Environmental Sustainability and Management Lecture 1 PDF

Key Concepts-Meaning and Components of Environmental Sustainability Stephen Appiah Takyi, Ph.D. Amma Birago Kantanka Gyimah, Ph.D PL 359: Resource Assessment Techniques January 15, 2025 Outline § Meaning of the Environment § The Concept of Env...

Key Concepts-Meaning and Components of Environmental Sustainability Stephen Appiah Takyi, Ph.D. Amma Birago Kantanka Gyimah, Ph.D PL 359: Resource Assessment Techniques January 15, 2025 Outline § Meaning of the Environment § The Concept of Environmental Amenities § The Concept of Eco-spirituality § Meaning of Ecological Sustainability § Elements of Environmental Sustainability § Principles of Environmental Sustainability § Meaning and Components of Climate Change § Tragedy of the Commons & Environmental Economics Introduction “The Earth will not continue to offer its harvest, except with faithful stewardship. We cannot say we love the land and then take steps to destroy it for use by future generations” —John Paul II Meaning of the Environment Environment is a fundamental and most essential part of our day to day life Environment comprises various types of forces such as physical, intellectual, economic, political, cultural, social and moral Environment is the sum total of all these external forces, influences and conditions, which affect the life, nature, behaviour and the growth, development and maturation of living organisms The Concept of Environmental Amenities § These amenities refer to the natural or man-made features of an environment that enhance its desirability and contribute to the value of properties within that area. § The concept of environmental amenities recognizes that individuals are willing to pay a premium for properties located in areas with attractive natural landscapes, clean air, access to recreational activities, and other positive environmental attributes. § Environmental amenities can be categorized into different types, including scenic beauty, proximity to water bodies, access to parks and green spaces , air quality, noise levels, and cultural heritage. The Concept of Environmental Amenities § Environmental amenities such as forests, parks and water bodies provides direct and indirect benefits to city esidents. § Environmental amenities provide direct benefits such as recreational opportunities, improved local air quality, reduced noise pollution and urban heat island effects § Natural amenities also provide indirect benefits in the form of ecosystem services such biodiversity provision. § Natural amenities also support critical ecological processes upon which economic activity relies, such as the primary production of biological matter, nutrient cycling, and the hydrological cycle. The Concept of Eco-spirituality § Eco-spirituality is an approach to faith that celebrates humanity’s connection to the natural world. § Eco-spirituality links the tenets of a specific belief system to the sacredness of the earth. § Those who practice eco-spirituality are compelled by their faith to care for other living things, respect the earth and its resources, consider their own role in the wider universe, and connect ecological issues to issues of faith. § Like St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology, people who hold eco-spiritual beliefs see evidence of the Divine creator in the material world and understand their responsibility to celebrate creation in all its forms. The Concept of Eco-spirituality § Eco-spirituality promotes the following beliefs: Humans are not separate from nature. Humans do not own nature exclusively for our own gain. Humans must act as wise stewards of the natural world. We must demonstrate a love of creation through caring acts. The Divine is the source of creation and an ongoing part of it. We can interact with the Divine daily through the natural world. The Concept of Eco-feminism § Eco-feminism is a branch of feminism that examines the connections between women and nature. § Eco-feminism is a philosophical and political theory and movement which combines ecological concerns with feminist ones, regarding both as resulting from male domination of society. § According to Susan Buckingham (2015) the domination of women and the degradation of the environment are consequences of patriarchy and capitalism. Meaning of Ecological Sustainability § Ecological Sustainability connects human needs and ecosystem services: “meeting human needs without compromising the health of ecosystems”. § Ecological Sustainability is “meeting human needs without compromising the health of ecosystems.” § The word “environmental,” however, is almost always used in reference to human interaction with the ecosystem. Elements of Environmental Sustianability §Human §Environment §Social §Economic Meaning of Human Sustainability § Human sustainability means maintaining human capital. § Human capital is a private good of individuals, rather than between individuals or societies. § The health, education, skills, knowledge, leadership and access to services constitute human capital. Investments in education, health, and nutrition of individuals have become accepted as part of economic development. § As human life-span is relatively short and finite (unlike institutions) human sustainability needs continual maintenance by investments throughout one’s lifetime Meaning of Environmental Sustainability Environmental Sustainability seeks to improve human welfare by protecting Natural Capital. As contrasted with economic capital, Natural Capital consists of water, land, air, minerals and ecosystem services, hence much is converted to manufactured or economic capital. Environment includes the sources of raw materials used for human needs, and ensuring that sink capacities recycling human wastes are not exceeded, in order to prevent harm to humans Humanity must learn to live within the limitations of the biophysical environment. ES means NC must be maintained, both as a provider of inputs (sources), and as a sink for wastes. Meaning of Economic Sustainability § Economic sustainability is maintenance of capital or keeping capital intact. § According to Hicks, income is the amount one can consume during a period and still be as well off at the end of the period – can define economic sustainability, as it devolves on consuming value-added (interest), rather than capital. § Historically, economics has rarely been concerned with natural capital (NC) (e.g., intact forests, healthy air). Meaning of Economic Sustainability § Economic Sustainability and the Preservation of Environmental Assets- Economic sustainability requires that current economic activity not disproportionately burden future generations. § Economists will allocate environmental assets as only part of the value of natural and manmade capital, and their preservation becomes a function of an overall financial analysis. In contrast, the ecologist will seek to preserve minimum levels of environmental assets in physical terms. Meaning of Social Sustainability § Social sustainability means