1.3 Sustainability Revision Notes PDF

1.3 Sustainability Guiding questions What is sustainability and how can it be measured? To what extent are challenges of sustainable development also ones of environmental justice? Sustainability is a measure of the extent to which practices allow for the long-term viability of a system. It is...

1.3 Sustainability Guiding questions What is sustainability and how can it be measured? To what extent are challenges of sustainable development also ones of environmental justice? Sustainability is a measure of the extent to which practices allow for the long-term viability of a system. It is generally used to refer to the responsible maintenance of socio-ecological systems such that there is no diminishment of conditions for future generations. Environmental sustainability is the use and management of natural resources that allows replacement of the resources, and recovery and regeneration of ecosystems. It means living within the means of nature, on sustainable natural income generated by natural capital. It allows resources to be replaced and ecosystems to recover (regenerate). Natural interest - the yield or harvest from natural resources Natural capital - the stock of natural resources on Earth Sustainability in this context focuses on resource depletion, pollution and conserving biodiversity. Active regeneration of ecosystems is also considered a component of environmental sustainability. There are different timescales in the replacement of natural resources. Diagrams show how environmental, social and economic sustainability interact. Stronger models Strong sustainability models show the economy embedded in society, and both society and economy embedded in the natural environment Weak models. sustainability models only show an overlap in the three domains. Social sustainability Social sustainabilityfocuses on creating the structures and systems that support human wellbeing, including health, education, equity, and community. Sustainability in this context focuses on the survival of societies and their cultures; it may include consideration of the continued use of language, belief or spiritual practices in a society. Economic sustainability Economic sustainability focuses on creating the economic structures and systems to support production and consumption of goods and services that will support human needs into the future. * There is no economic sustainability without environmental sustainability - resources are used in the production of goods and services to meet human needs. GDP Gross Domestic Product is a measure of the monetary value of final goods and services produced and sold in a given period by a country. GDP is a common indicator of economic development. However it neglects the value of natural systems and may lead to unsustainable development. Green GDP measures environmental costs and subtracts these from GDP. Environmental costs include loss of biodiversity, costs associated with the loss of ecological services and the financial impacts related to climate change. Sustainable development Sustainable development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable development is a framework that guides further development of human civilization while maintaining economic stability, social equity and ecological integrity. The Brundtland report of 1987 introduced the social and economic aspects of sustainability to sustainable development. Ecosystem collapse Unsustainable use of natural resources can lead to ecosystem collapse. An example of ecosystem collapse due to human overexploitation of the environment (for was seen with the impact of overfishing on Newfoundland cod fisheries. Newfoundland cod fisheries notes: Ecological overshoot WWF noted “humanity’s annual demand on the natural world has exceeded what the Earth can renew in a year since the 1970’s”. In 2018 there was a 75% deficit meaning we need 1.75 Earth’s to regenerate the natural resources people use and to safely absorb the CO2 waste produced in a year. Earth overshoot day: The Global Footprint Network (GFN) calculates Earth overshoot day for each country and the world average. In 2022 Earth Overshoot Day was July 22nd. Environmental justice Environmental justice refers to the right of all people to live in a pollution-free environment, have equitable access to natural resources, and have access to laws and regulations - regardless of issues such as race, gender, socioeconomic status or nationality. The idea of environmental justice came about due to the exploitation of the environment and of local people by MNC’s/TNC’s in the 1980’s. Areas focused on environmental justice include: Climate change impacts Hazardous waste dumping Insufficient safety measures by companies Resource extraction Land appropriation Masai land rights - case study pp. 39-40 1 million indigenous Masai people Conservation of the animals in this area was African great lakes region S Kenya / N Tanzania prioritised over Masai way of life Transhumance nomadic pastoralists Masai have no one leader so lack political power Cattle - search for grazing and water Threats to Masai: Move cattle seasonally Masai were moved out of the national parks - Live off of the blood and milk of animals tourism prioritised Colonialist period: Land increasingly