5.12 Sustainability

Sustainability

consuming a resource/using a space in a way that does not degrade/deplete it for future generations

• using compost vs synthetic fertilizer

Max sustainable yield

max amt of a renewable resource that can be harvested w/out depleting it for the future

• by only using up 50% of a resource at a time, we get MAX yield and MAX regen rate for the resource, making it sustainable

Environmental indicators of sustainability (EIS)

factors that help us determine if our resource usage is sustainable and if the environment is healthy

biodiversity

defined as the amt of different species in the environment

• EIS

• more diversity => more resilience to change (more adaptations, higher survival chance)

• less diversity => less sustainable actions are being made

food production

the ability of earth to produce food (based on soil, water, and climate quality)

• EIS

• changes in food production efficiency can come from climate change and soil degradation, revealing that we are taking bad, unsustainable choices

• rising meat consumption => large strain on food, water, and land to raise livestock => unsust

• decreasing grain production reveals less sustainable actions

atmospheric temperature + CO₂

a delicate balance is needed in order for organisms to survive

• EIS

• CO₂ is a greenhouse gas. If there is more, climate change will accelerate and signal that we are making bad choices

  • more CO₂ comes from the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation

• more CO₂ → more heat → dried up farmland → no food → less biodiversity, climate change

human population and resource depletion

the bigger the human population the more resources are needed, can lead to depletion

• EIS

• resources are harvested unsustainably (earth cannot replenish fast enough)

• more ppl = more food, paper, and traveling → more resources harvested → unsustainable