2017 by Routledge Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN and by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2017 Margaret Robertson The right of Margaret Robertson to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 All rights reserved No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers First edition published by Routledge 2014 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Robertson, Margaret, author Title: Sustainability principles and practice / Margaret Robertson Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2017 | Earlier edition: 2014 | Includes bibliographical references and index Identifiers: LCCN 2016036622| ISBN 9781138650213 (hbk) | ISBN 9781138650244 (pbk) | ISBN 9781315625478 (ebk) Subjects: LCSH: Sustainability | Sustainable development | Environmental economics Classification: LCC HC79.E5 R6243 2017 | DDC 338.9/27—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016036622 ISBN: 978-1-138-65021-3 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-138-65024-4 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-315-62547-8 (ebk) Typeset in Times New Roman by Swales & Willis Ltd, Exeter, Devon Visit the companion website: http://www.routledgesustainabilityhub.com/ p.v “The great strength of Robertson’s book is its breadth of coverage From marketing to life cycle costing to the latest science on climate change, Sustainability Principles and Practice serves as a welcoming guide into the often jargon-laden field of sustainability.” —Jay Antle, Johnson County Community College, USA “This book is a solid and well-crafted introduction to the field, conveying both the substance and the heart of sustainability work with style and grace It will help students and other new entrants to the field get oriented to the special interdisciplinary challenges of sustainability, and to its core mission: helping us learn to be better caretakers of our planetary future.” —Alan AtKisson, President & CEO AtKisson Inc., USA & AtKisson Europe AB, Sweden President, ISIS Academy GmbH, Germany Member, President’s Science and Technology Advisory Council (PSTAC), European Commission “This is an important book Robertson has a keen sense of the situation and an even keener sense of alternatives and means to achieve them The author gives it to you the way it is and then provides some important pointers to resilient futures This book contains both a diagnosis and a treatment Read it.” —Simon Bell, Open University, UK “An organized, engaging, and even inspiring collection of ideas that—if internalized and used to inform policies—would enable societies to thrive within a healthy environment I wish this book had been available when I was first learning about social and environmental systems.” —Robert Dietz, Editor, The Daly News, Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy “A comprehensive and practical map of the evolving field of sustainability This well-organized and thoroughly researched textbook provides both students and educators with a useful guide to the essential sustainability topics Robertson delivers an important work that will help to define the knowledge base in the sustainability field.” —Andrés R Edwards, Founder, EduTracks, USA Author of The Sustainability Revolution and Thriving Beyond Sustainability “Robertson places sustainability in the connectedness between human culture and the living world She links technical knowledge with tools for developing positive solutions and putting them into effect, including working collaboratively in organizations with other people.” —Bruce K Ferguson, University of Georgia, USA “Robertson has distilled the essential background information that students, our rising decision-makers, need so that they can follow her clearly defined roadmap to a sustainable future for the planet.” —Lee Kump, Pennsylvania State University, USA “Sustainability Principles and Practice covers a broad range of topics, principles and concepts—at several scales from energy, water, pollution, ecosystems, food, and cities—to a charge to future ‘agents for change’ at policy, institutional, and personal, experiential levels A must-have book to refresh your knowledge and to make a better world.” —Alison Kwok, University of Oregon, USA p.vi “From now on when someone asks me what is sustainability, I will tell them to read Margaret Robertson’s book, Sustainability Principles and Practice, which presents clearly and thoroughly the multi-faceted concept of sustainability in a very readable form.” —Norbert Lechner, Auburn University, USA “Everyone thinks they know what sustainability is, but few people truly understand it—and fewer still can explain it well Robertson cuts through the greenwash and the clichés with a top-notch exploration of the topic in all its complexities It’s an enjoyable read that’s both thoroughly grounded in science and steeped in wonder at our fascinating, fragile