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Sample - SEA Study Guide

The SEA Study Guide is designed to assist candidates preparing for the Sustainability Excellence Associate exam, providing essential knowledge and resources. It emphasizes that the guide is not the sole source of information and does not guarantee exam success. The document also outlines copyright restrictions and acknowledges contributors involved in its creation.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
131 views

Sample - SEA Study Guide

The SEA Study Guide is designed to assist candidates preparing for the Sustainability Excellence Associate exam, providing essential knowledge and resources. It emphasizes that the guide is not the sole source of information and does not guarantee exam success. The document also outlines copyright restrictions and acknowledges contributors involved in its creation.

Uploaded by

rlh2022
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Sample

SEA
Sustainability
Excellence
Associate

Study Guide
Revised First Edition

Presented by:

©2021
Sample
Copyright © 2021 by the International Society of Sustainability Professionals. All rights reserved.
The International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP) authorizes individual use of this SEA Study Guide
to those who purchase it. As a purchaser of the guide, you agree to:

• Retain all copyright and other proprietary notices contained in the SEA Study Guide
• Not sell or modify the SEA Study Guide, and
• Not reproduce, display, or distribute the SEA Study Guide in any way (including either in print or digital formats)
for any public or commercial purpose, such as to display on a website or at an event or classroom use.

Unauthorized reproduction, reproduction, or display of the SEA Study Guide—even if offered free of charge—
violates copyright and is strictly prohibited.
Disclaimer
This SEA Study Guide is intended to assist candidates in preparing for the Sustainability Excellence Associate
exam. It is not intended to be the sole source of information and knowledge needed to pass the exam will be
supplemented from a variety of sources, including the body of knowledge for the profession and exam-takers own
professional experiences. Using this SEA Study Guide is not a guarantee that a candidate will successfully pass
the exam. As a condition of use, the user agrees to waive and release the International Society of Sustainability
Professionals, its Governing Board, staff, and volunteers from any and all legal responsibility, claims, demands,
and causes of action for any injuries, losses, or damages that the user may now or hereafter have a right to assert
against such parties as a result of the use of, or reliance on, the SEA Study Guide.
We welcome feedback!
The SEA Study Guide is a living document with periodic updates. As the profession evolves, so will our education-
al materials. Please address all questions and comments to us at: [email protected].

International Society of Sustainability Professionals


2397 NW Kings Blvd #111
Corvallis, OR 97330

ISBN: 978-0-9983925-2-3

INTRODUCTION | pg 1
ISSP - SEA Study Guide.
Sample
Acknowledgments

The SEA Study Guide is a valuable tool for sustainability practitioners preparing to attain the Sustainabili-
ty Excellence Associate professional credential. We are extremely grateful to those who were involved in the
creation of this resource.

Study Guide Task Force and Management


Lucinda Brown, ISSP Governing Board President (former), Project Manager, Lead Co-author
Jamie Creola, Maureen Hart, and Gina MacIlwraith, Project Coordinators
Christopher Juniper, Task Force Chair, Lead Co-Author
Steve Flannery, Kale Roberts, and Alex Smith, Editors
Beverly Oviedo, Instructional Designer
The report has been created by contributions from: Madhav Acharya, Rob Andrejewski, Dorothy Atwood, Sarah
Beaubien, Steve Boss, Kathryn Cooper, Julian Crawford, Joan Darvish-Rouhani, Paola Fiore, Neal Forsthoefel,
Ian Gesch, Sue Ide, Justin Imiola, Marilyn Johnson, João Marcello Macedo, Tanis Marquette, Leme, KJ McCorry,
Jeffery Omelchuk, Steven Parker, Illene Pevec, Aurora Reinke, Oscar Rodriguez-Gonzalez, Fabian Sack, Rosalinda
Sanquiche, Kelly Simmons, Lesley Stone, Shannon Tocchini, Oxana Trotsenko, Jerry Unruh, Kevin Wilhelm, Bob
Willard, Marsha Willard, and Jeffrey Yorzyk.

