Nineteenth International Conference on Environmental, Cultural, Economic & Social Sustainability

Abstract

The sustainability issues at Mornington Island, a remote community in Queensland, Australia, are in many ways of microcosm of the planet as a whole. Here, an unsustainable, one-way supply chain means that resources are transported to the island and consumed, with waste never leaving. In particular, the energy needs of the island are supplied via fossil fuel generators, with fuel barged in from the mainland at high financial and environmental cost – resulting in low levels of energy resilience, security and sustainability. Some practices seem entrenched, which leads to the question: What does a sustainable future look like for Mornington Island, and how might this be achieved? The interconnectedness of sustainability, livelihoods and governance is explored, to begin to answer this question. Through field observations and their interpretation in causal loop diagrams, the reinforcing loops are identified that link poor housing design, energy poverty, social and health issues, and a lack of community trust. In doing so, a number of inputs into the system are identified that could be examined further by community and government to promote increased sustainability and resilience. Local, community-based models are proposed that may play an important role in solving global environmental problems.