Sustainable Development

and Circular Economy

Environmental Sustainability and Climate
Change Mitigation
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 Sustainable development

 Meeting current needs without compromising

the ability of future generations to meet their
own needs.

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 History
 In 1983. the World Commission on Environment
and Development, sub-organization of the UN,
was founded that aimed to unite countries in
pursuit of sustainable development. Gro Harlem
Brundtland, former Prime Minister of Norway,
was appointed as chairperson of the commission.
Commission is thus known as Brundtland
Commission.

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 The Brundtland Commission officially dissolved
in 1987 after releasing publication „Our Common
Future”, also known as the Brundtland Report.
The document popularized the term "sustainable
development"
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Sustainability – economic development

and the environment

• "Our common future" does not

distinguish between economic
development policy and environmental
protection policy.
• The term "sustainability" includes, in
addition to the environment, the social
4 component as well as other possible
factors of the quality of life.
• Thus, the term "sustainability" enters the
field of economy, environment and law.
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Principles of sustainable development

• It puts people in the center of events - an
anthropocentric concept
• A holistic view of industry and consumption
• Observing the processes in the long term
• Creating an open and stable economic system
• The principle of joint, but differentiated responsibility of
the states (in accordance with the development of the
state)
• Suppression of poverty and social exclusion
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• Respecting natural limits/boundaries
• Use of scientific knowledge
• Availability and informing the public (transparency)
• The polluter pays principle
 The paradigm of Easter Island

 understanding the complex relationship between

the development of modern societies and their
impact on the environment

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 Easter Island The theory of the collapse of the small civilization of
Easter Island (Diamond 2005 Collapse: How Societies
Choose to Fail or Succeed) can serve as a metaphor for
the problems facing the modern world.

A small, spatially completely isolated island, which at the

time of settlement was abundant with natural resources
suitable for the development of society, is similar to the
planet Earth. The way resources are managed on the
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island, the irrational behavior of its inhabitants, and the
decision-makers' very likely ignoring of signals coming
from the environment, also reminds us of contemporary
events: from the extermination of species, deforestation
of tropical forests, overfishing of fish stocks, right up to
our attitude towards exploitation of fossil fuels and our
contribution to global warming.
 Easter Island (Rapa Nui) is
a volcanic island located
3782 km west of Chile, in
the South Pacific.
The climate is subtropical
with an annual average of
22 C.

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 Between 400 and 500
CE 30-40 settlers arrive
from Polynesia (> 1000
km)

Favorable climatic conditions,

fertile land, rich flora, tropical
forests, sea birds, dolphins;
agriculture, poultry, fishing,
timber for boats.

A developed society divided into clans Max. population: 7.000-20.000

Lots of free time (clan competition) –
building Moai

14 tons

1200-1500. ∑ ~ 800 Moais

 Deforestation (year 800) Soil erosion - the
– among other things Disappearance of
for the transportation of birds (due to human action of rain and
Moai from the quarry to feeding and loss of wind, due to
the installation site
natural habitat) deforestation there
- Disappearance of is no forest to
construction material for protect the soil from
ships
natural impacts
Impossibility of fishing Reduced yields
(famine)

Collapse of society
(1500) - growth limits
reached

Social aspect – clans clash with each other, the population retreats
10 into caves, they tear down and destroy each other's Moai as
symbols of clans and chiefs.
With surplus food gone, Easter Island could no longer feed the
chiefs, bureaucrats and priests who maintained a complex society.
With the centralized government gone, the warrior class took power
from the hereditary chiefs.
 1772 ~ 2,000 people; complete loss
of civilizational memory, loss of skills
(inhabitants were no longer able to
build sufficiently robust boats for
sailing and fishing)

Changes in the ecosystem

(deforestation, disappearing of birds,
etc..) were gradual and probably did
not pose a threat to the generation
that made the decisions at the time.
For generations, people got used to an
increasingly scarce ecosystem and,
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due to social inertia, persisted in a
tradition (raising stone heads) that
was increasingly in conflict with the
island's resources.
 The example of Easter Island indicates above all the complexity,
unpredictability and systemic connection of the effects of human
activity in the environment.
There is a certain amount of irrationality in human behavior and
decision-making.
We can recognize it in many aspects of the modern world: from
excessive and dysfunctional consumption to slow or inadequate
reaction to the signals we receive from nature.