maintaining social capital. § Social capital is investments and services that create the basic framework for society. § It lowers the cost of working together and facilitates cooperation: trust lowers transaction costs. § Only systematic community participation and strong civil society, including government can achieve this. § Commonly shared rules, laws, and information (libraries, film, and diskettes) promote social sustainability Meaning of Social Sustainability § “Social Sustainability- McKenzie identifies several attempts to define social sustainability and concludes it generally to be, “a positive condition within communities, and a process within communities that can achieve that condition.” § This definition is supplemented with a list of corresponding principles, including: Meaning of Social Sustainability § equity of access to key services § equity between generations § a system of relations valuing disparate § cultures § political participation of citizens, § particularly at a local level § a sense of community ownership § a system for transmitting awareness § of social sustainability from one Ecosystem Services in Urban Centers Ecosystem services’ refers to the benefits human populations derived from ecosystems. Seven different urban ecosystems have been identified by Bolund & Hunhammar (1999): 1. street trees; 2. lawns/parks; 3. urban forests; 4. cultivated land; 5. wetlands; 6. lakes/sea; 7. and streams. Ecosystem Services in Urban Centers § According to the European Environmental Agency (2011) ecological infrastructure includes all ‘green and blue spaces’ that may be found in urban and peri-urban areas, including: § parks § cemeteries § gardens and yards § urban allotments § urban forests § single trees § green roofs § wetlands § streams § rivers, lakes, and ponds Classifying Urban Ecosystem Services § According to The Economics of Ecosystem and Biodiversity (2010) ecosystem services can be classified in four major categories: § Provisioning; § Regulating; § Habitat; and § Cultural and amenity services Classifying Urban Ecosystem Services § Provisioning services-include all the material products obtained from ecosystems, including genetic resources, food and fiber, and fresh water. § Regulating services-include all the benefits obtained from the regulation by ecosystem processes, including the regulation of climate, water, and some human diseases. Classifying Urban Ecosystem Services § Cultural services enrichment, cognitive development, reflection, recreation, and aesthetiare the non-material benefits people obtain from ecosystems through spiritual c experience as well as their role in supporting knowledge systems, social relations, and aesthetic values. § Supporting or habitat services are those that are necessary for the production of all other ecosystem services. Examples include biomass production, nutrient cycling, water cycling, provisioning of habitat for species, and maintenance of genetic pools and evolutionary processes. Principles of Environmental Sustainability 1. Societal Needs § Design and deliver products and services that contribute to a more sustainable economy. § Support local employment § Support fair trade. § Review the environmental attributes of raw materials and make environmental sustainability a key requirement in the selection of ingredients for new products and services Principles of Environmental Sustainability 2. Preservation of Biodiversity § Select raw materials that maintain biodiversity of natural resources (“Global Sustainability Principles”) § Use environmentally responsible andsustainable energy sources and invest in improving energy efficiency (“Global Sustainability Principles”). Principles of Environmental Sustainability 3. Regenerative Capacity § Keep harvest rates of renewable resource inputs within regenerative capacities of the natural system that generates them. § Keep depletion rates of nonrenewable resource inputs below the rate at which renewable substitutes are developed Principles of Environmental Sustainability 4. Reuse and Recycle § Design for re-usability and recyclability § Design (or redesign, as appropriate) manufacturing and business processes as closed-loop systems, reducing emissions and waste to zero (Robinson). Meaning of Climate Change § The Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) defines Climate Change as: ‘a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods. § The UNFCCC thus makes a distinction between climate change attributable to human activities altering the atmospheric composition, and climate variability attributable to natural causes. Meaning of Climate Change § Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. § Such shifts can be natural, due to changes in the sun’s activity or large volcanic eruptions. But since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. § Burning fossil fuels generates greenhouse gas emissions that act like a blanket wrapped around the Earth, trapping the sun’s heat and raising temperatures. § The main greenhouse gases that are causing climate change include carbon dioxide and methane. Meaning of Climate Change § The main greenhouse gases that are causing climate change include carbon dioxide and methane. § These come from using gasoline for driving a car or coal for heating a building, for example. § Clearing land and cutting down forests can also release carbon dioxide. § Agriculture, oil and gas operations are major sources of methane emissions. § Energy, industry, transport, buildings, agriculture and land use are among the main sectors causing greenhouse gases. Tragedy of the Commons Tragedy of the Commons § The tragedy of the commons refers to a situation in which individuals with access to a public resource (also called a common) act in their own interest and, in doing so, ultimately deplete the resource. § This economic theory was first conceptualized in 1833 by British writer William Forster Lloyd. § This theory explains individuals’ tendency to make decisions based on their personal needs, regardless of the negative impact it may have on others. Tragedy of the Commons § In some cases, an individual’s belief that others won’t act in the best interest of the group can lead them to justify selfish behavior. § Potential overuse of a common-pool resource—hybrid between a public and private good— can also influence individuals to act with their short-term interest in mind, resulting in the use of an unsustainable product and disregard the harm it could cause to the environment or general public. Tragedy of the Commons § In economics and in an ecological context, the tragedy of the commons is a situation in which: üindividual users have open access to a resource üunhampered by shared social structures, formal rules, charges, fees, or taxes that regulate access and use üAct independently according to their own self-interest and, contrary to the common good of all users. ücause depletion of the resource through their uncoordinated action in the case that there are too many users related to the available resources. THANK YOU