1.1: Introduction

Sustainability

Sustainability is a complex subject with many different definitions. To many, it can be as simple as using and reusing resources in an effective way. The UN World Commission on Environment and Development defines it as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” The problem with many of these definitions though is that they do not include all aspects of sustainability, and most importantly the 3 pillars of sustainability.

Circular Economy video:  https://wwu.hosted.panopto.com/Panop...1-ae7d01511fd4 

The three pillars are Environmental Sustainability, Social Sustainability, and Economic Sustainability. Environmental sustainability focuses on the health of the earth, how do we best preserve our environment. Social sustainability focuses on making life equitable and fair for all, highlighting social justice and differences between socioeconomic groups. Economic sustainability aims to balance long-term economic growth with the environmental and social pillars. These pillars are interrelated as well, and many issues can be categorized into more than one category. By breaking up sustainability into three sections, or pillars, we can better understand how to tackle sustainability issues. Sustainability issues are very complex in nature, as they encompass many different disciplines and can have different effects on different individuals. They often don’t have a clear solution, or are so broad they can’t exactly be defined. The solutions may not always work for everyone as well, so it is important for individuals to work together to find equitable solutions.

 

Three Pillars of Sustainability

Social sustainability

Social is a human aspect of the three pillars of sustainability. Social sustainability looks at how humans interact together and how they approach sustainability issues. There are four aspects that contribute to social well-being in society.

Equity in Quality of Life:

Equity refers to everyone having equal opportunities no matter their demographic and a fair distribution of resources whether it be within a country or between countries. In an equitable society, the government is able to provide welfare goods and protection for the community they are governing. When moving towards creating equity in a community having access to education, clean water, healthcare and other welfare goods are necessary. Protection against discrimination is vital for a society to be considered equitable because it goes along the guidelines of fair and equal treatment for all citizens.

Participation in Governance:

Participation includes different groups of stakeholders coming together to form solutions and make decisions that instigate policy and affect citizens lives. Governance helps an institution implement strategies, maintain goals and improve relationships between stakeholders. Outcomes of participation are most successful when a diverse range of people and the government come together to solve a problem. Government relies on their citizens input when creating policy. Policy that comes out of participation is seen as more viable by the community that the decision is affecting. Power imbalances between participants must be noted because it can influence outcomes and may not take all participators thoughts and ideas into account during the decision-making process.

Social Cohesion:

Social cohesion consists of citizens forming social ties based off of the belief that they share a moral community which allows them to trust each other and remain integrated. Social integration allows for the creation of cohesion in a community. Trust, an indicator of social cohesion, shared between citizens is a resource that helps communities overcome basic problems. Social cohesion is a non-material phenomenon so it can be difficult to measure if integration and trust are taking place in a community. Social cohesion can strengthen citizen’s pride, creates better networking and allows people to feel more safe in their community.

Education and Awareness:

Educating communities on sustainability issues is the first step to awareness. This could include educational programs, community events, labeling on products and pamphlets. Formal education is curriculum taught in schools. Informal education can be conveyed through public meetings, pamphlets or formatting scientific studies so that non-scientists can understand the information. It is important for a community with little to no sustainability background to understand information so it needs to be formatted in a way that everyone can understand. During decision-making processes it is important that all stakeholders have access to available information. The main goals of these outreach methods are focused on spreading knowledge about sustainability challenges and solutions.

 

Environmental Sustainability

An ecosystem is a community in which there is a network of biotic factors interacting with abiotic factors. Ecosystems are complex and can be susceptible to human interaction or the introduction of a new species. The type of ecosystem is determined by a number of factors based off of geographical position. These factors could include average temperature, average annual precipitation, how much sunlight the area receives,  energy flow occurs in ecosystems through the passing of energy from trophic levels. Primary producers at the first trophic level take energy from sunlight and nutrients from soil courtesy of decomposers. Primary producers are then consumed by primary consumers at the second trophic level. Secondary consumers obtain energy from eating primary consumers and so on until the top of the food pyramid is reached.

As energy moves up the trophic levels, more of it escapes so there is less energy at the fourth trophic level than at the first trophic level.

Photo Credit: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/photo/marine-food-pyramid-1/

Ecosystem populations of organisms preserve health when the carrying capacity of the ecosystem is maintained. Biogeochemical cycling is the process of elements getting cycled through an ecosystem. The most important cycles consist of water, carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus. Human activity has had negative impacts on biogeochemical cycles. For instance, humans have accelerated the nitrogen cycle by adding reactive nitrogen compounds to the atmosphere. When there are negative impacts on Earth systems our environment becomes less resilient to problems like loss of biodiversity and climate change.

Ecosystem services are the resources we receive from our ecosystems. For instance, clean air, water, nutrient cycling and spiritual benefits. We also receive energy resources from Earth that are renewable and non-renewable. Non-renewable resources include coal, oil and natural gas that will inevitably run out at the rate in which they are being consumed. These non-renewable resources also contribute a considerate amount to climate change as they release greenhouse gases into the air. Renewable energy includes things like sun and wind that will always be able to provide energy based on the geographical location and are considered to be green energy.

 

Economic Sustainability

The third pillar of sustainability is economic sustainability. Economic sustainability is the practice of responsible economic growth in the long-term, that does not negatively affect social and environmental pillars. One of the largest drivers of change is economics, and in the past, society has been focused on economic growth without necessarily understanding the externalities of it. Economic sustainability is not well defined, and can be understood in two main threads. The first thread concerns economic development in the “Global South”. The main focus of the “Global North” were efforts in environmental protection in sustainability, as these nations are typically more developed and economically better off. Nations in the “South” are not as developed, and focused more on economic development. This model focused on improving the well-being of the people in these nations, while protecting and using natural resources efficiently. The second thread has to do with a shift from linear economies to circular economies. Circular economies emphasize the reuse of products. In a circular economy, products will be manufactured in such a way that can be reused, or upcycled at the end of their lifespan. This type of economy requires a major shift in product design and production, but will be more sustainable in the long run.

 

Economic Growth

The most common measure of economic growth is by using Gross Domestic Product (GDP). GDP is defined as the total value of goods produced and services provided in a country during one year. However, it is not a good representation of economic well being. GDP falls short in identifying externalities, and does not represent progress or well-being, especially in middle and lower socioeconomic scenarios. Instead, the United Nations uses the Human Development Index (HDI), which also takes into account health and longevity, knowledge, and income. Another measure of economic growth is the Genuine Progress Indicator, which also factors in consumption, income inequality, underemployment, pollution, habitat loss, value of household services, costs of crime, costs of accidents. GPI helps highlight that economic growth does not just rely on goods and services, but rather a collection of complex factors.

 

Economic Growth v. Sustainable Development

Economic growth is defined as the increase in the quantity of economic activity (spending, production, etc.). Sustainable development is defined as the increase in quality of life or environment well-being, and is not dependent on economic growth. It is also essential in many areas, where people cannot meet basic needs. Economic sustainability tries to find a balance between these two. Some ways to encourage sustainable development and economic sustainability include to promote and support sustainable business practices and models, and to buy products that support environmental and social sustainability. Another way is to encourage lawmakers to pass policies and regulations that protect our natural environment while promoting economic growth.