Direct links
 
Home → Research Centres → Casrg → Assessing sustainability dimensions and impacts

Assessing sustainability dimensions and impacts

 

This initiative, running since 2000, is under the auspices of The Cooperative Research Centre for Coal in Sustainable Development (CRCCSD) for which Hooker has been appointed senior researcher in charge of CCSD Program P1.2.

 

The research team comprises:

Program task

As society moves toward adopting sustainable development, and as alternative energy technologies mature, the use of fossil fuels is being increasingly questioned. However, while sustainability-driven re-evaluation of energy usage is appropriate, especially that of fossil fuels, this needs to be based on an understanding of the rich roles which carbon flows play in these complex systems. Moreover, both ecologies and economies are systems whose inherent dynamics will alter their composition and interrelations over time and the maintenance of their adaptive capacities is central to their viability. So the sustainability-driven re-evaluation of fossil fuel usage needs to pay particular attention to those key features that allow ecologies and economies to persist through change, their resiliency.

 

The aim of Program P1.2 is to re-focus sustainable development primarily around the simultaneous maintenance (and preferably improvement) of the adaptive resiliency of ecology and economy as change proceeds, to develop from this new measures for evaluating future energy scenarios, and new systematic processes for the construction and evaluation of future scenarios and of risk-ameliorating adaptive strategies over these. Particular tasks include:

(i) investigation of the conceptual, qualitative and semi-quantitative identification of resiliency and adaptability dimensions of ecologies and economies,

(ii) construction of a new conception of adaptive sustainability focused on preserving/improving adaptability and resilience, complete with policy and planning tools,

(iii) investigation of applications to adaptive industrial networks,

(iv) using these features to assess the impacts of future energy scenarios on the resiliency and adaptability of ecologies and economies and

(v) applying these insights in the specific context of Australian ecology and economy.

Research

 

Industry Discussion Papers

A series of brief discussion papers specifically for industry partners, designed to explain the key ideas behind the approach programme P1.2 is taking to sustainable development, discuss their consequences for coal-chain industries, and provoke dialogue and feedback.

1.Introducing 3 basic concepts: efficiency, resiliency, adaptability - their natures and roles (2002)

2. Introducing adaptive Sustainable Development - a framework for policy and planning (2003)

3. Adaptiveness evaluation of C21 Report (2004)

4. Impact reduction, capital maximisation, adaptive resilience satisfying: 3 concepts of sustainability systematically framed (2005)

For the supporting research see Research Report 53 below

5.  Integration in Sustainability Assessment (2005)

5a. with supporting report to the National Academies Forum: Joint Academies Committee on Sustainability (130pp), see also the forum website

6.  Industrial Networks - an important framework tool for sustainable policy and planning (2006)

7. Performance Indicators for Adaptiveness (2007)

8. Adaptive Backcasting: a method of possibility and design (2007)

9. Adaptive Energy Policy Making (2008)

For the supporting research see Research Reports 78 and 79 below.

CCSD Research reports:
Books:

Two books are in advanced preparation.

Other papers:
Other Work:

 

Autocatalysis: Applications to Technology Design and Education

This is a few words on the applications of some ideas in nonlinear dynamical systems to technology design, which has some additional applications to education theory.

 
Research context

The Cooperative Research Centre for Coal in Sustainable Development (CRCCSD) has been established under a Commonwealth Government initiative, bringing together researchers from industry, Universities, CSIRO and government funded agencies for the benefit of Australia industry and the community. CRCCSD will improve understanding of the place of coal in the transition to sustainable development in a changing world, through responsive and collaborative research, technology transfer, and education and training; conduct scientific research to:improve environmental performance of current technologies; reduce the risk inherent in adopting emerging clean coal technologies; and identify appropriate transition paths and support the development of policies for coal use.

Participants in CRCCSD include: Australian Coal Research Limited (ACIRL), BHP Innovation Pty Limited, CNA Resources Limited, CS Energy Limited, CSIRO Energy Technology, Curtin University of Technology, Delta Electricity, Enex Coal Pty Limited, Rio Tinto Energy Pty Limited, State of Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Tarong Energy Corporation Limited, The Griffin Coal Mining Co Pty Limited, The University of Newcastle, The University of New South Wales, The University of Queensland, Wesfarmers Coal Limited, Western Power Corporation.

 

Further information about CRCCSD can be found at http://www.ccsd.biz/.