Support for the First Edition provided by The Dragonfly Fund

Designed by Stand Creative Studio stand-creative.com

INTRODUCTION | pg 2
ISSP - SEA Study Guide.
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Table of Contents

Introduction�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������4
Ch. 1 Issues, Trends, Impacts and Perspectives ������������������������������������ 10
Ch. 2 Social Justice, Impact, and Responsibility ����������������������������������� 48
Ch. 3 Frameworks and Principles��������������������������������������������������������������� 65
Ch. 4 Systems Thinking and Interdependencies ����������������������������������� 84
Ch. 5 Business Case for Sustainability Practices������������������������������������ 99
Ch. 6 Historical Background and Events������������������������������������������������ 118
Ch. 7 Global Institutions, Policies and Initiatives��������������������������������� 136
Ch. 8 Regulatory Trends and Policies������������������������������������������������������ 157
Ch. 9 Standards, Protocols, and Certifications������������������������������������� 182
Ch. 10 Technology, Tools, and Innovations��������������������������������������������� 211

INTRODUCTION | pg 3
ISSP - SEA Study Guide.
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ISSP Developed the Sustainability Excellence Professional
Credentials Through Research and Stakeholder Consultation
Background
The field of sustainability has grown exponentially since the 1970s, as businesses, nonprofits, and governments
worldwide have adopted sustainable practices—creating the need for more professionals with the expertise to
guide them. In response to this demand, thousands of people working across multiple disciplines have taken on
the work of “sustainability professional.”
Practitioner diversity enriches and informs the growing field. It also creates a need to qualify the co-defined
skills, knowledge, and capabilities expected of a sustainability professional in order to ensure a baseline level of
excellence for the profession. Many in our community have called for the development of a rigorous set of KSAs—
the knowledge, skills and attributes a sustainability professional will need—to guide performance. Over the years,
ISSP has taken a central role in developing universal standards of competency, based on KSAs that consistently
meet the highest expectations of the profession. We believe this builds the profession’s credibility in the eyes of
clients, colleagues, employers, and the public.
ISSP was formed in 2007 with the mission to empower professionals to advance sustainability in organizations and
governments throughout the world. Early on, the organization took on the task of certifying sustainability profes-
sionals in alignment with our vision and mission. This meant we provided training for professional development at
all levels, especially when there were few institutions of higher learning offering sustainability curriculum.
Nowadays, colleges and universities offer a wealth of sustainability programming, and ISSP continues to lead the
sustainability community in developing the standards of practice for sustainability professionals. These standards
remain at the core of ISSP’s work to provide education for the Sustainability Excellence Associate (SEA) and
Sustainability Excellence Professional (SEP) credentials, now administered by GBCI.

INTRODUCTION | pg 4
ISSP - SEA Study Guide.

 

 
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Levels of Certification
The Sustainability Excellence professional credentials have been designed by sustainability practitioners, for
sustainability practitioners, through global collaboration and expertise, to advance the practice of sustainability.
It has been designed following the internationally recognized ISO 17024 standard, which sets out criteria for an
organization’s certification program for individual persons. Adhering to ISO 17024 ensures that the SEA is a global
benchmark that carry across national borders.
Two levels of credential are available to sustainability practitioners. Maintaining the credential at either level
requires ongoing professional development activities.
• Sustainability Excellence Associate (SEA). Originally designed by ISSP, the SEA credential demonstrates
an understanding of core sustainability concepts and best practices. SEA is designed for those who are new
to the sustainability field, including students, recent graduates or professionals interested in incorporating
sustainability concepts into their work. The SEA is a prerequisite for the SEP.
• Sustainability Excellence Professional (SEP). The SEP demonstrates advanced knowledge and extensive
experience in the sustainability field. This credential is intended to recognize leaders and experts who are
at the forefront of the transition to a more sustainable world. In order to earn an SEP credential, candidates
must previously have earned their SEA and demonstrated professional mastery in key fields, including
stakeholder engagement, core sustainability concepts, and implementation of sustainable strategies.
The correct way to abbreviate the credentials is SEA and SEP, respectively.

