So why hasn’t the world become much more environmentally sustainable despite decades of international agreements, national policies, state laws and local plans? This is the question that a team of researchers and I have tried to answer in a recent article.
We reviewed 94 studies of how sustainability policies had failed across every continent. These included case studies from both developed and developing countries, and ranged in scope from international to local initiatives.
Consider the following key environmental indicators. Since 1970:
Humanity’s ecological footprint has exceeded the Earth’s capacity and has risen to the point where 1.6 planets would be needed to provide resources sustainably.
The biodiversity index has fallen by more than 50% as the populations of other species continue to decline.
Greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change have almost doubled while the impacts of climate change are becoming increasingly apparent.
The world has lost more than 48% of tropical and sub-tropical forests.
The rate at which these indicators deteriorated was largely unchanged over the two decades either side of the Rio summit. Furthermore, humanity is fast approaching several environmental tipping points. If crossed, these could lead to irreversible changes.
If we allow average global temperatures to rise 2℃ above pre-industrial levels, for example, feedback mechanisms will kick in that lead to runaway climate change. We’re already halfway to this limit and could pass it in the next few decades.
Political failures happen when governments can’t or won’t implement effective policies.
What’s going wrong?
So what’s going wrong with sustainability initiatives? We found that three types of failure kept recurring: economic, political and communication.
The economic failures stem from the basic problem that environmentally damaging activities are financially rewarded. A forest is usually worth more money after it’s cut down — which is a particular problem for countries transitioning to a market-based economy.
Political failures happen when governments can’t or won’t implement effective policies. This is often because large extractive industries, like mining, are dominant players in an economy and see themselves as having the most to lose. This occurs in developed and developing countries, but the latter can face extra difficulties enforcing policies once they’re put in place.
Communication failures centre on poor consultation or community involvement in the policy process. Opposition then flourishes, sometimes based on a misunderstanding of the severity of the issue. It can also be fed by mistrust when communities see their concerns being overlooked.
Again, this happens around the world. A good example would be community resistance to changing water allocation systems in rural areas of Australia. In this situation, farmers were so opposed to the government buying back some of their water permits that copies of the policy were burned in the street.
These types of failure are mutually reinforcing. Poor communication of the benefits of sustainable development creates the belief that it always costs jobs and money. Businesses and communities then pressure politicians to avoid or water down environmentally friendly legislation.
Ultimately, this represents a failure to convince people that sustainable development can supply “win-win” scenarios. As a result, decision-makers are stuck in the jobs-versus-environment mindset.
What can we do?
The point of our paper was to discover why policies that promote sustainability have failed in order to improve future efforts. The challenge is immense and there’s a great deal at stake. Based on my previous research into the way economic, social and environmental goals can co-exist, I would go beyond our most recent paper to make the following proposals.
First, governments need to provide financial incentives to switch to eco-efficient production. Politicians need to have the courage to go well beyond current standards. Well-targeted interventions can create both carrot and stick, rewarding eco-friendly behaviour and imposing a cost on unsustainable activities.
Second, governments need to provide a viable transition pathway for industries that are doing the most damage. New environmental tax breaks and grants, for example, could allow businesses to remain profitable while changing their business model.
Finally, leaders from all sectors need to be convinced of both the seriousness of the declining state of the environment and that sustainable development is possible. Promoting positive case studies of successful green businesses would be a start.
There will of course be resistance to these changes. The policy battles will be hard fought, particularly in the current international political climate. We live in a world where the US president is rolling back climate policies while the Australian prime minister attacks renewable energy.
Associate Professor in Environmental Studies, Griffith University
This article was originally published in the
When Hollie Wiseman first applied to be part of Griffith University’s Work Integrated Learning program, she never could have imagined the scale of the project to which she would be assigned.
The former Bachelor of Business student, who majored in employment relations and human resource management had been seeking to expand her business horizons when she applied for an internship with GBS. She was given a choice of projects to work on, and selected the one that interested her the most, only later learning she would be seconded to Queensland Health.
“I was interested in getting some exposure to the HR industry, because my experience was quite limited,” Hollie says. The project was with the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Service (PSQIS) and involved Hollie playing a large part in influencing their future policy.
“They were upgrading their online learning platform,” the HR and Payroll Administrator for Next Hotels explains. “They wanted to ensure that with the upgrade they were adhering to all of the needs and wants of their employees. They wanted me to do a survey for Queensland Health and employees, and ask them how they found the platforms that they were using, what they didn’t like, what they really liked, what they would like to see, and get some general feedback and suggestions on moving forward.