used for commercial farming: Land was privatised - rancher colonists moved in wheat, flowers, fruit - (land grabs) National parks created - promote tourism Droughts caused by climate change creates Wildlife valued for tourism value, not indigenous challenge Masai’s value Rising Kenyan population putting pressure on 1950’s Masai moved from Serengeti to water supplies Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) Link to the definition of environmental justice … Sustainability indicators Sustainability indicators include quantitative measures of biodiversity, pollution, human population, climate change, material and carbon footprints, and others. These indicators can be environmental or socio-economic in their focus. Environmental sustainability indicators Socio-economic sustainability indicators Endangered Species Index (ESI) GDP per capita Air Quality Index (AQI) Total Fertility Rate (TFR) Deforestation rates Literacy rates Life expectancy Water Scarcity Index (WSI) Energy consumption per capita Ecological (carbon) footprints Gender equality index Ecological footprints The concept of ecological footprints can be used to measure sustainability. If these footprints are greater than the area (or resources) available to the population, this indicates unsustainability. Ecological footprint is the area of land and water required to sustainably provide all resources at the rate of consumption and assimilate all wastes at the rate of production by a given population. Biocapacity is the capacity of a given biologically productive area to generate an ongoing supply of renewable resources and to absorb its resulting wastes. Carrying capacity is the maximum number of individuals of a species that the environment can sustainably support. Unsustainability occurs if the area’s ecological footprint exceeds its biocapacity: EF > B Carbon footprint measures the amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) produced, measured in carbon dioxide equivalents (in tonnes). Water footprint measures water use (in cubic metres per year). Sustainability Models There are a range of frameworks and models that support our understanding of sustainability. Sustainability models, like all models are human constructions. They can be: Over simplified versions of reality - impacting its reliability Too complicated or time consuming to gather data - not easy or useful to use SDG’s The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 social and environmental goals and targets to guide action on sustainability and environmental justice. They were formulated by the UN in 2015 and will run until 2030 or beyond. The SDG’s followed on from the MDG’s (2000-2015).  SDG Comments / Detail #1 No Poverty #2 Zero Hunger #3 Good Health & Well-being #4 Quality Education #5 Gender Equality #6 Clean Water & Sanitation #7 Affordable & Clean Energy #8 Decent Work & Economic Growth #9 Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure #10 Reduced Inequalities #11 Sustainable Cities & Communities #12 Responsible Consumption / Production #13 Climate Action #14 Life Below Water #15 Life On Land #16 Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions #17 Partnership For The Goals The SDGs provide a framework for sustainable development through the UN and address the global challenges faced by humanity, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity, and peace and justice. Uses (strengths) of the SDG’s limitations of the SDG’s Monitoring Progress: The framework Lack of Enforcement: The SDGs are not allows for tracking progress and identifying legally binding, raising doubts about areas where further action is needed. countries' commitment to implementation. Universal Agenda: All countries are Ambition vs. Reality: The goals are accountable for achieving the goals, ambitious and complex, raising concerns promoting global cooperation. about achievability in the given timeframe. Mobilizing Resources: The SDGs can help Top down vs. bottom up: The goals being attract investment and resources towards top down and bureaucratic tending to ignore sustainable development initiatives. local contexts. Shared Vision: The SDGs create a shared Overly complicated: There are 169 targets vision for a more sustainable future, and 244 indicators to measure progress on inspiring action by governments, those targets. businesses, and individuals. Planetary boundaries model 2009 Rockstrom and 28 scientists identified nine processes and systems that have regulated the stability and resilience of the Earth system in the Holocene epoch. Identifies the limits (quantitative boundaries) of human disturbance to those systems, and proposes that crossing those limits increases the risk of abrupt and irreversible changes to Earth systems. Answer the Q “Up to what limits will the Earth system be able to absorb human activity without compromising the living conditions of species?” The nine boundaries in the planetary boundaries model are: 1. Climate Change: This refers to the human-caused increase in atmospheric greenhouse gases, primarily CO2, leading to global warming. 2. Biosphere Integrity (Functional and Genetic): This boundary focuses on maintaining healthy and diverse ecosystems with a full range of functioning species. 