SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

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SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
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Sustainable Development can be defined as the
ability to satisfy needs without diminishing
prospects for the next generation. We cannot
exceed resource limits (called thresholds) beyond
which supply cannot be sustained. Unfortunately
raising human quality of life is a major threat
to sustainability. Forests are disappearing, fish
stocks are being depleted, while population,
industry and consumption increases. Industry and
consumption is rising fastest in the developing
countries, 4/5th of the population lives there.
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BUT - developing countries do not have to develop
as wasteful as the NOW developed countries did.
If large amounts of private investment go into
state of the art environmental technologies -
poorer countries can leapfrog past the wasteful
stages mentioned by Rostow in his theory of
economic development. (see the Disparity unit).
For example China is looking into purchasing more
efficient (less polluting) coal burning methods.
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• Resources
• Renewable resources (also known as stream
  resources or flow resources) are resources that
  renew themselves, eg. water.
• A constantly renewable supply is always on
  stream eg. if we plant as many trees as we cut
  down, we are sustaining the number of trees.

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• Resource management is concerned with
• Are the new trees the same quality as the old?
• Will the living environment be harmed?
• How long will it take for the trees to mature?
• How many trees will die in the process?

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A non-renewable resource is referred to as stock
resources. They comprise a limited stock. That
can be depleted. Once you use them, they are gone
forever. They do not replenish themselves (within
reason). Oil is a good example. Once oil is
pumped out of the ground and burned it is gone
forever.
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The previous analogy is not entirely accurate
Science may create a synthetic version or we may
find better and more abundant resources to
achieve the same ends. We could shift from oil to
wind, solar or hydrogen power. A view where
someone believes that Science and Technology will
come to the rescue is called a Cornucopian
Thesis. People who are of the view that the earth
does have limits and that resources are finite
are said to have a limits-to-growth thesis.
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William Rees, and environmental economist
describes the earths resources as Natural
Stocks, some of which are renewable. He believes
short term economic greed is depleting our
natural stocks faster than they can be replaced
or protected. He also describes certain resources
as critical. In other words a critical resource
is dependent on good sustainable techniques to
remain unharmed or for its supply to remain
undeminished.
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Freshwater is a critical resource. Water that is
underground is being pumped out and used faster
than nature can replenish it. A non-critical
resource is one that can be used without being in
danger of becoming harmed solar energy is a
good example.
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Resource management has introduced words like
re-use, recycle, waste-reduction, green
products, bio-degradable and
energy-efficient. Some new words are Extended
producer responsibility this is where a
company takes responsibility for the recycling of
its products event after they are sold to you.
Heward-Packard (HP) with its ink cartridge
program is a good example.
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Slow cities is another new buzz word. This
relates to older cities that purposely stay away
from modern technology and the fast base of
economic globalization. They wish to value their
local culture and history. These cities set out
to protect the qualities that make them unique.
For example these cities will not allow fast food
restaurants or cell antennas or even large neon
signs. Local traditions are protected and
encouraged. Niagara-on-the-lake and Quebec city
are good examples.
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Finally the international organization for
standardization ISO has been created to
regulate standards around the world. For example
the ISOs standard allow nuts produced in Mexico
to fit bolts made in Europe. These type of
standards will decrease waste a great deal. There
are environmental standards as well. You may see
the initials ISO followed by a number on product
labels and even on the signs of buildings.
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Resources that make our environment a better
place to live are called Scenic or Aesthetic
resources and these can be endangered building
a bridge over Niagara Falls or placing an hotel
on the beach are good examples.
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When secondary industry turns raw materials into
manufactured products, these products are ready
for consumption. For example wood is consumed
to make pulp and paper, iron ore is consumed to
make steel. The U.S. EPS (Environmental
Protection Agency) states that the industrialized
world (Japan, Germany, Canada) consume between 45
000 85 000 kilograms of natural resources per
person per year. Thats 133 kilograms every day.
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• The U.S. has only 4.7 of the worlds population
  yet it consumes 25 of the worlds natural
  resources. Canadians consume even more because we
  live in a colder climate.
• The OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation)
  suggests that industrialized countries look for
  ways of reducing consumption.
• use less water
• turn up the temperature for the air conditioner
• dont idle the car
• close the refrigerator door

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• dont leave the T.V. on when no-on is watching
• turn off unnecessary lighting in the house
• can you think of some?
• By 2015 two major concerns will be water and
  energy.
• The developing world will exhaust their water
  supply by 2015.
• Increased population and seeking economic growth
  will increase the demand for energy.

