Sustainability - Essay Example

?Sustainability Table of Contents Overview 3 Issues Important for Urban Land Use 4 Economic Sustainability 4 Ecological Sustainability 4 Social Sustainability 5 Cultural Sustainability 6 Community Cultural Development at Marion Council 7 Factors Determining the Non Urban Land Use 7 Individual Footprint Calculators 8 Changes in Lifestyle 9 References 10 Overview Sustainability can be defined as the balance between the three E’s such as the environment, the social equity and the economy. Since the concept is embraced by planners, therefore sustainability balance favors the economy (Gunder, “Sustainability: Planning's Redemption or Curse”). It can be interpreted that the concept related to sustainable development recognizes that there is greater dependence of life upon the earth’s bio-physical support system. The condition of the planet as well as its ecosystems is wholly depended upon the present as well as the past human activity. This is determined by the interplay of three factors namely the economic, political and social (Hak & Et.Al, “Sustainability Indicators: A Scientific Assessment”). There seems to be substantial debate over the term ‘sustainability’. Some defines it as a contested and complex concept, however for others; it can be defined as the capacity of something that can be continued for a long period of time. Issues Important for Urban Land Use Economic Sustainability The point worth noticing is that none of the economic systems can be sustainable until and unless it ‘accommodates’ the ecosystem in which it depends. The current system that is based on the notion of continuous economic expansion on planet seems to be damaged. Therefore, there is requirement of applying human creativity to the goals which is to use the natural resources in a productive and efficient manner in order to meet their needs. This goal can be considered as being completely dissimilar from ‘exploiting natures’ and the Third World people. There is further requirement of restoring the tax structure rather than moving money towards higher strata of the society by squeezing others’ (Green Party, “Economic Sustainability”). Ecological Sustainability Ecological sustainability can be defined as a process of development through which the sustainability can be achieved while struggling to meet other needs of the society. The most important consideration in regards to the ecological sustainability is that it needs to be pursued for the human as well as for the species which are around 10-12 million on the planet (Sutton, “Ecological Sustainability”). To make the concept simpler, the term ecological sustainability can be interpreted as any activity that takes place on earth has to generally continue forever. Ecological sustainability can only be achieved if the activity does not destroy any resources through which the activity actually takes place. There isn’t requirement of inventing the sustainable environment from scratch since it can be modeled by the human in order to simulate natural eco-system. It can be revealed that there are key principles which need to be adhered to for achieving the ecological sustainability. The most important point to keep in mind is that there is requirement of changing the habit of using the resources as if they are infinite by the society. Moreover, greenhouse gas emission needs to be minimized to a greater extent and also there is requirement for some kind of new and improved economic ways that would be based upon the clean, glass technology (Carrie & Danielle, “General”). Social Sustainability The term social sustainability has a wider implication upon the lives and health of the people of the society. It tends to deal with the complex issues, for instance health, equity, social inclusion and livability. If the community is to be sustainable and function properly then in that case the basic needs of its resident have to be met. A good sustainable community is the one that has the ability to maintain and build on its own resources. On the other hand, it must also have the resiliency to prevent and to address the problems. It can be revealed that two types of resources are available in the community in order to build the social sustainability. They are individuals or the human capacity and social or the community capacity. Individual capability can be defined as the attributes and resources that the individuals can contribute for their own well-being or for the well-being of the society. On the other hand, the social capacity can be termed as the relationship, norms and the networks that assist in taking collective actions in order to enhance the quality of life while ensuring sustainability of such improvements (City of Vancouver, “Purpose and Background”). It has been analyzed that there is extensive gap among the rich and the poor in Australian education system which has become one of the biggest challenges for them. Such kind of inequality can be considered as a grave social injustice as well as massive wastage of the potentiality. It has been evident that in Australia nearly one fifth of the greenhouse gas emission are generated by the daily activities of the households. Therefore, it can be recommended that there is requirement of high consumer awareness of the cause and impact of the housing on the environment. The consumers need to be aware of the sustainable housing alternatives (Buys & Et. Al, “Smart Housing and Social Sustainability: Learning from the Residents of Queensland’s Research House”). Cultural Sustainability The term cultural sustainability can be stated as the process of developing, maintaining and renewing