But this wasn’t just to be a one-off project. Queensland Health had bigger plans for Hollie’s survey. “They wanted me to design something they could use as a benchmark, and sort of use it in future to monitor the changes going forward.”
Hollie says it put all the skills she’d learnt during her degree to the test, and expanded her strengths to prepare her for her future career. “It was a massive project and I had never done anything like it before, and dealing with such a massive company and trying to reach and make contact with so many employees proved to be a challenge, but very rewarding in the end.
She continues: “It was incredible. I was just a student from Griffith University looking for experience, but just getting something like that was so rewarding and so fulfilling in that it kind of felt like it validated everything I had done with my studies and work and life experience up until that point.”
Hollie says knowing that her work would impact future work for the department gave her a confidence she’s drawn on many times in her career in HR. “I just kept thinking I could actually be making a difference in the education of Queensland Health. It was extraordinary… it was just awe inspiring and very motivating to push myself that little bit further.
“I look at employee surveys a lot differently now and try to give answers that are going to actually make a difference, because the person that will be sitting and analysing that data is going to be looking for as much of an information-rich answer as they can get.”
The HR Administrator says she’s so thankful she applied for the WIL program and suggests other students would do well to do the same. “My experience was very rewarding,” she confirms. “I got to meet some great people, connections and networks that have helped me now step into my current job within HR. My advice to other students would be definitely do it. Take it run with it, and you know, learn as much as you can. If you learn nothing else other than getting a couple of contacts of people in the industry, then it’s worth it.
“It really does broaden your mind and makes you step out of your university bubble into the real world. I am very happy where I am at and I am so happy I did the degree because it got me my dream job,” she says.
2016 Griffith Film School graduates Shannen Tunnicliffe and Lachlan Morton, and film student Claire Randell’s documentary Wolfe has been selected for the International Short Film Festival, Oberhausen.
Wolfe, which recently won a Crystal BearattheBerlin International Film Festival,explores a young man’s journey through adolescence with undiagnosed schizophrenia. Randell, the director-producer made the film with Tunnicliffe, producer and Morton, cinematographer and animator.
For more thanfive decades, Oberhausen has become one of the world’s most respected film events – a place where filmmakers and artists ranging from Roman Polanski to Cate Shortland, from George Lucas to Pipilotti Rist have presented their first films. It is one of the most exclusive festivals in the world.
Griffith Film School graduate Benjamin Zaugg, along with Daley Pearson who also studied at GFS, have won an International Emmy Award in the Kids: Digital category for Doodles at MIPTV in Cannes, France.
Doodles transforms the drawings from Australian children submitted online into animated stories.Benjamin, a 2007 film honours graduate, was executive producer and director and Daley the animator.
View the trailer here. View Zaugg’s graduate film here.
Griffith Film School Acting Director Professor Trish FitzSimons congratulated the film graduates, saying their success was testimony to the calibre of talent nurtured at Griffith.
“We are so very proud of what our students and graduates are producing,” she said.
“When I was at film school at AFTRS in Sydney, Oberhausn was THE film festival focused on shorts that we all aspired to. My films never made that cut and neither before has any work of GFS students, so this is special.
“Wehavehad the pleasure of having our graduates win Emmy’s before, but not often. This too is a great achievement, and we offer respect to the work of our alumni.”
A study into the behavioural habits of people undertaking a well-known weight management program has found social support plays a crucial role in positive outcomes
Social marketing researchers from Griffith University looked at the Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation program and collected responses and data from 594 participants who undertook a 12 week digital commercial lifestyle challenge.
The research focused on the new behaviours and changes adopted by the program’s members during the three month challenge.
The program incorporated evidence-based behaviour change techniques that are influenced by a person’s motivation and their environment, as well as their ability to commit to healthy habits.
Results of the study highlight the importance of motivation in weight loss, with participants reporting that they lost weight after implementing the learned habits and changing their mindset.
Social connection plays a major role
Dr Joy Parkinson from Griffith University’s Department of Social Marketing, said a key finding of the study was the importance of social connection by the participants and the role it played in helping them remain focused.
“Because weight management is a complex type of emotional behaviour and that most of the participants were women, there was a constant and vital need for online support.
