1/3 Flashcards
Session 1-7
What Does a Well-Cultivated Critical Thinker Do?
1) Takes charge of one’s thinking and does not allow others to think for them.
2) Does not jump to conclusions: understands and defends different points of view.
3) Judges credibility of sources in the process of becoming well-informed.
Six Steps of Critical Thinking
1) Knowledge / Remembering
2) Comprehension / Understanding
3) Analysis / Applying
4) Applying / Analyzing
5) Synthesis / Evaluating
6) Evaluation / Creating
Argumentation Theory
Rational (Scientific) Arguments
-Deductive
-Inductive
Scare Tactics
-Force
-Fear
-Indirect Threats
-Emotional Blackmail
Deductive Argument
Valid has credibility, they are backed with factual evidence and information.
Invalid is usually conspiracies or pseudoscience.
They are arguments that move from specific conclusions.
Inductive Arguments
Specific observations –> Pattern recognition –> General conclusion
Arguments that move from specific to general conclusions.
The Many Faces of Sustainability (10)
-Socially constructed reality and should be taken seriously.
-Ideology and therefore political.
-The result of ongoing negotiations.
-Contextual: its meaning is dependent on the situation in which sustainability is used.
-A vision to work towards.
-A dynamic and/or evolving concept.
-Controversial and source of conflict (internal and external).
-Normative, ethical, and moral.
-Innovation or catalyst for change.
-Heuristic or a tool to aid thinking.
-Temporary stepping stone the evolution of environmental thought.
Sustainability Dimensions
-Economic Dimension
-Environmental Dimension
-Social Dimension
Economic Dimension
Transactions with economic value can be purchased or sold in the marketplace.
Easy to measure and track.
Possibly cause damage to environmental and social goods.
Environmental Dimension
Our surroundings include many ecosystems, communities, their components and relationships.
Public goods belong to everyone but do not have value in money.
The public bears the cost of externalities –> polluted air, unless a law internalizes them to the company.
Social Dimension
Activities that occur by living in groups or communities. It also covers the way group members treat each other.
Balances individual rights with community rights to satisfy basic human needs.
Values will vary depending on regional culture and beliefs.
Sustainability Models
-Sustainability Dimensions
-Venn Diagram Model
-Nested Circles Model (economic is embedded in social, social is in the environment).
-Five Capitals Model (three dimensions but more in-depth).
Capital Stocks and Flow
Resources used to attain high level of well-being. Sustainable rate of use can be greater than:
-Rate of regeneration of renewable resources.
-Rate of which renewable resource, used sustainably, can be substituted for non-renewable resources.
-Rate of which pollutant can be recycled, absorbed, or rendered harmless in the environment.
Importance of Cultural Considerations
-Inspire innovation through co-creation.
-Achieve and maintain sustainable solutions.
-Avoid a repeat of the past (neo-colonization).
-Promote and encourage democracy.
Multiple Capital Consideration
Substitution (weak) and Complementary/nested (strong).
The Iceberg Model
Direct Service: behaviours, decisions, results, outcomes
Structural Change: practices, norms, laws, rules, defined roles, money flows.
Personal Transformation: distribution and dynamics of power, privileges, relationships, implicit norms, traditions.
Paradigm Shift: mindsets, values, belief systems, paradigms (model, pattern, example).
History of Sustainability - Human Activity (Environmental)
Farming, Reproduction, Markets, Technology, Forestry.
1960s: Overexploitation of the fragile ecosystems and limited resources. Effects of pesticide.
Limits to Growth
1970s: First report of CO2 impact on climate change.
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was founded in Stockholm.
1990s: United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNICED).
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). First step towards Kyoto Protocol.
“Triple Bottom Line”
History of Sustainability - Human Well-Being (Social)
Concept of human needs and limitations. Includes global equity and poverty reduction.
UN SDG Goals
History of Sustainability - Business Case (Economic)
-UK Treasury’s Review on the Economics of Climate Change (2007): recommends immediate action to avert higher costs of climate change inaction.