The Sustainability Excellence Associate (SEA) Credential

The SEA provides assurance that a professional has the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) required of
sustainability practitioners—regardless of specialization,
experience, or geographic location. These KSAs have been
organized into six interconnected “domains” in the Body of
U ST 3.
P
Knowledge (see Figure 2). ISSP’s Sustainability Professional J H
A K E O LD
LA
AD

ST
Job Task Analysis (JTA) further specifies the key “job tasks” E
N
within each of these domains.
6.

1.
2.

An SEA is someone who has the minimal knowledge, skills, Core


and abilities of an entry-level sustainability professional, Sustainability
specifically defined as the KSAs outlined in the first domain Concepts
of the Body of Knowledge: Core Sustainability Concepts. To
4. I

demonstrate this competency, an SEA candidate must pass EN


E

G A G M ENT
AT
M

a credentialing exam comprised of questions drawn from


EM E
LU
PL

this first domain. The remaining five domains comprise


EN E VA
the Sustainability Excellence Professional (SEP) exam.
T 5 .
Candidates wishing to acquire the SEP credential must
successfully complete the SEA exam as a prerequisite.
Figure 2: Relationship between Domains of the
Body of Knowledge. Illustration Courtesy of ISSP.

Domain 1: Core Sustainability Concepts

INTRODUCTION | pg 6
ISSP - SEA Study Guide.
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Job Task 1.1 – Explain ideas, concepts, and Job Task 1.2 – Choose appropriate third-party
importance of sustainability to various audiences sustainability resources

• Demonstrate familiarity with global and local • List applicable regulatory trends and policies as
economic, social, and scientific issues, by they relate to sustainability
describing key trends, impacts and perspectives • Demonstrate familiarity with greenhouse gas
relevant to sustainability inventorying and its relationship in areas such as
• Explain sustainability frameworks and principles buildings, transportation, and materials
• Identify issues of social justice and social impacts • Define sustainability claims, eco-labels, and
• Explain and apply systems thinking certifications
• Summarize historically significant events related • Describe key aspects of the landscape and architec-
to sustainability ture/hierarchy of global institutions, frame- works
and standards relevant to the organization, its
• Describe current trends in and interplay among
sustainability issues and its stakeholders
various sustainability issues
• Identify relevant trends, technologies, and approach-
• Explain the importance of sustainable practice
es related to common sustainability initiatives
and how it can contribute to social, environmen-
tal, and business objectives

Sustainability is a very broad topic and, at its most basic, is about systems and systems thinking. As such, it is
difficult to create a linear outline of all the topics encompassed in sustainability. Also, as with every system, it can
help to view the system structure from different perspectives. As a result, although the SEA Study Guide follows
a different outline than the Job Task Analysis, it does include information from all twelve knowledge areas of Job
Tasks 1.1 and 1.2 described above.

The SEA Study Guide


The Sustainability Excellence Associate (SEA) Study Guide provides guidance to credential applicants preparing
to sit for the SEA credentialing exam. This Guide is intended to serve as a refresher of knowledge previously
learned through adequate sustainability education. It is not intended to be a comprehensive reference manual
for sustainability professionals; rather it is intended to provide a candidate with a deeper dive into the job tasks
highlighted by ISSP’s “Sustainability Practitioner: Body of Knowledge”.
The content provided in this SEA Study Guide was developed based on two criteria:
• What information would a potential employer or client expect a “minimally competent” Sustainabil-
ity Associate to know, regardless of the industry in which the professional is employed? (“Minimally
competent” is the terminology used to describe those who achieve the minimal passing grade of a creden-
tialing exam)?
• Would the information be relevant to a sustainability practitioner regardless of their geographic location? If
local or regional in nature, does the topic have international relevance?

How to Use this Guide


In the interest of providing a candidate with the most up-to-date information, the SEA Study Guide’s referenc-

INTRODUCTION | pg 7
ISSP - SEA Study Guide.
Sample
es were selected for their credibility and current relevance. The sustainability field is still young and constantly
growing and expanding. The SEA exam and Study Guide will change and grow with the field.
The body of the Study Guide is organized as follows:
Chapter 1: Issues, Trends, Impacts, and Perspectives
Chapter 2: Social Justice, Impact, and Responsibility
Chapter 3: Frameworks and Principles
Chapter 4: Systems Thinking and Interdependencies
Chapter 5: Benefits of Sustainability Practices
Chapter 6: Historical Background and Events
Chapter 7: Global Institutions, Policies, and Initiatives
Chapter 8: Regulatory Trends and Policies
Chapter 9: Standards, Protocols, and Certifications
Chapter 10: Technology, Tools, and Innovations

