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Importance Of Sustainable Development
The importance of sustainable development
Importance Of Sustainable Development
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This current generation is faced with many pressing issues, and one is particular is global climate change. Whether it is deforestation in the Amazon for palm oil farms, overfishing in the world’s oceans, or a rise in greenhouse gases, there are many complex issues that need to be dealt with in a timely manner. A commonality between these issues is that they can be fixed by implementing different measures of sustainability. I have come to learn that sustainability is one of the most effective ways to begin fixing issues with the environment, ecosystems, and nature. Even though there are people who are skeptical about the realities of global warming, they need to keep in mind that many of the products we consume or use everyday are nonrenewable …show more content…
I feel that before someone buys pesticides or chooses to apply them on their property, they have to know the potential damage they are causing. Many carcinogens, mutagens and neurotoxins, such as pesticides, insecticides and herbicides, are what I like to call poison. People do not think that spraying even a small weed killer can be harmless because they think it is only affecting their yard; however, when chemicals are sprayed onto the grass, they become a part of the ecosystem. Many non-target species can be impaired or killed: bees who are very important pollinators, or bacteria and fungi that are imperative to healthy, functional soil. Pesticides can even be harmful to pets, children, and the other people living in surrounding areas. The harmful chemicals can make it into storm drains or public water supplies. This is a very critical concept to grasp because it proves how humans and communities are all connected in various ways. Additionally, it shows how we should be conscious of others when making decisions because our actions can pose a threat to other’s
My initial observation was that simple conservation actions such as reducing the use of pesticides can achieve measurable improvements in habitat quality and environmental health. Herbicides are toxic to most mammals as well as to the beneficial insects that you want to encourage in your garden. Sometimes herbicides seep into the ground water; causing contamination of which the long term effects are not known. Herbicide application can also result in drift or movement in the soil, this endangers wanted vegetation nearby. Herbicides are used far too rampantly. Excessive use of toxic herbicides is used when not necessary and because most are not aware of the many other natural alternatives. We must find more ways to cut back on the use of chemical herbicides and change to biological weed control methods.
Carson writes with meticulous detail with almost all of her scientific facts and explanations. She compels her readers with keywords and phrases to gravitate her audience towards her side of the argument. Carson gives an example explaining that “in this now universal contamination of the environment, chemicals are the sinister and little-recognized partners of radiation in changing the very nature of the world –the very nature of its life…chemicals sprayed on croplands or forests or gardens lie long in the soil, entering into living organisms, passing from one to another in a chain of poisoning and death”(43). To begin, Carson skillfully argues her point by describing chemicals as “sinister” which grabs her reader’s attention, and presents her evidence comprehensibly so that her variety of readers feel well informed, rather than stunned and confused. Carson could have simply stated that chemicals can transfer from soil to living creatures and save time without disclosure; however, she instead reaches the decision to describe the process with powerful, yet understandable vocabulary that provides emotional appeal in her argument. By presenting scientific evidence and explanations in a compelling and sentimental manner, Carson’s audience is able to connect with her argument. Every fact and description that she gives deems useful in her argument that pesticides should not be used for the treatment of
Generational conflicts, political strife, environmental regulations, stakeholders in big oil, and many more hurdles affect the push to fully sustainable economies around the world and even here in America. In a world where coal, oil, and natural gas are limited, countries are gobbling it all up as fast as they can before other poorer countries come on the grid. Even though America and other countries gobble up these resources the life of the people is still a struggle to meet basic needs. Sustainability is an intermingling of resource use and protection of the “quality of life”, it is met by using resources sparingly and by recycling or reducing the use of other non-renewable resources to provide for our immediate need, but also to conserve and protect the needs of the next generation and to improve the quality of all the lives to come.
Sustainability is one of the most controversial topics throughout the history, and as our society develop, we realize that being able to be sustainable is essential to survival of our race. The book Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Sustainability is a collection of articles on different side of various issues related to sustainability. In the book, Issue 8 discusses the ability of technology to deliver sustainability, and issue 16 and 17 discusses the sustainability of food and energy. While issue 16 and 17 are well-presented, the arguments in issue 8 are not very strong.
...ortation of plants, fruits, vegetables, and animals. Indiscriminate pesticide use kills the good with the bad. Long term and wide spread pesticide use poisons underground water sources, which, in turn, poison plants, animals, and humans. And, finally, by our uninformed actions, new super races of pests continue to evolve and create even greater dangers than the original.
