The One Planet Framework
A holistic approach for true sustainability
The One Planet framework was devised by BioRegional to help our partners think holistically about sustainability and create places where living and working within a fair share of our planet’s resources is easy, attractive and affordable.
Specifically the framework helps our partners to tackle two, related sustainability challenges:
- The need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to a level sufficient to avert dangerous climate change and,
- The need to reduce resource consumption to a sustainable, one planet, level.
10 simple principles
The causes of these twin challenges are numerous and complex. The key strength of the framework is its use of 10 simple principles – what we call the 10 One Planet principles – to guide our partners in finding appropriate solutions.
By considering and addressing all 10 of the principles, which cover areas such as carbon emissions, waste, transport, food and water, our partners will successfully and comprehensively create truly sustainable communities.
What’s more is that these same 10 principles can be applied to all contexts around the world and are sensitive to the nuances of the sustainability challenge in both developed and developing countries.
To view the 10 One Planet principles click here.
Applying the framework
BioRegional uses a number of tools to apply the 10 One Planet principles to the development of sustainable communities.
1. A set of Common International Targets
These are targets for the reduction of greenhouse gases and resource consumption levels on a timeline to 2020. They are flexible in recognition that the sustainability challenge is context specific.
This is a globally applicable accounting methodology which assesses the capacity of the planet to meet the demands we place upon it in terms of resource consumption. It can be used to highlight the context specific sustainability challenge and as such focus the efforts of our partners on the factors which contribute most to greenhouse gas emissions and resource consumption.
These documents are where our partners set community-specific targets against each of the 10 One Planet principles, with reference to the Common International Targets, and outline the possible ways of achieving the targets.