the cultures which human possesses creating the positive and long lasting relationship with the natural world and other people. Community Cultural Development at Marion Council There is close relation of cultural sustainability with the community since it is through communities that the cultures are maintained. It has been evident that the city of Marion celebrates a biannual community festival. This council also tends to promote the sustainability at the community level with the help of projects like Habitat and Footprints Community Arts Project (Marion, “Cultural Sustainability”). Factors Determining the Non Urban Land Use In order to assess the condition and the trends of the land and water use in Australia, it is essential to have a proper understanding of the role of human settlement and the resource development. It has been found that with 769 million hectares of area in Australia, nearly one quarter of the land is mostly deserted and none are used commercially. Most of the lands in Australia are used for livestock grazing in both arid as well as semi-arid regions covering nearly 430 million hectares (Australian Government, “Land Use- Australia”). The two factors that tend to determine the non urban land use are site qualities and the regulatory measures (Lee, “Factors Affecting Land Use Change at the Urban-Rural Fringe”). It has been analyzed that since the past three decades there has been rise in the rate of increase in land productivity in Australia compared to the other OECD countries. However the land degradation has not threatened the output of agriculture since the last 45 years. It can be taken as a matter of concern that the land degradation which is attributable to the past activities may have a major impact upon the productivity in some of the regions. There are many issues related to the land use and land cover that has remained unsolved in Australia. In addition to this, appropriate management strategies for controlling the number of kangaroos and rabbits, role of fires in the control of unpalatable shrubs remains questionable. In this regard, it can be remarked that knowledge creation and application can be considered as the most important resource for the future management of the country’s agricultural forestry and the natural resource system. The solution to this kind of problem may not depend upon the technology alone. There is requirement of the institutional changes along with implementation of effective incentive structure that can recognize and take into consideration the complex and pervasive interrelationship that exist between the consumption activities and the environment (Chisholm, “Land Use Choices In A Changing World”). Individual Footprint Calculators It has been found that with the growing concern for the climate change companies are trying to alter their own practices so that they can mitigate their carbon emissions. There are several large companies that have already taken initiatives toward assessing and taking steps in order to lessen their environmental influence. Even the individuals seem to have realized their own practices and their impact upon the environment. In the recent years, there is variety of personal carbon footprints calculators that are made available online. It assists the individuals to quantify how their own lifestyles as well as the activities are adversely impacting the environment (Gray, “Assessing Your Personal Carbon Footprint”). The eco-footprint calculator measures both the eco-footprints as well as general attitudes of the people surrounding the issue of sustainable living. These calculators will assist the individuals to understand the impact of their activity on the environment and thus provide information on the importance of sustainability for future. Changes in Lifestyle In order to improve the sustainability, there is requirement to bring certain changes in lifestyle. The disparity existing amid the rich and the poor in most of the countries needs to be mitigated by educating each one of them. It has been found that education is a valuable tool for delivering messages to broader community. The resources need to be utilized in a proper manner and stability between the human population and the resource demand needs to be established. Low carbon emission needs to be the aim of each of the individuals of the earth. References Australian Government. “Land Use- Australia”. March 25, 2011. Australian Natural Resource Atlas, 2009. Buys, Laurie. & Et. Al. “Smart Housing and Social Sustainability: Learning from the Residents of Queensland’s Research House”, Australian Journal of Emerging Technologies and Society Vol. 3, No. 1, 2005, Pp: 43-57. Carrie & Danielle. “General”. March 25, 2011. Principles of Ecologicla Sustainability, 2011. Chisholm. “Land Use Choices in A Changing World”, Land Degradation & Development. Vol: 5, Iss: 2, PP: 153-178, 1994. City of Vancouver. “Purpose and Background”. March 25, 2011. Discussion, 2011. Gunder, Michael. “Sustainability: Planning's Redemption or Curse”. March 25, 2011. Home, 2007. Gray, Beth. “Assessing Your Personal Carbon Footprint”. March 25, 2011. Sustainability Committee, 2010. Green Party. “Economic Sustainability”. March 25, 2011. Platform, No Date. Hak, Thomas, & Et. Al. Sustainability Indicators: A Scientific Assessment. Island Press, 2007. Lee, Linda. “Factors Affecting Land Use Change at the Urban-Rural Fringe”, Growth and Change. Vol:10, Iss: 4, Pp: 25-31. Marion. “Cultural Sustainability”. March 25, 2011. Community, No Date. Sutton, Philip. “Ecological Sustainability”. March 25, 2011. A Definition of Ecologically Sustainable Development, 2000. Read More