Each Chapter begins with a table of contents outlining the material that is covered in the chapter. Key words and
phrases are hyperlinked to the glossary where you will find their definition. At the end of several chapters, you’ll
find links to high-quality, third-party sources where you can go to gain a deeper knowledge of the subject.
Although the SEA-level competency focus is on the first Domain (Core Sustainability Concepts), the SEA Study
Guide has gone beyond merely providing a glossary list of concepts that need to be understood at the SA level.
Still, keep in mind that knowledge alone does not make a sustainability professional good at her or his job. An
SEA needs to understand how things fit together as a whole. The chapters, taken collectively, provide important
context. Having an understanding of how all the pieces fit together, and how to tailor the tools in your toolbox, are
key to becoming successful sustainability professionals. Good luck!

Help Us Improve!
While the SEA Study Guide is intended to be as global and diverse as possible, in some cases the United States or
European Union standards are listed. Readers are encouraged to research the equivalent in their local context. We
have made every attempt to provide accurate, up-to-date information to our readers. However, new information
rapidly comes to light. Please reach out to us at: [email protected] and provide us with feedback.

INTRODUCTION | pg 8
ISSP - SEA Study Guide.
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SEA
Sustainability
Excellence
Associate

Chapter 1

Issues, Trends, Impacts


and Perspectives
Sample
Chapter Table of Contents

Purpose������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 13
Overview ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 13
Defining Sustainability and Sustainable Development��������������������������������������������13
Valuing All Forms of Capital ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������14
Weak versus Strong Sustainability���������������������������������������������������������������������������������15
Limits to Growth������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������16
The I=PAT Equation ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������17
The Tragedy of the Commons �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������17
Interconnectivity ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������17
Donut Economics��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������18

Key Social Issues��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 19


Basic Human Needs �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������19
Equity��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������20
Human rights �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������21
Justice: Social and Environmental ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������21
Better Life Index ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������22
Sustainable Agriculture and Reducing Hunger�����������������������������������������������������������22

Key Environmental Issues ��������������������������������������������������������������������� 23


Climate Change��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������24
Greenhouse Effect������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������24
Atmospheric Concentrations of GHGs������������������������������������������������������������������25
Global Warming Potential and CO2 Equivalents �����������������������������������������������25
Total Emissions and Emissions Ratios �����������������������������������������������������������������26
Growing Methane Contributions ���������������������������������������������������������������������������26
Global Temperatures ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������27
Ocean Acidification ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������28
Rise in Sea Levels��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������28
Decline of Natural Capital ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������29
Biodiversity, Habitat, Land Use������������������������������������������������������������������������������30
Toxins in the Environment���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������30
Air Pollution�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������31
Atmospheric Ozone ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������32
Water ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������32
Sample
Key Economic Issues������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 33
Setting Economic Priorities ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������33
Accounting for Externalities ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������33
Managing for the Long-Term�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������34
Measures of Progress ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������34
Sustainable Economic Models�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������36
Steady-State Economy ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������36
Circular Economy��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������36
Sustainable Markets�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������37
Sustainable Consumption ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������37
Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS)������������������������������������������������38

Additional Resources ������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 40


Chapter 1 Endnotes��������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 41
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Purpose
A sustainability professional must be able to understand a range of topics on sustainability-related issues,
including trends, impact, and perspectives. They must also be able to explain the threats and opportunities
these topics pose for business, government, and communities in a manner that is relevant to a wide variety of
stakeholder groups.

Overview
This chapter provides an overview of sustainability and some of the most pressing social, environmental, and
economic sustainability issues. The first half of this chapter reviews key terms and concepts; the remainder
covers key social, environmental, and economic issues.

