[Karl]

A blog article related to the topic of the consequences of shifts in interpretation (and policies for implementation) of "sustainability"

> GG and Sustainability | metyu's blog

I think the recent shift in sustainability thinking - from a concept grounded in development theory, epitomised by Brundtland, Agenda 21 and Millennium Development Goals, to "oooh, carbon dioxide, we're all gonna die" - is a dangerous one.

This shift occurred about two years ago; think 'Revenge of Gaia' (James "Grim Jim" Lovelock) and IPCC FAR S4PM. At this point, climate change had been on my professional agenda for about 5 years, in terms of energy efficiency and adaptation. Suddenly, sustainability was all about reducing CO2 emissions. In the UK, sustainability consultants no longer needed to know about Agenda 21: the title was reduced to the level of buliding services engineer and carbon bean-counter.

Now, take a step back. With current fever over GHGs, we forget what was achieved during the 1990s. The internet age brought communication between activists to an unprecedented level. This culminated in the Seattle protests of 1999, WTO Protests in Seattle, 1999 — Global Issues.

...continues...