The Natural Step
Encyclopedia
The Natural Step is a non-profit organization founded in Sweden
in 1989 by scientist Karl-Henrik Robèrt
. Following publication of the Brundtland Report in 1987, Robèrt developed The Natural Step framework, setting out the system conditions for the sustainability of human activities on Earth
; Robèrt's four system conditions are derived from the laws of thermodynamics
.
The Natural Step has also pioneered a "Backcasting from Principles" approach meant to advance society towards greater sustainability
.
The other three principles focus on interactions between humans and the planet. They are based in science and supported by the analysis that ecosystem
functions and processes are altered in the following ways:
says that energy
is conserved; nothing disappears, its form simply changes. Another way of stating this is: "Energy cannot be created, or destroyed, only modified in form." The implications of the Second Law
are that matter
and energy tend to disperse over time. This is referred to as "entropy
." Putting the two laws together and applying them to our planetary system
, the following facts become apparent:
In 1989, Robèrt wrote a paper describing the system conditions for sustainability, given the laws of thermodynamics. He sent it to 50 scientists, asking that they tell him what was wrong with his paper. On version 22, Robèrt had consensus on what was to become The Natural Step.
Eco-municipalities, based on the Natural Step's system conditions, originated in Sweden. Over 70 cities and towns (25 percent of all municipalities) have adopted sustainability principles based on the system conditions. There are now 12 eco-municipalities in the United States and the American Planning Association
has adopted sustainability objectives based on the same principles. Communities such as Whistler
and Dawson Creek, British Columbia
, Canada
and corporations such as Interface
and IKEA
have adopted the Natural Step and become more sustainable as a result. Both these companies have completely re-thought their business and have examined and changed all their processes including purchase of materials, manufacturing, transportation, construction of facilities, maintenance and waste management. The Natural Step's framework for sustainability provides principles that are grounded in science, and thus measurable.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
in 1989 by scientist Karl-Henrik Robèrt
Karl-Henrik Robèrt
Karl-Henrik Robèrt, M.D., Ph.D. , is a Swedish cancer scientist and an important figure in the worldwide sustainability movement. He is known for The Natural Step, a framework that lays out the system conditions for sustainability, that arose from his consultations with municipalities, businesses,...
. Following publication of the Brundtland Report in 1987, Robèrt developed The Natural Step framework, setting out the system conditions for the sustainability of human activities on Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
; Robèrt's four system conditions are derived from the laws of thermodynamics
Laws of thermodynamics
The four laws of thermodynamics summarize its most important facts. They define fundamental physical quantities, such as temperature, energy, and entropy, in order to describe thermodynamic systems. They also describe the transfer of energy as heat and work in thermodynamic processes...
.
The Natural Step has also pioneered a "Backcasting from Principles" approach meant to advance society towards greater sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
.
Towards sustainability
Sustainability essentially means preserving life on Earth, including human civilization; meeting human needs is thus vital in creating a sustainable society. It follows that one of The Natural Step's principles of sustainability is to avoid subjecting people to conditions which undermine their capacity to meet their own needs.The other three principles focus on interactions between humans and the planet. They are based in science and supported by the analysis that ecosystem
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
functions and processes are altered in the following ways:
- Society mines and disperses materials faster than they are returned to the Earth's crustCrust (geology)In geology, the crust is the outermost solid shell of a rocky planet or natural satellite, which is chemically distinct from the underlying mantle...
(examples include oilOilAn oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
, coalCoalCoal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
and metals such as mercuryMercury (element)Mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg and atomic number 80. It is also known as quicksilver or hydrargyrum...
and leadLeadLead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
). - Society produces substances faster than they can be broken down by natural processes — if they can be broken down at all (examples of such substances include dioxins, DDT and PCBsPolychlorinated biphenylPolychlorinated biphenyls are a class of organic compounds with 2 to 10 chlorine atoms attached to biphenyl, which is a molecule composed of two benzene rings. The chemical formula for PCBs is C12H10-xClx...
). - Society depletes or degrades resources faster than they are regenerated (for example, over-harvesting of trees or fish), or by other forms of ecosystem manipulation (for example, paving over fertileFertileThe term fertile describes a condition whereby organisms are able to produce physically healthy offspring.Fertile may also refer to:...
land or causing soil erosion).
Overview of the science
The First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics set limiting conditions for life on earth: The First LawConservation of energy
The nineteenth century law of conservation of energy is a law of physics. It states that the total amount of energy in an isolated system remains constant over time. The total energy is said to be conserved over time...
says that energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
is conserved; nothing disappears, its form simply changes. Another way of stating this is: "Energy cannot be created, or destroyed, only modified in form." The implications of the Second Law
Second law of thermodynamics
The second law of thermodynamics is an expression of the tendency that over time, differences in temperature, pressure, and chemical potential equilibrate in an isolated physical system. From the state of thermodynamic equilibrium, the law deduced the principle of the increase of entropy and...
are that matter
Matter
Matter is a general term for the substance of which all physical objects consist. Typically, matter includes atoms and other particles which have mass. A common way of defining matter is as anything that has mass and occupies volume...
and energy tend to disperse over time. This is referred to as "entropy
Entropy
Entropy is a thermodynamic property that can be used to determine the energy available for useful work in a thermodynamic process, such as in energy conversion devices, engines, or machines. Such devices can only be driven by convertible energy, and have a theoretical maximum efficiency when...
