Sustainable Development Disciplines for Humanity


Book Description

This Open Access book provides eight problem solving lectures for sustainable development for people, peace, and partnerships. Those are three of the five keywords for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): people, the planet, prosperity, peace, and partnerships or “the 5Ps”. Each of these lectures is classified into one of the keywords for SDGs and based on the history of social thought, human development, law, education, sociology, and peace studies. Further, each lecture delineates the essence of each discipline when it is practically applied to development studies. This book, Sustainable Development Disciplines for Humanity, along with its sister volume related to the planet and prosperity, Society, will be useful in studying development. Interdisciplinary research is necessary to achieve the SDGs advocated by the United Nations. Hence, it is essential to learn the basics of individual disciplines, as they each offer ample knowledge fostering problem solving through the accumulation of existing research. This and its sister volume are the first comprehensive textbooks summarizing the essence of each necessary discipline to approach development studies from an interdisciplinary perspective. In developing countries, this book will provide access to development research for readers aiming to further develop their own nations. Moreover, in developed countries, the book will provide access to problem-solving research for readers seeking holistic solutions to complex social problems. .




Sustainable Development Disciplines for Society


Book Description

This multidisciplinary Open Access book provides nine problem-solving lectures for sustainable development for the planet and prosperity. Those are two of the five keywords for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): people, the planet, prosperity, peace, and partnerships, or “the 5Ps”. Each of these lectures is classified into one of the keywords for SDGs and based on law, economics, management, international trade, input–output analysis, or agricultural and urban engineering. Further, each lecture delineates the essence of each discipline when it is practically applied to development studies. This book, Sustainable Development Disciplines for Society, along with its sister volume related to the people, peace and partnerships, will be useful in studying development. Interdisciplinary research is necessary to achieve the SDGs advocated by the United Nations. Hence, it is essential to learn the basics of individual disciplines, as they each offer ample knowledge fostering problem solving through the accumulation of existing research. This and its sister volume are the first comprehensive textbooks summarizing the essence of each necessary discipline to approach development studies from an interdisciplinary perspective. In developing countries, this book will provide access to development research for readers aiming to further develop their own nations. Moreover, in developed countries, this book will provide access to problem-solving research for readers seeking holistic solutions to complex social problems.




Sustainable Development Disciplines for Society


Book Description

This multidisciplinary Open Access book provides nine problem-solving lectures for sustainable development for the planet and prosperity. Those are two of the five keywords for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): people, the planet, prosperity, peace, and partnerships, or “the 5Ps”. Each of these lectures is classified into one of the keywords for SDGs and based on law, economics, management, international trade, input–output analysis, or agricultural and urban engineering. Further, each lecture delineates the essence of each discipline when it is practically applied to development studies. This book, Sustainable Development Disciplines for Society, along with its sister volume related to the people, peace and partnerships, will be useful in studying development. Interdisciplinary research is necessary to achieve the SDGs advocated by the United Nations. Hence, it is essential to learn the basics of individual disciplines, as they each offer ample knowledge fostering problem solving through the accumulation of existing research. This and its sister volume are the first comprehensive textbooks summarizing the essence of each necessary discipline to approach development studies from an interdisciplinary perspective. In developing countries, this book will provide access to development research for readers aiming to further develop their own nations. Moreover, in developed countries, this book will provide access to problem-solving research for readers seeking holistic solutions to complex social problems.




Human Factors for Sustainability


Book Description

This book deals with the central question of how human factors and ergonomics (HFE) might contribute to solutions for the more sustainable development of our world. The contents of the book are highly compatible with the recent political agenda for sustainable development as well as with sustainability research from other disciplines.The book aims to summarize and profile the various empirical and theoretical work arising from the field of “Human Factors and Sustainable Development” in the last decade. The book gives a systematic overview of relevant theoretical concepts, their underlying philosophies, as well as global application fields and case studies.




Cultural Sustainability


Book Description

If the political and social benchmarks of sustainability and sustainable development are to be met, ignoring the role of the humanities and social, cultural and ethical values is highly problematic. People’s worldviews, beliefs and principles have an immediate impact on how they act and should be studied as cultural dimensions of sustainability. Collating contributions from internationally renowned theoreticians of culture and leading researchers working in the humanities and social sciences, this volume presents an in-depth, interdisciplinary discussion of the concept of cultural sustainability and the public visibility of such research. Beginning with a discussion of the concept of cultural sustainability, it goes on to explore its interaction with philosophy, theology, sociology, economics, arts and literature. In doing so, the book develops a much needed concept of ‘culture’ that can be adapted to various disciplines and applied to research on sustainability. Addressing an important gap in sustainability research, this book will be of great interest to academics and students of sustainability and sustainable development, as well as those studying sustainability within the humanities and social sciences, such as cultural studies, ethics, theology, sociology, literature and history.




Quantitative Sustainability


Book Description

This open access book focuses on how scientific methodologies can help industrial managers, entrepreneurs and policymakers handle the 17 Sustainable Development Goals in an efficient and realistic way. It also offers an operative scheme for scientists to overcome their discipline barriers. Is interdisciplinarity an intrinsic research value or is it merely instrumental for handling the increasing flux of open problems that sustainability poses to science?Can these problems of sustainability be solved with what the authors already know? Is it just a matter of having the right people at the table and giving them sufficient resources, or is it something more? Is meeting the needs of the present without compromising those of future generations a scientific definition of sustainable development? Questions similar to those posed in the sixties regarding complexity must be asked about sustainability today. In addition, the new data science includes powerful tools for making novel quantitative predictions about future sustainability indicators, an open problem that the book discusses. This book is primarily addressed to Ph.D. students, postdocs and senior researchers in the Life and Hard Science (LHS) and Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines, as well as professionals of the primary, secondary and tertiary industrial sectors.




