Peter Guthrie

Embedding sustainable development at Cambridge University Engineering Department

Purpose – The paper seeks to examine the latest stage in a process of change aimed at introducing concepts of sustainable development into the activities of the Department of Engineering at Cambridge University, UK.Design/methodology/approach – The rationale behind defining the skills which future engineers require is discussed and vehicles for change at both undergraduate and postgraduate level are described. Reflections on the paradigms and pedagogy of teaching sustainable development issues to engineers are offered, as well as notes on barriers to progress which have been encountered.Findings – The paper observes that the ability to effectively initiate a change process is a vital skill which must be formally developed in those engineers wishing to seek sustainable solutions from within the organisations for which they will work. Lessons are drawn about managing a change process within a large academic department, so that concepts of sustainable development can be effectively introduced across all area...

Sustainable Waste and Materials Management: National Policy and Global Perspective

aste generation and resource shortages have long beenrecognized as two of the greatest challenges humansociety is facing. In the early 1970s, the Club of Rome, a groupof pioneering global thinkers, predicted in their milestone bookThe Limits to Growth that “if the present growth trends in worldpopulation...pollution ... and resource depletion continueunchanged, the limits to growth on this planet will be reachedsometime within the next one hundred years”. Since the 1970s,“sustainability” has become a key word in modern culture andhas drawn a massive increase of attention. Many countries nowconsider sustainability a top priority of their national policies onwaste and materials management. However, these policies tendto focus on each individual country and therefore may lack aglobal perspective.The United Kingdom (UK) Department for Environment,Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), in a White Paper entitled“Government Review of Waste Policy in England 2011”published June 14, 2011, sets out actions to achieve anambitious goal of “zero waste economy”. This commitmentmay be partly attributed to England’s recent success in boostingits waste recycling rate. In 2010/11, England’s household wasterecycling rate reached 40%, representing a significant increasefrom 11% in 2000/01. The commercial and industrial recyclingrate is 52%, up from 42% in 2002/03. This increase of recyclingrate is astonishing when compared to that in the United Stateswhere the municipal solid waste recycling rate only increased by5% over a decade, reaching 34% in 2010. A large portion ofUK’s recycled materials are exported to other countries,primarily countries in the Far East. Currently the UK exports15 million tonnes of recycled materials, which is equivalent toapproximately 32% of the total household and commercialwaste.While cheering for greatly improved recycling practice in theUK, we may ignore certain adverse effects associated with it, forinstance, waste and contamination transfer. The UK isexporting 80% of its low-grade mixed papers, but only 20%of its high grade paper.

Comparative analysis of carbonization drivers in China's megacities

This study investigates the key drivers affecting emission increases in terms of population growth, economic growth, industrial transformation, and energy use in six Chinese megacities: Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong. The six cities represent the most‐developed regions in China and they have similar per capita carbon dioxide (CO) emissions as many developed countries. There is an urgent need to quantify the magnitude of each factor in driving the emissions changes in those cities so that a potential bottom‐up climate mitigation policy design at the city and sectoral levels can be initiated. We adopt index decomposition analysis and present the results in both additive and multiplicative approaches to reveal the absolute and relative levels of each factor in driving emission changes during 1985–2007. Among all cities, economic effect and energy intensity effect have always been the two dominant factors contributing to the changes in carbon emissions. This study reveals that there are large variations in the ways driving forces contribute to emission levels in different cities and industrial sectors.

Community-led resettlement: From a flood-affected slum to a new society in Pune, India

This paper describes the resettlement process of a community devastated by annual floods, to newly constructed housing in Pune, India. The relocation from Kamgar Putala slum to a housing society at Hadapsar was organized by a community-led NGO partnership in 2004. The housing development was coordinated by the local NGO Shelter Associates with significant community participation. The housing has been revisited in 2010 to evaluate the sustainability of the resettlement projects delivery model via stakeholder perception. The process of organizing for resettlement after natural disaster is described along with the implementation and evaluation of the new housing nearly six years after initial occupation. The strong partnership approach overcame a series of political and financial hurdles at various stages of the relocation project. The story of resettling Kamgar Putala is detailed alongside an outline of the current political climate for an alternative slum-upgrading policy in India and Pune. The advantages of an empowered community supported by an influential local NGO demonstrate a commendable team effort which has tackled the threat of floods. The paper highlights the merits of a community-led partnership approach to housing development for achieving sustainable urban development as well as the alleviation of poverty in a developing context.

Multiple interpretations of resilience in disaster risk management

Abstract Resilience is a key term in disaster risk management (DRM). However, resilience is interpreted in a variety of ways that can seem inconsistent and there is significant academic debate over definition of the term. This paper summarises the problems of resilience definitions, highlighting the key aspects where there are differences in interpretation. In light of these differences, a conceptual framework for examining multiple interpretations of resilience in DRM is presented. The paper suggests that a strict consensus on the definition of resilience is not practical or perhaps not even possible. Adopting the concept of resilience in a range of contexts inherently requires some flexibility in meaning. The proposed framework encourages an acceptance that there are multiple, valid interpretations of resilience. It is designed to promote cross-disciplinary understanding of resilience in DRM.

