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impact of globalization on development
global warming and its effects on environment
importance of environment
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Although it is widely known that the earth experiences cyclical climate change, there has been much evidence that human activities are negatively affecting the environment, and hence, the finite resources of the earth. Many people have become preoccupied with how the activities of developing nations, as well as those of developed nations, continue to pose a threat to our planet and its finite resource base. This in turn affects human wellbeing, as exploitative and polluting activities will in another manner negatively affect humankind globally, but especially the less developed nations. Therefore it is imperative that economic development and sustainable development cooperate together in order to allow for human development with environmental sustainability to continue far into the future.
How do we advocate for sustainable development while still keeping in mind the needs of the impoverished people in developing nations and not hindering economic development? The seventh Millennium Development Goal (MDG) regards economic and human development in developing countries while taking into consideration the limitations that developing countries have due to their poverty levels. MDG 7 is focused on environmental issues and how to best address them in order to help both the impoverished people and the entire earth itself. The four main targets of MDG 7 are 1) to engrain sustainable development in government policies and reduce the loss of environmental resources, 2) reduce the rate of loss in biodiversity, 3) increase sustainable access to potable water and sanitation in rural and urban areas, and lastly 4) improve life in urban slums . MDG 7 aims to ensure environmental sustainability in order to have sustainable economic development...
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...sed goal for 2015 will require agencies to continue to provide the growing population with more assistance. Hence we can see that the practices of sustainability need to be instilled deep into the policies of the government, the infrastructure of their systems, and the lifestyle of the people so that after 2015 when the MDGs reach their end, developing nations can continue on being environmentally sustainable alongside with their growing populations.
Works Cited
"Millennium Goal 7". United Nations. June 5, 2010 .
BRUNDTLAND REPORT
The Brundtland Report is the written documentation of the Brundtland Commission.
http://www.iisd.org/sd/#one
"Millennium Goal 7". United Nations. June 5, 2010 .
MDG REPORT 2010 pdf
MDG REPORT 2010 pdf
MDG7 1954 pdf
It has become a matter of urgency to balance the issues of development and environment so that the current generation hands over the earth to their future generation without any further damage to the environment. The development process of any kind should always be sustainable.
“It is that which seeks to meet the needs and aspirations of the present generation without compromising the ability to meet the needs of future generations.”
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.
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...
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
I used to believe that sustainability meant to take a stand to preserve the earth. Now however, my position on sustainability has dramatically changed. Sustainability is a way of living. As beings on this earth, we are accountable for our ecological impacts, and it is our responsibility to ensure that we are living sustainably. By examining sustainability through the farming and organic agriculture of Herman Mentink, the saving of the whales and it relation to Pete Seeger, my definition of sustainability changed from taking a stand, to a way of living. Herman Mentink lives sustainably by taking responsibility for the potentially harmful animal waste produced on his farm and uses it to his advantage (Mannell & Bingham, Personal Communication,
Economics of sustainability is mainly concerned with the quality of growth, rather than the quantity of growth. Analysts have made two important observations regarding the current growth models. The first is that as emerging economies continue to grow, most of the wealth is accumulated in the hands of a few wealthy individuals, leading to large inequality in society. The second is that economic growth increases well-being in society, but only to the extent to which it provides for the basic needs of people. Beyond that, growth makes hardly any marginal contribution to well-being, while having damaging impacts on the environment. Therefore, sustainable development definitely has to take into account economic dimensions that supporting ways for people to create wealth without harming the ecosystems.
But to what extent is economic growth an adequate measure of development? Surely regularly eroding the basic of our well-being for tomorrow today isn’t development. Our failure as a society to live within our limits has led to a rapidly growing human population, excessive resource consumption and depletion and pollution on a local, regional and global scale. As population growth increases so does the need for food, shelter, water, clothes and other services and to meet these demands we rely on the Earth’s already depleting natural resources. Thus, the rapidly expanding population results in an increase in pollution and a decrease in the standard of living. A study carried out by a research group in Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the 1970’s found that the human population would exceed the Earth’s ability to provide resources and assimilate our waste within a century if exponential growth continued. This study brought to light the unsust...
