Defining Sustainability: Absolutely | Anjila Hjalsted | TEDxGoodenoughCollege

When is something sustainable? Is better good enough? In this talk, Anjila Hjalsted answers that question with the newest research on Absolute Sustainability. Anjila argues that a solid, science based definition is important to avoid misleading claims and confusion about what sustainability means, and to make clear what we should be aiming for to achieve a sustainable future. Anjila is a Danish environmental engineer and anthropologist. Her research at the Technical University of Denmark has led her to publish a paper in a peer reviewed journal on the emerging topic of absolute sustainability. Here she presents a methodology to define when something is actually sustainable, rather than just more sustainable than something else. Since its publication in 2020 her work has already been widely cited, and Anjila is passionate about clarifying what it means to be sustainable to help us focus our sustainability efforts where they matter most. Anjila works as a sustainability consultant for an international consultancy focusing on climate change. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@pauloviniciusvilelademesqu1932]

It’s a great pleasure for me to participate of this class from Sustentability from you !! Best regards, Paulo Vinicius Vilela de Mesquita Brasil 🇧🇷

[@NetZeroGame]

Great to hear a sustainability leader of the present - and the future!

[@dakotapeters5654]

Who's the leader haha

[@jennyduncan11]

It's fabulous that younger generations are working towards being more sustainable. It's a great plan to define sustainability in absolute terms and create a system by which everything can be measured. I was hoping she was going to tell us what our planetary limit is and how that breaks down to each person. How much can I sustainably consume? Where should I draw the line? What areas can I do better in? Where am I doing a good job now?

[@warpspeed8305]

Complicated questions

[@plantbere]

I loved it! It would be useful to share some examples of the results you got from the calculations - how big are the shares - for everyone to get a feeling.

[@saranbhatia8809]

Absolutely insightful!

[@sepiaphotosinthesun]

Loved this Ted Talk, congratulations Anjila!

[@ejarja11]

Insightful Presentation

[@nawafm6563]

Can you share with us the mathematical eq in a separate video?

[@javierwagner4410]

This is the right path, finally something actionable. However, an activity cannot be defined as sustainable in isolation. The ceilings of resources are determined by its cyclical supply and also but the other activities that are already occupying/consuming a piece of the resource budget. If we are at the edge of all budgetary limits any activity is likely to be unsustainable, that is where deciding what activities are worth the movement of materials becomes critical. Nonetheless, this is a much more productive conversation already than companies randomly saying they are sustainable and all that useless talk.

[@exposurepoint-9000]

Very insightful .. let us continue to keep caring..

[@jessmason2112]

Absolute sustainability begins with water 💦. You can't do anything without water. You can grow, create, filter, provide, and survive. Just like every ancient civilization used aqueducts, and farming to build great cities and economies. It's absurd to think that the Earth will provide all of mankind's needs for fresh water. Let's break it down. How did these ancient times create these great feats and civilizations? Water, water distribution, economics, and creating something out of nothing. Like ancient societies, we need to create these things. Within all that is the answer.

[@dakotapeters5654]

A fire doesn't require water... 🔥

[@jessmason2112]

My point is to make it profitable creating economic growth with hard work. If there was a 100-200 foot wide canal from New York to Los Angeles how many fish farms, hydroponic farms, algae farms, regular farms, water purification plants, and stored energy reservoirs could there be from just collecting stormwater and diverting water that would normally just flow into the ocean? The economic development of the US was based on cheap transport of goods, (The rivers, streams, and canals gave the US an advantage economically. ) Not to mention recreation and transport along the way.

[@jessmason2112]

Another point I would like to make is sustainable energy. Water storage is a great battery. When the grid doesn't need solar and wind energy(they turn them off periodically because the electrical grid has no use for that generated energy). What better thing to do than pump water with that energy?

[@jessmason2112]

The canal itself would only need a depth of 25-40 ft' deep(depending on the area and geography )and the jobs in all that. We could feed the world with a growth belt of that magnitude.

[@dakotapeters5654]

@Jess Mason you got a great idea there it sparked one of my own. Building a giant cyphon and using the flow of the water pressure provided by physics-based mechanics to get the water wherever you needed it, as well as proving the water with the ability to consistently flow back into the water source keeping the water happy and healthy instead of stagnant. Then, since it's flowing constantly, you can also put in a hydro power plant and then run the power next to the water in order to provide us with electricity. Cause where we have water we also need electricity... where we run our water, we also need food, so that would provide the water for growing crops as well as drinking.

[@merle7019]

Am I wrong or does she completely neglect social sustainability? Sustainability is not just about natural resources, a cake to be shared. Also the Brundtland definition is not defining sustainability, but sustainable development.

[@brandonkoolhaas7367]

This "new definition" promotes excess emissions, which will still slowly cause temperatures to rise

[@ashartrobertson]

how so? as in how does a calculated limit promote excess emission? (genuine question)

[@momilli5096]

S u s t a i n a b l e = the new Code Word for G E N O C I D E !!!

[@V-Smith]

Oh thank GOD a fellow human being with a brain! Hello Fren

[@dragonmaster9817]

why

[@nicolasrojas900]

What is "really radical"? The goal of absolute sustainability includes the poor?

[@dragonmaster9817]

thank god someone addreses this factor, like while it be a sustainability that I could afford? not something like "get an electric car!, buy organic food!, use solar panel energy!" like my guy, I gotta afford to live on a average wage.

[@V-Smith]

Oh my gosh and three seconds, and I already can’t stand the propaganda

[@Skyler53631]

same

[@guesswho-og2wv]

11:24 minutes in and i still don't have a quantifiable definition of sustainability.. What is so great about this??? Utterly useless

[@user-uc6mk3cx6j]

I loved it! It would be useful to share some examples of the results you got from the calculations - how big are the shares - for everyone to get a feeling.