Defining Sustainability and Sustainable Development


“Development involves a progressive transformation of economy and society. A development path that is
sustainable in a physical sense could theoretically be pursued even in a rigid social and political setting.
But physical sustainability cannot be secured unless development policies pay attention to such consid-
erations as changes in access to resources and in the distribution of costs and benefits. Even the narrow
notion of physical sustainability implies a concern for social equity between generations, a concern that
must logically be extended to equity within each generation.”
— Brundtland Commission, 19871
There may be as many definitions of sustainability and sustainable development as there are groups trying to
define it. Many have defined sustainability in general terms relating to the ability of maintaining something in
perpetuity without diminishment. For example, “sustainability is a set of conditions and trends in any given
system that can be continued indefinitely.”2 However, sustainability must not be confused with stasis or simply
maintaining the status quo.
Sustainability economist, Herman Daly used four operational principles to define sustainability more precisely:
1. Human systems must be within the limits of the carrying capacity of natural systems
2. Technological progress requires increasing efficiency rather than throughput
3. Renewable resources cannot be driven to extinction (either by over-extracting or by emitting wastes that
exceed the capacity of ecosystems to assimilate the emissions)
4. Nonrenewable resources should only be used at a rate equal to or less than the rate at which substitutes
are created3
However, the most widely quoted remains the one provided in the conclusion of the Brundtland Commission’s
“Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our Common Future.”
“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two key concepts:
• “the concept of ‘needs’, in particular the essential needs of the world’s poor, to which overriding
priority should be given; and
• “the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the
environment’s ability to meet present and future needs.”4
Brundtland further concludes that “...the goals of economic and social development must be defined in terms of
sustainability in all countries—developed or developing, market-oriented or centrally planned. Interpretations
will vary but must share certain general features and must flow from a consensus on the basic concept of
sustainable development and on a broad strategic framework for achieving it.”5

CHAPTER 1 | pg 12
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Interpretations have indeed varied. However, at their foundations, most definitions include the concepts of:
• Equity and fairness
• Operating within the limits of the world’s ecosystems
• Having a long term, multi-generational view
• Understanding the interconnections between the economy, society, and environment
At its most basic level, sustainability is the goal of sustainable development.

Image: Gro Harlem Brundtland, Prime Minister of Norway, addressing the UN General Assembly on Environment and Development, 19
October 1987. Source: UN Photo

Valuing All Forms of Capital


“What might be called ‘industrial capitalism’ does not conform to its own accounting principles. It
liquidates its capital and calls it income. It neglects to assign any value to the largest stocks of capital it
employs—the natural resources and living systems, as well as the social and cultural systems that are the
basis of human capital.”
— Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, and L. Hunter Lovins, 19996
The term “capital” most commonly refers to money and material goods. However, in the context of sustainability,
there are numerous different types of capital that need to be considered. The landmark book Natural Capitalism
(1999) suggests four types of capital:
• Financial capital – cash, investments, and monetary instruments
• Manufactured capital – infrastructure, machines, tools, and factories
• Human capital – labor and intelligence, culture, and organization
• Natural capital – resources, living systems, and ecosystem services7
The sustainability challenge is that humans tend to focus on generating, improving, and enhancing financial
and manufactured capital at the expense of other types of community capital. Human and social capital can be
depleted, for example, by failing to sufficiently invest in worker safety, employee compensation, or community
education, weakening the fabric of a community on which all enterprises depend. A crisis is also looming due to

CHAPTER 1 | pg 13
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rapid reductions in natural capital that cannot be made up by other capital forms. As described in
Natural Capitalism:
“Our continuing progress is restricted not by the number of fishing boats but by the decreasing numbers
of fish; not by the power of pumps but by the depletion of aquifers; not by the number of chainsaws but
by the depletion of primary forests.”8

Weak versus Strong Sustainability


Understanding that natural capital cannot be replaced with other forms of capital can be understood as the
concepts of weak and strong sustainability.9 Weak sustainability is the concept that manufactured capital of
equal value can take the place of natural capital. Strong sustainability is the concept that the existing stock of
natural capital must be maintained and enhanced because the functions it performs cannot be duplicated by
manufactured capital. Examples of hard-to-replace natural ecosystem services include:
• the ozone layer, which has been damaged by humanity’s use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and
• the thermohaline circulation, the large-scale oceanic circulation systems, such as the Gulf Stream, which
have a large impact on the Earth’s weather patterns and that are endangered by climate change.