3. Land-System Change: This boundary is concerned with the conversion of natural land cover (forests, grasslands) to human uses like agriculture and urbanization. 4. Freshwater Use: This boundary highlights the importance of sustainable freshwater management to avoid depletion of critical water resources. 5. Biogeochemical Flows (Nitrogen and Phosphorus): This boundary focuses on the excessive release of nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizers, leading to pollution and ecosystem disruptions. 6. Ocean Acidification: This boundary is concerned with the absorption of excess atmospheric CO2 by the oceans, making them more acidic and harming marine life.  7. Atmospheric Aerosol Pollution: This boundary deals with the presence of tiny airborne particles like smoke and dust that can affect air quality and climate. 8. Stratospheric Ozone Depletion: This boundary focuses on the thinning of the ozone layer, which protects us from harmful ultraviolet radiation. 9. Release of Novel Entities (including heavy metals, radioactive materials, plastics): This boundary highlights the potential risks of introducing new synthetic chemicals and materials into the environment. Example uses and limitations include the following. Uses (strengths) of the PBM limitations of the PBM Identifies science based limits Environmental focus ignores the human dimension necessary to take action Doesn’t just focus on climate change Is a work in progress - assessment of boundaries changes Alerts the public and governments to urgent Global perspective may not be useful at a need for action local setting Doughnut Economics Model The doughnut economics model is a framework for creating a regenerative and distributive economy in order to meet the needs of all people within the means of the planet. The social foundation (inner boundary of the doughnut) is based on the social SDGs. The ecological ceiling (outer boundary of the doughnut) is based on planetary boundaries science. Together, the social foundation and the ecological ceiling represent the minimum conditions for an economy that is ecologically safe and socially just—thus, the doughnut is the “safe and just space for humanity”. Today, billions of people still fall short of the social foundation, while humanity has collectively overshot most of the planetary boundaries. Therefore, the goal as illustrated by this model is to move into the doughnut and create an economy that enables humanity to thrive in balance with the rest of the living world. Regenerative economy works with, and within, the cycles and limits of the living world. ○ Regenerative - products /services that contribute to systems that renew themselves (are circular in terms of reduced inputs and outputs) Distributive economy shares value and opportunity far more equitably among all stakeholders from the start (and not simply redistributed at the end). ○ Businesses and societies are designed in a way that ownership, resources, and profits are shared more equitably with everyone involved..  Uses of Doughnut Econ’ Model limitations of Doughnut Econ’ Model Supports the concept of environmental and Defining Boundaries: Setting the "social social justice foundation" and "ecological ceiling" is challenging. What constitutes "enough" for Has reached popular awareness everyone can be subjective and change over time Is being used at different scales - local, Growth vs. Sustainability: The model national downplays traditional economic growth as a key driver of poverty reduction, particularly Supports (complementatary) with other in developing nations. Critics argue that sustainability goals and targets e.g. SDG’s some level of unsustainable growth may be necessary to achieve social goals. Circular Economy Model The circular economy is a model that promotes decoupling economic activity from the consumption of finite resources. It has three principles: Eliminating waste and pollution - unwanted outputs Circulating products and materials: ○ Technical cycle involves maintaining / reusing products where possible. Then recycling at the end of their lifespan ○ Biological cycle involves composting or anaerobically digesting biodegradable resources to recapture nutrients Regenerating nature - focus shifts from extraction to regeneration to build natural capital. The butterfly diagram from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation is a useful illustration of the circular economy. It is different to the linear economic model (take–make–waste). Uses: Regeneration of natural systems; reduction of greenhouse emissions; improvement of local food networks and support of local communities; reduction of waste by extending product life cycle; changed consumer habits. Limitations of the circular economy include: Undermined by a lack of interest / understanding of consumers Lack of supporting laws / regulations Lack of finance / investment from businesses and institutions Citizen science is the involvement of the public in scientific research to generate data. It plays a role in monitoring Earth systems and whether resources are being used sustainably. Citizen science has a role in the larger picture of scientific research on environmental systems. The information gathered is relevant to local problems and conditions, and can be used inresearch on global issues, such as climate change.