Abstract
In this chapter there is presented a radical interpretation of sustainability that pushes at the boundaries of the conventional approaches contained by sustainable supply chain management. The chapter is grounded in the historical development of the policy treatment of transportation and sustainability, in which it is argued that there is a complex interplay between the technically possible and the politically acceptable. The sustainability agenda is shown to be an emergent property of an evolving discourse, traced back here to key milestone events such as the Club of Rome reports in the 1970s. The chapter argues that we have neglected the cultural basis of sustainability as it is currently defined, and illustrates this view by reference to the treatment of this issue by other cultures in other times and places. Indeed, the continuity of concern over environmental matters is the predominant feature, rather than a recent ‘new’ emergence. The chapter concludes with an awkward question: Have the achievements of the past 50 years made transport or supply chains more ‘sustainable’?
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Information was disseminated and kept in the form of ‘wampum’: patterns of beads that, combined with oral records could be passed through the generations.
References
Anon. (2018). Kayanerehkowa: The great law of peace. Accessed January 22, 2018. http://www.ganienkeh.net/thelaw.html.
Elkington, J. (1999). Cannibals with forks: The triple bottom line of 21st century business. London: Capstan.
Gallagher, K. S. (2006). China shifts gear: Automakers, oil, pollution and development. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Heinberg, R. (2007). Peak everything: Waking up to the century of declines. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society.
Hieronimus, R. (1989). America’s secret destiny: Spiritual vision and the founding of a nation. Rochester, VT: Destiny Books.
ICCT. (2017). 2017 global update: Light-duty vehicle greenhouse gas and fuel economy standards. Washington, DC: International Council on Clean Transportation. Accessed January 22, 2018. www.theicct.org.
Johansen, B. (1982). Forgotten founders: How the American Indian helped shape democracy. Boston, MA: The Harvard Common Press.
Johansen, B. (1998). Debating democracy: Native American legacy of freedom. Santa Fe, NM: Clear Light.
Krebs, C. (2008). The ecological world view. Collingwood, VIC: CSIRO.
Kroonenberg, S. (2006). De Menselijke Maat; De aarde over tienduizend jaar [The human measure: The earth in ten thousand years time]. Amsterdam and Antwerp: Atlas.
Matthews, L., Power, D., Touboulic, A., & Marques, L. (2016). Building bridges: Towards alternative theory of sustainable supply chain management. Journal of Supply Chain Management,52(1), 82–94.
Meadows, D., Randers, J., & Behrens, W. (1972). The limits to growth. New York: New American Library.
Montabon, F., Pagell, M., & Wu, Z. (2016). Making sustainability sustainable. Journal of Supply Chain Management,52(2), 11–27.
Nieuwenhuis, P. (1994). Emissions legislation and incentives in the USA and Europe. In P. Nieuwenhuis & P. Wells (Eds.), Motor vehicles in the environment. Chichester: Wiley.
Nieuwenhuis, P. (2012). The challenge of decarbonising the car. In M. Nilsson, K. Hillman, A. Rickne, & T. Magnusson (Eds.), Paving the road to sustainable transport: Governance and innovation in low-carbon vehicles. London: Routledge.
Nieuwenhuis, P. (2014). Sustainable automobility: Understanding the car as a natural system. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.
Nieuwenhuis, P., Beresford, A., & Choi, K.-Y. (2012). Shipping or local production? CO2 impact of a strategic decision: An automotive industry case study. International Journal of Production Economics,140(1), 138–148.
Nieuwenhuis, P., & Lin, X. (2015). China’s car industry. In P. Nieuwenhuis & P. Wells (Eds.), The global automotive industry. Chichester: Wiley.
Nieuwenhuis, P., & Zapata, C. (2005). Can China reduce CO2 emissions from cars? Greener Management International,50, 65–74.
Nieuwenhuis, P., & Wells, P. (1997). The death of motoring? Car making and automobility in the 21st century. Chichester: Wiley.
Parker, A. C. (1916). The constitution of the five nations or the Iroqois book of the great law. 2006 Reprint. Ohsweken, ON: Iroqrafts.
Roberts, P. (2004). The end of oil: The decline of the petroleum economy and the rise of a new energy order. London: Bloomsbury.
Solon, P. (2018, February). Vivir Bien: Old cosmovisions and new paradigms, great transition initiative. Accessed January 22, 2018. http://greattransition.org/publication/vivir-bien.
The Guardian. (2008, February 13). True scale of CO2 emissions from shipping revealed. The Guardian, p. 1.
WCED. (1987). Our Common Future, Report by the World Commission on Environment and Development. Oxford: University Press.
Wells, P., Nieuwenhuis, P., Nash, H., & Frater, L. (2010). Lowering the bar: Options for the automotive industry to achieve 80 g/km CO2by 2010 in Europe. Cardiff: CAIR/BRASS for Greenpeace International.
Xu, L. (2001). 国家863计划电动汽车重大专项正式启动 (The initiation of 863 Program—electric vehicle project). Science & Technology Industry of China, 3, 49–50.
Zhengzheng, G. (2006, January 5). Green light given to eco-friendly vehicles. China Daily. Accessed January 22, 2018. www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2006-01/05/content_509279.htm.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Nieuwenhuis, P. (2019). The Foundations of Sustainability and the Implications for Transport Modes. In: Wells, P. (eds) Contemporary Operations and Logistics. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14493-7_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14493-7_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-14492-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-14493-7
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)