Supplemental readings from the Reader

Munasinghe, Mohan (Lead Author); Munasinghe Institute for Sust DV (Content Partner); Cutler J. Cleveland (Topic Editor). 2007. Prospects and status of millennium development goals. In Encyclopedia of Earth, eds. Cutler J. Cleveland. Washington, D.C.: EIC.

1.4.1.5 HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS: Simply sketched interactions - Millennium Development Goals At the turn of the century, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted some sixty goals that addressed peace, development, environment, human rights, the vulnerable, hungry, and poor, Africa, and the United Nations. Many of these contained specific targets for human-environment systems such as cutting poverty in half or insuring universal primary school education by 2015. For the eight major goals currently monitored by international institutions, many countries will fall short in meeting them at current rates of progress, particularly in Africa. Yet the goals still seem attainable by collective action both by the world community and by national governments. The Reading sets out the author’s view of the disappointing progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals in reducing hunger, achieving health, educating children, and sustaining the environment at the half way mark to 2015.

Parris, T. M., and R. W. Kates. 2003. Characterizing and measuring sustainable development. Annual Review of Environment and Resources 28:559-586.

2.4.2.1 INTEGRATIVE METHODS AND MODELS: Observations, indicators and monitoring - Indicators To move to a sustainability transition, societies need to establish or change direction, assess progress, and obtain warnings of unsustainability. Quantitative indicator systems relevant to the sustainability transition, such as institutional audits, integrated “sustainability” metrics of cities or regions, or global accounts of carbon, populations, or ecosystems, were early products of sustainability efforts. Despite or perhaps because of upwards of 500 efforts, no sets of indicators have achieved the widespread use and credibility of such indicators as gross domestic product (GDP)/capita or the human development index (HDI). The Reading reviews the diverse efforts to measure and to characterize sustainable development by examining twelve selected efforts. It then proposes an analytical framework that clearly distinguishes among goals, targets, and indicators, of sustainable development and related trends, driving forces, and policy responses.

Daily, G. C., T. Soderqvist, S. Aniyar, K. Arrow, P. Dasgupta, P. R. Ehrlich, C. Folke, A. Jansson, B.-O. Jansson, N. Kautsky, S. Levin, J. Lubchenco, K.-G. Maler, D. Simpson, D. Starrett, D. Tilman, and B. Walker. 2000. The value of nature and the nature

2.2.2 VALUES AND ATTITUDES: Valuing people and nature Both people and nature are continuously evaluated every time we say “I like someone or some place.” Comparative evaluations require a common standard and these may be aggregated as in approval ratings for government leaders or individualized as in test results for college entrance. One common standard for evaluation is monetary, giving answers to such questions as “how much it is it worth?” For items where there are extensive markets, average prices can serve as values. And while objectionable to many, monetary values are placed on human life as in the setting of compensation for loss of life and injury. Some benefits of nature in the form of productive ecosystem services are marketed, but most are not, and a lively interdisciplinary field of ecological economics seeks to value nature to encourage its sustainability. The Reading addresses both the need to value nature and how to do it. Valuation requires the identification of alternate ways of providing needed services from institutions, technologies, and ecosystems, the costs and benefits of each in terms of human well-being, and comparable means for estimating these when much is unknown or uncertain.