We evolved in a stable environment. A quick reaction to sudden

danger is essential for survival.
Adaptation to processes that change slowly is perhaps not
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adequate for us.
Human societies are characterized by a certain opportunism
towards higher levels of well-being, especially when they are aware
of the possibility of choice: we are ready to exchange long-term
sustainability for a short-term increase in our well-being.
 Conclusion: 12 environmental problems facing humanity today. The first
eight historically contributed to the collapse of past societies:

Deforestation and habitat destruction

Soil problems (erosion, salinization, and soil fertility losses)
Water management problems
Overhunting
Overfishing
Effects of introduced species on native species
Overpopulation
Increased per-capita impact of people

Four new factors may contribute to the weakening and collapse of

present and future societies:
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Anthropogenic climate change

Buildup of toxins in the environment
Energy shortages
Full human use of the Earth's photosynthetic capacity
 Divergent historical directions are possible

Every human community develops and survives in

interaction with the ecosystems from which it obtains
the materials and energy necessary for survival and
into which it disposes the waste products. From the
ecosystem, we receive signs of its load, which we can
react to by learning and adjusting our production and
consumption patterns, or ignore them and continue to
behave according to inertia.

In the first case, learning leads to adaptation and co-

evolution with the environment, which we necessarily
change to a certain extent. This direction of
14 development can be called sustainability. On the other
hand, rigidity in behavior that leads to the degradation
of natural resources and the depletion of non-
renewable energy sources can lead any social
community, even a developed civilization such as ours,
to collapse.
 Planetary boundaries
Economic growth and
development and
population growth,
especially in the last
seventy years, have led to
visible changes in the
planetary system: there is a
conversion of space from
natural to anthropogenic.
Planetary boundaries are a
framework to describe limits
to the impacts of human
15 activities on the Earth
system. Beyond these
limits, the environment may
not be able to self-regulate
anymore.
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 We are approaching the upper limit of
the Earth's carrying capacity
The carrying capacity of an environment is the maximum population
size that can be sustained by that specific environment, given the
food, habitat, water, and other resources available.

middle of the 20th century

If all people
live the same
lifestyle.
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250 yrs ago
 1. Economic growth
and development in
conjunction with
globalization means
that an increasing
number of the world's
population lives in
energy- and material-
intensive economies.
2. The existing
pressure of the
global economic
system has
brought the
carrying capacity to
the upper limit.
3. Growth so far 4. It is certain that
has been based the growth of the
on the use of non- world population will
renewable energy reach the level of 9-
sources, primarily 11 billion of
oil, and these inhabitants: most in
projections the countries of the
continue. Global South.

A. This means that the carrying capacity of the Earth cannot

support a reasonable size of the world's population at today's
level of the developed countries of the West.

C. So that the countries of the South

B. The West needs to could reach a level of material well-
significantly reduce the per being that leads to the stabilization of
capita consumption of the population (demographic
18 resources and energy transition).

