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Effects of agricultural on the environment
Organic vs sustainable agriculture
What's the difference between organic and conventional farming
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Environmental sustainability is defined as conserving an ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources. It requires the collective action of not only nations, but also the world as a whole in becoming consciously aware of the impact we put on the environment. In Italian society and under the umbrella term of “environmental sustainability,” there are four prevalent issues that must be discussed: government policies, farming and agriculture, energy consumption, and public involvement. When comparing these issues to those in the United States, much of America’s societal concerns fall into the same categories. However, the strategies used by each country differ in structure and level of concern, which has shown both positive and …show more content…
It is fair to say that environmental policies in Italy must take into account the regional differences of the country. Although it is important for the country to establish national strategies and a clear direction for tackling important issues, these strategies should be developed in accordance with regional and local governments. The development of a countrywide enforcement strategy, in close co-operation with the regions, should help to make enforcement more effective and reduce illegal …show more content…
In 2009, a study was conducted on soil quality with the aim of evaluating the contribution of the introduction of organic farming system to the environmental sustainability of organic farming in Southern Italy.4 Soil quality is the basic concept in a sustainable management of any agricultural system aimed at production, avoiding negative impacts on the environment, preserving resources, and saving energy. The results of the study indicated that the introduction of organic farming management systems could contribute to increasing the environmental sustainability of citrus production in Southern Italy. This was a huge discovery for Italy in regard to providing fresh produce. In addition, conventional farming methods use toxic chemicals that remain in the soil, which has resulted in adversely affecting the Earth’s environment and health of its inhabitants. Thus, this study suggests that organic farming is a positive alternative to conventional farming, which will in turn contribute to Italy’s overall environmental
Organic fertilisers and natural pest control methods minimise the impact of viticulture on the environment. In recent years there has been a considerable movement by some growers towards an organic approach. This is as a result of consumer driven trends and pressure to minimise the environmental impact of viticulture.
In an effort to create a sustainable global environment a significant area of focus needs to be on the interrelationships that contribute to this goal. As with the relationships associated with globalization our actions are interconnected with one another, one nations decisions in a particular geographical area can often times impact those in another geographical areas. The same cause and effect theory applies to environmental interrelationships. An area that this can be most prevalent...
For years organic farmers and conventional farmers have feuded over which is superior. Organic farmers argue that their product is more eco-friendly because they do not use the synthetic chemicals and fertilizers conventional farmer’s use. Conventional farmers argue that their product is healthier and yields more. People tend to have stereotypes regarding the two types of farmers. Organic farmers are usually thought of as liberal, hippy, tree-huggers while conventional farmers are usually thought of as right-wing, industrialists. Obviously, some do adhere to this stereotype, but a majority of these farmers are normal, hardworking people. Although these farmers, both believe in their methods, one is no better than the other. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, but there is no true superior method of crop farming.
A study of 362 datasets found that organic agriculture produces 80% of conventional yield with 21% standard deviation (Tomek et al. 2012). Second, organic farming requires less energy input which equates to less money spend from the farmers in addition to lowering carbon emissions. A study by the Department of Environment shows that organic agriculture uses 25 percent less than energy than their chemical counterparts, and certain crops like organic leeks and broccoli use 58 and 49 percent less, respectively (Bialis et al. 2013). Third, organic farming does not use pesticides. According to the World Health Center, 20,000 people die annually from the exposure of pesticides (Costa et al. 2014). Fourth, the methods that organic farmers use are better for the environment in the long run. And lastly, organic farming creates more jobs. A study done in United Kingdom shows 93,000 jobs could be created if Britain were to make a full scale shift to organic farming (Herro 2006). Although conventional agriculture is the primary producer for food currently, a large scale shift to organic agriculture is better suited to feed the world because organic agriculture can produce at adequate yield, requires less energy input, do not use
Sustainability is a concept with a diverse array of meanings and definitions – a widely used glamorous, ambiguous, ambivalent and vague concept that is used by different stakeholder groups in various ways. Presumably to avoid noodling over a terminology or to avoid the confrontation with a definition, most widely the concept is broken down a planning process (c.f. e.g. Döring & Muraca, 2010). That is why most common sustainability is understood as sustainable development.1
Sustainable development refers to not only meet the needs of contemporary people, but also not compromising the ability of future generations to meet development needs.Sustainable development and environmental protection have established contact, not the same. Environmental protection is an important aspect of sustainable development. The core of sustainable development is development, but requires strict control of the population, improve population quality and protect the environment for the conduct of economic and social development under the premise of sustainable use of resources.
