Initiative
Sustainable World Initiative (SWI)

Sustainable World Initiative (SWI)

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Background and Mission “The Sustainable World Initiative’s mission is to boost public understanding of sustainability, clarify the challenges that lie ahead, outline the steps needed to achieve true sustainability, and inspire people to act.” Fundamental changes are occurring in our world today, as the global scale of human activity pushes against and often exceeds nature’s capacity to support life. Climate change, peak oil, fresh water shortages, waste overload, and rapid biodiversity loss are just a few signs that humans are exceeding the planet’s natural resource limits. True sustainability is a dynamic situation that requires ongoing resource demands to be less than, or in balance with, natural resource supplies. Unfortunately, due to increasing industrialization and rapid population growth, humanity’s demands for the planet’s goods and services have far exceeded nature’s capacity to provide them. We are now in a state of natural resource “overshoot,” a condition characterized by the unstable drawdown of resources that can lead to both economic and societal breakdown. The issue of overshoot must be addressed if we want to protect life on Earth and allow future generations to continue to enjoy healthy and fulfilling lives. Fortunately, the sciences of ecological accounting, non-renewable resource evaluation, waste assimilation, and health dynamics are advancing rapidly. We can now determine, with increasing accuracy, such things as greenhouse gas emission limits, energy supply peaks, and the extent of anthropogenic demands on nature. Better yet, we can use these metrics to put real mathematical substance to the critical global issue of living within planetary means. The challenge posed by natural resource overshoot requires creative thought and action. SWI’s mission is to boost public understanding of sustainability, clarify the challenges that lie ahead, outline the steps needed to achieve sustainability, and inspire people to act. Sustainable Development How are we different from other “sustainable development” initiatives “Sustainable development” is a term that is gaining popularity throughout the world. The most common usage of this term is in reference to human development programs or projects that are done in a resource-efficient manner, and that generally improve the overall relationship between economic activity and the demand humans place on the earth’s primary natural resources. However, in today’s world of limited and declining resources, efficiency improvement programs are not enough to ensure a viable future. In order to achieve sustainable economic and social progress for all peoples of the world, we need to also consider the sufficiency of natural resources in support of our global human development aspirations. We must live under sufficiency principles: total natural resource demands must be within Earth’s capacity. Otherwise, we jeopardize the well-being of our children, youth, and future generations. What are we doing? SWI is developing tools, programs and policy proposals all designed to inform people about the relationship between successful human development and the sustainable use of natural resources. We promote actions that lead to a truly sustainable future. Utilizing the most current metrics and new educational tools, SWI is informing and educating policymakers, opinion leaders, and the general public about: The principles of resource sufficiency evaluation (RSE) and the definition of sustainability in the context of planetary resource limits. The critical factors that determine global sustainability including consumption, technology, and population numbers. The means for measuring and projecting sustainability. Strategies for attaining truly global sustainability. Contact address Address The Sustainable World Initiative 107 2nd St, NE Washington, DC 20002 Phone: 202-544-3300 Fax: 202-544-0068 email: info@globalsustainabilitynow.com Resources

SWI Briefs:

The Challenge for Humanity in the 21st Century

Getting from Here to a Sustainable World: Why “Resource Sufficiency Evaluation” is Crucial

Putting the S into the SDGs

Resource Accountability and Human Development

Resource Sufficiency Evaluation is the Key to Sustainable Economic Development

SWI Papers:

Climate Change Solutions: “Cap and Capture”

Proposal paper proposes a new solution to the global warming and climate change challenge called “cap-and-capture”. Rather than focusing on carbon emissions, this proposal emphasizes global carbon sequestration capacity.

Designing Environmental Governance to Achieve True Sustainability and Long Term Global Prosperity

True sustainability requires a change in the design of environmental governance. Natural and international governments are missing processes that assess total human resource demands and compare them with the Earth’s natural resource capacity. This paper highlights the need for this assessment to be incorporated into governance systems.

“Mind the Gap”; Bringing Sustainability into Sharper Focus

Presented at the Planet Under Pressure conference in London in March of 2012, this joint paper addresses the need for policies that reflect better understanding of sustainability. Please note that this paper uses an old term SER which SWI has since replaced with RSE.

The SDGs and Measuring Sustainability: It’s crucial and it’s really not that difficult!

This paper discusses the need for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to consider human development in terms of natural resource limits and planetary boundaries. Measurements should be incorporated into the SDGs to monitor and evaluate current and projected natural resource usage and trends to ensure sustainable human development.

Sustainable Living Planner Description

The Sustainable Living Planner (SLP) is a simplified sustainable living scenario tool for policymakers and the general public. SLP aims to promote sustainable living by looking at the range of human population numbers or lifestyles that might be sustainable under different future scenarios.

Outside Sources and Videos:

UN report on Population Projections

Good video explaining overpopulation put on by SciShow

Another good video animation explaining the impact of overpopulation on our natural resources.

A good fact sheet on overpopulation and the environment, put out by howmany.org

UNFPA- United Nations Population Fund, an international development agency focused on population

WWI- Worldwatch Institute, an organization that works to accelerate the transition to a sustainable world that meets human needs