D. Reducing pressure on the

environment while maintaining cultural
diversity but with a fairer distribution of
natural resources and energy
 Are we aware of the problem?

 www.footprintcalculator.org

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 Ecological footprint

 The biologically productive area of soil and water that

would provide the human population with the necessary
resources and absorb its waste, with the current state of
technology
 Conceived in 1992 at the University of British Columbia
 It is often used as a measure of environmental
sustainability, in terms of human impact on the
environment
20  It is calculated by the Global Footprint Network
 Biocapacity
 the biologically productive area that can regenerate what
people demand from nature
 Ecological footprint is what humans require, and
biocapacity is what nature can provide
 the common unit for biocapacity and ecological footprint is
the global hectare (gha).
 in the most recent year available, 2014, the global
ecological footprint was 20.6 billion gha (2.84 gha per
capita), while biocapacity was 12.2 billion gha (1.68 gha per
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capita).
 these data show that humanity's demand for nature
exceeds the planet's ability to offer the necessary biological
resources by 63%, which represents unsustainable
development
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 Sustainable development components
Hierarchy: the
environment is the basis of
sustainable development

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 The concept of sustainable
development
 the process of achieving a balance between economic,
social and environmental requirements:

 Society (social component): freedom, security, stability,

health, personality development, equality, solidarity,
maintenance of cultural diversity.

 Economy (economic component): more efficient use of

resources, new production technologies, quality of goods and
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services, structures of government, fair distribution of material
goods, employment opportunities.

 Natural environment (ecological component): conservation of

natural resources, biodiversity, circular flow of substances,
emissions of harmful substances, sustainable land use, timely
and effective problem solving, aesthetic value of nature.
 Economic growth vs. development
sustainable (economic) growth
or
sustainable (economic) development

Economic growth: increase in material and energy flows in the

economy either per capita or overall due to population growth.
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Economic development: structural changes in the economy - the
emergence of new industries, a shift in labor force participation
from agricultural to industrial and service activities; growth of labor
and resource productivity; technological progress.
 Sustainable growth is not
possible!
Ekonomski The economy is an
Ekonomski
sistem sistem open subsystem of the
ecosystem
Ekosistem
Although it is biophysically impossible for a
Ekonomski subsystem (global economy) to grow indefinitely
Sistem within the ultimate metasystem (global
ecosystem), the phrase "sustainable growth" is
very often used in academic, business and political
circles. This often refers to a form of economic
"Sustainable growth" of growth based on the service sector and
28 the economy in material information technologies - the so-called "new
sense is systemically economy". Since so far it has not been empirically
impossible! established in any economy that it is possible to
achieve any form of economic growth (measured
by GDP) with the simultaneous stagnation of
material and energy consumption, the phrase
"sustainable growth" has neither theoretical nor
empirical foundation.
 Sustainable growth is not
possible!
Ekonomski
Ekonomski
sistem sistem

Growing pressure on (limited) natural

Ekosistem
resources, energy and biodiversity - the
opposite of sustainability!
Ekonomski
Sistem
If we want to encourage efficiency and maintain technological
development, and at the same time eliminate material growth, it
is necessary to introduce certain institutional restrictions into the
existing system of capitalist economy - a complex task

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Sustainability can be defined as enabling technological
progress under conditions of social justice and inclusion
and maintaining material and energy flows within safe
planetary biophysical boundaries.
 Why GDP is not a good indicator for
sustainable development?
 indicator for economic growth
 GDP (Gross domestic product) can be defined as the total market value
of all products and services created in a country and involved in
financial transactions over a given period of time
 For comparison between countries, the resulting value of GDP is simply
divided by the number of inhabitants to obtain "GDP per capita"
 Disadvantages of the obtained values:

 it cannot be seen what the distribution of the national product is in the country,
that is, whether it is distributed evenly within the population or concentrated in
the hands of a particular elite;

30  the number does not indicate the employment in the country or how far off-
market activities have been developed;

 it does not include the use of existing national resources and the complex issue
of the interaction of industrial production and environmental protection.
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 Economic development

 the most common method of measuring

development is the Human Development Index
(HDI) used by UNDP
 HDI takes into account national income, but also
literacy rates and life expectancy that affect
productivity and can lead to increased per capita
income
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 Sustainable development indicators

 Ecological footprint
 Biocapacity
 Human Development Index (HDI)

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 Agenda 21 (Work Program
for the 21st Century)