-Green New Deal –> Green Economy which is a business model and macroeconomic instrument to escape economic crisis and onto the green growth.
Limits to Growth
Simulations depicting scenarios of interactions between population and material growth vs finite natural resources.
“Triple Bottom Line”
John Elkington’s “Cannibals with Forks”–> Various indicators, Metrics, Standards.
IPAT
Quantifies the environmental impacts of humans. It is introduced by Ehrlich and Holdren in 1972.
The T is unstandardized and subjective. Combines efficiency and conservation.
Emissions: # of people x (consumption/person) x (emissions/consumption)
Impact = Population x Affluence x Technology
I = P x A x T
ImPACT
T is split into 2 in this equation: consumption per unit affluence (wealth), and technology inefficiency.
ImPACT = Population x affluence x consumption per unit of affluence x technology inefficiency.
I = P x A x C x T
Limitations of IPAT and ImPACT
-They are assumed directly proportional to each of the parameters P, A, C, T. This may not always be the case.
-Increasing A can decrease growth in P. Demographic Transition.
-Decreasing T can increase A x C.
-They can be used for qualitative or semi-quantitative analysis of environmental impacts.
Ecological Footprint
It calculates the land needed to provide resources and dispose of waste sustainably.
Proposed Solutions for Reducing Ecological Footprints
-Stabilize population. Developed countries have low birth rates (~2.1 children/woman)
-Reduce consumption and waste
-Research and development for more efficient green technology.
Indicators
-Ecological Footprint
-Human Development Index
-Sustainable Development Index
-World Development Indicators
-IPAT and ImPACT
-Carbon Footprint
Common-Pool Resouces (CPRs)
They are things that are used and shared by everyone, but owned by no one. (Shouldn’t be privatized for profit.)
–> Air, water.
Tragedy of the Commons
-Taking for yourself at the expense of others.
-Everyone thinks about optimizing for themselves (such as how antibiotics may make us feel better but actually can cause stronger illnesses).
Short-term benefit = major problems that may be irreversible in the long run.
Governing the Commons
Management through group property rights instead of individual or central government.
Limitations to the Self-Organization in the Global Commons
-Hard to organize on a global scale.
-Competing beliefs and cultures.
-Not just a simple all-round solution.
-Always have to come up with solutions all the time.
-We only have one globe to experiment on.
Systems
A system is any group of interacting, interrelated, or interdependent parts that form a complex and unified whole that has a specific purpose.
They have a purpose. They must be complete for optimal purposes. The arrangement of parts affects performance. Maintain stability through feedback.
Paradigm
Assumptions and methods from which we build theories.
Analysis and Synthesis are paradigms.
Analysis
They use reductionism, which ignores the relationships between parts.
Synthesis
Considers the interconnectedness of parts and their independent characteristics. (Ecosystems, social systems, computer systems.)
Steps to Synthesis
- Study the elements of the system.
- Understand how the broad system functions.
- Study the interconnectedness of the parts.
Types of Feedback in Systems Thinking
Linear Feedback and Feedback Loop.
Feedback Loops
Reinforcing Loops: a circular relationship built on information that compounds change in one direction with even more change in that direction. Originates from positive feedback.
Balancing Loops (Negative feedback loops): A circular relationship that is generally stabilizing. Continually tries to keep at a system-desired level of performance.
Sustainable Development as an Oxymoron
-Needs vary by development phase.
-Needs vary temporally.
-Needs vary geographically.
-Needs vary culturally.
Indigenous Perspectives
-Land Stewardship
-Holistic Approaches
-Interconnectedness of Life
-Community and Collective Well-Being
Creating a Hybrid Knowledge System (Modern and Traditional)
-Accepting and advocating for Indigenous Knowledge Systems.
-Be critically aware of power, relationships, ethics and how it shapes the research process.
-Co-design the sustainability agenda.
-Two-way knowledge sharing.
