Volume 1 | Issue 2 | Fall 2005

Abstract

Uncertainty, innovation, and dynamic sustainable development

Lenore Newman
School of Environment and Sustainability, Royal Roads University, 2005 Sooke Road, Victoria, B.C., Canada V9B 5Y2
(e-mail: lenore.newman@royalroads.ca)

Sustainable development is a rich concept that has helped shape the discussion of human society’s interaction with the biosphere. However, the term “sustainable development” is contentious, and some dismiss it outright as an oxymoron. The seemingly contradictory “sustainable” and “development” can be reconciled by accepting that due to two factors, the inherent complexity and uncertainty of human and natural systems, and the ability of human society to innovate, sustainable development must be dynamic. It must be an ongoing process, not a goal. A sustainable society must constantly evaluate its relationship with nature as it adopts new innovations and encounters unexpected events. The role of feedback and suitable application of the precautionary principle are key elements of a dynamic sustainable development process. The example of nuclear waste management in Canada demonstrates the beginning of such a process.

KEYWORDS: sustainable development, human-environment relationship, human impact, innovations, appropriate technology, human ecology, waste management, radioactive wastes

Citation: Newman, L. 2005. Uncertainty, Innovation, and Dynamic Sustainable Development.  Sustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy 1(2):25-31. http://ejournal.nbii.org/archives/vol1iss2/0501-001.newman.html. Published online October 6, 2005.

© 2005 Newman