NATURE
NATURE

SOCIETY
sustainable
development

SOCIETY ECONOMY
ECONOMY

WEAK STRONG
sustainability sustainability
(Based in Brundtland 1987) (Giddings 2002)

Pioneering ecological economists such as E.F. Schumacher stressed that the environment is a critical source of
capital for economic activity and development:
“… we are estranged from reality and inclined to treat as valueless everything that we have not made
ourselves. … Far larger is the capital made by nature and not by man—and we do not even recognize it as
such. Let us take a closer look at this ‘natural capital.’ First of all, and most obviously, there are the fossil
fuels. No one, I am sure, will deny that we are treating them as income items although they are undeni-
ably capital items. If we treated them as capital items, we should be concerned with conservation; we
should do everything in our power to try and minimize their current rate of use…”10
In addition to proper valuation of resources such as fossil fuels, fish, and timber, this concept has been
developed to include valuation of the potentially irreplaceable services of healthy natural systems, as well as
the promotion of economic development strategies that embrace investments in such natural capital. Such
“ecosystem services” include nature’s ability to purify air and water, protection from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet
waves, and “aesthetic beauty and intellectual stimulation that lift the human spirit.”11

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In 1997, when the annual global gross national product (value of all economic output globally) was estimated to
be US$18 trillion per year, the annual value of all Earth’s ecosystem services was estimated to be US$33 trillion.12
An updated valuation of ecosystem services in 2018 by the WWF’s Living Planet Index increased the estimate to
US$125 trillion per year.13
A key point of natural capital valuation estimates is that traditional economic measures do not include these
critical contributions, creating a skewed perspective of both present and future economic health.14
The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) is a global initiative that continues the effort to understand
ecosystem value by focusing on “making nature’s values visible.” Their mission is to mainstream the values of
biodiversity and ecosystem services into decision-making.15
Alongside these valuation methods stands the generations-long understanding that Indigenous People have
about ecosystems and landscapes. Traditional Ecological Knowledge, also called Indigenous Knowledge or
Native Science, refers to the evolving knowledge acquired by indigenous and local peoples over hundreds or
thousands of years through direct contact with the environment. TEK is an accumulating body of knowledge,
practice, and belief, evolving by adaptive processes and handed down through generations by cultural transmis-
sion, about the relationship of living beings (human and non-human) with one another and with the environment.

Limits to Growth
Related to the concepts of weak and strong sustainability is the idea that there are limits to the availability of
natural resources, including ecosystem services, generally referred to as limits to growth. Pioneering sustainabili-
ty thought leaders identified this system archetype as a fundamental flaw in the relationship between the human
economy and the Earth’s ecological capacities. Although the Earth is finite, the demands placed on it by society
are growing at an exponential rate. An exponential rate of growth means that a given measured item grows every
year, year after year, like the compounding interest of a bank savings account.
This exponential growth therefore causes a reinforcing loop that continually feeds back into the system, building
upon itself at a faster rate than most people expect. A $100 savings account earning 3% compounded interest, for
example, would double in about 24 years (seven years sooner than it would take the same account accruing 3%
simple interest per year). At 8% annual growth, the original amount would double in 9 years.
The economist Al Bartlett provides a rule-of-thumb formula for estimating this doubling time, given a specific
rate of growth:
“…[T]ake the number 70, divide it by the percent growth per unit time and that gives you the doubling
time. So, our example of 5% per year, you divide the 5 into 70, you find that growing quantity will double
in size every 14 years.”16
The conundrum of exponentially growing human population and economic activity occurring on a finite planet
was first explored by economist Herman Daly and the authors of the 1972 book The Limits to Growth.17 This book
concluded that humankind faced two core problems: The Earth’s limits would be reached within 100 years, and
the likely scenario when they are reached would be a disastrous “overshoot and collapse”:
“In any finite system there must be constraints that can act to stop exponential growth. These constraints
are negative feedback loops. The negative loops become stronger and stronger as growth approaches
the ultimate limit. In the world system the negative feedback loops involve such processes as pollution of
the environment, depletion of nonrenewable resources, and famine.
“The delays inherent in the action of these negative loops tend to allow population and capital to
overshoot their ultimately sustainable levels. The period of overshoot is wasteful of resources. It
generally decreases the carrying capacity of the environment as well, intensifying the eventual decline in
population and capital.”18
Avoiding the overshoot and collapse scenario for Earth’s ecosystems is a critical outcome of sustainability
efforts worldwide.
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The I=PAT Equation
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The IPAT equation is a conceptual model used to describe the relationship between the three main drivers
of humanity’s Earth impacts—population, affluence, and technology. Developed by Paul and Ann Ehrlich of
Stanford University, this model suggests that humanity’s impact on the systems that sustain our existence can be
approximated by the following equation:
I=PxAxT
Where:
• I = society’s negative impact on the ecosphere
• P = population size
• A = affluence of average individual (consumption)
• T = technology and services driving consumption19
The equation illustrates that, given humanity’s general unwillingness to limit growth through regulations and
that humanity generally seeks to increase the affluence of individuals, it becomes critical to reduce the impact
multiplier of technology. This can be accomplished through sustainable energy sources and increasing the
efficiency with which materials and energy are used. Therefore, a key competency of the sustainability profes-
sional is to support the rapid adoption of more sustainable technologies and resource efficiency.