With the world having so many people on it we use a lot of pesticides and fertilizers. If it was not for the help of these we would not have gotten to the place we are now. Pesticides and fertilizers do a lot more than just help grow and safe from pests. “Nearly 50% of the world labor is employed in agriculture and they significant risk”
“(Silent Spring) spells out in memorable detail through out the book the effects of synthetic insecticides and herbicides on water, soil, plants, wildlife, fish and human beings. But in the book’s final chapter she suggests alternative courses of action for mankind —- a way out of this march toward death.” (Holmes, Pg. 123)
For instance, in Seeds of Death, Monsanto spread roundup, a pesticide, on their crops and realized a roundup resistance bacteria continued to grow. In response to this, Monsanto collected the bacteria and took a piece of its DNA to create roundup resistant crops. Although this seems like a good idea, it makes crops weaker and makes it easier for crops to be wiped out by a stronger disease. In addition to this, the pesticides also pull nutrients from the soil, therefore resulting in the microorganisms in the soil being killed. This, in turn, leads to the soil being filled with poison and also being infertile in the near future. The worst part about these pesticides is that once it enters the environment, it’s in the environment
Although more people are aware of the impacts we have on our environment, there are still people that choose to ignore scientific evidence, or do not fully understand the consequences. Further education and research are critical components in an effort to become more sustainable. Fortunately, younger generations are learning about the need to address environmental issues so that changes can be made to ensure our way of life is sustainable.
When it comes to pesticides in this book it is clear that they are harmful to the environment and humanity when not used properly. Carson describes the importance of this issue and pushed for the improvement of the system. She proposes multiple solutions in order to keep the people and animals safe while getting rid of the insects that have become an annoyance. As a writer and researcher Carson is passionate and determined to find out new ways of solving the problem at hand. Unlike the rest of the people in the book, Carson takes the more educated and logical approach to prove her point that what they have chosen as a solution is not affective and actually more destructive for the environment. She does her research which shows that the pesticides are having negative effects on many aspects in nature.
As time has progressed, there has always been an overarching need for high amounts of crop production throughout the world. With the rapid rate of population growth, the need for crops and other sources of nutrients is only increasing. In order to meet these high demands and increase yields, farmers and other agriculturalists have started implementing the use of pesticides. These chemical mixtures are being used in order to prevent, destroy, repel or mitigate any pests from destroying growing crops. However, using pesticides on crops can create massive amounts of pollution, negatively affect an individual’s health, and can spark biodiversity loss within an ecosystem. According to Michael C.R. Alavanja, “Over 1 billion pounds of pesticides are used within the United States (US) each year and approximately 5.6 billion pounds are used worldwide”. With all this in mind, it is clear that pesticides should not be made available to farmers and agriculturalists, and should
For many years, Amazon has been held as a gold standard of product distribution. They are highly efficient at providing quality products to their customers. According to Amazon, they are able to do so ethically. However, their history has not been without controversy. Most recently, the New York Times released a report that called treatment of their employees unethical (Kantor and Streitfeld). The purpose of this paper is to determine which of the four ethical theories Amazon would claim to be using as a guide to their social responsibility practices. I will begin with a brief description of Amazon and its company values, and an explanation of each ethical theory. Then, I will use Amazon as a case study for these theories. The last question I will address is whether Amazon’s practices are sustainable over time.
There are 2.5 billion pounds of pesticides being applied to agricultural products each year in the United States. This is ten times more than was applied forty years ago. It is still unknown as to what type of exact effects these chemicals may have on individuals. Some farmers that have been using pesticides in their fields and developed leukemia are finding that the cause of their disease is from inhaling pesticides. These chemicals are still in use today and most of them have never been tested for the short or long-term effects that they may have on humans.
I have understood that the Sustainability study involves the transformation of our civilization toward a regenerative system that promotes healthy and stable ecosystems, consumes natural resources no faster than they can replenish, releases toxic pollutants into our habitat no faster than they can be absorbed, fosters healthy and cohesive habitats that can coexist and continue long time in the future. Sustainability initiatives work to change the world by changing activities in our personal and professional lives to achieve these objectives. I have learned that the Sustainability Revolution is a collection of values centered on healthy ecosystems, economic activities, and social justice. From the intensive focus on this topic during the last few weeks and from further readings on this subject, I have learned that Sustainability encompasses not just conservation and pollution, but a wide array of other issues, including Eco literacy, biodiversity, globalization, socially responsible investing, corporate social responsibility, human rights, population explosion, health, social and environmental justice, farming, labor issues, and women’s rights. I have also learned that Sustainability strategies are essential, transformative, and collaborative work involving participation of hundreds of thousands of citizens, communities and businesses around the world. Every organization and informed citizen needs to understand the perils that lie ahead and contribute their part towards Sustainability
Currently, the world population shows no signs of slowing and with that the demand for resources is growing as well. As these two components strain society, the urgency and need for sustainability becomes more and more important. In the near future, environmentalists hope that humans will collectively take responsibility for the harm human activities have inflicted on Earth so that the aspects of sustainability- the principles, major components, and topics of concern come to the forefront of discussion for global action before it is too late.