Reporting on the Transition - Summary

1
Reporting on the Transition - Summary
Sam Veague ME 449

• Variation in decision makers
• US Fed Large Scale, Long Range
• Seattle Ad Hoc- Regional community
• UN CSD- broad selection of indicators, not all
  have measurements
• World Bank- Produced, Natural, and Human
  Resources
• Rate of change in conditions to great for public
  policy
• Global circulation travels faster than
  regulations are put in place
• Learning from mistakes leads to living on the
  edge
• Five types of Info. for transition
• Human Welfare
• Global Phenomena
• Critical Zones of Env. Vulnerability
• Management of policy, urbanization
• Ecosystems and protected areas

• Indicators must be set up to monitor changes in
  and conditions of the environment
• Repeated observations represent systematic
  feedback
• A variety required to chart progress towards
  transition Goals- meet human needs, preserve
  life support systems
• Interactive sustainability Pressure State
  Response framework (US Gov)
• Must satisfy all sides of the debate
• Definitions of Sustainability are unclear Time
  Frame difficult to define
• Generally Economy, environmental quality, and
  human well-being
• Time and resources must be spent to determine
  meaning, before indicators can even be considered
• Model indicators in economic development sectors
  based on longer, more documented periods
• Environmental indicators are weak over long term
  series

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Reporting on the Transition Critical Analysis
Sam Veague ME 449

• Not all examples clear
• Intrinsic to debate what is included in
  sustainability requirement?
• Do we always need to include economic progress in
  defining and choosing indicators?
• No decisive result in Chapter 5
• Chapter does a good job of outlining debated
  issues, scale and time frame involved, choosing
  the purpose of eventual goals
• Does not define goals, sustainability, or
  responsibility
• Assumes goals of human needs and life support,
  does not discuss validity of these goals, or
  alternatives.
• World Bank Total capitol increase transition
  towards sustainability?

• Descriptions of indicators and indicator purpose
  was thorough
• Need of reliable indicators was fully established
  
• Examples discussed, led to broad understanding of
  needs
• Good job outlining many parameters necessary to
  consider
• Must satisfy all sides of the debate
• Clear development of debate within solutions, and
  relative scale required
• Region specific necessary, global action also
  required (As before, think local, act global?)
• With changing conditions, useful indicators may
  quickly become obsolete
• Undecided definition of variables and
  requirements hinders progress
• Issue of understanding needs before solutions can
  even begin
• Why cant more indicators be put in place while
  debate continues?