With nearly every analyst report, news column, blogpost, or conference, I usually find myself wondering how that particular voice or medium would achieve the goals of sustainability, and more widely, the more I read... the more I realize we (as a people) need to sit down and work out just what exactly the goal of sustainability is. Is sustainability about green jobs for a district, or about cle…

What would a summer in China be without an algae outbreak on a major body of freshwater? Would it be like a day without industrial contamination? Recent cases have only served to highlight the fact that there is a dearth of systems in place. That, contrary to the announcements of 24/ 7 monitoring of bodies of water, a system has yet to be put into place to take the measurements and do anythin…

Well, for anyone hoping for a quick turnaround, think again. A few reports out today that covered the release of the 2050 China Energy and CO2 Emissions Report are putting the peak of emissions in the 2030.. 2050 timeframe, The Reuters Coverage of the release also included a bit on where the government will look to study and address the "imminent threats" that pretty much everyone are in agreem…

In the run up to the Olympics, Beijing was perhaps the most active construction site globally. It was a massive concert of cranes and cement that built some of the most advanced event venues, transportation networks, and parks. For many, including myself, it was a process that left little doubt as to where the environment stood, and how often it stood in the way, but a recent presentation on the…

Last week I was invited to speak at the Net Impact Event Is The Expo Sustainable about the Social Impact that the Expo would bring.  The problem for me was, that while my presentation was interesting, the presentations by the representatives from Hill & Knowlton and ARUP were simply fascinating... and have sent my brain into hyperdrive. Lindsay Messenger's message (I bet she hears that all…

When discussing "sustainability", the topic of populations is one of those topics that can quickly lose out to solar panels, cap and trade, and biofuels. The problem is that population is a core consideration not only in looking back in history, but in plotting the path forward, and it is the subject of a recent study at Oregon State University. A study that found in the United States, th…

While recently speaking at the Net Impact Event, ARUP's Kate Dunham told the crowd that she felt there were three constraints that limited China's potential for adopting sustainability: 1) Regulatory Standards - standards she says have roots to the 1950s. 2) Business Environment - many have failed their responsibilities to the environment and are still unconvinced 3) Lifestyle Choices - T…

Getting back to the roots of a problem can be a painful process, especially when it is known far in advance that the truth is going to hurt. It is in many ways perhaps the biggest inhibitor to growth, change, and progress around the world, and in China that is no different. When discussing the differences between the US and China's approach to the environmental issues they face , one of the poi…

Submission from -  David Sutton PhD, Professor of Ecology The first commandment of economics is: Grow. Grow forever. Companies must get bigger. National economies need to swell by a certain percent each year. People should want more, make more, earn more, spend more - ever more. The first commandment of the Earth is: Enough. Just so much and no more. Just so much soil. Just so much water.…

When the average consumer thinks of clean transportation, they will think of hybrid cars, pubic transportation, or walking, but for the industrial world it has a whole different meaning. It is a world made possible by carbon as trucks, ships, and airplane move goods around the world from factory floor to retail shelf. You have warehouses, container yards, and distribution centers where goods ar…

Bitter to the taste, high in vitamin C, and fun to eat, pomelos have become of my favorite winter fruit in Shanghai and for the last few months that has meant picking one up a couple times a week. Until a couple weeks ago when I picked up this pomelo near my house, cracked it open, and saw the injection mark. As you can clearly see from the pictures below, there is an injection mark and ther…

Recently, when looking to understand the issues of sustainability, I have been less concerned with mpg or SOX, but about populations. Specifically, the fact that in 1950 we were a mere 1.5 billion people.. and now we are 6.7billion. One of the more interesting, and concise documents, I found recently comes from the Population Media Center. Talking points on Population is a release from their me…