1.4 Sustainability Flashcards
Define sustainability
the use of global resources at a rate that allows natural regeneration and minimizes damage to the environment
Define natural capital
the source or supply of resources and services that are derived from nature
Natural Income
the yield obtained from natural resources
Distinctions between natural income and natural capital
NC: based on assests (e.g. forests, bodies of water)
NI: generated yields (e.g. timber, clean water)
Regulating services
help control and regulate enviornmental conditions
- climate regulation (forests absorbing CO2)
- water purification
- flood protection (wetlands absorb excess water like a sponge)
supporting systems
fundamental natural processes that make life possible and support other ecosystem services
- nutrient cycling
- primary production
- soil formation (decomposed organic material creates fertile land)
cultural services
Provide spiritual, recreational, aesthetic, and educational value
- Recreation & tourism (hiking, national parks)
- Spiritual & religious significance (indigenous lands)
- Education & scientific research
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: what is it?
gave a scientific appraisal of the condition and trends in the world’s ecosystems and the services they provide using environmental indicators, as well as the scientific basis for action to conserve and use them sustainably
MEA characteristics
- funded by UN
- started 2001
- 2005 released results for first four-year study of Earths natural resources
EIA definition
a report prepared before a development project to change the use of land
EIA description
weighs up the relative advantages or disadvantages of the development on the abiotic or biotic community
abiotic: air, water, land
biotic: plants, animals, humans
What developments used in the EIA
- Major new road networks
- Airport/port developments
- Building power stations
- Building dams and reservoirs
- Quarrying
- Large scale housing projects.
EIA common components
- scoping/baseline study
- predicting the scale of potential impacts
- mitigation: limiting the effects of impacts to acceptable limits
positives of EIAs
- can save costs by identifying issues early on
- encourages better project planning and design on an enviornmental basiss
-> more efficient resource use
-> reduced enviornmental footprint - takes social factors into account
criticisms of EIAs
- poor public consultation practices
- lack of standard practice/training for practitioners
- inconsititent application
- lack of inclusion of indirect impacts
- lack of a clear definition of system boundaries
ecological footprint definition
represents the hypothetical area of land required by a society, group or individual to fulfil all their resource needs and assimilation of waste
ecological footprint can be increased by
- greater reliance on fossil fuels
- increased use of energy
- high levels of imported resources
- a meat-rich diet
Ecological footprints can be reduced by
- reducing use of resources
- recycling resources
- reusing resources
- reducing population to reduce resource use
- buying local products
Explain the relationship between the global EF and sustainability.
When humanity’s ecological resource demands exceed what nature can supply, we reach ecological overshoot
* The effects
◦ carbon-induced climate change
◦ species extinction, deforestation
◦ dead coral reefs
◦ the loss of groundwater
The human footprint has more than tripled since 1960
Explain the relationship between natural capital, natural income and sustainability
natural capital provides natural income. when the extraction of natural income is equal to the annual yield, and this amount stays constant, then this value is sustainable. however, when more than the annual yield of natural income is extracted, then the amount of capital decreases and it becomes unsustainable.
provisioning services
supply physical goods that humans use
- food production
- freshwater
- raw materials (eg. cotton, medicinal plants)
key findings MEA
1️⃣ Human Impact on Ecosystems
- Humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly in the past 50 years than at any other time in history.
- widespread loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services
2️⃣ Consequences of Ecosystem Changes
- Increased poverty for some communities (ecosystem degradation)
- Depletion of Earth’s natural capital (resources are being used faster than they can regenerate).
- Many changes are irreversible, causing permanent biodiversity loss.
3️⃣ Potential for Reversing Damage
- Restoration is possible, but only if appropriate actions are taken quickly.
Sustainability indicators
- biodiversity
- air quality
- water poverty
- pollution
Variables measured in baseline study of EIA
- habitat type and abudance
- species list
- species diversity
- list of endangered species
- human population
- soil
- hydrology
- land use
