Sustainability and Environmental Issues - Term Paper Example

Running Header: Sustainability and Environmental issues Student’s Name: Course Title: Engineering Programmes (undergraduate) Module Title: Sustainability and Environmental Issues Module number: Module tutor: Sustainability and Environmental issues Sustainable development is a way of resource use that targets to meet the needs of human being while preserving the environment towards ensuring that the needs are met at present as well as for the future generation (Peter, Kazi & John, 2008, p. 89). In 1987, the World Commission on Environment and Development referred to the term sustainable development as systematic approach towards achieving development in a way that sustains resources of the world. Development pressures and population growth as well as unequal wealth distribution are major driving forces threatening long-term health of humans and other world species. Sustainable development involves maintaining the current rate of development while leaving appropriate resources for the future generations in ensuring continuation of development. Sustainable development is the balance between three basic spheres in our life that include social, economy, and the environment (Susan, 2006, p. 43). Governments plan functions on four main principles that include living within environment limits, ensuring a strong, health, and just society, achieving a sustainable economy, and promoting good governance. The general principles of sustainable development include environmental and economic integration: maintenance of biological diversity and conservation of natural resources: precaution, prevention, and evaluation: cooperation, partnership, and participation: education, training, and awareness: local-global relationship: democratic processes: intra-generation and inter-generation responsibility (or equality of rights): and social equity according to Czech Environmental Information Agency, (2010). Environmental and economic integration is an important principle of sustainable development. This principle is a requirement for sustainable development. Economic policies and tools are necessary towards promoting sustainable development. This is towards leading to a more environmentally attentive use of resources. When environmental and economic rules and policies are adhered to, there is increased balance of production advantages leading to greater development of economy with increased sustainable development (John, 2002, p. 98). Achieving sustainable development presumes that biological diversity can be preserved while maintain ecological processes and life support systems using the world’s species and ecosystems in a sustainable way. There must be no compromise on the limits and the capacity for renewal of natural resources like soil, wild and domesticated species, pasture and farmland, forests, marine and fresh water ecosystems. Non-renewable resources life should also be extended through development and use of efficient and cleaner technology as well as encouraging recycling and re-use. Precaution, prevention, and evaluation are the initial position for actual sustainable development. Prevention is crucial in dealing with problems or impacts because it required greater amount of resources in terms of time, finance, human efforts (Philippe, 2003p. 67; Jonathan, 2000, p. 20). Cooperation, partnership, and participation as a principle ensure there is collective responsibility that requires to be fulfilled through appropriate actions at all human activity levels. Cooperation and consultation with each other in making decisions are crucial towards sustainable development and management of terrestrial, marine, and aquatic ecosystems. Therefore, all countries should cooperate in same spirit of partnership towards implementing effective strategies of protecting, preserving, and restoring the environment according to their capabilities. Richest countries should support poorer countries financially and technically in ensuring easier integration of environmental issues into their development programs as a way of social equity. This is because poverty is a major factor threatening sustainable development (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2001, p. 143). Countries have a role of developing strategies towards educating, informing, and sensitizing their societies on matters of environment and sustainable development. Quality of life as a principle takes into consideration that dimension of sustainable development is not only material but it also includes ethical, aesthetic, cultural, spiritual, and social aspects as well as taking into consideration that people have inherent right to life. Local-global relationship is crucial because local level activities affect global level activities and they can either solve or create problems to them. Intra-generation and inter-generation responsibility (equal rights) include providing for national, racial, and other equality for both current and future generations towards a healthy environment and social justice. Democratic process is a principle whereby it is a means of engaging the public from early planning stages for general support of their implementation and for plans that are more objective (Dire, 2007, p.56). According to Sustainable-build, (2009), they are shared UK principles of sustainable development that apply to UK government, Scottish executive, Northern Ireland, and Assembly Government. In order for a policy to be sustainable, they are five principles that require to be taken into consideration that are published in UK framework for sustainable development. They must achieve a just society and within environmental limits through means of sustainable economy, sound science and good