The Tragedy of the Commons


Another archetypical system structure that challenges sustainable development is “the tragedy of the commons”,
whereby common resources are shared by all and owned by none. The atmosphere, for example, is not owned
by a specific individual, organization, or government; nor are the ocean currents, clean air, or the pollination
provided by honeybees. The problem is that private entities have incentives to use or take from the commons
in ways that promote private gain while causing decline of the commons. The decline any one individual feels is
small, ostensibly, compared to the private gain obtained by unsustainable use of the commons.20
Governments have acted both individually (e.g., an individual nation’s efforts to preserve natural areas in parks)
and collectively through international agreements to attempt to manage the Earth’s commons for sustainability.
Examples of collective action include:
• Montreal Protocol to regulate ozone depletion21
• Kyoto Protocol and The Paris Agreement to regulate climate change22
• Law of the Sea and related global efforts to regulate marine mammals and fisheries23
• The Biodiversity Indicators Partnership, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, and related
biodiversity preservation efforts24

Interconnectivity
Both “Limits to Growth” and “The Tragedy of the Commons” are examples of
challenges that arise because the world is a system with complex interconnections. NATURE
NATURE

Individuals live, work, and play in their communities. The economic viability of
institutions depends on the labor provided by individuals who are also customers. SOCIETY
sustainable
Governments serve, protect, and defend order within society so that people and
development

SOCIETY
businesses can thrive. And society, collectively, is wholly dependent onECONOMY
Earth’s
ECONOMY
ability to support daily activities.

WEAK STRONG
sustainability sustainability
(Based in Brundtland 1987) CHAPTER 1 |
(Giddings 2002) pg 16
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Creating a sustainable economic, social, and environmental world requires whole systems thinking. Unlike the
standard Venn diagram that shows these spheres as only overlapping in a small area, a true representation of the
Earth’s system is one of concentric circles—with the human economy existing within the social sphere, which in
turn exists within the environmental sphere.

Donut Economics
Economist Kate Raworth leveraged the concepts of planetary boundaries and Fundamental Human Needs to
develop an economic model known as Donut Economics.
In this model, the outer dark green ring represents the planetary boundaries, or an ecological “ceiling”. The inner
dark green ring represents the “floor” or foundation below which people may fall if they are not having their
needs met. Humanity should remain in the light green space—in the regenerative and distributive economy. It is
a space within which we can thrive.25
The 12 dimensions of the “donut’s” social foundation—health, education, housing, water, etc.—are derived from
the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
We should be designing our economies to avoid the shortfalls and the overshoots, to stay within the two
boundaries. In the hole of the donut is critical human deprivation. We are currently falling short on many of these
foundational social needs and have a lot of work to do to bring everyone into an equitable economy.

Image source: Kate Raworth and Christian Guthier. CC-BY-SA 4.0

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