Sustainability Matters

Calgary, Alberta is a culturally diverse urban metropolis. Sprawling and car-dependent, fast-growing and affluent, it is dominated by the fossil fuel industry. For 30 years, Calgary has struggled to turn sustainability rhetoric into reality. Sustainability Matters is the story of Calgary's setbacks and successes on the path toward sustainability. Chronicling two decades of public conversations, political debate, urban policy and planning, and scholarly discovery, it is both a fascinating case study and an accessible introduction to the theory and practice of urban sustainability. A clear-eyed view of the struggles of turning knowledge into action, this book illuminates the places where theory and reality converge and presents an approach to municipal development, planning, and governance that takes seriously the urgent need to address climate change and injustice. Addressing a wide variety of topics and themes, including energy, diversity, economic development, and ecological health, Sustainability Matters is both a critique of current practice and a vision for the future that uses the city of Calgary as a microcosm to address issues faced by cities around the world. This is essential reading not only for every Calgarian working for a vibrant and sustainable future, but for all those interested in in the future of cities in a post-carbon world.

A philosopher and a scientist propose that sustainability can be understood as living well together without diminishing opportunity to live well in the future. Most people acknowledge the profound importance of sustainability, but few can define it. We are ethically bound to live sustainably for the sake of future generations, but what does that mean? In this book Randall Curren, a philosopher, and Ellen Metzger, a scientist, clarify normative aspects of sustainability. Combining their perspectives, they propose that sustainability can be understood as the art of living well together without diminishing opportunity to live well in the future. Curren and Metzger lay out the nature and value of sustainability, survey the problems, catalog the obstacles, and identify the kind of efforts needed to overcome them. They formulate an ethic of sustainability with lessons for government, organizations, and individuals, and illustrate key ideas with three case studies. Curren and Metzger put intergenerational justice at the heart of sustainability; discuss the need for fair (as opposed to coercive) terms of cooperation to create norms, institutions, and practices conducive to sustainability; formulate a framework for a fundamental ethic of sustainability derived from core components of common morality; and emphasize the importance of sustainability education. The three illustrative case studies focus on the management of energy, water, and food systems, examining the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, Australia's National Water Management System, and patterns of food production in the Mekong region of Southeast Asia.

Mining is a transformative activity which has numerous economic, social and environmental impacts. These impacts can be both positive and adverse, enhancing as well as disrupting economies, ecosystems and communities. The extractive industries have been criticised heavily for their adverse impacts and involvement in significant social and environmental scandals. More recently, these industries have sought to respond to negative perceptions and have embraced the core principles of sustainability. This sector could be regarded as a leader in sustainability initiatives, evident from the various developments and frameworks in mining and sustainability that have emerged over time. This book reviews current topical issues in mining and sustainable development. It addresses the changing role of minerals in society, the social acceptance of mining, due diligence in the mining industry, critical and contemporary debates such as mining and indigenous peoples and transit worker accommodation, corporate sustainability matters such as sustainability reporting and taxation, and sustainability solutions through an emphasis on renewable energy and shared-used infrastructure. Written by experts from Australia, Europe and North America, but including examples from both developed and developing countries, the chapters provide a contemporary understanding of sustainability opportunities and challenges in the mining industry. The book will be of interest to practitioners, government and civil society as well as scholars and students with interests in mining and sustainable development.

