I was invited by the CIB to present at a seminar on ‘Dark Side of Sustainability in Construction’. My presentation was on “Sustainability Myths”.  

Myths are widely held but false beliefs or ideas, and there are many within the sustainability field! Some of the myths I covered are below and I used data and examples to show why it is important to look at these critically.

Examples of Sustainability Myths

• Sustainability Myth 1: The problem of sustainability is in hand, and we are making good progress.
• Sustainability Myth 2: Sustainability is about reducing carbon emissions – if we can achieve this, we are on the right track.
• Sustainability Myth 3: Sustainability is about the environment – we need to understand and address this – then we will be on track
• Sustainability Myth 4: Technology will solve our sustainability problems – we just need more of it.
• Sustainability Myth 5: We just need to be more efficient – than we will achieve sustainability.
• Sustainability Myth 6: Behavior does not make a big difference – focusing on other aspects is better.
• Other myths I covered are better described as sustainable building myths and will be shared in future posts.

Why Investigate Myths?

It is useful to look at why myths persist, despite strong evidence to the contrary. This is includes understanding who in society benefits from myths. This is important if you want to challenge myths to drive change.

For researchers, tackling myths provides a valuable source of research questions. Topics are highly relevant and successful challenges make valuable contributions to knowledge and change.

Challenging myths is a valuable way of developing better theories. As described by Karl Popper in Conjectures and Refutations: The Growth of Scientific Knowledge:

“Science must begin with myths, and with the criticism of myths”….. “In criticizing myths we can find gaps and develop better theories”