Scientific breakthroughs will be crucial to delivering a sustainable future planet.
Giles Crosse discovers how science and sustainability coexist.
The belief that environmental and sustainability issues will define the 21st century is by now well understood. Precisely which actions will take place to solve such issues, and how they will be catalysed appears less certain. 
That science will have a massive role to play in any sustainability end game is definite. Just as research has unfortunately led to so many negative impacts, from the development of nuclear weapons to more polluting vehicles, so it can also produce communications tools, renewable energies and life saving medical technologies.
It’s becoming far simpler to trace practical examples of what sustainability science is enabling globally. One element of this is taking part in Auckland Airport.
New Zealand has long been at the head of sustainability. The country’s tourist industry largely relies on the natural beauty of the countryside and environment, while other concepts such as Zero Waste and community involvement in sustainability have their roots here.
According to Auckland Airport’s web portal, ‘The roof of the new international arrivals area is home to the largest photovoltaic solar array in New Zealand. The award winning 300m2 solar panel installed on the roof converts the sun’s energy directly into electrical energy.’
‘The solar energy generated is enough to power the arrivals corridor lights during the day, providing an estimated energy generation of 49,500 kWhr per year, equating to 16 days worth of power savings energy.’
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how science and sustainability are combining forces here. ‘Solar water heating panels are also installed on the roof, capturing solar energy for pre heating water in the hot water system. This solar energy services the public toilets on the first floor of the new arrivals area and is estimated to generate energy savings of approximately 15,000 kWhr per year.’
Add in things like ‘high efficiency chillers for air conditioning, condensing boilers that reclaim heat, enhanced insulation levels, low energy lighting systems, and low energy way finding signage,’ and the advantages of implementing scientific developments become more and more apparent.
‘Rainwater from the international arrivals expansion, approximately, 5,000m2 of roof, is collected and stored in multiple 25m3 tanks located
adjacent the building. The recycled water is used by the air-conditioning cooling towers, the buildings largest water user.’
‘An estimated 6,000m3 of recycled rainwater per year will be reused, helping reduce the airport site’s need for municipal supplied mains water.’
None of Auckland’s options would ever have existed without the right research and in depth study. And this is one of the challenges facing sustainable science. It isn’t cheap to test and get such designs from the drawing board into the real world.
Fortunately the growing understanding that there’s profit making potential in green science means more companies are willing to invest in nascent sustainable technology.
Some might argue that the race for profit making has previously lead to many unsustainable practices, but if pushing the green buck in the right direction can help alleviate this, so much the better.
Credit where credits due
It’s not about implementing any new technology. Science also has a crucial role to play in interpreting the benefits and estimating the true impacts of what eco friendly development can mean.
Earthcheck is a certification program, that’s been created specifically for sustainable travel and tourism businesses. Tough and reliable scientific criteria for what any real benefits might be are vital to getting the right technology out there.
Without this, the wrong developments end up being deployed. And that damages confidence and spreads fears of greenwash, minimising the strength of the green dollar.
‘The EarthCheck Programme is widely regarded as the world’s most scientifically rigorous,’ explains www.earthcheck.org ‘It measures key environmental indicators such as energy and water consumption, total waste production as well as community commitment.’
‘Using the EarthCheck tool, Auckland Airport is committed to benchmarking local environmental and social issues such as biodiversity conservation, environmental investment and enhanced community socioeconomic benefits. This involves submitting a year’s worth of operational data, and having it compared to that of other communities of a similar kind.’
‘Martin Fryer, Sustainability Advisor at Auckland, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be awarded Bronze Benchmarked status. Over the past three years Auckland Airport has worked very hard to move towards more sustainable business practice.
“Receiving validation from Earthcheck, the only global sustainable tourism programme, provides recognition to the whole company for a continued commitment to sustainability.”
Earthcheck now has data from over a decade’s scientific study of sustainability information, in over a thousand communities across sixty countries.
There are plenty of other ways that science is helping out. In the UK, Citizen Science for Sustainability (SuScit) is a programme run by Brunel University, the Centre for Sustainable Development (CfSD) at the University of Westminster and Capacity Global.
It’s about getting local communities and individuals involved in sustainability research. One of the key themes driving the work is how often the most disadvantaged individuals are most at risk from unsustainable practices.
Building a ‘dialogue with scientists, policy makers and professional stakeholders, in order to articulate the environmental and sustainability research needs of marginalised and excluded urban communities,’ should, in theory, help prevent people in impoverished scenarios from suffering.
All at sea
Elsewhere, scientific thinking is helping stabilise fisheries and communities relying on them for an income. ‘South Australia’s Spencer Gulf prawn fishery will undergo the world’s most rigorous environmental assessment for fisheries in the hope of becoming the first sustainable prawn fishery in Australia,’ says the WWF.
‘The assessment for MSC certification may take up to 12 months while an independent assessment team analyses every element of the fishery - including gear types, impacts of operations on the ecosystem and the health of prawn stocks - in order to score the fishery against the MSC standard.’
‘Australia & New Zealand Marine Stewardship Council Manager Patrick Caleo said he was pleased by recent moves towards MSC and expected to see strong demand for sustainable seafood.’
“I hope this encourages other fisheries interested in demonstrating their sustainability using a credible, science based third-party assessment to come forward and seek MSC certification.”
There seems to be a dual purpose to what science can offer sustainability. Not only is there the innovation, the new technology and the inspiring concepts that can drive tomorrow’s practices and behaviours.
There’s also the role of regulating and defining what it is we mean by sustainability, and hence which new ideas might give us a chance at getting closer to the goal.
And this regulation seems to be just what wasn’t applied to the BP fiasco in the Gulf of Mexico. As America’s criminal investigation starts, the real tragedy is how avoidable all this could have been.
We can blame scientific developments for all sorts of negative chapters in our history. But there’s little chance of every really becoming a sustainable planet without them.
What are your views? Not sure? Read the resources below for more information. Add your comment below. We welcome your thoughts and proposals. Not a Planetary Citizen? Sign up to Our Future Planet today!
Read more articles with reference to Science and Technology
Resources:
Evolution and Biodiversity: The evolutionary basis of biodiversity and its potential for adaptation to global change
Ecological Science and Sustainability for a Crowded Planet
Signed Policy Statement Auckland Airport
SUSCIT Reports:
A review of tools and techniques for community foresight for sustainability
Citizen Science for Sustainability
EarthCheck Reports:
Improving Efficiency and reducing emissions
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Sustainable/Renewable energy sources are a vaild alternative to our current energy production methods.
I dont yet know the full story however, what attention is being paid to the production of such items as photovoltaic cells or more specificaly, wind/water turbines? The magnets present in modern turbines use rare earth metals predominantly sourced from China. I state the obvious in saying, rare earth metals are like oil in that they are a finite source.
Just how they are sourced, and the enviromental impact of such actions as mining I think raises other questions in its self.
I have a vauge grasp of the mechanics and understand that the strength present in such magnets far out ways that of tradition meaning a more efficient, effective turbine. Electric cars contain about 4kg of rare earth metals and yes it can be re-used.
It is better to do something than nothing and it is most definently a step in the right direction.