Quite often, these two sides appear to face each other with opposing prescriptions for future world development. The former argues for environmental protection and creation of a stable ecosystem; the latter supports jobs and increased development of Third World countries. Yet this false dichotomy between jobs and the environment need not exist. The key is promotion of worldwide sustainable development, or development that “meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the needs of future generations,” as defined by the Worl...
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.
We know that our planet is under unprecedented stress at the moment and that the patterns of production and consumption that we have been using are no longer sustainable. The green economy presents an alternative vision for growth and development, in which economic growth and improvements in people’s lives are generated in ways consistent with sustainable development. In fact it is seen to be at the heart of renewed efforts to contribute to, or progress the broader agenda of, sustainable development and to contribute to achieving internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals. It means growing our economies in ways that benefit, not sacrifice, social justice and equity as well as the environment. The idea is to serve the needs of the present without threatening the quality of life of future
The United Nations, a globally recognized authority on environmentalism and humanitarianism, defines it as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. This certainly implies that sustainable development can only be met by ensuring that future generations may enjoy the same standard of life that is enjoyed by modern citizens in developed nations. As a result, sustainable development cannot be achieved by permanently depleting resources to meet the current generation’s needs – there must be some loop by which the current generation can maintain Earth’s state, so as to preserve it indefinitely. To continuously deplete resources is a practice that defies this definition, as Earth does not have an infinite capacity of dispensable material. Sustainable development is consistently described in terms of a convolution of three pillars: economic, social, and environmental. Ideally, effective sustainable development should result in the betterment of all three. Ban Ki-moon, the current Secretary General of the United Nations, clarifies these pillars and adds a fourth in this notable quote: “Sustainable development is the pathway to the future we want for all. It offers a framework to generate economic growth, achieve social justice, exercise environmental stewardship and strengthen governance”. Making positive changes with regard to sustainable development are difficult, as it requires a consideration of all of these pillars. The ideal solution, in accordance with sustainability, should be economically viable, protect the environment from harm, and increase quality of life. It follows that sustainable development, by nature, is an undertaking that will require international effort and collaboration, as
Sustainable development means that the present generations should be able to make use of resources to live better lives in such a manner that it doesn’t compromise the ability of future generations to survive and make better lives for themselves as well. For sustainable development to occur, there needs to be sustainable economic, ecological and community development. Society needs to be educated about ways in which they can use resources, especially natural, in such a manner that it doesn’t cause harm to the environment and put future generations lives at risk.
Economic growth heavily relies on our natural resources therefore they play a pivotal role in our world today. However, economic theory suggests that being environmentally sustainable limits economic growth. Strong sustainability, which is what we should aim to achieve is outlined as; The existing stock of natural capital must be maintained and enhanced because the functions it performs cannot be duplicated by manufactured capital (Hart, 1998). In more recent years there has been in an increase in debates over sustainable development and how it is meant to be achieved. One factor hindering this is the poverty environmental trap is very common in developing countries. This trap is defined as the relationship between the poverty condition and the degradation of the environment (Finco, 2009). Some studies show that there is a connection between poverty and the environment as higher levels of poverty imply less environmental sustainability i.e. more natural resources being exploited. According to the
Perhaps the widely used definition of sustainable development was the one taken from the Our Common Future report, or famously known as the Brundtland report, which refers to the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987). It implies satisfying the basic essentials of the people today, either in the material or non-material forms, through a responsible consumption of resources without jeopardizing the need of the future. Sustainable development framework underscores two main focuses, ‘people’ and ‘planet’, two interwoven rudiments that forms the key of a just and prosperous world. It is undeniably imperative to push the environmental conservation works, such as ensuring a responsible exploitation of natural resources and innovating an alternative energy mechanism, but in parallel, a heavy emphasize should also be put in the promotion of socio-economic growth for the people to ensure inclusive human development. In regards with the latter, it is important to stress out that the holistic human development target as desired by the sustainable development goals touches other aspects that transcends beyond the fulfillment of biological needs. In addition to securing food, cloth and shelter needs, a holistic human state means satisfying the non-physiological components such as assurance to one’s safety or equality. Therefore, integral human development should also be linked to the fulfillment of other factors, such as social, safety and