Generational conflicts, political strife, environmental regulations, stakeholders in big oil, and many more hurdles affect the push to fully sustainable economies around the world and even here in America. In a world where coal, oil, and natural gas are limited, countries are gobbling it all up as fast as they can before other poorer countries come on the grid. Even though America and other countries gobble up these resources the life of the people is still a struggle to meet basic needs. Sustainability is an intermingling of resource use and protection of the “quality of life”, it is met by using resources sparingly and by recycling or reducing the use of other non-renewable resources to provide for our immediate need, but also to conserve and protect the needs of the next generation and to improve the quality of all the lives to come.
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.
The measure of growth is flawed, how countries see their growth is based on the consumption of their people. Many countries use the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) as an indicator for growth, as defined in It’s All Connected, “(GDP) is a calculation of the total monetary value of goods and services produced annually in a country” (Wheeler 11). The...
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...r monetary or resource value to get the basic needs of the family met. Jobs are falling. Klotz points out those jobs are hard to come by for many people, especially the younger generation she talks about, being the 20-24 age groups (Klotz 3). Asher Miller, executive director of the Post Carbon Institute writes in his forward, “an estimated 16.5 percent of the population is officially classified as “underemployed,” the highest level since the 1930s” (Heinberg and Lerch xiv). There is no way to provide for a family; shelter, food, water, clothes, education and healthcare without a job unless you rely on the government for full support. Even that is limited in what it provides. Lack of jobs is a negative indicator of progress and growth. Even worse is the tragic combination of no jobs and dwindling resources to provide jobs, food, and energy for all of the nations.
Ecological theory is a theory developed by Urie Bronfenbrenner that states that the “systems” around you are vitally important in human development. Within the theory there are many systems including the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem. Each system is defined by a different aspect of a person’s surroundings that would affect their development. The systems begin with the aspect that is closest to you, your day-to-day life. The Microsystem includes all of the places, people, and experiences that are found in your daily life. These include school, work, parents. friends, neighbors, and so forth. The next most impactful system is the exosystem. The mesosystem is defined by two entities within your microsysytem affecting each other. The next system is called the exosystem. The exosystem is full of things that don’t affect you directly but will eventually
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.
Since the beginning of human history, each new generation has been plagued with an issue unknown, or unsolved, by their predecessors. In the past century, American generations have had to face issues that did not even exist one hundred years prior. Issues, such as the Great Depression, both World Wars, racial equality, gender equality, rebellion against traditional values, and the AIDS epidemic. Each generation was defined by how well they, as a whole, handled the given situation. The current problem that bedevils the modern generation is sustainability and its effect on the environment. This issue has been festering since the dawn of industrialization, but only now have its effects truly threated the survival of humanity.
Ten years ago when we thought of the future, we saw flying cars, robots, and futuristic buildings. Nowadays, we cannot even think about the future until we fix our current state; otherwise there would be no future to think about. I remember the first time I was told about the shocking problems of our world. I was sitting in my mundane health class which was as cold as the north pole. My teacher rambling on about something I did not care too much about, then he began talking about the environment.
What is sustainability? There is a Native American (n.d.) proverb which says: ‘When the last tree has been cut down, the last fish caught, the last river poisoned, only then will we realize that one cannot eat money’. Defining sustainability is a challenge itself, achieving it is even more arduous but what it is certain is the consequence of not acting sustainable. For too long the main goal of western countries has been profit, ignoring the extended list of benefits deriving from acting sustainable. The sustainability topic offers a wide range of arguments to discuss but in this paper only few of them are reviewed. Firstly, the 'three-legged stool ' model as a way of conceptualizing sustainability and its stability will be
Environmental educations in a childhood education system always involve paradigms that expose the child to the natural environment. According to Kim and Lin, exposing young children to the environment is beneficial to their health (42-45). Cognitive development has been associated with the exposure to the environment. Some therapies have always used nature in children with cognitive disorders such as autism to help develop their cognitive skills. It is natural to for children to feel excited and relaxed when exploring nature and playing with children. However, the health benefit is relative. The contemporary children are less exposed to the natural environment because if urbanization and technological advancements. Even in these circumstances,
Regret. Think back to your childhood. Do you remember those infamous words "No playing ball in the house," and do you remember that feeling of terror as you tried to reconstruct your mother's favorite porcelain figurine? Its poor mutilated body shattered beyond recognition. Immediately your mind thought, "If I fix it before she finds out, it will be O.K. I just have to sneak the glue from the kitchen," but it was too late. She had heard the noise and came to see what had happened.