Sustainability Matters is a compilation of some of the best research papers by students from the National University of Singapore's multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary graduate programme in environmental studies, the M.Sc. in Environmental Management [MEM]. This collection is for the period 2012/2013 and 2013/2014. Entitled Sustainability Matters: Environmental and Climate Changes in the Asia-Pacific, this is the fifth compilation by the programme, and comprises 18 of the best research papers completed during this period. The papers have been edited for brevity. They analyse the many challenges to effective environmental management covering countries including Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and the US. Issues examined include biodiversity conservation, environmental impact assessments, energy, food security, sustainable business practices, public housing, environmental education, and climate change. The first compilation, Sustainability Matters: Environmental Management in Asia was published in 2010 (World Scientific) and comprised the best papers from 2001/2002 to 2006/2007. The second, Sustainability Matters: Challenges and Opportunities in Environmental Management in Asia was published in 2011 (Pearson), and comprised the best papers from 2007/2008 and 2008/2009. The third and fourth compilations (World Scientific) comprised the best papers from the period 2009/2010 to 2011/2012. The papers are edited by five staff members from different disciplines in the MEM programme: Lye Lin-Heng, Victor R Savage, Kua Harn-Wei, Chou Loke-Ming and Tan Puay-Yok. Contents:Preface and Acknowledgements, Lye Lin-Heng, Chair, MEMMessage from Goh Swee-Chen, Chairperson, Shell Companies in SingaporeMessage from Tommy Koh, Chairman, MEM Advisory Committee, NUSMessage from Heng Chye-Kiang, Dean, School of Design and Environment, NUSAbout the AuthorsAbout the Supervisors and EditorsIntroduction: Environmental and Climate Changes in Asia: Lessons in history and game changers in economics, politics and scientific research (Victor R Savage, Lye Lin-Heng, Kua Harn-Wei, Chou Loke-Ming & Tan Puay-Yok)Biodiversity:Understanding Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) Occurrences in Manila Bay, Philippines (Rosa Celia Poquita-Du & Peter Alan Todd)CITES Legislative Implementation: Lessons from and for ASEAN Member States (Denise Cheong & Lye Lin-Heng)Environmental Management:Assessment of Protection against Sea Level Rise: A Case Study of a Coastal Area in Singapore (Efstathios Giannoustas and Jesuthason Thampapillai)Water Scarcity to Water Security: How Can Asian Cities Achieve a Sustainable Transition? (Maitreyee Mukherjee, Dennis Wichelns & Namrata Ravindra Chindarkar)Plastic Bags in Singapore: A Critical Examination of Issues in Sustainability (Marra Lin Teasdale-Hensby & Lye Lin-Heng)Environmental Impact Assessment Laws of Malaysia and Hong Kong: Lessons for Singapore (Nidhi Mehra & Lye Lin-Heng)Singapore's Fresh Pork Supply: Food Security and Environmental Impacts (Lim Chien-Fang & Victor R Savage)Green Business:Sustainable & Responsible: The New Face of Indian Businesses (Himadri Mahajan & Audrey Chia)Effectiveness of Sustainable Business Practices: Case Studies of Ready-Made Garment Companies of Bangladesh (Tayef Quader & Audrey Chia)Integrated Policy Design Through Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment: A Case Study of Cotton Garments (LCSA Of Cotton T-Shirt) (Thida Tun & Kua Harn-Wei)Sustainability Issues and Strategies of Biofuel Development in Southeast Asia (Mallika d/o Naguran)Urban Studies:Energy Efficiency in Affordable Housing: Can It Work for Independent Rental Owners (Julia Emerson & George Ofori)The Potential and Benefits of an Incentive System to Promote Environmentally Friendly Behaviour in Residents of HDB Flats (Koh Kai-Jie & Grace K M Wong)A Review of Environmental Education in Singapore — Towards a Change in Approach (Ang Guorong Albert & Audrey Chia)Environmental Literacy among Secondary Three Students in a Singapore Secondary School (Loo Hui-Min & Harvey Neo)Climate Change:Possible Market Mechanisms for the Post-Kyoto Regime (Ellen May Zanoria Reynes)Past and Contemporary Proposals on Differentiation and Equity: Shaping the 2015 Climate Agreement (Melissa Low & Lim Lei-Theng)Mitigating the Environmental Impact of Aircraft Emissions through an Economic Theory — The Endowment Effect (Zhang Qiang) Readership: Graduate students, academics and researchers in environmental management/science. Keywords:Environment;Management;Sustainability;Asia;Corporate Environmental Management;Biodiversity and Planning;Marine Environment;Environment and Economic Development;Energy Sustainability;Renewable Energy;Urban Pollution and Waste Management;Sustainable Infrastructure;Transportation;Recycling;Urban Studies;Green Business

Sustainability: Key Issues is a comprehensive introductory textbook for undergraduate and postgraduate students doing courses in sustainability. Highly original, it covers the very broad spectrum of ideas covered under sustainability, from participation, resilience, growth, ecological modernism through to culture, sustainable communities and sustainable consumption. Each chapter covers one key idea, and has been written by an expert in that field. This book makes key issues approachable, with each chapter containing: a definition of the key concept a history of how and why the issue has emerged a discussion of the advantages, drawbacks, main contributions and controversies associated with this issue case studies to demonstrate how it works in reality critical discussion of mainstream models of sustainability and the reason why they don't work introduction of beyond-the-convention alternatives, including circular economy and cradle to cradle approaches This is the ideal book for students and anyone interested in understanding the key issues within sustainability and how they interact.

