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The concept of the word sustainability
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In this assignment the author shall discuss the relative extent to which creating sustainable development policies and concepts protect the environment from degradation. We shall critically examine the different approaches to the paradigm, such as UN summits to National policies and also by analysing the different forms of sustainability, and briefly the vagueness and hypocrisies of the term. In addition, we must look at the process of generating these policies and to what extent do they come to fruition. An important question is whether because of the sheer number of stakeholders, (for example countries in the UN or TNCs) that are a part of the process of creating sustainable development plans hinder any large scale change to current environmental policy.
The global environmental debate is a mixture of anxiety over the capacity of the planet to absorb changes wrought by human activity, and concern for the people of the future, whose plight will by no means be their choosing. The paradigm of sustainable develop has since been born out of such debate and in turn, played a major role in world, national and local politics.
Blowers et al (1996) postulates that amongst the general public there is a strong feeling that human activity will not only degrade the physical environment itself but will also ultimately threaten the world’s population. This sense of unease promotes the reasoning that we have an untenable relationship with the environment. It is therefore a necessity to re-mould and create a tenable and sustainable relationship. There are several means in which this may be achieved; the degree of success however, is questionable.
O’Riordan (2000) states that many of the most pressing challenges facing today’s environment ar...
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...tional political agenda. Global institutions such as the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) have helped drive the debate down to national and sub-national levels. Perhaps at these lower levels sustainability can be implemented more successfully, for example an individual having a sustainable lifestyle. However, at the global scale there are so many stakeholders involved in meetings such as UN Word Summits outcomes produced rarely include new solid sustainable development polices. Instead flimsy agreements in regards to emission cuts are produced and are often not met by the countries concerned. Under this premise large scale change to current policies on sustainability are unlikely at a global scale, only a complete unity of thinking would produce proper sustainable development policy, in turn preventing the environment from future large scale degradation.
The following case study critiques Upton’s vision to establish a sustainable community through implementing comprehensive sustainable strategy. The urban periphery development is thought to demonstrate superior execution of sustainable principles in development (Jackson 2007). As a parallel, the report focuses on the development of Upton’s design code and demonstrates how large -scale mix-use developments can incorporate sustainable practice and principles of urban growth.
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.
"The term 'sustainability' should be viewed as humanity's target goal of human-ecosystem equilibrium, while 'sustainable development' refers to the holistic approach and temporal processes that lead us to the end point of sustainability." Despite the increased popularity of the use of the term
Sustainability is an issue that everyone should be concerned about. If the planet Earth is going to exist, as we know it, everyone should wake up and do their part to help achieve a greater level of sustainability. In my English 101 class we learned about the issue of sustainability. Many different topics were discussed and researched throughout the course of the semester. Overall, I think that the sustainability project has been a learning and enlightening experience for everyone in this class. Many more things can be done next semester, since the groundwork has been laid to continue this project for time to come.
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
During the last three decades, in the literature dozens of different definitions were proposed for sustainability. The most well-adopted definition of sustainability is that of the Brundtland Commission (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987, p. 8): “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.” Ensuring world-w,de food security, understanding the environmental impact of the economic activity and ensuring basic human needs are met with this definition of sustainability. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to apply for organization and this definition provides little guidance how to identify future versus present needs (Carter et. al, 2008 pp.363-364).
“Sustainable Development: At its heart, sustainable development is the simple idea of ensuring a good quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come. It is about living within the carrying capacity of the environment so that how we live, work and enjoy leisure activities, which do not harm or put undue pressures on the environment. It is about ensuring everyone has the opportunity to have a decent education, a quality environment that they take pride in, good health and a decent job (n.p, 2014)”
Over the past few decades there have been discourses both in favor and against Globalization’s capacity to guarantee a sustainable future. Authors attest societies and businesses’ inability to account for ecological and environmental limits when dealing with economic growth, examples of this are some of the traditional business metrics used by most global companies, and nations’ measure of wealth (GDP); both sides heavily resting on economic factors, fail to account for societal and environmental concerns (Byrnea & Gloverb, 2002). Other researchers point at the intensive use of resources, especially by global corporations; such as the increasing and careless consumption of fossil fuels, water, precious metals, etc. leading to a rise in GHG (Starke, 2002) (United Nations Development Program (UNDP), 2000). Most fervent opponents go as far as to call ‘sustainable development’ an oxymoron (Ayres, 1995).
According to the International Institute for Sustainable Development, sustainable development is defined as development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. If we follow this definition, it becomes easy to see that the vast majority of the “developed” world has not, and is not developing sustainably. The idea of sustainable development requires us to consider how our action of developing will affect other countries, and future generations. Many people believe in “the butterfly effect”, where the flapping of a butterfly’s wings in one part of t...
...dearly-held, unconscious collective assumptions may impede our chances for survival. Or, as Poliakoff, et. al., noted, “fundamental changes in technology are adopted… only when they provide real advantage” (810). Are human beings inherently selfish, or are they capable of rising above that? Will we use this power we have developed to help ourselves, or to attempt to help the world? “Why can’t we achieve a better balance between people, resources, and the environment? … The complete answers to these questions lie deeply within the complex realms of science, philosophy, religion, economics, and politics.” (170). The answers may be complicated. The truth is, industrialization has changed our relationship to the environment. It has enabled us to hurt it far more than any other species, but it has also given us the ability to help. The power of choice now lies with us.
(7) Adams, W. M. The Future of Sustainability: Re-thinking Environment and Development in the Twenty-first Century. Rep. The World Conservation Union, 22 May 2006. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.
Humans have become a threat to our own way of life by consuming more resources than needed, blind to the consequences that we may face in the future. As of 2016 the world population is at 7.4 billion and it is estimated to be at 11.2 billion by the year 2100. However 10 billion is the maximum population that can be sustained in terms of food security, only one of the many factors to global sustainability. Due to the fact that human consumption exceeds the amount of resources available, the United Nations “recognizes that eradicating poverty is the greatest global challenge” in A/RES/70/1. Sustainable development is not only required to fulfill the necessities of the present but to guarantee the capability for future generations to satisfy theirs.
In class we discussed what sustainable development meant to us; each group had its own definition. Our group’s definition was that sustainable development is for the long term for future generations, for the basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, and job. The basic will increase over time and our resources will diminish, which why sustainable development is important. Sustainable development is important for future generations so that they end up with a world better than ours. Sustainable development is achievable if society works together to meet everyone’s basic needs and create a better world.
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.
Many people assume that the environment is not in danger. They believe that as technology advances, we do not need to worry about renewing natural resources, recycling, and finding new ways to produce energy. They state that one person in the world does not make a large difference. In reality, each individual's contribution greatly affects our environment. Our natural resources are slowly disappearing, and we must work together to save them and the Earth from ruin.