Sustainability Unpacked Food, Energy and Water for Resilient Environments and Societies

Food, water and energy form some of the basic elements of sustainability considerations. This ground-breaking book examines and decodes these elements, exploring how a range of countries make decisions regarding their energy and bio-resource consumption and procurement. The authors consider how these choices impact not only the societies and environments of those countries, but the world in general. To achieve this, the authors review the merits of various sustainability and environmental metrics, and then apply these to 34 countries that are ranked low, medium or high on the human development index. The book assesses their resource capacities and the environmental impacts, both within and outside their country boundaries, from consuming food, water, and energy. The final section uses the lessons derived from the earlier analyses of resource consumption to explore the importance of geography, climates and sustainable management of forests and other natural resources for building resilient societies in the future.

PART 1: From the Beginning 1. Sustainability - Clues for Positive Societal and Ecosystem Change 2. Learning From the Past: Why Societies Collapsed or Survived PART 2: Scientific Approach to Decoding Sustainability 3. Today: Decoding Country Resource Stories PART 3: The Real Country Stories 4. Fossil Energy Endowments and Externalities 5. Forests - the Backbone and Circulatory System for Human Societies 6. The Soil and Water Connection to Food: Adapt, Mitigate, or Die PART 4. Climate and Soils: Unavoidable Constraints To Solar Capital 7. The Future: Climate Change as a Global Driver Impacting Sustainability 8. Where the Past and Future meet: Soils or the Unseen Earth that Nurtures Societies 9. The Ultimate Constraint to Human Sustainability: Solar Income PART 5. Societies Adapt To a Quagmire of Resource Choices 10. Debunking Sustainability Myths 11. Portfolio for Managing Natural and Human Capital 12. Sustainable Ecosystems: Investments in Human and Natural Capital References

Kristiina A. Vogt,professor of ecosystem management and founder (and co-coordinator) of the Forest Systems and Bioenergy program at the University of Washington, Seattle, USA. She was one of the founders of a start-up bioenergy company, Renewol, which she currentlychairs. She also is the Vice-President for Bio-Energy, Interforest LLC. She is a co-investigator on a multi-million dollar Integrative Graduate Education and Research Training (IGERT) grant funded by the NSF entitled 'Bio-resource Based Energy for Sustainable Societies'. Professor Vogt has authored or co-authored seven books and published over 135 refereed articles. Toral Patel-Weynand, Affiliate Associate Faculty at the University of Washington (UW) and an Associate of the Forest Systems and Bioenergy, UW. Maura Shelton, Research Associate with the Forest Systems and Bioenergy in the College of Forest Resources at the University of Washington. She is presently an NSF IGERT Bioenergy Fellow. Daniel J. Vogt, Associate Professor in Soils and Ecosystem Ecology of the College of Forest Resources, University of Washington. He is an internationally-recognized scholar with over 50 author credits. He is also currently a senior consultant of Interforest, LLC, a sustainable forestry consulting firm, and a partner in a start-up bioenergy company, Renewol. John C. Gordon, Chairman of Interforest, LLC, a sustainable forestry consulting firm, and a founder of the Candlewood Timber Group, Inc., a sustainable forestry company with forestland and operations in Argentina. He is also Pinchot Professor Emeritus of Forestry and Environmental Studies at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. He has authored, coauthored or edited over 150 papers and books. He also is currently a partner in two start-up companies, Renewol, and Maximum Yield Associates. Calvin T. Mukumoto, President of Renewol LLC, and Chief financial Officer for TSS Consultants. Asep S. Suntana,Research Associate, Forest Systems and Bioenergy program at the University of Washington.He is also a LEAD fellow (Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD) International and LEAD Indonesia Program) in Indonesia, China, and Canada (1998 - 2000). Patricia A. Roads, Communications Director for the Center for Adaptive Policies in Ecosystems International, a non-profit organization originally based in Washington and now in Iceland.