What should ’Sustainability’ mean to us?
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Professor Craig Hutton, Director of the Sustainability and Resilience Institute, explores the profound subject of sustainability and its implications for our society and planet. This article offers a comprehensive perspective on what sustainability should truly mean to us.
Sustainability , much like the word “environment” before it, is everywhere we look today.
Sustainability?has become a catch-all term, capturing an aspiration to somehow do better with the limited resources, protect the fragile beauty of the earth?and?accommodate an?ever-growing need of the population and planet. In many ways, this is to be celebrated. The realisation that we and the next generations cannot continue the casual imbalance between consumption and conservation is finally beginning to sink in.
However, there is currently?a risk that we become blind to the real meaning of sustainability and, at worst, consider it only through a narrow ‘carbon and recycling’ lens. Furthermore, we must ensure that engagement with sustainability is not a privilege reserved only for those with the time, affluence, and education to consider it.
So, what should sustainability mean to us?
Professor Craig Hutton agrees with the premise that sustainability, at its simplest, requires us to?consider the complex interaction of people (social, economic, cultural) and the environment. We strive to keep this interpretation core in all SRI activities.
For instance, we might switch to an energy-efficient lightbulb, but have we considered the conditions of those who made it? Is it more expensive? What happened to the workers who produced the older bulbs? How was it transported? You get the idea….
Indeed, if we reflect on who the greenest people in the UK are, we realise that that unenviable title is held by the homeless who live fractured and truncated lives. No holidays, few personal belongings, low spending, no heating and limited ability to travel. They may be one of the greenest demographics but are hardly an attractive aspiration for our future. True sustainability must go beyond minimising impact and instead address real human needs, which I would argue includes issues of equity, social justice, care and thought for future generations as well as a careful consideration of our individual role and impact in the global village. Another word that is ubiquitous today is “growth”. When we hear it, we instinctively think of financial growth. But why is that? Economic growth certainly matters, but what about growth in community, equity, well-being, nature? Must growth always be tied to consumption? Sustainable growth should be something that extends beyond profits and GDP.
When will we achieve sustainability?
Sustainability is not a fixed destination, nor is it a breakthrough we will stumble upon in a laboratory. It is not some idyllic future we are all hoping to reach. In reality, it is whatever we decide it to be. Like politics or law, it is a concept we create and continuously shape. We choose what we want to sustain. In its simplest sense, London is sustainable because every day for 2000 years it has been sustained. Now, of course, that is not really what we mean by sustainability today, but we need to take responsibility for our choices and remember that, just like politics,?sustainability is what we make it?and?will never conclude.
It is a choice we will need to make continuously, and I guarantee we will still be arguing over sustainability for hundreds of years to come.? It is the ongoing negotiation of humanity’s place on this planet (and beyond?) attempting to find a balance between our seemingly insatiable desire to consume and on the other hand?how we value this extraordinary planet and our communities far and wide.
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There are growing issues around climate and sustainability anxiety. One might suggest that it is a warranted response. I know I have felt anxious and frustrated at our lack of progress and the highly questionable stance of some sectors of society. However, I would reinforce that this is a long-term issue. A marathon requiring a continuous inter-generation effort that will not be resolved by 2050. As such, what we do now is foundational. We are the first generations to conceptualise the problem, and what we research, do and say now will matter well beyond our lifetimes. Don’t give up. Even if you can't see the benefit, it is worthwhile.
Substainability and Resilience Institute
At SRI, we firmly believe that sustainability involves absolutely?everyone! We need your work, your enthusiasm and your ideas. We exist to support you in finding the partners and interdisciplinary potential that will lift your work and make it truly sustainable – in the fullest sense of the word.