governance. It should be ensured that there is a strong, healthy, and just society towards meeting the diversified requirements of people in current and future communities towards promoting social cohesion and personal well-being as well as creating equal chances for all. It is also vital to create a strong, stable, and sustainable economy that provides chances and success for all. This is towards ensuring those who impose social and environmental costs also reffered to as Polluter Pays (2P) feel the impacts. Using sound science responsibility will ensure development of policy and its implementation on basis of strong scientific evidence while taking into consideration scientific uncertainty. Promoting good governance through effective and participative governance systems in all society levels by engaging creativity, diversity, and energy of society is also crucial in ensuring people live within the environmental limits according to Felix & Eugenio, (1995, p. 45). The impacts of biotechnology on equitable and sustainable development have been evaluated. This is towards its efforts of reducing hunger and poverty, improving health and rural livelihoods according to the landmark International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, science and technology for Development (IAASTD). It has found that industrial agriculture has led to major gains in production. However, these benefits have only benefited agribusiness while on the other hand causing severe harms on environment and health, degrading the base of resources that human beings relies on as well as placing energy, water, and climate security under great risk. Relying on transgenic plants is away that will not solve or address persistent poverty and hunger. Various technologies like agro-chemicals, crop varieties, and mechanization have helped better-resourced groups in the world as well as transnational firms while imposing a great challenge to sustainable development. This is becoming a threat to future production and resources due to biotechnology. The import of high-cost technology seeds to be used to grow crops for fuel purposes on land that is water stressed reduces the food production impact while increasing demand for water on already water stressed land. This is a clear indication of how biotechnology is affecting and putting a lot of pressure negatively on sustainable development. The expansion of transgenic soybean in Argentina and Brazil has affected indirectly and directly deforestation of special ecosystem likes Amazon and Cerrado tropical forests in Brazil and Argentina’s Yungas forest according to World Water Assessment Programme (United Nations) (2003). There are various challenges to sustainable development. In 2008, the prices of food and energy led to acute food crises. The economic crises globally in 2009 led to rising unemployment rates, deepening of poverty, growth rates are falling, increase of hunger and malnutrition rates, and difficulty of achieving millennium Development Goals. These are major challenges towards the progress of sustainable development (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2010; Mohamed & Mohamed, 2009, p. 123) The concept of citizenship has taken on the increasing responsibilities in community, nation, development, and global environment. Every person is a part of current environmental problems. Through consumption of material goods and energy to make our living standards better, we end releasing pollution that leads to acid rain, global warming, ozone depletion, and poorer air quality (Lawrence, 2007, p. 90). Nevertheless, we can be part of the solution. Sustainable development persuades people to share their task for this planet. It also empowers people to take action in overcoming society challenges and difficulties towards securing a cleaner future while sustaining a steady economy. Sustainable development encourages a feeling of a reliable citizenship. This is a world citizenship where we learn to do our part. As the world community mobilizes to implement Agenda 21, they are greatest challenge that it is facing. They include the release of huge technical, moral, human, and financial resources necessary for sustainable development. The resources will be freed after people globally develop a thoughtful sense of accountability for planet. The concept of citizenship includes consensus-building, the willingness to contribute for the common good, social and economic justice, interpreting knowledge into responsible environmental action while empowering others, and gaining better understanding of other people as illustrated by Encyclopedia of Sustainable development (2009). Countries are adopting changes in their policies and strategies towards changing from current conditions that are destructive to paths of development and sustainability. There has been significant impact of changes in many countries as they try to eradicate poverty and excessive exploitation of their natural resources. At UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in 1992, governments made a pledge of adopting national strategies for sustainable development called for at Rio. The Rio Summit founded sustainable development as the leading vision for development efforts of all nations. At Rio, all nations assumed to establish and employ national sustainable development strategies for benefit of future (Nathalie, 2007, p. 102). The strategies are meant to ensure there is socially responsible economic development as they protect the resource base and environment for the sake of future generation. One of the objectives of European Union policy is sustainable development. The first EU sustainable development strategy was launched by its leaders in 2001 and later updated in 2006. This is towards tackling