." Putting the two laws together and applying them to our planetary system
Planetary system
A planetary system consists of the various non-stellar objects orbiting a star such as planets, dwarf planets , asteroids, meteoroids, comets, and cosmic dust...
, the following facts become apparent:
- All the matter that will ever exist on earth is here now (First Law).
- Disorder increases in all closed systems and the Earth is a closed system with respect to matter (Second Law). However, it is an open system with respect to energy since it receives energy from the sun.
- Sunlight is responsible for almost all increases in net material quality on the planet through photosynthesisPhotosynthesisPhotosynthesis is a chemical process that converts carbon dioxide into organic compounds, especially sugars, using the energy from sunlight. Photosynthesis occurs in plants, algae, and many species of bacteria, but not in archaea. Photosynthetic organisms are called photoautotrophs, since they can...
and solar heating effects. Chloroplasts in plant cells take energy from sunlight for plant growth. Plants, in turn, provide energy for other forms of life, such as animals. Evaporation of water from the oceans by solar heating produces most of the Earth's fresh water. This flow of energy from the sun creates structure and order from the disorder.
In 1989, Robèrt wrote a paper describing the system conditions for sustainability, given the laws of thermodynamics. He sent it to 50 scientists, asking that they tell him what was wrong with his paper. On version 22, Robèrt had consensus on what was to become The Natural Step.
System conditions of sustainability
The Natural Step Framework's definition of sustainability includes four system conditions (scientific principles) that lead to a sustainable society. The principles are:- nature is not subject to systematically increasing concentrations of substances extracted from the Earth's crust;
- nature is not subject to systematically increasing concentrations of substances produced as a byproduct of society ;
- nature is not subject to systematically increasing degradation by physical means;
- people are not subject to conditions that systematically undermine their capacity to meet their needs.
On making change happen
In an article in In Context (1991), Robèrt described how The Natural Step Framework would create change:Eco-municipalities, based on the Natural Step's system conditions, originated in Sweden. Over 70 cities and towns (25 percent of all municipalities) have adopted sustainability principles based on the system conditions. There are now 12 eco-municipalities in the United States and the American Planning Association
American Planning Association
The American Planning Association is a professional organization representing the field of city and regional planning in the United States. The APA was formed in 1978 when two separate professional planning organizations, the American Institute of Planners and the American Society of Planning...
has adopted sustainability objectives based on the same principles. Communities such as Whistler
Whistler, British Columbia
Whistler is a Canadian resort town in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the province of British Columbia, Canada, approximately north of Vancouver...
and Dawson Creek, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and corporations such as Interface
Interface Inc.
Interface, Inc. , founded in 1973 and beginning operations in LaGrange, Georgia, claims to be the world's largest manufacturer of modular carpet for commercial and residential applications. It also sells commercial broadloom carpets. In 2008, it sold its commercial upholstery fabrics division and...
and IKEA
IKEA
IKEA is a privately held, international home products company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture such as beds and desks, appliances and home accessories. The company is the world's largest furniture retailer...
have adopted the Natural Step and become more sustainable as a result. Both these companies have completely re-thought their business and have examined and changed all their processes including purchase of materials, manufacturing, transportation, construction of facilities, maintenance and waste management. The Natural Step's framework for sustainability provides principles that are grounded in science, and thus measurable.
See also
- Eco-municipalityEco-municipalityAn eco-municipality, is a local government area that has adopted ecological and social justice values in its charter...
- Simple livingSimple livingSimple living encompasses a number of different voluntary practices to simplify one's lifestyle. These may include reducing one's possessions or increasing self-sufficiency, for example. Simple living may be characterized by individuals being satisfied with what they need rather than want...
- Sustainable designSustainable designSustainable design is the philosophy of designing physical objects, the built environment, and services to comply with the principles of economic, social, and ecological sustainability.-Intentions:The intention of sustainable design is to "eliminate negative environmental...
- Strategic Sustainable DevelopmentStrategic Sustainable DevelopmentStrategic sustainable development is a strategic approach to sustainable development and is a field of study that exists within the public domain. A number of authors, researchers and practitioners identify with this approach...
- Triple bottom lineTriple bottom lineThe triple bottom line captures an expanded spectrum of values and criteria for measuring organizational success: economic, ecological, and social...
Further reading
- Holmberg, J., Lundqvist, U., Robèrt, K-H. and Wackernagel, M. (1999). "The Ecological Footprint from a Systems Perspective of Sustainability." International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology 6:17-33.
- James, S. and T. Lahti, (2004). The Natural Step for Communities: How Cities and Towns can Change to Sustainable Practices. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers
- Nattrass, B. and M. Altomare. (2002). Dancing with the Tiger: Learning Sustainability Step by Natural Step. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers.
- Nattrass, B. and M. Altomare (1999). The Natural Step for Business: Wealth, Ecology and the Evolutionary Corporation. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers.
- Robèrt, Karl-Henrik. (2002). The Natural Step Story: Seeding a Quiet Revolution. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers.
- Waage, S. (Ed.) 2003. Ants, Galileo, and Gandhi: Designing the Future of Business Through Nature, Genius, and Compassion. Sheffield, UK: Greenleaf Press. Greenleaf Publishing.
- "Case Studies" for The Natural Step projects by organizations and governments within the U.S.