01 March 2010

Dr John Peet: Strong Sustainability for New Zealand

“Doing good for the environment” is not enough to be sustainable.

We must not think that taking steps to mitigate climate change will make New Zealand sustainable. Much more is required.

Sustaining the ecosystems on which we depend requires a systemic approach to change that goes far beyond limiting emissions, controlling effluents, or managing solid waste.

Dr John Peet's presentation to the ANGOA Roundtable February 2010:
Strong Sustainability for New Zealand.

The presentation focused on the principles and the conclusions of the SANZ report, the strength of the evidence despite recent reactionary criticism, and the implications for community organisations in Aotearoa NZ. Sustainability is one of the driving features of ANGOA's kaupapa, and many NGOs could find this report useful as they position and plan for the future for their organisations. Sustainability is much more than the common focus of NGOs on "whether we have enough to fund this year's activities"

Sustainable Aotearoa New Zealand (SANZ) produced the report "Strong Sustainability: Principles and Scenarios" based on the findings of a SANZ/UNESCO Think Tank, and was introduced at an ANGOA Research Forum in Christchurch in 2009.

SANZ was engaged by the NZ National Commission for Unesco to manage work on the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UNDESD). The project has been supported by the Tindall Foundation. Three Think Tank workshops and a subsequent Dialogue Day held in late 2008. Around 90 people were involved, all knowledgeable about the topic. A final draft report went out for peer review and in its final form was released in November 09.

The purpose of the paper is to provide insights for people who wish to engage in thinking and debate about a strongly sustainable New Zealand. The paper addresses the confusion around the words 'sustainable development' and 'sustainability' and identifies a raft of complex global changes (that have already begun) which will cause abrupt and radical shifts in human living, work, and recreation. In this context, the paper proposes a new economics, reforms in political structures and institutions, and a quite different set of underlying human ethics and values, in order to set New Zealand onto a sustainable path.

Those involved in the Think Tank were all knowledgeable about the subject of sustainability and contributed views from a wide variety of personal and professional experiences. The paper itself has been internationally peer reviewed.

"An excellent paper. It's really hugely encouraging to see someone trying to use the concept of sustainability as it should be used in a futures project of this kind - rather than defaulting to the usual mish-mash of bland and misleading generalisations that one normally detects...I did find this very stimulating, and a really useful way of bringing sustainability into the minds of New Zealanders in a hard hitting and realistic fashion". Quote from reviewer, Jonathon Porritt (Chair of UK Govt Sustainable Development Commission and Founder Director of Forum for the Future)