A Comparison of Environmental Issues from Taking Sides - Term Paper Example

A Comparison of Environmental Issues from Taking Sides Issue 16: Can sustainable agriculture feed the world? Response: Yes It is through agriculture, that people survive in this world. Food is essential in every part of life as no one can survive without food. In most parts of the world, food crisis is a major problem and calls for sustainable agriculture to cater for the menace. It may take some time to make sustainable agriculture in the world successful, but through it, people would have a reason to live a healthy and hunger free life characterized by raised economies even in the developing countries. Thus, it is a good and strong idea that sustainable agriculture can feed the world if suitable measures are in place. Worth of agriculture sustainability in feeding the world There are serious issues in the world on environmental degradation, climate change and food shortages. This requires all stakeholders in the agricultural sector to embrace sustainable agriculture. The main objective should be to ensure successful feeding of the world without impairing future generations’ way of living. For sustainable agriculture to be successful, every country should prioritize the issue of food security and means of reducing poverty as the foundation of feeding the world (Conway, 2012). In order to embrace sustainable agriculture, there is a need to create awareness on issues of global warming, air pollution, soil pollution, and water pollution (Wall, 2013). It is necessary to ensure that the kind of agriculture every country engages in is environmental friendly and does not pose any threat for future generations. It would be of no use if nations took much of their time in increasing their agricultural activities while not taking care of the surroundings. Sustainable agriculture is the way forward in feeding the world, but most of the policies are yet to be in place to scale up successful ways of agricultural practices (Conway 2012). Thus, the adoption of suitable measures and practices would help in creating a sustainable agricultural platform that, if well implemented, can lead to successful food safety in the world. Overview Adopting a sustainable agricultural path is the best way to go. The success depends on the policies that every nation or the world at large can take (Wall, 2013). People must be attracted and motivated to adopt the sustainable agendas to see it a success. Well-implemented policies and suitable facilitation agricultural agendas are achievable, “With policy support and adequate funding, sustainable agricultural could be intensified over large production areas in a relatively short period” (Taylor, 2012). The move calls for cooperation at every level and would mean step forward in feeding the world. Implantation and application of locally specific solution would boost the move to scale up agricultural achievements. “Every country has different challenges facing agriculture and the success or overcoming these challenges lies on the development of local solutions.”(Taylor, 2012) Thus, ground based solutions are the best way to meet the world’s population. If green revolution efforts are in place and people globally embrace the move, then agricultural sustainability is a possible mission. “Farmers around the world need to embrace farming experiments, through integrated soil, water, air, and plant management.” (Taylor, 2012) Revolution would meet growing global food demand in thereby protecting water, soils, and biodiversity. Quality of the question Agricultural sustainability is a more pressing issue than many would think. Food security has been a challenge to many countries thus the question is worth addressing the most delicate part of world economies. In the same scope, it is necessary to outline that agricultural sustainability is possible but the question remains. What are the measures suitable for making the efforts successful? Conclusion Agricultural sustainability in the world calls for global partnership and cohesion in ensuring all stakeholders from the ground clearly understand the significance of the issue. Measures and policies are important to make the dream true but require adequate facilitation and education to farmers to make it fruitful. Thus, the question positively addresses an issue of a delicate nature and of great importance to the world. Issue 20: Can cities be made sustainable? Response: No Making cities sustainable is a difficult task since urbanization in these cities drags along with it massive challenges to handle. Challenges like increase in population, increase in pollution, pressure on and depletion of limited resources, development of slums and increase in unemployment levels are just but a few of which can string along with urbanization of cities (Goik Ling, 2009). Such challenges can prove to be mountains to climb and to deal with them can be a hard nut to crack. Due to these, making cities sustainable is a path when followed leads nowhere characterized with success. Why it is hard for sustainability in cities Making cities sustainable simply means making life in those particular cities worth living (Evans et al., 2009). It involves developmental patterns that improve the lives of individual. Developmental projects during urbanization such as infrastructure improve the living standards of people. These include good roads, good housing, and even technology. However, it is still had to sustain the cities since the good roads will be prone to traffic jams, which will cause lateness of work force to work and bar transportation of goods and services to their destination. High number of traffic will also lead to pollution of the environment since the exhausts from the vehicles will be escaping to the environment (Goik Ling, 2009). Due to this, the people will be at risk of developing various diseases. Thus, it proves that the sustainability in cities to be very difficult. Overview As indicated, urbanization is one factor that makes it hard to enable sustainability in cities. Urbanization leads to increase in population since many people will want to live in a well-developed city and this “rapid growth poses great problems to governments in terms of services and infrastructure that need to be developed to meet the growing needs of the population” (Taylor, 2012). With the nature of limited resources, this will cause even more pressure on the limited resources and ultimately lead to depletion of the resources. Such resources include food and even land. The latter will then lead to the development of slums and unemployment levels will then increase since the number of people will outnumber the jobs available. Thus, this will lead to many unemployed individuals engaging in activities such as crime or use of drugs. High population also leads to congestion and pollution. “Air pollution is a problem in large cities and a hard issue to tackle” (Conway, 2012). The higher the number of vehicles the higher the chances of traffic jam and pollution