Exam #3 Flashcards
Name the three pillars of sustainable development; (ii) indicate three major economic and social challenges to achieving sustainable development; (iii) explain why and how these economic and social challenges undermine the goals of sustainable development
i. Economic development, Environmental Protection, Social development
ii. Capitalism, patriarchy, and racism
iii. Capitalism undermines the goals of sustainable development because you have to produce more in order to make a profit—degrading the environment by taking resources. Patriarchy and racism undermine the goal of sustainable development because they disrupt the productive social harmony and undermine the social equity of women and people of color.
Indicate (i) the principle of sustainability and (ii) three specific concerns that triggered the emergence of the sustainability paradigm.
i. Our survival and well-being depends—directly or indirectly—on our natural environment
ii. In 1980, concerns included population growth, economic growth, and consumption of resources
Explain in detail (i) the characteristics and (ii) environmental benefits/outcomes of both the transportation and green space elements of Curitiba’s model of sustainability
i. Characteristics: A bus rapid system with an integrated public transportation network, auto traffic, ambient pollution, and gas consumption
ii. Environmental benefits are that it cuts down on pollution because there are less cars on the road/less fossil fuels being used and it is affordable for a large amount of people
Briefly explain how recycling in Curitiba’s model of sustainability is incorporating/mutually reinforcing the three pillars of sustainability
i. Economic: recycling created jobs for marginalizing groups
ii. Social: helped previously unemployed people get out of poverty (exchanging trash bags for bus tickets)
iii. Environment: less trash in the community because it is being recycled (70% of city’s garbage is recycled)
Based on the Havana, Cuba video (i) explain in detail the two geopolitical dynamics and associated consequences that promoted urban food growing in Havana; and (ii) indicate how and why the food is grown throughout the city
i. Two geopolitical dynamics are the collapse of the Soviet Union, which caused Cuba to grow their own food, and the trade embargo between Cuba and the US.
ii. Food is grown organically because Cuba became self-sufficient. The supply line was shut down because of the need for oil/pesticides from the Soviet Union such as herbs and medicines.
How does Havana’s approach to urban food growing incorporate the three pillars of sustainability?
i. Social Development: Everyone in Cuba now has access to organic food because it is grown locally—bringing the community together
ii. Economic Development: Created jobs with little investment; Cuba became self sufficient because they no longer had the Soviet Union to rely on
iii. Environmental Protection: growing food organically is better for the environment because it lowers carbon footprint, alleviates climate change, and reduces CO2 emissions
In 1993, the city government of Belo Horizonte declared that food was a basic right of citizenship. Based on the video and class discussion indicate (i) the goal of the initiative; (ii) the particular approach of the initiative – provide detail; and (iii) its results and the cost
i. Goal: to completely eradicate hunger, specifically among children
ii. Approach: government funded school lunches that were grown by local farmers, making it cheaper and giving children more nutritious food since it is subsidized
iii. Results: wiped out hunger and only cost 2% of the annual city budget
Indicate main (i) environmental and (ii) public health aspects associated with the plastic bag problem in Nairobi
i. Environmental: Choking of animals, blockage of waterways/storm drains
ii. Public Health: causes health defects for humans (ex: malaria from mosquito breeding)
Explain in detail the critique/explanation of urban entrepreneurial initiatives in the Global South that the author offers in the required (Slum) reading
i. Self help community-based organization of the urban poor across cities in the global south focused on the localized needs to slum dwellers (sanitation, housing, electricity) that seek to create “pro-poor” cities. The critique is that these initiatives are in fact seen as cash points, with slums in the global south seen as an untapped market
(i) Indicate why mountain top removal (MTR) emerged since the late 1970s, i.e. what is the main rationale for adopting this mining strategy; and (ii) locate MTR practices geographically
i. The main rationale for adoption this mining strategy is that is more economically efficient for companies because explosives are used rather that using labor, so labor costs are cut.
ii. Geographically takes place in the Appalachia region, eastern Kentucky, West Virginia
Based on the MTR movie and our class discussion, explain in detail what constitutes environmental injustice in the movie. Discuss by focusing on the distributional inequity dynamics associated with coal mining/their location and effects vs. “cheap” electricity/location and effects
i. MTR is an environmental injustice because while many people nationally can benefit from the electricity produced from coal, a smaller group of people bear the burden of the negative environmental and economic impacts of mining (ex: KY) Thus, there is a distributional inequity of who is bearing the cost of mining and who benefits. Also, the people who actually suffer the consequences had little/no say in deciding whether or not MTR was going to be done within the shared community space.
Indicate and briefly explain the three major reasons that support an increased push/benefit to switch our energy sources from fossil fuels to renewable energy
i. Fossil fuels are running out and have a limited supply, while renewable energy sources are unlimited
ii. Fossil fuels cause pollution and destroy the environment, while renewable energy does not
iii. The burning of fossil fuels is directly related to CO2 emissions, while renewable energy sources are not
Explain the negative (i) environmental and (ii) social consequences associated with the production of bioethanol and palm oil
i. One negative environmental consequence is biodiversity. Bioethanol/Palm Oil destroy natural habitats (rainforests) which is an issue because large amounts of land is required to grow crops
ii. One negative social consequence is the food vs. fuel debate. This is concerning because since bioethanol is so profitable, farmers may begin biofuel production instead of food production, thus making the price of food increase for consumers around the word.
Indicate two main approaches that Earth Quaker Action Team employs to enhance environmental and economic justice in their projects
i. Leading marches to create change (PNC to stop funding mountaintop removal)
ii. Protests to create green jobs for poorer communities
Indicate two explicit climate change adaptation methods that Temple Office of Sustainability has incorporated on campus
i. Permeable Pavers
ii. Green Spaces to help mitigate storm water overflow
