Transdisciplinary Considerations Among Sustainability Criteria

1. Transdisciplinary Considerations Among Sustainability Criteria With a Focus on the Ecological Macroeconomics of Biodiversity Conservation

2. Spheres of Sustainability Ecological Economic Social

3. Prehistoric Proportions Ecological Economic Social

4. Sustainability Institutions Ecological (Institutions) Economic Social

5. Capacities and Tradeoffs Ecological Social Economic

6. Economic Growth an increase in the production and consumption of goods and services typically expressed in terms of GDP facilitated by increasing: population per capita consumption

7. K Natural capital allocated to wildlife GNP Natural capital allocated to human economy Time Czech, B. 2000. Economic growth as the limiting factor for wildlife conservation. Wildlife Society Bulletin 28(1):4-14.

8. Some Empirical Evidence: Causes of Species Endangerment as a “Who’s Who” of the American Economy

9. Urbanization Agriculture Water diversions (e.g., reservoirs) Recreation, tourism development Pollution Domestic livestock, ranching 247 205 160 148 143 136 Endangerment Causes Czech et al. 2000. Bioscience 50(7):593-601.

10. Mineral, gas, oil extraction Non-native species Harvest Modified fire regimes Road construction/maintenance Industrial development 134 115 101 83 83 81 Causes (cont.) Czech et al. 2000. Bioscience 50(7):593-601.

11. Making sense of the Who’s Who with Trophic Theory

12. Economy of Nature Super- Carnivores Service Providers Consumers Producers (i.e., plants)

13. Human Economy Light manufacturing Heavy manufacturing Service Sectors Producers (i.e., agriculture, extraction)

14. Human-inclusive Economy of Nature Humans Service Providers Animals Plants

15. With Economic Growth Human Economy Service Providers Animals Plants

16. PDF files for these articles available at The Wildlife Society website: www.wildlife.org. (Follow links to Wildlife Society Bulletin.)

17. ESA Listings and GDP $10 $9 $8 $7 $6 $5 $4 $3 R2 = 98.4 1973 1980 1990 2001

18. Basic Population Dynamics

19. Carrying Capacity Scenarios K K-selection Individuals r-selection Time

20. K and r-selected Species

21. Economic Carrying Capacity K K-selection GDP r-selection Time

22. K and r-selected Economies

23. American GNP, 1929-1997 K or r-selected?

24. But, for the sake of biodiversity conservation, it’s not enough to hope we are K-selected.

25. Wildlife Conservation and Steady State Economy K To conserve wildlife... GNP ...maintain steady state economy sufficiently below K. Time

26. But what about Technological Progress?

27. Technological Progress Vernacular: invention, innovation Technical: increasing productive efficiency resulting from invention and innovation

28. Natural Capital Allocation Revisited KU X natural capital allocable KT Natural capital allocated to non-human economy GNP Natural capital allocated to human economy Time

29. The Big Hope KU X natural capital remains allocable K2 X/2 conserved K1 Economic growth with technology level 2 GNP Economic growth with technology level 1 Time

30. “Yes” Physiocrats Classical economists Ecological economists Ecologists “No” Neoclassical economists Corporations Politicians The Great Debate: Is There a Limit?

31. Substitutability of resources Increasing productive efficiency Increasing human capital Why would there not be a limit?

32. White Pine, “Big Wheel”

33. Substituting for white pine, employing more efficient technology.

34. Sitka Spruce, Timbco 435 “Feller Buncher”

35. Carrying capacity Thermodynamics Trophic levels Why would there be a limit?

36. Carrying Capacity Consumers Products Byproducts

37. Thermodynamics Fixed amount of matter Entropy Fixed amount of energy

38. Another look at trophic levels, this time in light of thermodynamics.

39. Economy of Nature Biomass/100 Service Providers Biomass/10 Biomass

40. Human Economy Light manufacturing Heavy manufacturing Service Sectors Producers (i.e., agriculture, extraction)

41. Clear to All Without technological progress, GNP limited GNP growth faster than technological progress = trouble

42. Unclear to Many Technological progress: raising the bar or accelerating the approach? Does technological progress occur without increased consumption?

43. Consider the Sources Research and development Corporate profit Economies of scale

44. One More Look at Allocation KU X natural capital allocable KT Natural capital allocated to non-human economy GNP Natural capital allocated to human economy Time

45. Remember the Big Hope? KU X natural capital remains allocable K2 X/2 conserved K1 Economic growth with technology level 2 GNP Economic growth with technology level 1 Time

46. The Apparent Reality KU X/2 natural capital allocable K2 X/2 converted K1 GNP Economic growth with technology level 2 Economic growth with technology level 1 Time

47. Red Herring Alert! Red Herring Alert! Red Herring Alert!

48. The “Information” Economy What is the information used for? How does one come to afford the information?

49. To say that an economy may grow perpetually on a finite land mass is to say that a stable economy may occupy a perpetually diminishing land mass! Fallacy Buster

50. $ $ = $ $