Sustainable Development Flashcards
Definition of sustainable development
Sust. Dev. is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Name the five stages of human evolvement through history.
Hunters and gatherers Agriculture Middle ages and enlightenment Industrial revolution Anthropocene
In what way have Christianity affected the environment
The Christian God is not part of nature (as many other Gods were before). Therefore humans were separated from nature. Dominated it.
The metaphor for nature were transformed, from woman, motherhood, womb to to an instrumental view, machine and metaphor.
“Be fruitful and multiply, and fill
the earth, and subdue it”
Name the eight millennium development goals
- Cut extreme hunger and poverty by half
- Achieve universal primary education
- Promote gender equality
- Reduce child mortality
- Improve maternal health
- Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
- Ensure environmental sustainability
- Develop a global partnership for development
Important years in history
1962: Silent spring
1970: First Earth day
1972: Limits to growth(book). If growth continue will
need resource constraints.
1972: Sthlm UNEP conference
1983: (EU commission started)
1987: Bruntland report work started
1992: Conference in Rio
2000: 8 millennial global goals.
2002: 10 year check up in Johannesburg
2005: Kyoto protocol
2012: Rio + 20 check up. Rio again.
What is required to sustain human welfare now and in the future (house)
Human wellfare is built up by:
- Ecological (Environmental production capacity and environmental assimilation capacity.) - Economical (Finite natural resources and monetary capital) - Social (laws and human rights etc.)
These three might conflict since they ask for different/contradictive things
(Ethic philosophy)
Define Anthropocentrism
- Only humans have intrinsic value.
Origin: Only humans have mental state.
Normative: consequences –> The action that does the most good
The environment should be protected if it benefits the humans.
Which are the five Ethic philosophies (Environmental Ethics)
- Anthropocentrism
- Animal rights
- Biocentrism
- Ecocentrism
- Weak ecocentrism
Describe the difference between consequentialism and denotology (duty ethics).
Consequentialism: the best consequences for the most people.
Denotology (duty ethics): value action or duty, not consequences.
Example: suppose that you lived in Nazi Germany and that you yourself were not Jewish, but that you hadhelped a Jewish family hide in the basement. The Gestapo are at the door, asking if there are any Jews hiding nearby. The deontologist would say not to lie, unless the duty not to lie was trumped by a more stringent duty to protect humans against harm. A utilitarian would lie without a second thought, given the obviously better consequences of lying than of telling the truth.
(Ethic philosophy)
Define Ecocentrism
Ecosystems, mountains, forests and species have values as a community.
Origin: All is important in the web of life
Normative: A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community.
It is okey t osacrifice individuals for the good of the community and other species.
(Ethic philosophy)
Define Biocentrism
All life have value as individuals, animals and plants alike.
Origin: Each individual have a goal with its existens, which is good if it fulfills.
Normative: Do not harm living organisms.
Do not interfere - leave nature as it is
Restore if possible after wrong doings
Explain intrinsic and instrumental value.
If something have intrinsic value you are morally obligated to protect it or avoid to damage it. ex. a baby have intrinsic value to most people.
Something that have instrumental value have value beyond itself. ex money, you don’t just want money, you want money to be able to fulfill something else.
Describe low and high discount rate
Low discount rate: values the future and want to pay to reduce greenhouse gas emissions today.
High discount rate: values the present the most don’t value the future as much. Want the future to pay for emissions.
Weak vs. strong sustainability + connection to substitutability
Weak:
The sum of man-made capital must not decline. You can destroy as long as you rebuild.
–> high level of substitutability.
Strong:
Neither natural, nor man-made capital must decline. Compensation between then is not possible
–> low level of substitutability.
Define discount rate
r = delta + eta * g
Where:
delta = pure rate of time preference (social impatience)
eta = How much happier you become of an increase in income
g = Economical growth
- Social discount rate is lower than private.
- We think differently because: We are richer in the future,
risk of might be dead, impatience etc.
Draw and explain the curve for optimal climate mitigation
The diagram have the axis costs and mitigation (%). In the diagram “climate damages” and “mitigation cost” is drawn as well as the sum of these two lines is shown. The optimal cost for the amount of damages is where the sum is the lowest.
Which are the 4 opposites in sustainable development?
Efficiency vs Sufficiency
Technical fix vs Lifestyle change
Reform vs Radical change
Individual vs Politics/structure
GDP
Gross Domestic Product.
Measures the total economic activity within a country. There is two different ways of measuring:
1) Expenditure approach GDP = C + G + I + (X-M) where: C = Household consumption G = Government consumption I = investments (buildings, mines, factories etc.) X-M = Export - Import
2) Product approach
GDP = sum( value added ), over all production sectors.