In terms of a layman, the answer would be “less pollution and the least pollution”. Basically it’s the pollution that creates nuisance in environment with emission of various gas forms, wherein the major portion lies with the Carbon Dioxide Co2 which is involved vigorously in creating global warming. Who is accountable for Global Warming? Well the responsibility lies in us the “humans” OR calls ourselves the “devastators”. With the discovery of science and technology we get closer to the “development” and closer to the “devastation and disaster”.
Sustainability is usually laughed at, global warming is not a “reality” right? Yet the fact is something is happening in our world, it’s catastrophic and devastating, and yet many turn away at the thought of becoming a sustainable society. Consumed with the here, the now and the growth of the economy; nations neglect the future needs of their children, grandchildren or even great-great grandchildren. Is it hard to become sustainable, yes but not impossible. It is profitable to become sustainable, yes but not without some loss. Sustainable as described by Merriam-Webster dictionary, able to be used without being completely used up or destroyed [or] involving methods that do not completely use up or destroy natural resources [or] able to last or continue for a long time, this indicates a steady progress even if it is a bit slower than expected. Sustainable societies are not hocus pocus, they are a reality in some places around the world. Sustainability is an intermingling of wise resource use and protection of the “quality of life”, it is met by using natural resources sparingly, by recycling or reducing and eventually stopping the use of other non-renewable resources, to provide for our immediate need, but also to conserve and protect the needs of the next generation and to improve the quality of all the lives to come. Without rethinking and changing the way our nations focus on fuels, than there is no way for sustainability to a plausible plan.
Every day the world around us is changing ever so slightly in many different ways. Humans can affect the environment through our day to day lifestyle without even noticing the change. An ecological footprint is a measurement of how much a person uses the environment around them to live their life. This given measurement can help one to see their impact on the earth. It is an important tool to understand what actually a human does to change the habitat near them. My ecological footprint results gave me a perspective of how my daily life can impact the world I live in, as well as, how I as an individual can change my actions to make less waste on earth. It is also useful for each person to know their own ecological footprint since no one live
As more and more people are being educated about the environmental issues that have progressively arisen in recent years, more people are looking for ways to live a sustainable lifestyle. With human population growth continually to increase, carbon emissions will continue to have a larger impact in a limited carrying capacity that the Earth holds. Conscious efforts to save natural resources need to be made, luckily there are numerous ways people can reduce their carbon footprint. This essay will demonstrate how the developed world can reduce the pressure being placed on the state of the environment and how simple contributions individuals can partake in can lead to a sustainable development. If we produce awareness about environmental issues then people will realize how important it is to give back to the earth, not only for ourselves during this present moment, but also for future generations (our children). Many people do not realize how big of an impact they actually have on a daily basis, we individually have a greater contribution of carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere than we think. The more energy that is produced through human activity the more likely it is to develop sicknesses, destroy precious environments, endanger species, and deplete the atmosphere which will create insufficient living for every living creature in the future. The paper will entail four ways in which we can create a significantly more sustainable lifestyle. The first section is about alternative energies, such as wind turbines and solar energy, and how individuals can support the transformation from fossil fuels to these green energies. Following that, the second section explains the importance of unplugging wasteful powe...
Humans are responsible to handle a variety of environmental issues, but we can also take steps to reduce the damages that we are causing to the planet. While some people believe that complication of environmental issue hampers an individual from putting the effort, I believe that an individual can take an action on their own, which can make a world of difference. This essay will discuss environmental problems and the measures that individuals can solve these problems. There are reasons to support my stance.
Economic Growth refers to the progressive change in the expansion of production of goods and services which can be indicated as Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by a country over a given period. It is achievable for the country to prosper if the economic growth was well-maintained over the years. However, gradual or lack of economic growth would cause a nation to drop into a devastating poverty. (Parkin, 2014). Therefore, sources of economic growth are vital to a nation’s advancement.
Environmental pollution has always remained a serious problem in society today. Our planet is often being polluted by many toxins that are not only deadly to us, but our wildlife too. Environmental pollution leads to air pollution, environmental crisis, and global warming. Now there are many different ways that can help these topics be preventable. People need to understand what environmental sustainability truly is. Learning environmental sustainability will give people the tools and knowledge to help sustain our planet before it is too late. Planet earth is our home and people need to understand the damage being done to it. Understanding these important key factors will lead our planet to become healthier and a better place for life to live.
The United Nations recently published a list of goals they hope to accomplish by 2030 called the Sustainable Development Goals. These goals will replace the Millennium Development Goals, which were set in 2000, when they expire at the end of 2015. Some of these goals include ending poverty, promoting gender equality, and improving water and sanitation conditions. Arguably, the most important goal is to “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture” (in text citation- NY Times Article). Hunger was also an important goal on the MDG list, yet it was not fully accomplished (in text citation- Progress chart). The goals was to reduce hunger by half, and yet, the number of people who go to bed hungry