A hierarchy of measures for infrastructure resilience – learning from post-disaster reconstruction in Christchurch, New Zealand

Recent research into the concept of resilience has shown that it helps key players in urban development to assess and set priorities for resistance and recovery for disaster risk management. However, a competing issue within post-disaster recovery is managing the trade-offs between quickly restoring infrastructure services versus taking time to consider and consult on alternative options. Through an examination of the post-earthquake reconstruction in Christchurch, New Zealand, this paper considers infrastructure resilience by using a hierarchy of measures. This hierarchy shows how infrastructure resilience needs to be considered as a series of interventions in response to different levels of damage. It elucidates the varying nature of resilience measures, the decision-making processes required to implement them and constraints, chiefly in funding, that prevent wider application of such measures. This is an important consideration for defining and acting upon the opportunity for change created by a disaster. Furthermore, a broader examination of resilience in disaster risk management highlights that clarification is needed over what constitutes an appropriate response for community involvement in post-disaster infrastructure reconstruction.

Vulnerability reduction through local seismic culture

Work done in the area of vulnerability reduction by academics and professionals has been a key component in reducing adverse impacts of potential disasters. A primary type of vulnerability in which engineers have an important role to play is that related to the built environment. In particular, the disintegration and collapse of buildings are responsible for the vast majority of deaths and injuries, as well as economic losses and social disruption, following an earthquake. Traditionally, engineering research has focused on the development of new design philosophies and construction technologies as a means of reducing the vulnerability of buildings. The tendency to study and apply new technologies for better earthquake protection has been reinforced by evidence from recent earthquakes, suggesting that, where appropriately adopted, advances in construction materials and methods result in safer structures, sustaining less damage.

Future-proofed energy design for dwellings: Case studies from England and application to the Code for Sustainable Homes

This paper investigates ‘future-proofing’ as an unexplored yet all-important aspect in the design of low-energy dwellings. It refers particularly to adopting lifecycle thinking and accommodating risks and uncertainties in the selection of fabric energy efficiency measures and low or zero-carbon technologies. Based on a conceptual framework for future-proofed design, the paper first presents results from the analysis of two ‘best practice’ housing developments in England; i.e., North West Cambridge in Cambridge and West Carclaze and Baal in St. Austell, Cornwall. Second, it examines the ‘Energy and CO2 Emissions’ part of the Code for Sustainable Homes to reveal which design criteria and assessment methods can be practically integrated into this established building certification scheme so that it can become more dynamic and future-oriented. Practical application: Future-proofed construction is promoted implicitly within the increasingly stringent building regulations; however, there is no comprehensive method to readily incorporate futures thinking into the energy design of buildings. This study has a three-fold objective of relevance to the building industry: Illuminating the two key categories of long-term impacts in buildings, which are often erroneously treated interchangeably: – The environmental impact of buildings due to their long lifecycles. – The environment’s impacts on buildings due to risks and uncertainties affecting the energy consumption by at least 2050. This refers to social, technological, economic, environmental and regulatory (predictable or unknown) trends and drivers of change, such as climate uncertainty, home-working, technology readiness etc. Encouraging future-proofing from an early planning stage to reduce the likelihood of a prematurely obsolete building design. Enhancing established building energy assessment methods (certification, modelling or audit tools) by integrating a set of future-oriented criteria into their methodologies.

Cities’ role in mitigating United States food system greenhouse gas emissions

Current trends of urbanization, population growth, and economic development have made cities a focal point for mitigating global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The substantial contribution of food consumption to climate change necessitates urban action to reduce the carbon intensity of the food system. While food system GHG mitigation strategies often focus on production, we argue that urban influence dominates this sector’s emissions and that consumers in cities must be the primary drivers of mitigation. We quantify life cycle GHG emissions of the United States food system through data collected from literature and government sources producing an estimated total of 3800 kg CO2e/capita in 2010, with cities directly influencing approximately two-thirds of food sector GHG emissions. We then assess the potential for cities to reduce emissions through selected measures; examples include up-scaling urban agriculture and home delivery of grocery options, which each may achieve emissions reductions on the order of 0.4 and ∼1% of this total, respectively. Meanwhile, changes in waste management practices and reduction of postdistribution food waste by 50% reduce total food sector emissions by 5 and 11%, respectively. Consideration of the scale of benefits achievable through policy goals can enable cities to formulate strategies that will assist in achieving deep long-term GHG emissions targets.

Education for sustainable development in the built environment

The importance of this special issue on Education for Sustainable Development in the Built Environment is timely following the adoption of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) by the 193 UN member states in 2015; the 17 universal goals measured by 169 targets should be achieved by 2030 (UN, 2015). SDG 4 is aimed at “ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education that promotes lifelong learning opportunities for all”. More importantly, target 4.7 requires that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development by 2030 (UN, 2015, p. 21). The built environment is also described as critical for the achievement of the SDGs due to the impact of the built environment on a number of SDGs. Opoku (2016) believes that the built environment could have high impact on achieving a number of SDGs including Goal 7 (affordable and clean energy), Goal 9 (infrastructure and innovation), Goal 11 (sustainable cities and communities), Goal 13 (climate change) and Goal 15 (biodiversity). Education for sustainable development (ESD) or sustainability literacy will provide graduates with the knowledge, skills, and motivation to tackle the challenges society faces today (SDSN Australia/Pacific, 2017). This can only be achieved when teaching and learning is delivered through cross-disciplinary, multi-stakeholder engagement and experiential learning approaches. ESD can play a fundamental role in providing learners with the knowledge, skills, and values to develop solutions to the global sustainability challenges through innovative pedagogy that enhances quality teaching and learning (UNESCO, 2014:3). Education and for that matter higher education institutions have a crucial role to play in achieving the SDGs through research, innovation, and leadership (SDSN Australia/Pacific, 2017).