planet.” —Daniel Lerch, Post Carbon Institute, USA “Robertson’s incisive analysis is both global and specific, comprehensive and inclusive There is careful blending of facts and values, what is and what ought to be You will find yourself engaged I guarantee it.” —Holmes Rolston, III, Colorado State University, USA “This book grabbed my attention and kept me engaged The focus on creating solutions is refreshing This publication will enhance and deepen the work of any general reader, student or faculty member working to bring sustainability into the curricula.” —Debra Rowe, Oakland Community College, USA “This book masterfully integrates human and natural systems and the relationships between them into a grand and detailed picture of the world we live in It provides a highly accessible introduction to sustainability suitable for anyone who cares about where we are going as a species, translating this knowledge into practical action.” —Arran Stibbe, University of Gloucestershire, UK “This is a comprehensive, useful account of what sustainability is all about and what is needed for building it It describes the many facets that collectively determine the degree to which a system, at any scale, is sustainable, and explains how they interact It is a valuable guide and reference for anyone wishing to get involved in the practice of sustainability.” —Brian Walker, CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Australia Author of Resilience Thinking “Sustainability champions practice systems thinking, connecting the dots between green buildings, sustainable cities, corporate CSR, and all the global sustainability megaforces besieging us This book is their indispensable primer and wonderfully practical handbook to ensure they are effective change agents It is a coherent encyclopedia of sustainability issues, with answers.” —Bob Willard, Sustainability Advantage, Canada p.vii Contents List of Illustrations Supplementary Material List of Abbreviations PART I Context What Is Sustainability? What Is Sustainability? Sustainability and Resilience Systems Thinking Living in the Anthropocene A Brief History of Sustainability Recent History: The Last 200 Years Early Conservation Transformation from Conservation to Ecology The Beginnings of the Environmental Movement US Legislation in the 1970s Environmental Justice Environmental Ethics Expanding to a Global Scale Modern Trends Into the Anthropocene The Biosphere Why Study Living Systems? Energy and Matter The Four Spheres The Biosphere What Is Life? Earth System Science p.viii The Human Sphere Human Impact Economics Failing States Governance The Commons PART II Issues and Solutions Climate Is Earth Warming? How Temperature Records Are Compiled The Long View: Climates through Time Modern Climate Change and Greenhouse Gases The Human Factor Projecting into the Future United Nations Convention on Climate Change Climate Stabilization Climate Action Plans Strategies for Reducing Emissions Offsets Emissions Trading Adaptation Final Thoughts Water Uneven Distribution Depletion of Nonrenewable Aquifers Threats to Human and Ecosystem Health Consumption Effects of Climate Change Water Conservation Wastewater Treatment Stormwater Ecosystems and Habitat Populations and Extinction Drivers of Ecosystem Change Conservation and Restoration Conservation Restoration Ecology Living Together: Reconciliation Ecology Ecology in the Anthropocene p.ix Pollution Types of Toxins Pollution Transport and Fate Air Pollution Soil and Land Pollution Water Pollution Organic Pollutants Inorganic Pollutants Endocrine Disruptors Persistent Organic Pollutants Point Source and Nonpoint Source Pollution Radioactive Pollutants Pollution Remediation Pollution Prevention Energy Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy Energy Efficiency Making the Transition 10 Green Buildings and Sites What Is a Green Building? The Process of Green Building Design Lighting with Daylight Basics of Heating and Cooling Heating Passive Cooling Other Strategies for Cooling Ventilation Building Envelope Construction Rating Systems Aesthetics Sustainable Sites Biophilic Design 11 Livable Cities Sprawl Land-Use Planning Urban Planning Building Community Transportation Cities and Climate Change p.x 12 Food Farming Methods Human Health Issues Planetary Health Issues ...p.i Sustainability Principles and Practice This new and expanded edition builds upon the first edition s accessible and comprehensive overview of the interdisciplinary field of sustainability. .. Architects (ASLA) and teaches at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon, USA, where she coordinates the Sustainability degree program p.iii Sustainability Principles and Practice Second Edition Margaret... University, USA Sustainability Principles and Practice covers a broad range of topics, principles and concepts—at several scales from energy, water, pollution, ecosystems, food, and cities—to a