chapter 3 - economic, social and environmental sustainability Flashcards
what is sustainable development?
sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
what is economic, environmental and social sustainability ? the 3 pillars
economic sustainability - the ability of an economy to support a defined level of economic activity indefinitely. it involves ensuring current economic growth does not come at the expense of future generations
eg- a country increasing their national debt to achieve economic growth now, will place the burden of the repayment of the increased debt on future taxpayers
environmental sustainability - using natural resources responsibility so we don’t overuse non-renewable, and so we don’t degrade renewable resources non-renewable through overuse. it involves maintaining natural resources for future generations to also benefit from
eg the world using up all the oil and gas available so future generations don’t have access to any of it to fuel things is unsustainable
social sustainability- this involves creating equal opportunities for all citizens on the planet eg fair access to healthcare, education, income , food
eg if the gap between and lower earners increases, it creates a bigger income inequality which reduces social sustainability
economic indicators of a country - economic growth
done through GDP,GNP,GNI,GCDI and GNI- irelands GDP is overestimated so we now use GNI. this shows an increase in the value of output for a country for a year so ignores how it was made eg longer working hours, pollution, rich getting richer
economic indicators of a country - social progress index (SPI)
measures quality of life in a country based on 3 things
1. basic human needs
2. foundations of wellbeing
3.opportunity
scale is from 0(no social progress) to 100 (full social progress )- ireland was 12th in 2020.
economic indicators of a country - human development index (HDI)
gathers data to measure things people generally aspire to
1. health- longer lives
2. education - good standard/ length of education
3. income- to achieve a good standard of living
scale is from 0 (no development) to 1 (full development)- ireland was 2nd in 2019 with a score of (o.955)
economic indicators of a country - the GINI coefficient
measures inequality based on income distribution. scale is from 0 (no inequality) to 1 (full inequality)- ireland had a score of (0.288 or 28.8%)
economic indicators of a country - kuznets environmental curve
initial economic growth/ development normally means rapid industrialisations, urban sprawl, pollution, poor govt regulation ….
when GDP is high, countries may see less environmental degradation- consumers can pick “green” products, tech is better to reduce waste, renewable energy. govt have more revenue to intervene/improve.
