3.5 Sustainability and the Environment

  • Define the concept of environmental sustainability.
  • Evaluate a management strategy at a local or national scale designed to achieve environmental sustainability

Starter:

What is sustainability?

sustainability_spheres3

Why the Ecological footprint?

It is an environmental sustainability indicator, which expresses the relationship between humans and the natural environment. So one of its most powerful uses is in the assessment of sustainability and by comparing the ecological footprint (demand) with biocapacity (supply) it is possible to assess ecological/environmental sustainability.

The living planet report – it’s a massive doc, but lots and lots of good very relevant and up-to-date info for this whole unit. Living Planet Report_2012_WWF. It also contains updates on data and graphs found in your GeoFactsheet in the Ecological Footprint chapter. Read!

What is your ecological shoe size?

Calculate your eco-footprint here!

Environmental Management Strategies (for sustainability)…

Case Study Option 1: Wangari Matthi’s Green Belt Movement, Kenya — evaluate one of the projects, not the organization itself

GBM Wangarinobel-laureate-wangari-maathai

Case Study Option 2: The Loess Plateau, China
The development objective of the Project is to contribute to environmental sustainability in the Loess Plateau, increasing agricultural production and incomes, as well as improving the ecological conditions in tributary watersheds of the Yellow River.

Chila Loess Maphttp://www.new-ag.info/en/focus/focusItem.php?a=388

http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/dsd_aofw_mg/mg_success_stories/csd8/SARD-15.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/10/opinion/10iht-edmozur.html?_r=0 – some challenges to the restauration project are outlined

– the first 12 minutes is Dr John Liu – ecological  film maker and producer who was asked in 1995 by the World Bank to work on the Loess Plateau Restoration story.

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