“First it was through the support offered by the organisation but over time that shifted to peer-to-peer support as participants began to encourage and motivate each other on chat forums and in groups.”
The study, one of the first to look at lifestyle and weight management control via an online program, showed the benefit that digital communication brings to participants who need constant interaction.
Communication is key to changed behaviour
“Unlike a personal trainer who you may only see once a week, this type of program allows people the ability to talk and communicate with others whenever they need to.
“There is a strength of unity during the 12 weeks and even after the program finishes, they can jump on to external social media groups and discuss their achievements and goals,” Dr Parkinson said.
“Motivated individuals don’t need this form of social support but for a lot of people, including middle aged women who are lacking confidence, these programs are an effective tool to changing behaviour and learned habits.”
The findings also demonstrate that repeat use of programs is important for the maintenance of behaviour change, moving consumers beyond merely behaviour adoption.
“Obesity, like diabetes needs to be managed over the life course and should not be expected to be fixed by a one-off program,” Dr Parkinson said.
Previously known as THE 150 Under 50 Rankings, the Young University Rankings sees Griffith rise from 48th to be now placed 35th among 200 similarly-aged institutions.
This impressive rise follows last month’sQS Subject Rankingsin which Griffith placed in the top 100 institutions worldwide in 11 subject areas with Hospitality and Leisure Management ranked in the top ten.
Griffith began life in 1975 with 451 students enrolled at its Nathan campus. Today it hosts more than 50,000 students across five campuses in southeast Queensland as well as online.
Vice Chancellor and President Ian O’Connor said the result highlights the institutional commitment Griffith has to excellence in research and teaching.
“It is also the product of hard work by all our staff, students, alumni and partners which combine to produce remarkable outcomes,” Professor O’Connor said.
To access the full rankings for the 2017 Top 200 Under 50, please visit here
Griffith University researchers have travelled to north Queensland to assess the impacts of Cyclone Debbie for vital coastal resilience modelling.
Senior research fellow Dr Serena Lee and PhD candidate Gaelle Faivre took measurements of the landward extent of the rush of seawater that occurs as a result of surge. They will work in partnership with the Department of Science, Information Technology and Innovation.
Visiting key data sites in Mackay and the Whitsunday Coast, the researchers were looking for debris lines and watermarks on buildings.
“Everyone is understandably focused on cleaning up and removing debris after the event, but to us as a scientist, that’s important data,” Dr Lee said.
Griffith researchers assess key data sites.
“Storm surge is often the most damaging aspect of a cyclone impacting the coast, with water level being increased many metres over normal tide levels.”
The researchers will now use the information to verify the Centre’s models of storm surge inundation across the land as a cyclone makes landfall.
“We were lucky that where we went the residents were open to our workand helpful in pointing out areas where we would find debris left by the surge,” Dr Lee said.
“The places we were able to get the best measure of storm surge inundation were from empty blocks with no houses, where the debris had not been cleared. These sites provided clear measurements of how far the storm surge caused by Cyclone Debbie moved over land.”
Dr Lee said this information was important because whenever they run a numerical model they need to tests its accuracy and can only do that if they have actual measurements.
“Because storm surges don’t happen often, there isn’t many measurements you can use to test your model,” she said.
“Collecting this data is also complicated by the fact that accessing these sites after a disaster can be difficult. Often by the time you have managed to get to a location, the recovery efforts have been so efficient that all the debris has been cleared.”
Dr Lee said by comparing their predictions with the observed data, “we can determine the strengths and weaknesses of our modelling and further improve the strategies for forecasting storm surge inundation over land.”
The researchers are also using images and drone footage as part of their data collection to improve understanding of how the storm surge moves and map its extent. The drone data can also be used to map the beach profile, to determine how much erosion was caused by Cyclone Debbie.
The data will also support the research Dr Lee is carrying out, funded by Griffith University’s Area of Strategic Investment program, on coastal ocean circulation along the Queensland coastline.
Centre Director Professor Rodger Tomlinson said the impact of storm surge has been a research area for the Centre for many years.
“With financial assistance from the Queensland Government, we’ve been able to develop a decision support system to assist emergency managers who canpredict areas of potential devastation,” he said.
The Cities Research Institute has a focus on building coastal resilience to ensure our existing community and planned new development can deal with these major extreme events.
Former Olympic and Commonwealth Champion Libby Trickett OAM and Griffith University Vice Chancellor Professor Ian O’Connor enjoy some time out at the opening of the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre.
