Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

The Theory And Practice Of Genetically Engineered Crops And Agricultural Sustainability, David E. Ervin, Leland L. Glenna, Raymond Adelard Jussaume

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

The development of genetically engineered (GE) crops has focused predominantly on enhancing conventional pest control approaches. Scientific assessments show that these GE crops generally deliver significant economic and some environmental benefits over their conventional crop alternatives. However, emerging evidence indicates that current GE crops will not foster sustainable cropping systems unless the negative environmental and social feedback effects are properly addressed. Moreover, GE crop innovations that promote more sustainable agricultural systems will receive underinvestment by seed and chemical companies that must understandably focus on private returns for major crops. Opportunities to promote crops that convey multi-faceted benefits for the environment …

Changing The Way We View Humanity And The Rest Of Nature, Robert Costanza

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including the idea of ecosystem services, how ecosystem aided to solve the mother of all problems and how ecosystem services offer real solutions to problems.

A Global Partnership For Ecosystem Services, Dolf De Groot, Robert Costanza, Dieter Van Den Broeck, James Aronson

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

The article offers information on the participation of the Baviaanskloof Mega Reserve in the Ecosystem Services Partnership (ESP) in South Africa. It mentions that an active group of scientists has been working with the local and ESP to restore the Mega Reserve using the ecosystem services. The group combines a learning village to raise awareness of the project and a tree nursery that specializes in indigenous species.

Indigenous Australians Fight Climate Change With Fire, Scott Heckbert, Jeremy Russell-Smith, Andrew Reeson, Glenn James

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

The article focuses on the move of Indigenous people in Australia to implement fire management in an effort to improve landscape condition and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It highlights the launch of the West Arnhem Land Fire Abatement (WALFA) project, a prime example of scientists, governments, Indigenous land managers, and carbon markets connecting to offer innovative solutions to resource management and economic development. It also highlights ecosystem services in the region.

Dr7a: Changes In Ecosystem Services And Migration In Low-Lying Coastal Areas Over The Next 50 Years, Robert Costanza, Ida Kubiszewski, Joe Roman, Paul Sutton

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

This paper examines the history and current status of ecosystem services in low-lying coastal areas (LLCAs), their potential changes because of wider environmental and social shifts, and the potential impacts of these changes on human migration. We synthesised information from a number of sources on the status and value of ecosystem services in LLCAs, including information about key ecosystems that are likely to be particularly vulnerable to environmental change. We created maps of ecosystem and human population changes in LLCAs and then estimated changes in ecosystem services. Estimating the impacts of these potential changes depends on the future scenario one …

Planning Approaches For Water Resources Development In The Lower Mekong Basin, Robert Costanza, Ida Kubiszewski, Peter Paquet, Jeffrey King, Shpresa Halimi, Hansa Sanguanngoi, Nguyen Luong Bach, Richard Frankel, Jiragorn Ganaseni, Apisom Intralawan, David Morell

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

Governments in the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB) face decisions that involve trade-offs between, for example, the economic benefits from hydropower generation and potentially irreversible negative impacts on the ecosystems that provide livelihoods and food security to the rural poor. These decisions involve complex problems that are both poorly understood in scientific terms and subject to rapid, potentially catastrophic change over time. A comprehensive, whole systems approach that adequately addresses the risks and uncertainties involved is necessary, but this is a daunting challenge for researchers, decision makers, and managers. They must develop the capacity to plan, coordinate, and implement a program …

Valuing Ecological Systems And Services, Robert Costanza, Ida Kubiszewski, David E. Ervin, Randall Bluffstone, Darrell Brown, Heejun Chang, Veronica Dujon, Elise F. Granek, Stephen Polasky, Vivek Shandas, J. Alan Yeakley, James Boyd

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

Making trade-offs between ecological services and other contributors to human well-being is a difficult but critical process that requires valuation. This allows both better recognition of the ecological, social, and economic trade-offs and also allows us to bill those who use up or destroy ecological services and reward those that produce or enhance them. It also aids improved ecosystems policy. In this paper we clarify some of the controversies in defining the contributions to human well-being from functioning ecosystems, many of which people are not even aware of.We go on to describe the applicability of the various valuation methods that …

Leadership In Sustainable Chemicals Policy: Opportunities For Oregon, Jennifer H. Allen, Alexis Dinno