Sustainability Mattersis a compilation of some of the best research papers by students from the National University of Singapore's inter-disciplinary graduate programme in environmental studies, the MSc in Environmental Management [MEM]. This collection is for the period 2009/10 to 2011/12. As the period covers 3 academic years, the papers have been split into two volumes: Sustainability Matters: Asia's Green Challenges, and Sustainability Matters: Asia's Energy Concerns, Green Policies and Environmental Advocacy. These two volumes are the third and fourth compilation by the programme, and respectively comprise sixteen and fourteen of the best research papers completed during this period. The papers have been edited for brevity. These papers analyze the many challenges to effective environmental management in the context of different countries including India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, Nepal, Singapore, and Thailand, and propose insightful solutions. The first compilation, Sustainability Matters: Environmental Management in Asia, was published in 2010 (World Scientific) and comprised the best papers from 2001/2 to 2006/7. The second, Sustainability Matters: Challenges and Opportunities in Environmental Management in Asia was published in 2011 (Pearson), and comprised the best papers from 2007/8 to 2008/09. Contents: Volume 1:Air Pollution:Development of Urban Traffic Pollution Control Strategies in Asian Cities: A Case Study from Chennai, India (Ashwinkumar Dakshinamurthi and Rajasekhar Balasubramanian)Assessment and Abatement Measures for Vehicular Air Pollution in Colombo, Sri Lanka (Chamila Weerathunghe and Rajasekhar Balasubramanian)Waste Management:Recycling in Singapore the Singapore Model: Strategies and Ways to Improve (Tan Puay Cheow and Lye Lin Heng)Municipal Solid Waste Management in Southeast Asian Cities: The Next Steps (Boey Yinyin Edris and Rick Reidinger)Lessons for Integrated District-Level Food Waste Recycling Programs: A Review of Eight International Cases (Amireeta Rawlani and Kua Harn Wei)Singapore's Municipal Solid Waste Management: A Sustainable Model (Wendy Wong Shih Ling and Rick Reidinger)Utilization of Landfill Gas as a Renewable Source of Energy in India (Subhashini Kashinath and Zhou Zhi George)The Potential Role of Water Hyacinth in Wastewater Treatment in Nepal (Ram Bahadur Singh Maharjan and Chou Loke Ming)Improving Leachate Water Quality using a Wetland Treatment System in Lorong Halus — A Pilot Study (Christian Budiman and Ting Yen-Ping)Life Cycle Assessment of an Urban Waste Refinery (Celia Chua Bee Hong and Kua Harn-Wei) A Study of the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)Programs in Primary Schools, Singapore (Kelly Yong Kim-Lian and Victor R Savage)Urban Studies:Assessing Skywalk Systems as a Response to High Density Living in Hong Kong (Patricia Woo and Malone-Lee Lai Choo)The Management of Visitor Pressure on Coastal Parks of Singapore (Karen Lim Hui Khian and Chou Loke Ming)Sustainability in Singapore: An Ecological Footprint Perspective (Xin Jing Jing and Victor R Savage)Seagrasses in Singapore: Current Status and Long-Term Management Plans (Michelle Chng Wei Ping and Chou Loke Ming)The Singapore's Bus System: An Analysis of Commuters' Satisfaction and Potential Improvements (Jan Martin Hecker and Lee Der Horng)An Assessment of Sustainable Cities (May Yadana Aung and Chou Loke-Ming)Urban Greenery as a Mitigation Strategy for Urban Heat Island Effect in High Density Commercial Districts of Dhaka (Nabanita Islam and Wong Nyuk-Hien)The Potential for Residential Water Conservation in Dhaka, Bangladesh (Sonia F Hoque, Asanga Gunawansa and Md. Mafizur Rahman)Planned Housing Environments and Children's Outdoor Play: Is Child-Friendliness Possible? (Md Rashed Bhuyan and Tracey Skelton)Green Business:Empowering the Bottom of the