in the cities. The pollution being mostly from the vehicle exhausts. Investors who also establish industries in the cities promote pollution since the fumes from those industries pollutes the environment. “Air pollution worsens due to increase in industries, vehicles, and population” (Taylor, 2012). Such factors will put the health of the people at risk, and this might cause even deaths. Such factors make it difficult for sustainability in cities. Quality of the question The question has a strong ground as it clearly defined and portrayed cities as places that can develop well during urbanization, but this can either be sustainable or not depending on the effects of the urbanization on the environment and the people. The effects can as well be bad or good and can as well improve the living standards of the people or destroy the lives of people by causing diseases that might be fatal. Conclusion Urbanization is a good step in helping the development of cities in places worth living. However, it may also cause unpleasant effects to the environment and people. As discussed above the effects can be fatal to people and hence makes the lives of the people a living hell. Thus, it is quite evident that sustaining a city is one difficult task. Issue 10. Does the market work better than government at transitioning to sustainability? Response: Yes The issue of the market-based transition on sustainability is a critical issue that requires a great deal of approaches due to the delicate nature of the environment. Markets revolve around the processes of production, distribution, and consumption, which are activities that hold the success of sustainability. In the three processes, there are various environmental effects attached to the ranging from water pollution, water pollution, air pollution and the most pressing issue of global warming. Thus, it is a good idea to check on the actions and activities necessary from the market approach to curb environmental issues in an effort to enhance sustainability. Worth of the issue Sustainability requires sufficient and efficient use of resources without impairing future generation’s way of supporting themselves. A market-oriented way of tackling the issue of sustainability is a way to go if the world is aiming for success (Evans et al., 2009). In most cases, the most challenging and the process that require much attention in the process of production. The agricultural products where inorganic fertilizers and other chemicals pose environmental dangers to water, air, and soil, through well-laid self-governing market measures these effects are easy to minimize (Krugman, 2010). The inorganic fertilizers get into water streams landing into water bodies polluting them and causing deaths of aquatic animals and may lead to growth of water hyacinth posing a threat to water bodies. The use of fluorocarbons also poses a threat of global warming and a threat to the lives of arboreal creatures. Thus, it is important to address agricultural productions to adopt the use of environment friendly products in their activities. Emission of sulfur dioxide and other carbon related emissions into the air by power plants and other manufacturing industries pose a major threat to the environment and require suitable attention. These industries release the gases from burning of coal and other energy generating materials causing a greenhouse gas effect into the environment. They gases results to acidic rains and global warming thereby disorienting weather patterns in the world. In the process of distribution, vehicles are mostly the mode of transport that also releases these gases into the atmosphere. In consumption, the way of disposing of the waste also proves a major threat to the environment. These wastes include electronic wastes, polyethene, and other metallic wastes. If markets can devise ways of limiting use of products that are unfriendly to the environment from production to consumption then, sustainability would be an easy task to achieve. There should be policies managed by those in the market with government aid to ensure that environmental issues receive the best approach. It is necessary for everybody to ensure that green productions take place even without restrictions of government legislation (Krugman, 2010). Overview In order to enhance sustainability, poverty eradication is a major step forward. Creating an efficient market system that is fair and just would mean the production of goods that are healthy and enhancing the process of production that does not emit substances that threaten lives. There should be aftermarket interventions to help the poor and raise their standards. “Markets should do their job, through efficient use of nation resources and then the taxes generated used to help those the market passes by”(Taylor, 2012). In aiding the poor, the market would be a step further in supporting sustainability. Presence of effluent fees may be an efficient way to curb pollution, but it requires the market efforts and willingness to support the environment to see its success. Producers need to be sensitive on the environment as it is not only a concern to the government but to them too as human beings. “Those in the market have moral obligations not to treat others unfairly by polluting the environment, only to make money” (Taylor 2012). Policies supported by market-based efforts can be the only successful way to minimize greenhouse emissions to avoid what Nicholas Stern (2008) cited in Krugman (2010) termed as “Market irresponsibility can be the worst failure the world can ever see in sustainability.” Quality of question The question addresses the most pressing issue of global warming and the underlying factor in supporting sustainability efforts. It is just for producers of pollutants to be responsible for their deeds and take the frontline in the fight towards creating a self-sustaining environment, as the environment they pollute is the same they rely on for future success. Conclusion Government policies are important in ensuring citizens are not subject to exploitation, but the best results are only achievable if the market system itself becomes self-regulatory and responsible for all the activities take on the environment. Thus, it is a good idea that all stakeholders to scale up efforts to see sustainability efforts become a success. Works cited Conway, Gordon. One billion hungry: can we feed the world?.Cornell University Press, 2012. Evans, Peter B., ed. Livable cities?: Urban struggles for livelihood and sustainability. University of California Press, 2002. Goik Ling Ooi, from “challenges of sustainability for Asian Urbanisation,” Current opinion in environmental sustainability journal, 2009. Krugman Paul, from “Green economics: how we can afford to tackle climate change,” The New York Times Magazine (April 11, 2010, p.34) Taylor, Robert W. Taking Sides. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. Print. Wall, Diana H., et al., eds. Soil ecology and ecosystem services. Oxford University Press, 2013 Read More