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Oil demands and Natural Gas usage will
drastically increase. As the developing world
industrializes their consumption will increase to
the point that production cannot keep up. Is the
developing world going to understand that they
can not develop the way we (Canada) did and be so
environmentally wasteful? As mentioned before
some people expect science to come to the rescue
(Cornucopian view), especially where energy is
concerned. Solar cells, Hydrogen power will
hopefully replace oil.
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Two Important resources Forests and Fish The FAO
(Food and Agriculture Organization) rate
deforestation is greater than the rate of
forestation. 9.4 million HA were lost in 2001,
most of it in the tropical forests. Reasons -
lumber exports - clearing for agricultural
land- expansion of cities- forest fires- poor
forest conservation- acid rain- and pests.
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When forests are destroyed by fire, CO2 is added
to the atmosphere and the following happens-
oxygen levels decrease- ecosystems are destroyed
- habitats are lost- pests will infest other
plant life- flooding increases- soils will
erode- climates will change (Eg. Ethiopia once
was covered with 40 forest cover, now its at 7
due mainly to the collection of fire wood.
Ethiopia has suffered severe droughts.
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Canadian Forests 10 of the worlds forests are
in Canada. Canada is 1 in the world in newsprint
production and export and 1 for softwood
(Coniferous like pine which are used mainly for
pulp and paper and for construction) export. 842
000 Canadians are employed directly or indirectly
in the forest industry. Forests are worth 32.1
billion of positive trade balance. Canada is a
world leader in managing and sustaining forests.
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90 of Canadian forests are owned by the Federal
Government. Non-Government Organizations (NGOs)
like Friends of the Earth say Canada is doing a
terrible job of managing its forests, especially
the softwoods - less land is being replanted -
trees are of poorer quality - they are cut down
too soon ¾ of the logging rights belong to only
10 very large corporations (one of them happens
to be Japanese). These companies will place
profit ahead of sustainability.
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• Canadas Fishing Industry
• Fishing is Canadas oldest industry.
• Atlantic Canadas economy depends on fishing
• The Grand Banks off the east coast were one of
  the worlds great fishing grounds.
• Prior to 1978 fishermen were noticing fewer fish.
  This continued in the 1980s. In 1991 there was a
  huge drop in fish caught (especially Cod). The
  Canadian government had grossly mis-calculated
  and in 1992 all Cod fishing was halted and the
  fishing industry collapsed. It continues to this
  day.

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• Reasons for the collapse
• Over fishing (caught more than could reproduce
  the following year)
• Improved technology on catching fish
• Foreign Fishing (Canada controls some of the
  water off the Grand Banks but not all)
• Destructive fishing practices
• Changes in the environment
• Soon the west coast (salmon) fishing industry
  collapsed as well for basically the same reasons.
  
• Urban expansion could now be added to the list.

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• Other resources that are threatened in the
  future
• Water
• Oil
• Air
• Fossil Fuels (Energy) coal, natural gas.
• Do decisions you make promote sustainability?

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Ecological Footprint Could you survive using just
your local communities resources? Not for
long! We do not live in isolation, we trade with
others to acquire ecological goods that we may
need. Global trade cannot solve all resource
problems. How much pressure are we putting on our
resources and how will this affect their
sustainability? WWF (World Wildlife Fund) and two
gentlemen (Mathis Wackernagel and William Rees)
created the Living Planet Index an Ecological
Footprint calculation.
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The Ecological Footprint measures peoples
consumption of resources. It is based on a
population on 6 000 000 000 and a usable land
area of 10 000 000 000 HA. An average of 1.7 HA
(3 football fields) of land is needed to sustain
on person on the earth. An average Canadian
consumes 4.8 HA. (2.7 on energy, 1.1 on
agriculture, 0.6 on forests and 0.2 on housing
and transportation). The developing nations are
consuming 37 more than the earth can provide!
This is called Ecological Overshoot.
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If China reached the consumption levels of the
U.S. the ecological overshoot would rise from 37
to 250! Mathis Wackernagel and William Rees
state that if the entire world lived like North
Americans we would need 3 more planets like earth
to sustain us.
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Click here to calculate your Ecological
Footprint. Click on Start to begin the
questionnaire. Please read before you make a
choice. Click here if you want some background
information on what an ecological footprint is.
Click here if you would like to compare your
footprint to another calculation. This last site
has some excellent links to the topic of
sustainability. Try this quiz too. How can the
developing worlds develop in a world of shrinking
resources?
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The End!