Analysis Of Dale ( 2001 ) Looks At Sustainable Development Through Three Main Lenses

The essay, “The Environmental Crisis: The Devil Is in the Generalities” by Ross McKitrick, points out the simple fact that most of the population is so overwhelmed by the environmental propaganda offered in the media that they do not seek to understand the factual science behind the messages. McKitrick highlights the fact that there exists a general belief that the condition of the environment has been deteriorating over the past years; however, he then references much scientific data that refutes this claim. His use of these scientific references reinforces his position as an environmental economist, and therefore; a specialist whom one should believe and trust. While he is an environmental economist, he argues that the term “environment”

Sustainability Final Draft Daniel Ha When I first moved to Canada from South Korea, one of the first things I noticed was how slow and stagnant everything seemed in Canada compared to South Korea. I used to have to run to catch my subway competing with the crowd just to get to school, while here I can take my time and slowly get ready for school. It seems like everyone and everything is always being rushed and changing. Last year I went back to Korea and I couldn’t even recognize most of the buildings in my hometown, because all of them were taken down and replaced with brand new homes. While I think that most Canadians are patient and want to keep things the way they are, even the mere idea of sustainability seems to not even exist in Korea, since everything is changing and progressing constantly.

To obtain the goal of becoming a low carbon city by 2050 will require long-term changes and increased cooperation and collaboration between the city’s government, businesses, community organizations, and citizens (Citizens’ Panel on Edmonton’s Energy and Climate changes, 2013, pg. 14). From a local government perspective, there are

In 2008, the Canadian government established the federal sustainable act which has “signaled a change in how the Government of Canada would fulfill its commitment to sustainable development. The Act called for a comprehensive approach representing all of government through a Federal Sustainable Development Strategy (FSDS) that is updated every three years. This approach, currently in its second cycle, provides a whole-of-government view of actions to achieve environmental sustainability, is integrated into core federal planning and reporting, and is supported by a robust measurement strategy” (COG, 2014). The Ecological footprint “acknowledges that humanity is facing difficult challenges, makes them apparent, and directs action toward sustainable living” (Vamvakas, 2014). The formal definition of the ecological footprint briefly identifies the link and interconnectedness among the concept of sustainable development.

Most importantly, he asserts that awareness and recognition are key factors to motivate change. At the individual level, this can be achieved through self-study of resources available online or through television programs, radio broadcasts, articles, or books. This might include researching things like food production or sustainable agricultural practices. At the community level, this can be achieved through urban gardening projects or famer’s markets, and a greater demand for low-tech solutions, such as public transit, biking routes or community walks. Additionally, with regards to the market system, we can demand things like food and clothing labels that provide more information about our consumptive choices and the people and places they affect. Economic equality is something Worthy also considers paramount in creating collective ecological change, namely because many potential solutions are not available to developing countries or impoverished individuals. Therefore, this book is largely directed at modern, ‘western’ societies, in the hopes that they can spearhead a movement which might positively reverberate on a global scale. As citizens of Kelowna and Canada, we compose a portion of this intended audience, and therefore we compose a part of the impending solutions described here. Worthy also cites the importance of public education, and informing students of the relationship between ecology, human activity, industry, and local environments. This is relevant for us as Geography 213 students, and more broadly as part of a student community, because we can participate directly in acquiring a greater understanding of the environment and serve to instill positive change. These things will all help contribute to a greater understanding of the environment and how we relate to the environment on a local and global scale. All in all,

Due to the sweeping vision and hard work of conservationists such as Rachel Carson, the environmental movement witnessed great advancement in their activities. The beneficiaries of the movement are ordinary people who can drink uncontaminated water and breathe clean air due to legislation such as Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act of the 1960s and the 1970s, which were the direct result of its efforts. Unfortunately, since then the environmental movement has been consistently defeated not only in legislations but also in fickle public opinion. A poll results indicating that 41 percent of Americans think that environmentalists are radicals not reasonable people in 2000 underlies the rising anti-environmentalism atmosphere when compared to the 1996 level of 32 percent. Even faced with such a deterioration in public opinion, the leaders of the environmental movement are steadfastly convinced by their past successes to consider their victory inevitable. One such leader said, “we are on the right track” (Shellenberger and Nordhaus 6).

Along with Provincial specifications and newer organizing instruments, prevalent boost in general public anxieties over problems linked to climate change, fresh air quality, ecological destruction, and also the problem of the international economic climate are encouraging municipalities to show leadership and to supply revolutionary policy path. Throughout the Community Specific Plan and Official Strategy discussion workshops, important designs from Calgary's citizens involved problems linked to sustainability like safety and improvement of all-natural places along with characteristics of the City, substitute and productive transportation alternatives, city design, "green technology" as well as fresh air quality (Ling et al, 2007).

