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As the idea of sustainable development has become increasingly more topical in the political arena, the question still remains as to whether our modern capitalist economies can preserve their most basic principle of maximising profits, whilst still protecting the environment. It is therefore the purpose of this essay to examine this. Can compromises be reached that enable us to protect and conserve the environment without hindering development. Since the disbandment of the Soviet Union the dominant economic system globally has been capitalism. Private ownership of the means of production, creation of goods or services for profit in a market, and prices and wages are elements of capitalism (Tormey, 2004). This promotes a society in which the main objective is individual economic gain, where the levels of supply and demand determine the price of goods and services. Although capitalism has undoubtedly brought with it huge economic benefits, they have come at a price and it has become evident that the planet can not sustain the current methods of pursuing economic growth. With the onset of climate change, swelling population rates and our non-renewable resources running out the only solution is for us to look for ways to develop in a sustainable way. As we can see from this graph there is a direct correlation between economic prosperity and CO2 emissions. Seeing as the the most economically prosperous nations are the main culprits behind the destruction of the environment, it is my opinion that the onus now rests with them to lead the way toward a sustainable future. Sustainable development as a theory was first defined in the Brundtland report (also known as Our Common Future) in 1987. The report was the work of the United Nations... ... middle of paper ... ...). “Examples of Projects, Programmes, and Initiatives - Transportation Planning and Traffic Management” http://archive.rec.org/REC/Programs/Sustainablecities/Transportation.html Visited: 10/04/2011 Chavis, Jason (2011) “What is Environmental Risk Management?” http://www.wisegeek.com/what- is-environmental-risk-management.html. Visited: 10/04/2011 Working Party of the RSC Environment Health and Safety Committee (2008). “Environmental Risk Assessment” http://www.rsc.org/images/Environmental_Risk_Assessment_tcm18-122341.pdf. Visited: 10/04/2011 Shell Oil Company (2011) “Environment & Society” http://www.shell.com/home/content/environment_society/. Visited: 10/04/2011 Shell To Sea (2011) “Overview of the Corrib Gas Project” http://www.shelltosea.com/content/overview-corrib-gas-project. Visited: 10/14/2011 Grubb, M. (July, 2003). "The Economics of the Kyoto Protocol".
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.
EPA. (2009, December 29). Retrieved January 15, 2011, from Toxicity and Exposure Assessment for Children's Health: http://www.epa.gov/teach/
Throughout all of the 1900's the world's developed countries slowly began to practice three main types of economic systems, those of which fell under three categories, communism, socialism and, capitalism. A great example of a communist country was China. This meant that government had total control of production and how it was produced. In this system everyone works for the common good of the people. Socialism consisted of a system where government controlled some factors of production and determined how goods were produced. The last system is that that the United States still practices today, capitalism. Capitalism plays the role of a free economy. This means that individuals own factors of production in order to generate profits.
Sustainability is concerned with the long-term and holistic survival of the planet and its populations, including humans. It means that immediate economic growth is less important than deve...
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.
Throughout time, different economic systems have become powerful. From the ancient barter systems to the current intricate systems in place, each has its own strengths and weaknesses. A form such as seen in Russia in the early 1900s is an extreme form of socialism, specifically a command or communistic economy. Russia currently has a market based economy in which some, but not all economists consider a capitalism. Capitalism and Communism are both effective economies, but capitalism in modern society is a more effective way to produce and distribute goods.
Ponting, Clive. ?Historical Perspective on Sustainable Development? Environment November 1990: 4-5 Dunlap, Riley E. ?Of Global Concern? Environment November 1993: 7-15
Dernbach (1998) states that “effective governance requires a nation to consider and protect the environment and natural resources on which its current and future development depend. Any other approach is self-defeating. The connections between the environment and development thus provide a powerful rationale for environmental protection: enlightened self-interest.” This illustrates that the inherent interdependence between the long-term stability of the environment and the economic sector is the basis for the study and practice of sustainable development. This illustrates that the inherent interdependence between the long-term stability of the environment and the economic sector is the basis for the study and practice of sustainable development.
Sustainable development adapted after the Brundtlandt Report 1987, is a planned, aim- and process oriented procedure that meets the needs of today’s generations without endangering the needs of future generations and world regions (Ott & Döring 2004, 2006).2 The principle of sustainability describes the efforts of the international community, all countries and people to create equal opportunities for development by explicitly taking into account the interests of future generations. Most frequently the concepts of sustainability are based on a triple bottom line represented by the tree pillars – ecology, economy and social security (e.g. by the Enquete Commission, 1998). Apart from the general weaknesses of the column model that is the interchangeability of dimensions and the ignorance of (social) relatedness (c.f. Ott & Döring, 2004)3 the definition of sustainability (the model is illustrating), is seen as a bad compromise between the needs for conservation of natural resources and the aspirations for economic growth by some scholars (Döring & Muraca, 2010). Irrespective of that, the model sometimes is competed by other pillars such as “knowledge”, “institution”, ”governance”, “arts” or the like (c.f. a.o. Ott & Döring, 2004). Whereas in “Resetting the Compas...
The world’s economies continue to be divided on by whom their means of production benefit, supply, enrich, and protect. Many debates and altercations have been a result of disagreements between capitalists and socialists. Socialists believe the government is essential in providing equality for all and the allocation of capital goods. But the strength of capitalism can be attributed to an incentive structure based upon the three P’s: (1) prices determined by market forces, (2) a profit-and-loss system of accounting and (3) private property rights. The failure of socialism can be traced to its neglect of these three incentive-enhancing components. (Perry) Socialism gives power to the government to regulate the goods produced, the amount of goods produced, where the goods are distributed, and the price of the goods. This command system does not allow for the creativity, wealth, and freedom that capitalism supplies the citizens. Capitalism provides a market system that permits companies to regulate the economies themselves. Capitalism offers the world’s economy the freedom to manage itself, diversify, prosper, fail, and freedom from regulation in order to supply the world based on demand and creativity. Capitalism is the only social system that rewards merit, ability and achievement, regardless of one’s birth or station in life. Capitalism is the only social system that rewards virtue and punishes vice. This applies to both the business executive and the carpenter, the lawyer, and the factory worker. (Thomson) Capitalism is the world’s dominant economic system. Within it, the means of production and distribution are owned by individuals: private ownership and free enterprise are believed to lead to more efficiency, lower prices, be...
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...
Shawki, Ahmed, Paul D’Amato (2000), “Briefing: The Shape of World Capitalism,” International Socialist Review, [http://www.isreview.org/issues/11/world_capitalism.shtml], accessed 19 May 2012.
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.
Political and economic perspectives often conflict with one another when dealing with environmental sustainability. In, Laudato si’, Pope Francis I writes, “While some are concerned only with financial gain, and others with holding on to or increasing their power, what we are left with are conflicts or spurious agreements where the last thing either party is concerned about is caring for the environment and protecting those who are most vulnerable” (Pope Francis I, Laudato si’, Sec. 198). Conflicting perspectives between economics and politics may never be settled. The economic perspective is one of profit maximization, if companies can cut costs using non-environmental methods, then they most likely will use these methods. However, Pope Francis I believes we have a moral obligation to encourage new production practices that would sustain natural resources (Pope Francis I, Laudato si’, Sec. 191). In addition to this, a move towards a more sustainable operation would not spell trouble for businesses, since there is profit to be made within sustainable technologies. For example, the current auto industry is shifting its focus towards producing electric powered vehicles, because they foresee the global market for this technology becoming profitable in the near future. Since we are beginning to revamp the economy, to
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