ESS 1.3 - sustainability

sustainability definition

• maintaining and developing practices that will suit in the long term

• used to refer to responsible maintenance of socio-ecological systems

• no diminishment for future generations

natural income definition

yield/harvest from natural resources

natural capital income

the stock of natural resources on earth

social sustainability definition

creating structures that support human wellbeing and focuses on creating structures and systems

• education

• awareness

• health

• equity

if the rate of forest removal is less than annual growth what happens

forest removal is sustainable

if the rate of forest removal is greater than the annual growth what happens

forest removal is unsustainable

sustainable development definition

meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations

explain active ecosystem regeneration 

• opportunity to stop or reverse degradation

  • UN estimates 60% of species extinctions could be avoided through efficient restoration

factors influencing environmental sustainability

• climate change

• loss of biodiversity

  • over-exploitation of resources

short term renewable resources examples

• annual crops

• planted and harvested within a year / growing season

  • dependent on soil fertility

medium term renewable resources examples

• groundwater

  • recharges through infiltration of surface water

long term renewable recources examples

• fisheries

  • some fish populations can take decades to recover from overfishing

biomimicry definition

the practice of looking to nature for inspiration to solve design problems in all regenerative ways

explain natures unifying preference

• recycles all materials

• uses chemistry and materials that are safe for beings

• builds using abundant resources

explain human behavior

• have a take-make-waste linear economy

• few materials are recycled

• uses scarce materials

• uses non renewable resources

GDP definition

• gross domestic product

  • national output is the value of all fixed goods and services in an economy produced over a year

GDP formula

consumption + investments + government spending + net exports

green GDP definition

• index of economic growth within the environmental consequence of the growth factored into the countries GDP

• monitors the loss of biodiversity and accounts for costs caused by climate change

sustainability indicators examples

• biodiveristy

• polloution

• human population

• climate change

  • carbon footprint

ecological footprint definition

varying by country, if the EF of the human population is greater than the land area available to it, it indicates that the population is unsustainable and exceeds the carrying capacity of the area

earth overshoot day definition

date when humanity has exhausted natures budget for the year and for the rest of the year we are maintaining ecological deficit by drawing down local resource stocks and increased CO2 in the atmosphere

factors influencing footprints

• reliance on fossil fuels

• increased use in technology

• increased output level

• increased production

• increased food consumption

  • meat rich diets

strengths of earth overshoot day

• useful snapshot of the sustainability of a population

• provides a mean for people to measure their impacts 

  • popular symbol for raising awareness

limitations of earth overshoot day

• doesnt include all information on human impacts

• only a model

• uses figures that cant be calculated

• doesnt show the type of resources

  • negative in approach and could be demotivating

environmental justice definition

the right of all people to live in a pollution free environment and have equitable access to natural resources, regardless of the issues

types of committees affected

• race

• 50% of people of colour live near toxic waste

  • 95% have had denies against polluters

what is a creditor

Countries that lend resources, such as money, technology, or expertise, to help other countries develop

what is a debtor

Countries that owe resources or depend heavily on others for support

global mobilization defnintion

unpredicted awareness and action across governments, businesses and civil societies towards sustainability

policy integration definition

governments increasingly incorporate SDG’s into national planning and approaches to sustainability

innovation boost definition

accelerated technological, financial and policy innovations aimed at addressing aims about sustainability

explain current SDG progress

• uneven

  • not all achieved

SDG advantages

• finds common ground between countries

• universal

  • ambition to succeed

SDG disadvantages

• lack of context

• too ambitous

  • not all countries focused on SDGs

explain planetary boundary model

• outlines key earth systems

• identifies human disturbances

• limits to maintain system balance

  • crossing limits pose a risk of sudden change

explain donut economic model

• framework for creating a regenerative and distributive economy in order to meet the needs of all people within the means of the planet 

  • developed in 2012

what does the center of the donut economic model represent

• social foundations

• basic human rights

  • water,housing,justice, social equality

what does the outer ring of the donut economic model represent

• ecological ceiling

• critical environmental limits

  • climate change, freshwater, air pollution

advantages of the donut economic model

• provides environmental justice

• popular

  • can be used to develop at different stages

disadvantages of the donut economic model

• difficult to shift

  • due to its development, some questions start to rise about the possible application

    • broad

regenerative design definition

incorporates the design in the donut model and works within the cycle and limits of the living world

distrubative economy definition

shares values and opportunities for more equality among all

circular economy definition

a model that promotes decoupling economic activity from the consumption of finite resources.

it has 3 principles

• eliminating waste

• recycling products and materials

  • regenerating nature

linear economy definition

we take earths materials, make products, and throw them away as waste

take, make, throw

technical cycle defnintion

• produces high quality products

• last over a year

• reused by multiple consumers

  • repaired when damaged eg WASHING MACHINE

biological cycle definition

returns biodegradable materials to earths through natural processes

advantages of the different cycles

• uses natures time tested principles to improve sustainability

• natural resources are used

  • less waste = less pollution

    • emit less CO2 = less waste

disadvantages of the different cycles

• existing businesses might not be aware of the circular practices

• businesses couldn’t be able to transition circular strategies from high costs

• lack of government law which have many regulations

• still a lot of pollution and will continue

examples of businesses using a circular economy

H&M

• recycling materials

• resaling clothes brought in and giving discounts