sustainability

It is no secret that this great planet hosts a number of concerning problems; climate change, land management, and the amount of waste we generate, but one of its biggest faults the fact that we are exhausting its natural resources at an astonishing rate. Whether it is water, energy, food or natural resources such as trees, oils and minerals, it is been known that we are well into the overdraft as far as our carrying capacity is concerned. The major question now is can we move towards a healthy sustainability level, or have we gone too far? Environment Canada (2013) states that sustainable development is about meeting the needs of today without compromising the needs of future generations. It is about improving the standard of living by protecting human health, conserving the environment, using resources efficiently and advancing long-term economic competitiveness. It requires the integration of environmental, economic and social priorities into policies and programs and requires action at all levels - citizens, industry, and governments. This being said, the reason that this crisis is so vital is that if we continue on this course, we are eventually going to have depleted all of our natural resources, leaving generations to come with an exhausted, unlivable world.

With the realization that this is a rapidly developing problem, Canada has begun to take considerable action fighting to become a greener country. Ontario has specifically put forth many goals and implemented several plans and programs directed at becoming a resourceful and conserving province. Since 2003, Ontario has: had about 8,400 megawatts of cleaner power outlets come online, which is roughly over 20 percent of the current capacity; invested $7 billion to improve...

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...he week quoted Robert Walker at the Huffington post, "The excessive demands that we are putting on the planet will inevitably lead to acute water shortages, a chronic food crisis, and rising prices for energy, metals, and minerals.” The week explains that experts have stated that there are ways for humans to lower our consumption rates within the planet's means while still getting the food, water, and energy needed for a growing global population (The Week, 2012). They give the example of “Farmers in Pakistan, have developed a technique to grow cotton using 37 percent less water, 40 percent less chemical fertilizer, and 47 percent less pesticides than other growers, while still maintaining their yields” (The Week, 2012). It is remedies such as these that are portent in the epic battle for our beautiful world that has been taken advantage of, deprived, and exhausted.