Pyramid: Government, Business, and Solar Power in India (Carrie Wallace Candeto and Audrey Chia)Charting a Greener Course in Shipping: Incorporating Environmental Performance Indicators in a Tanker Pool System (Jean Chia E Ming and Audrey Chia)Environmental Practices of Indian Business Process Outsourcing: A Study of Two Companies (Sweta Sorab and Mark Goh)Green Business Strategies in the Precision Engineering Industry in Singapore (Gan Chin-Yean and Audrey Chua)The Second Green Revolution: A Review of the Challenges and Prospects (Leong Li-Sun and Victor R Savage)Towards Broader Implementation of Corporate Sustainability and Sustainability Reporting in the Construction Industry in Singapore (Kaia Margit Davis Tan and Audrey Chia)Volume 2:Biodiversity:The Impact of Community Forestry on Biodiversity Conservation in Nepal (Ishwari Prasad Poudel and Chou Loke-Ming)Waste Management:Improving Leachate Water Quality Using a Wetland Treatment System in Lorong Halus — A Pilot Study (Christian Budiman and Ting Yen-Ping)Life Cycle Assessment of an Urban Waste Refinery (Celia Chua Bee-Hong and Kua Harn-Wei)A Study of the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) Programs in Primary Schools, Singapore (Kelly Yong Kim-Lian and Victor R Savage)Urban Studies:An Assessment of Sustainable Cities (May Yadana Aung and Chou Loke-Ming)Urban Greenery as a Mitigation Strategy for Urban Heat Island Effect in High Density Commercial Districts of Dhaka, Bangladesh (Nabanita Islam and Wong Nyuk-Hien) The Potential for Residential Water Conservation in Dhaka, Bangladesh (Sonia F Hoque, Asanga Gunawansa and Md Mafizur Rahman)Planned Housing Environments and Children's Outdoor Play: Is Child-Friendliness Possible? (Md Rashed Bhuyan and Tracey Skelton)Energy and Climate Change:Wind: The Alternative Source of Power for Singapore After Solar Energy? (Chew Keng-Hui and Lanry Yung)The Economics of Wind Energy (Alan Yau Wai-Hoo and Benjamin K Sovacool)Print Media and Climate Change: A Comparison of the 1992 Rio Summit and the 2009 Copenhagen Conference (Davina Loh and Victor R Savage)Green Business:Green Business Strategies in the Precision Engineering Industry in Singapore (Gan Chin-Yean and Audrey Chia)The Second Green Revolution: A Review of the Challenges and Prospects (Leong Li-Sun and Victor R Savage)Towards Broader Implementation of Corporate Sustainability and Sustainability Reporting in the Construction Industry in Singapore (Kaia Margit Davis-Tan and Audrey Chia) Readership: Graduate students, academics and researchers in environmental management/science. Keywords:Environment;Management;Sustainability;Asia;Corporate Environmental Management;Biodiversity and Planning;Marine Environment;Environment and Economic Development;Energy Sustainability;Renewable Energy;Urban Pollution and Waste Management;Sustainable Infrastructure;Transportation;Recycling;Urban Studies;Green Business

Sustainability Matters is a compilation of some of the best research papers submitted by students from the National University of Singapore's multi-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary graduate programme in environmental studies, as their MSc dissertations in Environmental Management [MEM]. This collection is for the period 2014/2015 to 2015/2016. Entitled Sustainability Matters: Environmental Management in the Anthropocene, this is the sixth volume in the series, and comprises 15 of the best research papers completed during this period. The papers have been edited for brevity. They analyse the many challenges to effective environmental management covering countries including China, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the EU, and USA. Issues examined include biodiversity conservation, environmental science, environmental governance and management, energy, and urban studies. The first compilation, Sustainability