 UN Programmatic Political
Declaration on Sustainable
Development adopted at the UN
Conference in Rio de Janeiro in 1992
(at the same conference, the
Convention on Climate Change was
adopted)

 A comprehensive, 350-page
document summarizing the outlook
for demographics, poverty, health,
soil, water, atmosphere, biodiversity
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and their conservation through
defined financial mechanisms and
rights and obligations of countries,
institutions and interest groups
(NGOs, industries, financial
institutions, workers, trade unions,
farmers,…)
 UN Program for Sustainable
Development 2030.
 Initiative launched during the UN Conference on
Sustainable Development (Rio + 20) in Rio de
Janeiro, June 2012.
 One of the most significant decisions of the
Conference is to define future Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), which will include
three dimensions of sustainable development -
35 economic, social and environmental, and which
should represent the post-2015 global
development agenda.
 Global Sustainable
Development Goals 2030.

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 Education for Sustainable Development
 The Talloires Declaration, compiled by the university
rectors at an international conference in Talloires, France,
in 1990, is the first official statement to speak about the
commitment to sustainable development in higher
education
 The declaration was signed by over 500 rectors in 55
countries around the world.
 According to the declaration, universities play a major role
in the fields of education, scientific research, policy
making, and the sharing of information needed to achieve
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the goals of sustainable development.
 The Talloires Declaration for the Integration of Sustainable
Development into Teaching, Research, Industrial Facilities
and Faculties is a ten-point action plan.
 Talloires declaration

1. Increase awareness of sustainable development

 Use every opportunity to raise public, government, industry and
university awareness by pointing out the urgent need to foster
sustainable development in the future.
2. Creating an institutional culture of sustainable
development
 Encourage universities to integrate global sustainable development
into teaching, research, policy making and the exchange of
information on environmental protection and sustainable
development.
38 3. Educate citizens who will behave responsibly
towards the environment
 Establish programs that will enable the acquisition of environmental
management expertise so that all graduate students become well
instructed in environmental protection.
 Talloires declaration

4. Stimulate environmental awareness for all

 To create programs for the development of faculty staff capacity
that will be able to give lectures on new environmental insights to
all students.
5. Practice institutional ecology
 Set an example of environmental responsibility by establishing
institutional ecology policies and practices in the areas of
resource conservation, recycling, waste avoidance and
environmentally safe activities.
39 6. Involve all stakeholders
 Encourage the involvement of local communities, government,
non-governmental organizations and industry in research, policy
making and the exchange of information on sustainable
development.
 Talloires declaration

7. Collaborate on an interdisciplinary approach

 Hold meetings of faculty staff and deans with environmental experts
to create an interdisciplinary approach to sustainable development
in curricula and research activities.
8. Increase the capacity of primary and secondary
schools
 Collaborate with primary and secondary schools to develop the
ability to deliver lectures on environment and sustainable
development
9. Expand service delivery and act nationally and
internationally
40  Encourage work with national and international organizations to
promote university endeavors that support sustainable development
worldwide.
10. Keeping up the pace
 Establish a secretariat and a main committee to continue this trend,
educate all concerned parties and support all efforts to implement
this declaration.
 Circular Economy – the path to
sustainable and resource efficient
economy
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 The circular economy is a model of production and
consumption, which involves sharing, leasing,
reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing
materials and products as long as possible. In this
way, the life cycle of products is extended.
Waste used as raw material

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 Economic drivers ...