Queensland Treasurer, the Honourable Curtis Pitt MP officiallyGriffith University’s Gold Coast Aquatic Centre today (April 5).
Former Olympic and Commonwealth champion Libby Trickett OAM and Commonwealth Games gold-medal winning athlete Emma McKeon OAM were two of the special guests at the event, which marked one year from the start of competition at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Griffith University Vice Chancellor and President Professor Ian O’Connor said the $16 million centre was the perfect venue for competition, training and recreation.
“This magnificent facility complements our ever-expanding Gold Coast campus and is a welcome addition to the first-class sporting amenities already available on campus,” he said.
Students from Griffith’s partner schools took part in a four-by-50 metre relay at the opening.
The solar-heated Olympic-sized pool, with FINA-approved starting blocks and electronic timing, features a bulkhead in the middle, enablingit to be split in two for multi-purpose activity at either end without disruption.
With the 2018 Commonwealth Games rapidly approaching, the pool is set to attract national teams keen to use the facility to prepare and train for the big event.
“Griffith played a major role in Queensland’s last Commonwealth Games in 1982 with our foundation campus at Nathan hosting the Games Village as well as other important services,” Professor O’Connor said.
“Now 35 years on, we have a special relationship with the 2018 event and look forward to contributing to what we expect to be one of the most remarkable games in history.”
Griffith University is an official Games partner and the first university in history to partner with the Commonwealth Games.
The ceremony featured a four-by-50 metre Griffith UniversityPartner Schools Freestyle Relay with Libby Trickett OAM presenting medals to the competitors.
A Griffith University researcher is helping save the planet in a new study that maps global nutrient production from farms worldwide.
PhD candidate Eloise Stephenson is co-author on the paper, led by Dr Mario Herrero at CSIRO and published in the inaugural issue of The Lancet Planetary Health.
The studyfound small and medium farms produce more than half of the food globally, and produce the vast majority of food and nutrients in low income countries.
Ms Stephenson, who works within Griffith’s School of Environment, said planetary health — also described as one health or eco-health — is a relatively new term coined to describe how to make the world a healthier place.
PhD candidate Eloise Stephenson.
“This paper provides a breakdown of global agriculture and nutrient production by farm size and this information is critical for promoting healthy diets in the face of population growth, urbanisation and climate change,” she said.
“We need a greater focus on increasing the nutritional diversity (i.e. more variety) of food rather than the sheer quantity (mass production) of food, while considering contribution from small farms.”
The paper provides global maps that pinpoint hotspots of nutritional yield which can be used in management of food security worldwide.
Estimates suggest that by 2050 there will need to be a 70 per cent increase in food availability to meet the demands of a growing population. However, the increase in volume alone will not guarantee human wellbeing.
Researchers say food systems will need to produce food of high nutritional value and crops, livestock and fish must be diverse to ensure food security.
They estimate the relative contribution of small and large farms to the quantity and quality of food produced at a global scale.
For the first time, they map how much calcium, folate, iron, protein, vitamin A, vitamin B12 and zinc is produced in farms of different sizes from 41 crops, 7 livestock products and 14 fish groups.
“We’ve looked at the nutrition small farms are contributing and as much as 51-77 per cent of vitamins and minerals are coming from farms less than 50 hectares globally,” Ms Stephenson said.
“This is important to know because if we have a healthy environment, we’ll have healthy people.”
The Gold Coast is celebrating one year until the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (GC2018).
To mark this special occasion Griffith University joined the communityat a gala event at Surfers Paradise Beach, with appearances from our elite athletes and internship students.
Elite athletes Madi Wilson and Emma McKeon in the new Griffith University Aquatic Centre at Gold Coast campus.
Griffith’s new $16 million Aquatic Centre has also been opened as part of thecelebrations.
Vice Chancellor and President Professor Ian O’Connor said Griffith University had been a part of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games journey from its early stages and was proud to work with the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation (GOLDOC) as the official University partner for the Games.
“Through our partnership, Griffith is able to offer students unique and meaningful internships with GOLDOC, as well as sporting and academic scholarships, staff secondments and research opportunities,” he said.
“The Commonwealth Games provide a wonderful opportunity to showcase the Gold Coast as a world class city, and as official University partner, Griffith looks forward to contributing to what will be one of the most remarkable Games on record.”
Griffith making history — our significant partnership milestones
Griffith University interns outside of GOLDOC Headquarters.
The Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Organising Corporation (GOLDOC) currently hosts dozens of Griffith interns across a range of disciplines includingSport Management,Engineering,Communications,MarketingandInformation Technology. This number will total more than 250 during the life of the partnership, with 130 students able to undertake internships during the actual staging of GC2018 — an experience no other University can offer. Apply now for a GC2018 internship.
The links with Griffith University’s elite sporting program have also been strengthened after science studentCameron McEvoywas named as an Official GC2018 Ambassador. Cameron has also been named the first Griffith Games Champion, representing the face of the University’s involvement with GC2018. More Griffith Games Champions will be announced as we build up to GC2018
Paralympian and Bachelor of Public Relations and Communications student Rowan Crothers received the first Griffith GC2018 scholarship.
Griffith will offer seven Griffith University and Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Scholarships during its partnership. So far five scholarships have been awarded for Academic or Sporting Excellence.
Griffith University and GOLDOC have developed a strong working relationship in the lead-up to GC2018 with Griffith graduates now comprising about 17 per cent of all GOLDOC employees.
Griffith’s commitment to sporting excellence through innovative research, teaching, sports scholarships and supporting elite athletes was reinforced with statistics placing Griffith in the top two Australian universities who had the most tier one elite athletes with the Australian Institute for Sport. The campus is also adjacent to the Parklands Project which will be transformed into the Commonwealth Games Athletes Village and home to 6600 athletes and officials during GC2018.
Griffith Art graduate Elise Appleton shows off her Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games design
Griffith University graduate Elise Appleton had her design work on display across the world, after her design was chosen for the Queen’s Baton Relay (QBR) emblem.
Griffith University architecture students have produced 1:100 scale model of Carrara stadium for use in the production of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
Griffith’s facilities will be used by Team Australia and the Commonwealth Games Association in the lead up to and during GC2018.
Young musicians rehearse the 2016 Symphony in a Day concert
Fifty young musicians from Queensland Conservatorium and around Brisbane will rehearse and perform an entire symphony in a day on Sunday, April 9.
Following on from last year’s successful events, Symphony in a Day (SIAD) is the brainchild of 22-year-old clarinet student Jessica Hort, who brought the event from Melbourne to Brisbane in early 2016 when she began her master’s degree.
“My friend Hank-Clifton Williamson (flute) and I came up with the idea when we were completing our bachelor of music in Melbourne, basically to act as an extra learning platform for musicians wanting to gain more experience playing in an orchestral environment,’’ Jess said.
Clarinet student Jessica Hort brough SIAD to Brisbane.
“Queensland has been blessed with one of the best youth orchestras in the country. Comprised of pre-eminent young musicians, SIAD bridges the gap between a youth and professional orchestra.”
The students will perform Sibelius No. 2 under the guidance of award-winning clarinettist and Griffith University lecturer Paul Dean, who recently conducted the symphony with the Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra.
“I think it is very important, if not vital, for young musicians to learn the skill of getting things together very quickly,’’ Paul said.
“And SIAD is the perfect vehicle for this type of learning. In reality, musicians don’t get a month or more to rehearse and refine performances and quite often a symphony will be put together in a day.
“Obviously in the profession, most people will have played most symphonies such as Sibelius 2 numerous times so it isn’t quite as stressful but the learning of this process is really valuable.”
Paul said the symphony was an important part of the repertoire for students to sink their teeth into.
“It is a very challenging style as well,’’ he said.
“More from the Tchaikovsky soundscape than the Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner and Mahler world which the students get to play often in youth orchestras.
“It is more folk music inspired with a beating heart that cannot be quietened.”
Jessica said one of the best things about the event was that while the standard of musicianship was high, the energy and excitement between everyone made the performance even greater.
“It is a great chance to prepare yourself for life as a professional musician and work with some of the best people in the industry.”
A large part of the program includes tutorials from professional musicians.
Each string section will be led and mentored​ by prominent string players from Coffs Harbour (Trish O’Brien, cello (director of Coffs Harbour Consvervatorium) and Pat Brearly, viola (Australian National Academy of Music Melbourne)) and QLD Ann Holtzapffel​, violin and Justin Bullock, double bass, Queensland Symphony Orchestra).
The musicians will gather at the Conservatorium’s Opera Space for rehearsals from 9.30am to 3.30pm and perform the entire symphony at 4pm in the Conservatorium foyer.The event is free.
