Planet under pressure. London, 26-29 March 2012

Posted on: 3 May 2012
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Based on the latest scientific evidence, this conference aimed to provide a comprehensive update of our knowledge of the Earth system and the pressure our planet is now under. The event focused on the scientific community’s and the wider world’s attention on climate, ecological degradation, human well-being, planetary thresholds, food security, energy, governance across scales and poverty alleviation. The conference discussed solutions, at all scales, to move societies on to a sustainable pathway, and aimed to provide scientific leadership towards the 2012 UN Rio +20 conference. Outcomes from the conference including recordings of the plenary sessions are available online.

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People and the planet

Posted on: 30 April 2012
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Rapid and widespread changes in the world’s human population, coupled with unprecedented levels of consumption present profound challenges to human health and wellbeing, and the natural environment, according to a report from the Royal Society. It provides an overview of how global population and consumption are linked, and the implications for a finite planet. A number of recommendations are made, including the need for Governments to realise the potential of urbanisation to reduce material consumption and environmental impact through efficiency measures; and for natural and social scientists to increase their research efforts on the interactions between consumption, demographic change and environmental impact.

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URBES

Posted on: 24 April 2012
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Launched in January 2012, the URBES project is a transdisciplinary collaboration project between 11 top research institutes in Europe and New York, as well as four urban case study areas, Stockholm, Rotterdam, Salzburg and Berlin. The project addresses significant scientific knowledge gaps on the role of urban biodiversity and ecosystem services for human well-being. It will pioneer the development of the TEEB- approach (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity) in an urban context and be innovative in integrating monetary and non-­monetary valuation techniques, explore their governance implications and develop guidelines for implementation in urban landscapes. Capacity development instruments such as fact sheets and trainings workshops will be developed. The first fact sheets will be available in summer 2012. The trainings will be available for all European local authorities throughout 2013 and 2014.

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EU Sustainable Energy for All Summit. Brussels, 16 April 2012

Posted on: 19 April 2012
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The European Commission and the Danish Presidency of the EU Council hosted this event which brought together high-level representatives from the EU, the UN, developing countries, industry and civil society organisations committed to achieving sustainable energy for all by 2030. This ambitious goal was set by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in 2011. Information from the event is available online, including discussion papers, case studies and videos.

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7 Steps to embedding sustainability in your teaching

Posted on: 19 April 2012
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Dr Jennie Winter, Professor Stephen Sterling, and Associate Professor Debby Cotton of the Teaching and Learning Directorate at Plymouth University have recently finished a short but comprehensive document which provides guidance for academics interested in embedding education for sustainable development (ESD) into their teaching.

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Renewing the commitment for SD: Stock-taking of international and European SD objectives and goals pre-Rio+20

Posted on: 13 April 2012
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In the light of the upcoming UN Conference on Sustainable Development in June 2012 (Rio+20), this European Sustainable Development Network Quarterly Report (QR) provides a comprehensive overview on precedent international and European policy documents that include objectives on how to achieve sustainable development. As part of the preparation for Rio+20, the development of a global set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) could assist in focusing the broad international sustainable development agenda at a practical level. Thus, in answering the recent development on SDGs, the QR investigates trends on identified SDGs among international and European SD policy documents and their link to two recent Rio+20 proposals for SDG sets.

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Committing to the future we want: a High Commissioner for Future Generations at Rio+20

Posted on: 12 April 2012
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In this discussion paper, which follows on from an earlier summary paper, Halina Ward makes the case for the creation of a High Commissioner for Future Generations within the United Nations, and sets out proposals on the powers and responsibilities of a High Commissioner and how it could work in practice. The mission of the High Commissioner for Future Generations, the paper argues, should be inspired by the original Brundtland definition of sustainable development: “to promote and protect the interests of future generations in the context of the imperative to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. As the paper shows, the creation of a High Commissioner for Future Generations would build on and complement existing references to future generations in a wide range of regional and global treaties and other international instruments. The paper also proposes a set of possible powers and responsibilities for the role of the High Commissioner for Future Generations; considers how it might evolve over time; and where it could be sited. Annexes to the paper are  available here.

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Survey on urban sustainability in cities

Posted on: 4 April 2012
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In order to gauge the sustainability priorities and views of European cities, the European Metropolitan network Institute (EMI) and ICLEI have jointly launched a digital questionnaire on urban sustainability. Cities are asked to fill out the questionnaire before the 23 April 2012 so that results can be used in further developing EMI’s Urban Sustainability Research Agenda. The main aim of this Agenda is to, together with cities, identify new, overarching research questions so that cities can become (increasingly) sustainable.

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From transition to transformation: Sustainable and inclusive development in Europe and Central Asia

Posted on: 27 March 2012
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A new report on sustainable development in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, prepared by 13 UN agencies, has highlighted the need for the region to remove fossil fuel subsidies, invest in green jobs, and establish social protection floors in order to ensure a sustainable future. The report was launched at the first Global Human Development Forum in Istanbul, Turkey, on 23 March 2012. Three concepts underpin the report: resource depletion and environmental degradation; poverty; and inequality.

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Cities as systems: Implications for sustainability and health

Posted on: 15 March 2012
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This paper, published by the New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities, focuses on two connected systems, transport and energy, to draw out implications for health and sustainability and consider the challenges of the multi-level, coordinated governance needed to keep cities running and resilient. This paper includes an extensive list of references.

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