Sustainable Development


Book Description

This groundbreaking new work establishes links between sustainable development, needs, well-being, and the capabilities approach that is central to human development and the United Nations Development Programme. By challenging the role of people in sustainability policy, this collection’s argument refocuses sustainable development on needs and makes it easier for people to relate positively to its core values. This exciting new book incites a whole new way of looking at sustainable development. Even though the word ‘needs’ is central to the most popular definition of sustainable development, the concepts of needs and capabilities remain within the debate on human development, without going further into intergenerational justice or environmental protection. The discussion of needs reaches non-academics in a more direct way than talking about abstract thresholds, substitutability and other issues dear to academic debate on sustainability. This collection links the questions of intra- and intergenerational justice with issues of quality of life, life courses, and well-being. Dealing with needs entails dealing with deeper layers of consciousness, revealing emotions and questioning habits and values. In this way, the collection presents an opportunity for substantial social change as well as a challenge for research and policy-making. This thought-provoking collection asks its readers to reconsider the role of needs based on the philosophical arguments presented, to understand how sustainability can become a part of the capability approach, to better consider the dependency of life chances on birth contingencies, and to see the relationship between capabilities, needs, and well-being in a different light. The editors finish by clarifying the possibilities and challenges of a needs-based sustainability policy for policy makers, and explain the role of deeply held values. This book should be of interest to postgraduates and researchers in Environmental and Ecological Economics, as well as many other disciplines including Political Economics, Social Ecology, Human Ecology, Sustainability Science and Developmental Politics.




Fundamentals of Sustainable Development


Book Description

Fundamentals of Sustainable Development is an accessible and interdisciplinary textbook that introduces the concept of sustainable development to students from across the disciplines from economics, management, teacher education, arts and humanities to the natural and social sciences. The impact of development needs to be considered beyond the narrow focus of economic, ecological or social concerns. This new edition builds upon the second edition’s user-friendly and comprehensive overview of the challenges linked to striving for a sustainable, holistic approach to development. Providing a multifaceted approach to the subject in order to encompass what is referred to as ‘people, planet and profit’, this third edition provides a complete update of the text, with an emphasis on topics including the Sustainable Development Goals, the circular economy, climate and energy, and sustainable and future-focused entrepreneurship. This stimulating book is an invaluable resource for students and lecturers in all disciplines who have an interest in the sustainability of our planet, and our human society and economy.




Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Planetary Well-being


Book Description

"This book proposes a paradigm shift in how human and nonhuman well-being are perceived and approached. In response to years of accelerated decline in the health of ecosystems and their inhabitants, this edited collection presents planetary well-being as a new cross-disciplinary concept to foster global transformation towards a more equal and inclusive framing of well-being. Throughout this edited volume, researchers across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences apply and reflect on the concept of planetary well-being, showcasing its value as an interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral changemaker. The book explores the significance of planetary well-being as a theoretical and empirical concept in sustainability science and applies it to discipline-specific cases, including business, education, psychology, culture, and development. Interdisciplinary perspectives on topical global questions and processes underpin each chapter, from soil processes and ecosystem health to global inequalities and cultural transformation, in the framework of planetary well-being. The book will appeal to academics, researchers, and students in a broad range of disciplines including sustainability science, sustainable development, natural resources, and environmental humanities. Calling readers to assess, challenge, and rethink the dominant perceptions of well-being and societal activities, this rich resource that explores the interconnection between human and nonhuman well-being serves as a tool to foster transformative action towards a more sustainable society"--




Teaching Sustainability / Teaching Sustainably


Book Description

Over the coming decades, every academic discipline will have to respond to the paradigm of more sustainable life practices because students will be living in a world challenged by competition for resources and climate change, and will demand that every academic discipline demonstrate substantial and corresponding relevance.This book takes as its point of departure that integrating a component of sustainability into a discipline-specific course arises from an educator asking a simple question: in the coming decades, as humanity faces unprecedented challenges, what can my discipline or area of research contribute toward a better understanding of these issues? The discipline need not be future-oriented: an archaeologist, for instance, could incorporate into a course some aspects of sustainable archaeological practices in areas threatened by rapid climate change, as well as examples of sustainable or unsustainable ways of living practiced by members of the long-gone society under investigation. This book also argues that courses about sustainability need to cross disciplinary boundaries, both because of the inter-relatedness of the issues, and because students will require the ability to use interdisciplinary approaches to thrive through the multiple careers most of them will face.The contributions to this book are presented under four sections. “Sustainability as a Core Value in Education” considers the rationale for incorporating sustainability in disciplinary courses. “Teaching Sustainability in the Academic Disciplines” presents eight examples of courses from disciplines as varied as agriculture, composition, engineering, and teacher education. “Education as a Sustainable Practice” reviews how the physical environment of the classroom and the delivery of instruction need themselves to reflect the values being taught. The final section addresses the issues of leadership and long-term institutional change needed to embed sustainable practice as a core value on campus.