Description: Unit: Sustainability--An Indictment of Human Actions? World Scientists'' Warning to Humanity, Henry Kendall, Union of Concerned Scientists, 1997 This pamphlet, released in 1997, provides what might be considered an indictment, in the legal sense, of human actions. It lists some specific examples of environmental degradation (metaphorical crimes) that human actions are creating for various life-support systems of the planet. It also provides a warning from over 1,700 of the leading scientists in the world at the time of its publication in 1997 about what might happen if humans do not begin to behave in more sustainable ways. It concludes with some suggestions for behavior changes. Despite the fact that over 100 Nobel laureates endorsed this Warning, it remains unknown to many, even those interested in sustainability; so, to continue the legal metaphor, no arraignment, or formal reading of the charges against the accused, has occurred. Perhaps, this is why no real indictment of human actions has been issued. Population and the Environment: The Global Challenge, Don Hinrichsen and Bryant Robey, Population Reports, 2000 This report echoes many of the concerns about environmental degradation as a result of human actions raised by the UCS. It demonstrates that even though several years had passed since the Warning, little had improved. In scientific research, the concept of reliability may concern whether data that have been collected are consistent. One way to check for reliability is to measure a particular variable repeatedly and see if the measurement of it stays the same. This report establishes reliability of the condition of the environment because the findings are very similar to the Warning. Ecosystems and Human Well-Being: Summary for Decision-Makers, Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005 This report, released in 2005, represented the efforts of nearly 1,400 leading scientists from nearly 100 countries. It has undergone extensive scholarly review by a panel of nearly 100 additional experts who considered nearly 900 reviews. Only the Summary for Decision-makers appears in this unit. It presents the key findings of a critical examination of the state of the world''s ecosystems and the ecosystem services they provide to all life on Earth. It also contributes to the reliability of the data concerning the status of the life support systems of Earth. The Anthropocene: Are Humans Now Overwhelming the Great Forces of Nature? Will Steffen, Paul J. Crutzen, and John R. McNeill, 2007 The Anthropocene is a name given to the period since 1800, when human actions are considered based on their ability to be a geophysical force on the planet. Prior to this period, humans were not perceived as being able to alter the life-support systems of Earth. This article suggests three stages of the Anthropocene from the industrial era through The Great Acceleration to the proposed Stewards of the Earth System. The State of the Nation''s Ecosystems 2008: What the Indicators Tell Us, H. John Heinz, III, Center for Science, Economics and the Environment, 2008 This report attempts "to lay the groundwork for periodic, high-quality, nonpartisan reporting on the condition and use of U.S. ecosystems, the goal being a stable set of broadly accepted and well-tested indicators.'''' It represents the efforts of "hundreds of contributors.'''' It has been subjected to independent scholarly review. The section included in this publication represents only the major findings included in the whole report. It also contributes to the reliability of the data concerning the status of the life support systems of Earth. Global Biodiversity Outook 3: Executive Summary, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, 2010 This report, released in 2010, specifically addresses the issue of loss of biodiversity. Messages from the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, and the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity highlight the urgency of protecting biodiversity and serve as an advance organizer for the Executive Summary that is included in this unit. It also contributes to the reliability of the data concerning the status of the life support systems of Earth. Unit: Sustainability--A New Paradigm? Top 10 Myths About Sustainability, Michael D. Lemonick, Scientific American: Earth 3.0, 2009 What is sustainability? What isn''t it? For some, mostly those not directly involved with the field, the term sustainability is misperceived. Borrowing from the popular 'top ten'' list used my talk show hosts and others; this article attempts to clarify the top 10 myths about sustainability. The Century Ahead: Searching for Sustainability, Paul D. Raskin, Christi Electris, and Richard A. Rosen, Sustainability, 2010 If sustainability is simply a new worldview--a new paradigm--for humanity, and not an indictment of human behavior, it might be useful to understand how the new paradigm will be brought into practice and alter human actions. This article envisions life in the 21st century by examining how humanity might achieve sustainability in the context of four contrasting scenarios. The Invention of Sustainability, Paul Warde, Modern Intellectual History, 2011 This article examines the historical roots of the concept of sustainability. Such an examination is useful when considering if sustainability represents a new paradigm for humanity. Indeed, much of the debate about sustainability concerns how it is operationally defined and how it may be implemented. Often, understanding the history of events helps us understand the present as well as the future. In order to understand where we must go regarding sustainability, it might be helpful to understand where we have been. The Future of Sustainability: Re-thinking Environment and Development in the Twenty-First Century, W. M. Adams, IUCN, 2006 This report is the outcome of a meeting instigated by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), during which the advances as well as the stagnations or retreats regarding sustainable development were examined. This report elaborates on some of the key topics considered during the meeting at least insofar as Adams perceived them. Sustainable Co-evolution, John Cairns, Jr., International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology, 2007 In biological terms, co-evolution is when two closely interacting species develop adaptations to enhance each of their survival. Cairns use this concept to argue that humanity should co-evolve with Earth''s life support systems so that the likelihood of survival of each is improved. He argues that the connection between humanity and the life support systems of the planet are not adequately acknowledged, even though it is the sine qua non of sustainability. Framing Sustainability, David W. Orr, Conservation Biology, 2006 What do Abraham Lincoln, slavery, and the Civil War have in common with sustainability? According to Orr, the way in which Lincoln framed the issues of slavery and the war, and thereby gained support for his position on both, should provide an example of how to frame the issue of sustainability. Synthesis, John C. Dernbach, Stumbling Toward Sustainability, 2002 This reading is a synthesis of the book Stumbling Toward Sustainability. It summarizes the major finding and recommendations in it. It explores in detail the role the United States should, perhaps must, play in helping humanity transition from a model of development that is unsustainable to one that is sustainable. Unit: Earth''s Life Support Systems and Ecosystem Services Ecosystem Services: Benefits Supplied to Human Societies by Natural Ecosystems, Gretchen C. Daily et al., Issues in Ecology, 1997 Published in the same year at the Costanza et al. effort, but by an entirely different group of scientists, this report explores and describes several benefits the life support services provided by ecosystems provide to humanity. They do so without calculating a dollar value to replace said services. How Have Ecosystems Changed? Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005 That human actions "inflict harsh and often irreversible damage'''' on ecosystems are well established. So, too, is the fact that humans would not be able to survive on Earth were it not for the life support services that ecosystems provide. But how, exactly, have human actions degraded ecosystems? This section of the MEA provided a detailed analysis of that question. How Have Ecosystems Services and Their Uses Changed? Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005 If human actions are altering ecosystems, then it follows that they are likely altering the services provided by ecosystems. This reading explains precisely how ecosystems services have been and continues to be altered by humans. The Competitive Exclusion Principle, Garrett Hardin, Science, 1960 The ecological basis for why human actions are so detrimental to ecosystems and the life-supporting services they provide is rooted in the fact humans often behave in a manner that competitively excludes other species from benefiting from ecosystem system services. Ironically, they also competitively exclude themselves from benefiting from the same services because certain actions competitively exclude certain benefits from being realized. Unit: Why Do Humans Behave in Unsustainable Ways? The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis, Lynn White, Jr., Science, 1967 Why a species would potentially destroy its own life support system is an intriguing question, especially if the species in question in our own. In this essay, White suggested the root cause is religion; in particular, Christianity. He concluded tha

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