Sustainable Development
Sustainable development was defined in the Bruntland Report in 1983 as
“development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs.” (Dresner, 31) This is a satisfactory
definition for most people, however, when it comes down to the policies of sustainable
development, the definition given proves dangerously vague. Interpretations that stem
from it can range from ‘do not touch any of the earth’s natural resources ever again’ to
‘use them up as quickly as possible.’
There are three main philosophies behind sustainability: weak, strong, and
environmental. Weak sustainability states that the total capital of the earth must not
decrease. That means that the natural capital (oil, coal, forests, etc.) can decrease as long as the sum of physical (produced means of production; technology) and human (people’s
physical ability to do work) capital increase at the same rate or higher. Thus, this
approach assumes that most, if not all, natural capital can be substituted by technology.
Strong sustainability differs from this in that it assumes that very little natural capital can be substituted. It deems human-made capital and natural capital separate entities, thus the natural capital must not decline. Economists have trouble with this idea because it seems like it is hindering the current generation in order for future generations to become vastly more wealthy assuming that the physical capital will increase with time. While they might furrow their brow at this theory, any self-respecting economist gets short of breath at the thought of environmental sustainability. This approach calls for natural resources to be left alone. It says...
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.... “Education is the catalyst for helping
everyone understand the dynamic nature of the interrelationship” of
ecology/environment, economy/employment, and equity/equality. (Edwards, 23) The environment is to be preserved as much as possible while still strengthening the economy
and achieving the sense of community that goes along with controlling population and
energy use with equity.
Works Cited
Beckerman, Wilfred. A Poverty of Reason: Sustainable Development and Economic
Growth. Oakland, CA: The Independent Institute, 2003.
Dresner, Simon. The Principles of Sustainability. London: Earthscan Publications Ltd.,
2002.
Edwards, Andres R. Sustianability Revolution: Portrait of a Paradigm Shift. Canada: New
Society, 2005.
Smith, Lee. "The Next Big Thing." Fortune 25 Dec. 2006: 24.
Stronberg, Joel B. "More Than Solar." Solar Today Sept. 2005: 8.
“The modern form of the word environment comes from an older word that we hardly use anymore: environ, to surround, to form a ring around, to encircle” (Stoll 3). The meaning of the word environment did not become a major factor in the lives of humanity until 1945. The tragic events that led to the end of World War II sparked a chief movement in history: American Environmentalism. Global decision-making changed as well as human unity due to the mere purpose that fate of all people and the environment became intertwined (Stoll 1). I will further discuss the dramatic attempts made by some Americans to bring the importance of preserving our environment to the surface to show if and how we have evolved.
Solis, Hilda. “Environmental Justice: An Unalienable Right for All.” Human Rights 30 (2003): 5-6. JSTOR. Web. 13 February 2014.
Nations focus on growth as a progress for the country. Yet to be sustainable as defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary, a: able to be used without being completely used up or destroyed [or] b: involving methods that do not completely use up or destroy natural resources [or] c: able to last or continue for a long time, also indicates a steady progress. Still sustainable nations are few and far between. Sustainability does not meet the definition for growth desired by nations. Instead many nations see it as limiting economies and hurting the pocket books.
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.
In 1987, Lucas served as executive producer for Disneyland's launch of Star Tours, an innovative attraction based on the Star Wars films that now entertains crowds in all four Disney theme parks worldwide.
Some of the drawbacks of the film might be the lack of technology, because the film itself takes place in a futuristic era. The poor resources forced the director to develop new ways of movie films, and with all those changes maybe even inspire new technologies of the present day compared to 1977 year in which the movie was made. Another problem could be that the actors or crew had little interest in the film, considering the project a "children's film," rarely taking their work seriously, and maybe finding it humorous. One of the main reasons why Star Wars is so popular in the modern culture is because of its philosophical trends, the integration of various ancient myths, and debugging of a genre, the fantastic, through the use of elements of
To Lucas' credit, he was tacitly shamed into not giving Jar Jar any talking lines in this movie. With Jar Jar's character no longer speaking to annoy you, Lucas filled the void by giving every robot in the movie stupid toy noises. So instead of doing something cool like having the robots chase after screaming children, they bitch and moan and say things like "ow" when they get their prosthetic limbs chopped off. Even worse are the idiots who scarf down these sub-childish morsels of comedic relief, playing into Lucas' shallow theatrics so easily that you could sell these people hookers in a vagina storm.
Today, we take many of our natural resources for granted without think about the consequences. For example, cutting down trees, burning fossil fuel, and the consumption of meat. Our ozone layer is becoming weaker and weaker to due factories burning too much fossil fuel. This causes too much carbon dioxide, which affects our ozone layer. If we can limit the amount of natural resources we use on a daily basis, we will be able to see a big change in society.
The 'Secondary'. Rule of Law and the Resource Curse: Abundance Versus Intensity. Environmental and Resource Economics, 43, 183-207. Karl, T. (2007). The 'Standard'.
George Lucas wrote and directed Star Wars, he had tons of creative and production control just like Hitchcock. Furthermore, the film demonstrates his aesthetic vision through recurring themes of good verse evil, heroes fighting for good and saving the day. Lastly, the film demonstrates thematic and stylistic consistencies to create the meaningful narrative. One thing that stands out from Star Wars that illustrates George Lucas’ control over the production is the credits. He did not want the credits at the beginning of the film so the audience can focus on the narrative. In the late 1950’s the auteur theory was introduced to filmmaking which created a new way of making films. Auteur theory went against the classical narrative by focusing on realism. Auteur films had ambiguous endings, which deeper into the character’s physiological state. Even though, Star Wars demonstrates certain auteur elements, it does not go against the classical narrative. To conclude, Star Wars mixed classical Hollywood techniques with the auteur theory that lead to a different and unique way of making a
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.
· Capital: When labor is applied to land to grow wheat, for instance, something else is used. Generally it is a plow or a tractor. That is to say, land and labor are shared with manufactured resources in order to produce the things that we need. These manufactured resources are called capital, which consists of machines, buildings, and tools. Additionally, capital consists of enhancement to natural resources, such as irrigation ditches. Money is used to buy factors of production – it is not a factor itself. The return for investing in capital is called interest.
Withgott, J., & Laposata, M. (2014). Environment: the science behind the stories (5th Ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Education, Inc.
In order to grow, besides using technology, the economy also feeds on natural resources. This in turn emits waste that pollutes the air and threatens the climate, causes an overuse of natural resources such as oil and gas, and in the long run, this will create a skin hole which will swallow up the economy, environment and society.
Environmental studies is a paramount field to focus on for both the present day and the future. This field of studies pertains to all people, animals, plants, and biomes around the world. Environmental Studying is important because it is only by understands the environmental processes that we can begin to take the steps necessary to correct the on-going damage that is occurring, and ultimately protect and sustain life on the planet. Unless steps are taken to try and abate and control environmental problems, which are often human-generated or exacerbated, then the environmental that we live in will continue to deteriorate. There is no life without protecting the source that sustains us. Even though I have only been alive for seventeen years, it has been long enough to see many negative environmental changes. Since I was born that population has grown by over one billion people causing deforestation, loss of wildlife, increased pollution to both air and water, and even superbugs. However, I have also been able to see extremely positive results such as an increase in the research and implementation of renewable resources. The reason I am so motivated to study environmental science is because I know that change is possible. Those who study environmental science and study have the ability to help reduce, and possible reserve, some of the damage that has been done to the environment while at the same time, helping to advance the well-being of our fellow humans.