I would say that the time for words is over. We have known for years that systems thinking is what is needed. However, it is not what is practiced and few understand what this really means especially considering that most are trained as reductionists and have made a career on it.
I have been involved with 2 different "Sustainable Solutions" initiatives in two different academic institutions and despite the words that I have seen written, the practices within these institutions remain the same as it has for years. For example, "participatory" modeling is code for inviting the same old elites to the table and asking inane questions. I could go on. Also, the idea of "win-win" solutions is absurd. No matter how you slice up the pie (e.g., land use), there will always be winners and losers. Albeit, we can come up with a much better system than the current one, but we will still have to find ways to compensate the losers and/or incentivise things in some way (e.g., Carbon offsets, paying for ecosystem services, etc.). This has always been the challenge and requires hard work, not more research funded by tax payers to further the career of some academic. One problem is the Academic institution itself...it's agenda to publish or perish, consisting of self-interested individuals who, as Albert Camus has said, seek prizes and awards and self-promotion. I would say put the money towards synthesizing past research, bringing multiple disciplines together in a real way (not the way it is currently being done using the same old, overly educated elites), and use the money for more practical solutions (e.g., compensation and incentive programs) and educating people (including those who wrote the ESA dribble) on what systems thinking really means...and fire the people who want to do inane research to answer God-type questions. It's funny that these people can write books (using tax payer money) on "How to have a career to save the earth" (think of how arrogant and self serving that is) , yet they fail to see how their own behavior and their own institution contributes to, and is in fact, a broken system. I would also say that if "Sustainability" ( in the 1990's they called it Ecosystem Management) or "saving the earth" is their agenda, they have failed miserably. If they want to "change the world", they should start by changing their own broken little system and allow a diversity of thought to "participate" in their little world. Jon > Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:26:19 -0700 > From: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Ecosystems and Energy Biofuels Homage to Principle > or Deceptive Fraud? > To: [email protected] > > Ecolog (with special thanks to Cliff Duke): > > It appears that the official ESA policy can be summed up as follows: > > "Taken together, these three principles - systems thinking, conservation of > ecosystem services, and scale alignment - can create a sustainable biofuels > infrastructure that will serve U.S. citizens, the economy, and the > environment. http://www.esa.org/pao/policyStatements/Statements/biofuel.php > > "Adopted by the ESA Governing Board, January 2008. > > > > "The Ecological Society of America is the country's primary professional > organization of ecologists, representing 10,000 scientists in the United > States and around the world. Since its founding in 1915, ESA has pursued the > promotion of the responsible application of ecological principles to the > solution of environmental problems through ESA reports, journals, research, > and expert testimony to Congress. For more information about the Society and > its activities, visit the ESA website at http://www.esa.org."; > > > > I'd be interested in any comments regarding this policy. > > > > WT > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Cliff Duke" <[email protected]> > To: <[email protected]> > Sent: Friday, August 19, 2011 5:48 AM > Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Ecosystems and Energy Biofuels Homage to Principle or > Deceptive Fraud? > > > > People interested in ESA activities regarding biofuels and sustainability > > may be interested in the following: (1) series of biofuels and > > sustainability reports at http://www.esa.org/biofuelsreports/, (2) > > presentations from our 2008 conference on the ecological dimensions of > > biofuels at http://www.esa.org/biofuels/, (3) position statement on > > biofuels and sustainability at > > http://www.esa.org/pao/policyStatements/Statements/biofuel.php; and (4) a > > feature with several articles in the June issue of Ecological Applications > > at http://www.esajournals.org/toc/ecap/21/4. > > > > -- Cliff Duke > > > > Clifford S. Duke, Ph.D. > > Director of Science Programs > > Ecological Society of America > > 1990 M Street NW, Suite 700 > > Washington, DC 20036 > > Phone: (202) 833-8773 > > Fax: (202) 833-8775 > > E-mail: [email protected] > > www.esa.org/science > > > > > > ----- > > No virus found in this message. > > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > > Version: 10.0.1392 / Virus Database: 1520/3843 - Release Date: 08/18/11 > >