shortcomings while taking into account new challenges. The revised plan stressed on the importance of research, education, and public funding towards attaining a sustainable production and consumption patterns. The commission proposed some measures in 2009 towards promoting eco-friendly products such as greater use of energy efficiency labels. The EU has committed towards declining endangered habitats and species by 2010. Policies and legislation have been put in place; EU wants to expand Natura 2000. This is an area where animal and plants species as well as their habitats are protected. EU leaders approved a package of emission cutting in 2008. The plan has aims of reducing greenhouses by 20%, cut overall energy consumption by 20%, and raise renewable energy market share by 20%. It was also agreed that 10% of transport fuel is from electricity and bio-fuels. This is also a major breakthrough towards reducing the pollution effects as a way of reducing global warming towards achieved sustainable development for benefits of future generation (Europa, 2010). Waste management is also a crucial aspect of sustainable development because it ensures current needs are met without compromising the needs of future generations. This is through management of waste sites in a way that minimizes toxic impacts currently and in future. Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control regime in UK demands the input of professionals of public health towards regulating those sites. This is towards reducing the risks of toxics to human health currently and in future (United Nations Environment programme, 2002, p. 213). National Strategies for Sustainable Development, (2004) argues that meeting the present needs means satisfying political needs, social, cultural and health needs as well as economic needs. Economic needs include having enough productive assets or livelihood when disabled, ill, unemployed, or incapable of securing livelihood. Political needs like freedom of participating in national and local politics as well as management and development of neighborhood as well as respecting implementation of environment legislation. Social, cultural, and health needs includes protection from hazards of environment. Meeting those needs without compromising future generations’ ability means minimizing use or waste of non-renewable resources such as reduction of fossil fuel consumption and substituting with renewable fuels. It also involves reduction of scarce minerals resources waste through re-use, recycle, and reclaim. It can meet the needs through sustainable use of renewable resources like utilizing soils and forest in such a way that ensures a natural recharge rate. The third means is through keeping within the capacity that is absorptive for both local and global sinks of waste. This includes rivers capability to break biodegradable wastes by rivers and capacity of absorbing greenhouse gases by global environmental systems like climate according to Parry, Frankie & Tina, (2004, p. 89). References Czech Environmental Information Agency, 2010, Sustainable Development, viewed 13 November 2010, http://www.cenia.cz/web/www/web-pub- en.nsf/$pid/MZPMSFJCMNVQ Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2010, Challenges to Sustainable development, viewed 13 November 2010, http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/financial- crisis/challenges.shtml Dire, T 2007, Sustainable Development in International Law: An Analysis of Key Enviro- Economic Instruments, PULP, New Delhi. Encyclopedia of Sustainable development, 2009, Citizenship, viewed 13 November 2010, http://www.ace.mmu.ac.uk/esd/principles/Citizenship.html Environment, vol. 1 no. 4, pp. 13-29. Europa, 2010, Environment, viewed 9 November 2010, http://europa.eu/pol/env/index_en.htm Felix, C & Eugenio J 1995, ‘Natural resources, bio-diversity and agriculture,’ International Symposium on Trade and The Environment, vol. 2 no. 6, pp. 45-66. John, C 2002, Stumbling toward sustainability, Environmental Law Institute, London. Jonathan, M 2000, ‘Basic principles of sustainable development’, Global Development and Lawrence, C 2007, Forest law and sustainable development: addressing contemporary challenges through legal reform, World Bank Publications, Michigan. Mohamed, S & Mohamed, A 2009, Climate change and sustainable development: new challenges for poverty reduction, Edward Elgar Publishing, Michigan. Nathalie, J 2007, Land use law for sustainable development, Cambridge University Press, London. National Strategies for Sustainable Development, 2004, Sustainable Development: concepts and Approaches, viewed 13 November 2010, http://www.nssd.net/references/SustDev.htm Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development 2001, Sustainable development: critical issues, OECD Publishing, New Jersey. Parry, N., Frankie, K & Tina, M 2004, Water and sustainable development: Opportunities for the chemical sciences: a workshop report to the chemical sciences roundtable, National Academies Press, Georgia. Peter, P, Kazi, F & John, B 2008, An introduction to sustainable development, Earthscan, California. Philippe, S 2003, Principles of international environmental law, Cambridge University Press, London. Susan, B 2006, Sustainable development, Routledge, New York. Sustainable-build, 2009, Principles of Sustainable Development, viewed 13 November 2010, http://www.sustainablebuild.co.uk/SustainableDevelopmentPrinciples.html United Nations Environment programme 2002, Industry as a partner for sustainable development, UNEP/Earthprint, Geneva. World Water Assessment Programme (United Nations) 2003, Water for people, water for life: a joint report by the twenty-three UN agencies concerned with freshwater, Berghahn Books, New York. Read More