Lumen Winter 2023 - Flipbook - Page 4
The (sustainable)
future of the planet
Sustainability – of our planet, and all life on
it – is the subject of intense global conversation
and research.
At the University of Adelaide a broad range
of research is underway. Its goal: accelerating
solutions that deliver sustainability, equity and
prosperity for the planet and its people.
One of our leaders in this field is Professor
Mike Goodsite, the recently appointed ProVice Chancellor (Energy Futures) – a man
who wears many hats including Director of
the Institute for Sustainability, Energy and
Resources – ISER.
In this interview for our special Lumen
sustainability issue, Mike gives valuable insight
into the current issues we face, and the solutions
we are seeking.
to live, work and develop in ways that
respect and fairly balance the needs of
our ecosystems and intergenerational
communities.
Taking a global view, how are we
as a species, and the Earth as a
planet, faring?
Well, when considering the UN definition,
we are, in general, not acting sustainably
as a species. Modern humans, in our
approximate 200,000 years on this 4.5
billion-year-old Earth, have become the
single most influential species on the
planet. Our human development has led to
emissions and other human activities that
contribute to significant global warming and
other changes to land, environment, water,
organisms and the atmosphere.
“We are, in general,
not acting sustainably
as a species.”
Prize winning atmospheric scientist
Paul J Crutzen and limnologist Eugene
F Stoermer.
So, how are we, and the planet Earth faring?
I think it is documented that since the dawn
of humankind, the planet, where it can be
impacted by humans, has never been in such
a dire state as it is today. The Stockholm
Resilience Centre has documented that
many of the so-called planetary boundaries
are outside of their limits
The good news is, that just as humans
must own the negative impact, we have the
capacity to recognise it and develop the
tools to understand what is going on. We can
mitigate impacts and adapt to changes that
we can predict will come. It is a complicated
system, but I am very proud to be part of a
University where finding the solutions to the
greatest challenges of the day is prioritised.
Looking closer to home, how is Australia
performing as a nation in terms of the
many elements of sustainability?
Michael Goodsite
The word sustainability is bandied
about a lot these days. Can you give
us a definition of just what it means?
In 1987, the United Nations Brundtland
Commission defined sustainability as
“meeting the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own
needs.” Organisations generally adjust this
to best match what it means for them. For
example, in Here for Good, the University’s
sustainability strategy, developed under the
leadership of Professor Melissa NurseyBray, the definition of sustainability is:
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THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE
We as a species are growing, a few of us in
a more economically prosperous manner
than others. Indeed, the human species is
impacting the geologic record in such a
way, that if we were to examine it, since the
industrial age, the impact of humans, rather
than natural processes, would dominate this
record – especially during what is called the
‘great acceleration’ of the last 60 years. It is
why scientists refer to the present time as
a geologic epoch where human influence
dominates: a new geological era called the
Anthropocene – or age of humans, a notion
which was proposed first in 2000 by Nobel
I think Australia is improving, but there
are lots of continued opportunities for
improvement across each of the 17 UN
Sustainable Development Goals. Australia
is starting to look at the abundance of
renewable energy, and driving modern
energy systems in an ambitious way. Getting
to a green energy system that is equitable
for all Australians is difficult, but one that
present day Australia is doing a great deal to
lean into.
And in South Australia? What are some
of the big challenges we are facing here?
Ross Garnaut, in his 2020 report: South
Australia’s Climate Change Challenge
and Opportunity, detailed many of
these, including the need to adapt
to unprecedented warming and the
consequences of this. Since the impact of
COVID, we now face additional challenges
that are not unique to us, but are perhaps
exacerbated by our distance and relative
