Nature is one of those words that lack a narrow definition. Raymond Williams wrote that “nature is perhaps the most complex word in the (English) language” (Williams 1983). One could argue that sustainability is a term that is just as intricate. Sustainability often gets twisted and misconstrued as political jargon and is more often than not misunderstood by the less educated public. The confusion over sustainability has a couple factors. It is comparatively a newly used word, and a popular word. The misinterpretation over the phrase will have disastrous effects on the reality of whether or not our society can be considered truly sustainable. As such, the looming question “is sustainability still possible?” has an answer that does not come …show more content…
If we were truly trying to become a sustainable society, it would be difficult deciding what scale. The scale is important because it helps determine how sustainable we could be. A scale too little, might be beneficial to that one area or group. A scale too large might be difficult to implement. When deciding this scale, it would be justifiable to choose 1st world and developed countries, as they are arguably the least sustainable countries. 1% of the world's population owns nearly half of the world’s money. “The Global North holds about 15 percent of the world’s population—and 80 percent of the world’s wealth… and is responsible for the accumulation of about 70 percent of the world’s carbon emissions” (Bogado 2013). The entire world uses 400 quadrillion BTUs (British thermal units) a year. The United States alone uses 100 quadrillion BTUs, that is a quarter of the entire world’s energy use in a year by one country. These statistics indicate that it is obvious that, if it is necessary to restrict the scale that sustainability happens on, the global north should be a component of it. The fixing of the scale is, necessary, but it takes away from truly achieving a sustainable …show more content…
According to the definition of sustainability, the ideal length of time for having a sustainable civilization would be forever. 99% of all species that have lived on Earth have gone extinct. The objective is to permit the human race to ward off extinction for as long as possible, and at least not be at the fault of mankind’s own negligence. The late Easter Island society is an example of a human civilization that was not sustainable, which contributed to their extermination. The Easter Island civilization’s population grew too great and they used up all of their natural resources at an unsustainable rate; by the time they understood they were low on the trees, it was excessively too late to plant more. Academics such as Paul Ehrlich, the author of The Population Bomb, and other neo-malthusianists contest that modern society is prone to ending up just like the people on Easter Island did. In order to avoid such obsolescence, there must be sustainability plans that will last centuries upon centuries, and hopefully a millennium. Developing a society that could be sustained for many centuries and maybe a millennium will not be an easy task. The foremost measure would be to cease use of nonrenewable resources. Coal, oil, and natural gas are the least sustainable energy sources we know, yet our society is dominated by them. About 80% of all energy in the United States is powered by fossil fuels. If the United
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.
Many people with the term sustainability and have the misconception that environmentalism and sustainability portray the same idea. Although the tree metaphor is an example of nature, the government works in a similar way in terms of economy and society, as it does with the environment. All three pillars of sustainability are the foundations to a successful nation. Likewise, the three roots of the tree must balance to continue to preserve and grow. Overall, sustainability is a crucial concept as it governs all the things we need for our survival and nourishing values. It is how we use our already scarce resources to balance the economy, environment, and society effectively and thrive in the growing
Climate change created by human activity is one of, is the single biggest threat to life on earth, sea levels are rising at a rate double then that of the last century,400,000 people die a year from climate change related causes, and if we don’t do anything about it within 25 years, millions of people will suffer from disease, fall into poverty, and suffer from extreme hunger. Despite all the evidence, one of our country’s major political party refuses to acknowledge that climate change is man made or a threat.
Sustainability is when something can be used and not be depleted, destroyed, or damaged past recovery. As we work to live sustainably, we are in effect making use of our resources in a fashion that doesn't eliminate them, and doesn't harm their source. Our resources come from the environment around us and we need to make sure that it is not harmed as we use it. According to the EPA, sustainability stems from a single principle that "Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment” (Sustainability Information). Considering this, it's obvious why we need to make sure we live sustainably and do not damage the source of our resources, our environment.
The Earth was created roughly four point six billion years ago and since modern technology, is thought to have a carrying capacity, a limit that shows how many organisms can thrive under selected conditions. It is obvious that resource use has rapidly increased over the past hundreds of years. Which led to the theory of sustainability, this involves the preservation of resources for future generations. Green living is similar to this as it promotes the conservation and wise use of natural resources. Based on this information, it is very crucial for different governments to be involved and responsible for fostering green practices and sustainable.
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
Humans have been destroying the planet since we were able to stand on two legs. As a society, we need to work to reverse these terrible effects that our existence has on the planet. Sustainability is one way to begin reversing these effects, while still living our daily lives. In 2006, Al Gore presented his documentary, “ An Inconvenient Truth”, as a way to show the world the evidence behind global warming, climate change and the destruction of our planet. This documentary shocked the world. It was clear that changes needed to be made, but the destruction was more intense than previously thought. SInce this revelation in 2006, companies have tried to cut down on their greenhouse emissions, as well as offered sustainable products to their customers. Through a debate of morals and
Hansen, J., Ruedy, R., Sato, M., & Lo, K. (2002). "Global Warming Continues." Science, 295, 275.
The sustainability issue I am addressing is one of the most important issues we are facing today. This issue involves one of the most precious resources to man. We are composed of it, we require it to survive and we use it to create new things every day. I am referring to water, simple H2O. It is infact more valuable than gold or diamonds because without it we would be a long extinct species.
Mastrandrea, Michael D. "Global warming." World Book Advanced. World Book, 2013. Web. 8 Nov. 2015.
Before I go ahead in explaining my opinion, I would want to define about sustainability. What is sustainability? Sustainability is conserving an ecological balance by avoiding depletion of natural resources. Based on the definition I have just given, I honestly feel I am living an unsustainable life. The reason why I feel I am living unsustainably is because I take the presence of natural resources for granted. Before joining the Environmental Science class, I have never pondered upon the importance of natural resources and also the risk of not having any of those resources in future.
Williams, Laurence O. An End to Global Warming. Ohio: Pergamno, 2012. Web 13 May 2015
(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.
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.
People have to start off understanding what environmental sustainability means. Allie Sibole author of, The Ethics of Sustainability: Why Should We Care?, shares a perfect example, “Sustainability is a moral response to an incredible gift” (Sibole 1). What she explains is, our planet is the beloved gift. People need to not take