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

Oregon is uniquely positioned to lead in the development of safer alternatives to toxic chemicals. Existing chemicals policy in the United States does not comprehensively protect human health or the environment from the potential impacts of chemical exposure. Very few of the 84,000 chemical substances produced, processed or imported for commercial purposes in the United States have been studied for health and environmental impacts. The federal Environmental Protection Agency has access to only limited information about potential health or environmental hazards. Manufacturers have the right to withhold what they consider to be confidential business information. Because of this lack of …

Can Nuclear Power Be Part Of The Solution?, Robert Costanza, Cutler Cleveland, Bruce Cooperstein, Ida Kubiszewski

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

The author discusses the importance of incorporating the full costs of operating a nuclear power plant in the U.S., such as climate impact, risk of accidents, and safe disposal of radioactive waste. He argues on the need for changes in the country's evaluation of nuclear power which include the elimination of subsidies, and the requirement to buy full-coverage insurance for accidents. The author further highlights the cost of greenhouse gas emissions from nuclear power plants.

How Defining Planetary Boundaries Can Transform Our Approach To Growth, W. L. Steffen, Johan Rockström, Robert Costanza

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

The article focuses on the importance to identify safe boundaries based on the fundamental characteristics of our planet to address the growing threats of climate change. It highlights the rapid transition of the planet from the stable Holocene state to an unknown future state of significantly different conditions. In addition, climate change, biodiversity loss and phosphorus production were already transgressed by humanity and require innovative frameworks and effective solutions.

Exploring Technology Acceptance For Mobile Services, Kenny Phan, Tugrul Unsal Daim

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

Purpose: Mobile phone industries are no longer relying on voice services. It is predicted that data services are expected to be a remediation for the declining of average revenue per user (ARPU) in telecommunication market. The purpose of this paper is to find the factors that influence the acceptance/adoption of mobile services.

Design/methodology/approach: This paper utilizes quantitative method. Questionnaire were distributed to collect the data. The questionnaires are designed specifically to address the factors related to mobile services. Later on, this paper uses Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) and Cluster analysis to identify the factors that influence the adoption of mobile …

Making Ecodistricts: City-Scale Climate Action One Neighborhood At A Time, Ethan Seltzer, Ellen M. Bassett, Joseph Cortright, Vivek Shandas, Timothy W. Smith

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

As part of its approach to meeting Climate Action Plan goals, the City of Portland has joined with the Portland Sustainability Institute to create "EcoDistricts" in Portland neighborhoods to seek neighborhood engagement on behalf of city climate action goals. EcoDistricts, like neighborhoods, offer a scale at which individuals can be affective and empowered to make climate-positive choices, but in a manner that can scale up to make citywide climate action real.

Urban Water Demand Modeling: Review Of Concepts, Methods, And Organizing Principles, Heejun Chang, Lily House-Peters

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

In this paper, we use a theoretical framework of coupled human and natural systems to review the methodological advances in urban water demand modeling over the past 3 decades. The goal of this review is to quantify the capacity of increasingly complex modeling techniques to account for complex human and natural processes, uncertainty, and resilience across spatial and temporal scales. This review begins with coupled human and natural systems theory and situates urban water demand within this framework. The second section reviews urban water demand literature and summarizes methodological advances in relation to four central themes: (1) interactions within and …

Toward An Integrated History To Guide The Future, Sander Van Der Leeuw, Robert Costanza, Steve Aulenbach, Simon Brewer, Michael Burek, Sarah Cornell, Carole L. Crumley, J. A. Dearing, Catherine Downy, Lisa J. Graumlich, Scott Heckbert, Michelle Hegmon, Kathy A. Hibbard, Stephen T. Jackson, Ida Kubiszewski, Paul Sinclair, Sverker Sörlin, W. L. Steffen

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

Many contemporary societal challenges manifest themselves in the domain of human?environment interactions. There is a growing recognition that responses to these challenges formulated within current disciplinary boundaries, in isolation from their wider contexts, cannot adequately address them. Here, we outline the need for an integrated, transdisciplinary synthesis that allows for a holistic approach, and, above all, a much longer time perspective. We outline both the need for and the fundamental characteristics of what we call ?integrated history.? This approach promises to yield new understandings of the relationship between the past, present, and possible futures of our integrated human?environment system. We …