The future, it seems so far off; depending on one’s perspective, it is a week, a month or years. The future, from an environmental perspective is now. Changing behaviour in the present will set the world up for a better future. Understanding sustainability and what it means to be eco-literate is seemingly hard for some, which begs the question, when should ecologising education begin? This essay aims to summarise the extent of educating for a sustainable future and analyse how relevant it is. The concept of ecological literacy is explored along with its benefits and limitations. This essay was written from the viewpoint that everyone has a role in moving towards sustainability, beginning as early as early childhood.
Environmental sustainability is making decisions and taking actions in the interest of protecting the natural world, preserving the capability of the environment to support human life and ensuring that humans use the environment in a way that does not harm the environment. It also questions how economic development affects our environment vice versa.
Political and economic perspectives often conflict with one another when dealing with environmental sustainability. In, Laudato si’, Pope Francis I writes, “While some are concerned only with financial gain, and others with holding on to or increasing their power, what we are left with are conflicts or spurious agreements where the last thing either party is concerned about is caring for the environment and protecting those who are most vulnerable” (Pope Francis I, Laudato si’, Sec. 198). Conflicting perspectives between economics and politics may never be settled. The economic perspective is one of profit maximization, if companies can cut costs using non-environmental methods, then they most likely will use these methods. However, Pope Francis I believes we have a moral obligation to encourage new production practices that would sustain natural resources (Pope Francis I, Laudato si’, Sec. 191). In addition to this, a move towards a more sustainable operation would not spell trouble for businesses, since there is profit to be made within sustainable technologies. For example, the current auto industry is shifting its focus towards producing electric powered vehicles, because they foresee the global market for this technology becoming profitable in the near future. Since we are beginning to revamp the economy, to
There has been a tremendous attention from EU scholars about environmental policy. Since the 1970’s there has been numerous environmental crises and the emergency of an environmental, social movement in several European countries, but even after green politics in Europe quietened and environmental policy gained a ‘normal’ status in the “acquis communautaire”, this attention never subsided.
Laws, especially environmental laws, should be created and put in place to prevent the massive and unsustainable use of resources in the environment. “Local-global relationships conducive to sustainability” (Braun, 2005: 640) should be developed and implemented world over to try to enforce and reinforce global, political and economic change towards sustainability.
Modern society is dominated by multinational corporations. In the past 30 years there has been unprecedented development of transnational corporations (TNC), which is “any corporation that is registered and operates in more than one country at a time” (Transnational). Now, there are more than 63,000 TNCs, while there only 7,000 in 1970. That is more than a 900% growth in TNCs in only a few decades. Even more startling, 70% of all trade, includes at least one of these TNCs (Basic). So, if these multinational corporations have such strong influence, it is their responsibility to activate change in terms of sustainability. Sustainability is the number one problem our society faces today. Sustainability refers to social, environmental, and economic
Environmental pollution has always remained a serious problem in society today. Our planet is often being polluted by many toxins that are not only deadly to us, but our wildlife too. Environmental pollution leads to air pollution, environmental crisis, and global warming. Now there are many different ways that can help these topics be preventable. People need to understand what environmental sustainability truly is. Learning environmental sustainability will give people the tools and knowledge to help sustain our planet before it is too late. Planet earth is our home and people need to understand the damage being done to it. Understanding these important key factors will lead our planet to become healthier and a better place for life to live.
We all belong to the same world and all of us have the same responsibilities towards the world and its environment. This fact might be hard to digest, but if we continue to pollute the Earth at the current rate, all of the world’s ocean waters will become one-hundred-thirty percent acidic. This means that the ocean will be unable to sustain most of its marine life and only a few creatures will be able to survive in the water. A big population of people think that they do not or have few responsibilities towards the environment. People think that the governor of a country should take steps to help the environment. They leave it to scientists since they have the technology to prevent pollution, or that is what most people think. There are more responsibilities to the world each individual has than most of realize. The amount of negligence and ignorance of humans towards the Earth is taking a heavy toll.
The environment around us gives us the habitat to live, is a condition for our existence and development so that protecting environment which is one of today’s most serious issues means protecting our lives. But almost every day we hear a new problem badly affecting the environment. The list of the new difficulties seems to be endless. We are all aware of these concerns and can admit that we caused them. Now, environmental protection is not the work of a single individual as it is the responsibility of the whole community, of every single person exists on this planet. The measures range from each citizen to the government.