Seminar Abstract

Ed Miles and Ed Sarachik

Thursday, April 29, 2004
1:30 to 3:00

The multidimensional sustainability problem: An interpretation of the SCIENCE "State of the Planet" series, fall 2003

Ed Miles and Ed Sarachik will lead a discussion on the issue of sustainability and its implications for climate research. The discussion will draw from the following readings:

SCIENCE, vol. 162

• "The Tragedy of the Commons", 13 December 1968 (strongly recommended)

SCIENCE "State of the Planet" series, vol. 302 (all are pdf documents):

• "The Shape We're In", 14 November 2003: 1171
• "Human Population: The Next Half Century", 14 November 2003: 1172-1175
• "Prospects for Biodiversity", 14 November 2003: 1171-1177
• "Tropical Soils and Food Security: The Next 50 Years", 21 November 2003: 1356-1359
• "The Future for Fisheries", 21 November 2003: 1359-1361
• "Global Freshwater Resources: Soft-Path Solutions for the 21st Century", 28 November 2003: 1524-1528
• "Energy Resources and Global Development", 28 November 2003: 1528-1531
• "Global Air Quality and Pollution", 5 December 2003: 1716-1719
• "Modern Global Climate Change", 5 December 2003: 1719-1723
• "Where Do We Go From Here?", 12 December 2003: 1906
• "The Struggle to Govern the Commons", 12 December 2003: 1907-1912 (strongly recommended)
• "Social Capital and the Collective Management of Resources", 12 December 2003: 1912-1914
• "Managing Tragedies: Understanding Conflict over Common Pool Resources", 12 December 2003: 1915-1916
• "Global Food Security: Challenges and Policies", 12 December 2003: 1917-1919
• "New Visions for Addressing Sustainability", 12 December: 1919-1920
• "The Burden of Chronic Disease", 12 December 2003: 1921-1922
• "The Challenge of Long-Term Climate Change", 12 December 2003: 1923-1925
• "Climate Change: The Political Situation", 12 December 2003: 1925-1926
• "Tales from a Troubled Marriage: Science and Law in Environmental Policy", 12 December 2003: 1926-1929

The discussion format will be as follows:

I. FRAMING THE PROBLEM (including identifying objectives and a tentative timeline):

A. Garrett Harding's "Tragedy of the Commons" -- Ed Sarachik

B. Defining Sustainability -- Ed Miles

C. NRC. 1999. Our Common Journey -- Ed Miles

D. The Economist, July 6, 2002 -- Ed Miles

E. The SCIENCE Series -- Ed Miles

II. ELABORATING ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIES -- Ed Miles

III. SIGNIFICANT ISSUES NOT INCLUDED -- Ed Sarachik

IV. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE CIG: CLIMATE IN A WORLD OF MULTIPLE PRESSURES