Sustainability Flashcards
What is Sustainable Development
Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the current generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
(Brundtland Commission Report, 1987)
What does sustainable development argue for? (2 things)
*Development is subject to a set of rules whereby the rate of harvest cannot exceed the rate of regeneration.
*Use of the environment as a “waste sink” once the rates of waste disposal do not exceed the natural assimilative capacity of the ecosystem
In Economics, the circular flow diagram is used to show how income moves through the economy. What are some issues with this diagram? 4 issues
- This diagram treats the economy in complete isolation from the environment, where this is not true because the ultimate limits of the availability of resources are imposed by nature.
- It does not include important non-economic inputs such as air and forests because they have no readily available markets.
- It implies that the economy can produce increasing output because it does not account for environmental and natural resource uncertainties.
*suggests that production without waste is possible.
What are the three ways that the economy depends on the natural environment
- For the extraction of finite resources (iron, fossil fuels) and the harvest of renewable resources (fish, trees, agricultural products)
- the disposal and assimilation of waste
- the consumption of environmental amenities (hiking, birdwatching, observing sunrise and sunset)
The economy is ———- ——— on the natural environment for raw materials, disposal of waste and amenities
COMPLETELY DEPENDENT
What does the production possibility curve show? (Learn to draw it)
The production possibility curve shows the relationship between economic goods and environmental quality. As the production of economic goods increases, environmental quality decreases, and vice versa.
What is the cost of economic growth? (6 things)
*Pollution
*Exploiting finite resources
*Deforestation
*Emission of greenhouse gases
*Extinction of species
*climate change
What is the cost of environmental preservation? (4 things)
*Lower economic activity
*Lower employment
*Lower income
*Lower standard of living (less luxury purchases)
Why sustainable development? (3 reasons)
*The environment’s resource base (water, air, land) is finite
* There are limits to the carrying capacity of the planet
*Economic growth is not a solution for environmental quality
What year was the SDGs adopted by all UN Member States?
2015
How many targets do they (un and sdg) intend to hit and by what year?
169 targets by 2030
What does SDG stand for and how many are there?
17 Sustainable Development Goals
(learn a few)