Sustainable development is filling today’s needs without challenging the needs of future generations. It’s about bettering the standards of living by preserving human health, maintaining the environment, using available resources well, and progressing long-term economic competitiveness. To do this, the integration of environmental, economic, and social priorities into protocols and programs are required. This also requires different levels of action, from citizens, to industries, to government action. In 2008 a change to how the Canadian Government would accomplish its commitment to sustainable development was made called the Federal Sustainable Development Act. This Act made it so every 3 years, a complete approach showing the whole government

Most cities across the globe are known for emitting high greenhouse gas levels as well as consuming fossil fuels in enormous quantities. This is as a result of poor designing when it comes to buildings and inefficient systems of transportation. Gradually, such cities are headed for collapse if they continue along that path. However, according to the authors of “Resilient Cities: Responding to Peak Oil and Climate Change”, cities can also be made resilient and hence be saved from collapse. With visionary leadership and intelligent planning, the authors believe that cities can be helped to overcome the looming crisis of climate change and peak oil. (Newman, Beatle and Boyer 1). In a practical example of the aspect of resilience and how it can be applied to save cities from collapse, this paper focuses on the City of Los Angeles, CA.

The Brundtland report defined sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” From early times, philosophers, such as Thomas Malthus, believed humanity could not be sustained. Malthus believed mankind would reach their carrying capacity, specifically with regards to food. Yet, this notion changed in subsequent years, thanks in part to the green revolution. This revolution helped increase crop yields due to new fertilizers, pesticides, etc. While there became more food available, sustainability, with regards to producing food in an environmentally friendly way, ran into some difficulties. While the Brundtland commission defined sustainability, there are three components that must be integrated for the well-being of all—social, environmental, and economic. Each component of sustainability must be looked at critically when considering the sustainable use of any resource. While many simply worried about having enough food available in the world, one must think of food sustainability with regards to environmental, economic, and social implications. As follows, the importance of food sustainability will be discussed, along with the attempts to measure food sustainability.

As societies have developed, technology has increased, and the environment has developed into a highly politicized issue many different environmental worldviews have formed. An environmental worldview is “how the people think the world works and what they believe their role in the world should be.” Some people have earth-centered worldviews. The earth-centered worldview is more

Urbanization, which is becoming a buzzword during the last few decades, is enlarging at a booming speed. It is predicted that 93 percents urban growth will occur to the year 2020, in the developing world (Elliot J.A, 1999). Generally speaking, more than half of the people around the world have been moved to cities, which led to a series of “matters” connected with people’s life that changed in a dramatical way. In this period, sustainable development, another buzzword during the past few years, came into people’s view and gradually became the mainstream of society development. Its definition is to make the development continue in a long term, which means allowing appropriate economic growth and industrialization without

Sustainable development means that the present generations should be able to make use of resources to live better lives in such a manner that it does not compromise the ability of future generations. For sustainable development to occur, there needs to be sustainable economic, ecological and community development. Society needs to be educated about ways in which they can use resources, especially natural, in such a manner that it does not cause harm to the environment and put future generations lives at risk.

The city is a vital, breathing, and often vibrant life force to its metropolitan area, region, state, and country. Cities, within the United States function typically as the jobs, cultural, and educational centers of their region. They tend to be more diverse than their surrounding communities, and they often face sets of problems that the suburbs and rural areas do not deal with. Some of the main issues that will face and shape cities over the next ten years include gentrification, environmental sustainability, and immigration. The way in which each of these issues is addressed will greatly impact the future of the American city.

A sustainable city is when harmony is reached between the environment, economy and society. Environmentally, sustainable cities are ecologically friendly by using alternative sources of energy such as solar or wind power. Economically, governments should share a similar decision-making process with institutions and with the public by having a common belief in what should be done by improving sustainability. Sorensen, Marcotullio, and Grant (2004), find that a good decision making process consists of planning and control at the municipal and national political levels which would allow local level functions to become reinforced. Socially, sustainable cities are classless, meaning that there are no social divisions which serve as limits; leading to a more equal society. One of the many ideas would be using mixed housing to remove the class divisions between people. Also, city streets would be walkable, with businesses and services located at close proximity to promote a healthier lifestyle and serve as an alternative to using cars for transportation. The writers differ in their analysis when examining the approaches to improving sustainability in cities. This section will analyze four important ideas on how cities can become more sustainable.