 In the coming decades, a growing population

with higher incomes will lead to a sharp rise in
global demand for goods and services.
 Global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is projected
to quadruple between 2011 and 2060.
 Production and consumption are moving towards
emerging economies and developing countries,
43 which on average have higher material intensities.
 The growing share of services in the economy will
reduce the growth in the use of materials as the
sector is less intensive than agriculture or industry.
 ... the use of materials …

 Global material consumption is expected to double

from 79 Gt in 2011 to 167 Gt in 2060. Non-metallic
minerals, such as sand, gravel and limestone, account
for more than half of total material use.
 Predictions are that the intensity of the global
material economy will decline faster than in recent
decades - at an average rate of 1.3% per year: global
material consumption is rising, but not as fast as GDP
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(because of technological development).
 It is anticipated that recycling will become more
competitive compared to the extraction of primary
materials.
 ... and its consequences on the
environment
 More than half of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
are associated with materials management activities.
 The use of fossil fuels and the production of iron, steel
and building materials will lead to high greenhouse gas
emissions and air pollution related to energy
consumption.
 The extraction and use of metals has a wide range of
45 consequences for various types of pollution, including
toxic effects on humans and ecosystems.
 Extraction and use of primary (raw) materials
contributes significantly more to pollution than the use
of secondary (recycled) materials.
 Total Domestic
Material
Consumption/GDP
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 Global environmental
impacts by materials

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 Waste
Waste
 Materials and things the user discards, intends to discard,
or must discard based on laws and regulations.
(Definition from the 1989 Basel Convention)
Waste disposal
 Any activity involving waste management that does not
contain the possibility of recovering part of its natural
resources, recycling, direct or indirect reuse of waste.
49 (Annex IVB of the Basel Convention)
Waste management
 Reducing, collecting, transporting, treating and disposing
of hazardous and other wastes including the care of the
landfill.
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 Types of waste

By place of production / origin:

 municipal waste
 industrial waste,
 agricultural waste
By form / state :
 Solid waste (plastic, styrofoam, bottles, cans, paper,
scrap iron, etc.)
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 Liquid waste (household washing, chemicals, oils, waste
water, industrial discharges, etc.)
 Gas waste (hazardous substances (NOx, SO2, CO2, VOC,
etc.)

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 Waste classification by the possibility
of degradation in nature
Biodegradable
 can be decomposed in nature (eg. paper, wood, fruit and
other materials of plant and animal origin)

Non - biodegradable
 cannot be decomposed in nature (eg. plastics, glass, cans,
metal, styrofoam and similar materials)
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 Classification of waste by impact on
human health and the environment
Hazardous waste
 Waste possessing any of the properties that make it
hazardous for commercial, industrial or other use and
disposal (explosiveness, flammability, corrosivity, toxicity,
radioactivity, infectivity).
Inert waste
 Waste which has no hazardous properties and which
cannot lead to the formation of materials with hazardous
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properties after disposal.

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 Consequences of poor waste
management
 Impact on human health
 Groundwater pollution from landfills
 Land pollution (industrial activities, municipal
waste disposal, industrial waste disposal, accidents
related to waste disposal)

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 Transport and trade of waste

 The problem of waste disposal in developed

countries has created international trade in
waste
 Developed countries and industries are
seeking the underdeveloped world to accept
their (relatively small) money for their waste
54  Less and less underdeveloped are
embracing it
 Increased recycling of waste from developed
countries in poor countries
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 Basel Convention - 1989

 The Basel Convention on the Control of

Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes
and Their Disposal is an international treaty that
was designed to reduce the movements of
hazardous waste between nations, and specifically
to prevent transfer of hazardous waste from
developed to less developed countries.
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 Waste management hierarchy

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Industrial ecology
• Industrial ecology is the study of material and
energy flows through industrial systems.
• It is based on "copying" the RATIONALITY of
interdependent relationships between species in
nature, where there is no waste or waste of
energy.
• In nature:
57 – Nothing is useless, i.e. nothing is "thrown away"

or "lost".
– Matter moves in a CLOSED cycle.
– What is "waste" for one species is food for
another species.
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Industrial ecology

Industrial ecology deals with

changes in industrial processes
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from the open systems, in which
resources travel through the
system eventually becoming
waste, to closed systems in
which waste is used in new
processes.
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Kalundborg Eco-industrial Park

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