Sustainable Development

Sustainable

The use of environmental resources continue in the long term without harming the environment.

Development

Changes in the use of environmental resources that improve human welfare.

Sustainable Development

Resource use that improves human welfare without harming the environment or compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

3 Components of Sustainable Development

Environment, economy, society

Unsustainable Agricultural Practices

Heavy use of pesticides and fertilizers, monocultures

Sustainable Agricultural Practices

Organic farming, nitrogen fixers, mixed and shade-grown crops

Unsustainable Livestock Production

Confined feeding operation, grazing in riparian habitats

Sustainable Livestock Production

Natural rangeland, grazing excluded from riparian habitat

Unsustainable Fisheries

Fishing methods with high by-catch (long-lining, bottom trawling, ect.)

Sustainable Fisheries

Fishing methods with low by-catch (pole-fishing, ect.)

Unsustainable Timber Extraction

Even-aged management, clear-cutting

Sustainable Timber Extraction

Uneven-aged management, selective logging

Unsustainable Energy Production

Fossil Fuels

Sustainable Energy Production

Solar, biofuels?, wind power?, hydropower?, nuclear?

Obstacles to Sustainable Development

Sustainable development incurs a short-term cost; organizations often maximize short-term economic growth rather than conserve for future; wealth generates political power used to promote over-exploitation of resources.

Ecological Footprint

A measure of human demand on the Earth's ecosystem; specifically, the area of land needed to support human beings. Calculated based on the area of land needed to generate the resources we consume and absorb the resulting waste; can be calculate individually, nationally, or globally.

Reducing Ecological Footprint

Reductions in population size, per capita consumption (affluence), and damaging technologies are needed to reduce the impacts to biodiversity (I=PAT).