Matters: Environmental Management in Asia was published in 2010 and comprised the best papers from 2001/2002 to 2006/2007. The second, Sustainability Matters: Challenges and Opportunities in Environmental Management in Asia, was published in 2011, and comprised the best papers from 2007/2008 and 2008/2009. The third and fourth compilations, Sustainability Matters: Asia's Green Challenges, and Sustainability Matters: Asia's Energy Concerns, Green Policies and Environmental Advocacy, comprised the best papers from the periods 2009/2010 and 2011/2012 respectively. The fifth compilation, Sustainability Matters: Environmental and Climate Changes in the Asia-Pacific, was published in 2015 and comprised the best papers for the periods 2012/2013 and 2013/2014. The papers are edited by five staff members from different disciplines in the MEM programme: Lye Lin-Heng, Harvey Neo, Sekhar Kondepudi, Yew Wen-Shan, Judy Sng Gek-Khim. Contents: Biodiversity & Conservation: Coral Reef Restoration in Singapore — Past, Present and Future (Ng Chin-Soon Lionel & Chou Loke-Ming)Wildlife Trade in China and Vietnam: A Comparative Study of the Implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) (Sallie Chia-Wei, Yang & Lye Lin-Heng)Environmental Science: Status and Trends of Phytoremediation in Singapore (Fam Mei-Ling & Sanjay Swarup)Managing the Risk of Non-indigenous Marine Species Transfer in Singapore Using a Study of Vessel Movement (Chin-Sing Lim, Yi-Lin Leong & Koh-Siang Tan)Biogenic Volatile Organic Compounds (BVOCs) Emissions by Selected Street Trees in Singapore (Kho Yue-Min Veron & Tan Puay-Yok)Environmental Goverance & Management: Sustainability Reporting in Singapore (Loh Zhiyang & Audrey Chia)Air Quality Improvement and Greenhouse Gas Mitigation in Pakistan: An Integrated Approach (Kaleem Anwar Mir & Rajasekhar Balasubramanian)Self-Management in Environmental Management Philosophy (Zhang Yuzhe & Cecilia Lim)Evaluating EIA Follow-ups in China and Singapore (Deng Mao & Rick Reidinger)Larger Population for Singapore: A Utilities Perspective (Ang Chun-Wei Alan & Victor R Savage)Energy: Roles of Renewable Energy for Sustainable Development in Industrial Plants (Tan Choon-Puay & Tong Yen-Wah)A Comparative Analysis of the Regulatory Framework Between the United States of America and the European Union on the Use of "Fracking" in Unconventional Hydrocarbons Development (Carmelita Leow & Namrata Chindarkar)Urban Studies: Sustainable Urbanism at Neighbourhood Level: Possibilities and Practice in Planned

Written by 18 authors, this book on Sustainability, Climate Change and the Green Economy brings together insights at the nexus of the four key concepts embedded in its title. The book is unpacked in six parts. Part 1 is a single chapter that covers the context of the topic. Part 2 looks at the green economy and green jobs, and addresses the challenges of government coordination and socio-economic development, with emphasis on skills and immigration regimes. Part 3 reflects on sustainable development, with a focus on relearning our wants and needs, and provides critical reflection on engineering for sustainable development. Management of natural resources and wetlands makes up Part 4, which teases out issues on timber harvesting, as well as challenges and opportunities in addressing environment-economic development and growth conflicts. A critique of climate change coverage in news media, mainstreaming climate change into wildlife policies, and tourism, are matters covered in Part 5. The last part (Part 6) is another single chapter, which articulates emerging issues from the whole book and presents some policy and take-home messages. Given the growing literature in the field of sustainability, climate change and the green economy, this piece will prove a must-read for policy makers, academics, industry and civil society.