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2
Environmental Protection
and Sustainable Development
Chapter Outline
Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development
The Evolution of Sustainable Development
The Next Generation of Environmental Protection Efforts
Creating Sustainable Solutions
Meeting Human Needs while Protecting the Environment
What is Sustainable Development?
Satisfying the Triple Bottom Line
The Principles of Sustainable Development
Growth and Development: Understanding the Differences
Human Settlements: Networks of (Unsustainable) Systems
What’s Wrong with Human Systems: Why Are They Unsustainable?
The Challenges Ahead
Applying the Principles of Sustainable Development
Operating Principles
Applying the Operating Principles to Human Systems
Key Terms
sustainable development intergenerational equity
life cycle management intragenerational equity
energy efficiency ecological justice
pollution control devices root causes
end-of-pipe controls biological infrastructure
physical infrastructure renewable
nonrenewable carrying capacity
economic growth agricultural revolution
industrial revolution sustainable revolution
Objectives
1. Discuss the two major revolutions that have affected human civilizations.
2. Compare the terms “sustainable development” and “economic growth.”
3. Compare “end-of-pipe controls” to solutions that address pollution by focusing on “root causes.”
4. Define “carrying capacity” and discuss its environmental importance.
5. Discuss the ecological principles of sustainable development.
6. Discuss the social/ethical principles of sustainable development.
7. Discuss the political principles of sustainable development.
8. Suggest some personal activities that are part of a sustainable lifestyle.
9. Define “renewable and nonrenewable resources”.
10. Make a list of human systems and their functions.
11. Discuss why human systems may be unsustainable.
12. Discuss the operating principles of sustainable living.
Lecture Outline
Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development
A. Environmental protection is being incorporated into a strategy called sustainable development.
1. Sustainable development is a strategy to allow development to occur without destroying the environment.
B. Environmental protection has evolved from piecemeal local efforts to a much more comprehensive, system-oriented program. The stages of evolution of environmental protection efforts are summarized below:
1. Stage 1: Fragmented, symptoms-oriented approach. This phase began in the 1950s and involved regulations formulated by individual cities and towns. Most of the pollution regulation focused on water pollution, i.e., rivers and lakes polluted by sewage or industrial wastes. Regulations mandated that pollution control devices be used (end-of-pipe controls).
2. Stage 2: Comprehensive, symptoms-oriented approach. This stage has been characterized by nationwide (Federal) regulations that have established uniform minimum standards for environmental quality. States are encouraged to undertake environmental protection and in many cases are required to enact regulations and provide enforcement. This stage began in the 1960s and continues today. The main focus still remains, however, on end-of-pipe controls.
3. Stage 3: Fragmented, root-level approach. A handful of nations are entering a new stage of environmental protection where efforts examine the root causes of environmental problems. This phase is characterized by the restructuring of human systems for sustainability based on sound scientific and ecological principles.
4. Stage 4: Comprehensive, root-level systems approach. This stage would involve all levels of society: local, state, national and international communities. Restructuring basic human systems would be emphasized including: energy, industry, agriculture, transportation, housing, waste management, and water supplies. This means environmental protection would be integrated into every decision we make. We must pass into this stage if we are to have a sustainable future.
Sustainable Development: Meeting Human Needs While Protecting the Environment
A. Sustainable development is a means of meeting present needs in ways that do not impair future generations and other species from meeting their needs.
1. Sustainable means to be able to keep in existence, to maintain and endure.
2. Development is a step or stage in advancement or improvement.
3. Sustainable development is a way of improving or advancing our culture in a way that can be maintained over the long haul.
4. Intergenerational equity is an important principle of sustainable development. Intergenerational equity is the responsibility of each generation to ensure that the next one receives undiminished natural resources and economic opportunity. All generations are stakeholders in the planet’s well being.
B. Sustainable development requires strategies that seek to optimize social, economic, and environmental conditions simultaneously.
C. The principles of sustainable development are:
1. Ecological Principles
a. Dependence - Humans are dependent on a clean, healthy environment. All resources have their origins in the earth. Our personal and economic wellbeing depends on a healthy environment.
b. Biophysical Limits - Real limits exist in the planet’s ability to supply resources and absorb wastes from human civilization.
c. Living Within Carrying Capacities - Living sustainably on the Earth will require steps to live within the Earth’s biophysical limits.
d. Interdependence - The fate of the environment is in our hands. Our behavior will profoundly affect the natural environment in ways that could have serious consequences for all livings things, including us.
2. Social/Ethical Principles
a. Intergenerational Equity - Present generations have an obligation to meet their needs in ways that do not foreclose on future generations.
b. Intragenerational Equity - Present generations also have an obligation to act in ways that do not impair others who are alive today from meeting their needs.
c. Ecological Justice - Human actions should not endanger other species that also have an inherent right to the resources they need to survive.
3. Political Principles
a. Participation - Building a sustainable future will require unprecedented participation from all sectors of society.
b. Cooperation - Creating a sustainable society will require cooperation among many different participants.
c. Addressing the Root Causes - To create a sustainable society, we must focus on strategies that address the root causes of pressing social, economic, and environmental problems.
D. Growth and development are different concepts.
1. Growth results in an increase in material production and consumption that is likely unsustainable. Economic growth typically expands the infrastructure (roads, buildings, power plants, water projects, etc.) and requires exploitation of natural resources and energy consumption.
2. Development is a strategy that calls for improvements in culture that do not necessarily require further increases in resource consumption, pollution, and environmental destruction. Development, as used in this textbook, implies an increase in the quality of our lives and the condition of the environment.
Human Settlements: Networks of Unsustainable Systems
A. Human settlements are composed of many interdependent systems such as transportation, energy, and waste management. Growing evidence shows that these systems are not sustainable in the long run.
What’s Wrong with Human Systems: Why Are They Unsustainable?
A. Although human systems may provide us with a steady stream of goods and services, they are systematically reducing the carrying capacity of the planet. Human systems:
1. Produce pollution in excess of the planet’s ability to absorb and detoxify wastes.
2. Deplete nonrenewable resources faster than substitutes can be found.
3. Use renewable resources faster than they can be regenerated.
Making Systems Sustainable: Applying the Principles of Sustainable Development
A. The following are directive or guiding principles of sustainable development:
1. Population stabilization
2. Growth management
3. Efficiency
4. Renewable energy use
5. Recycling
6. Restoration
7. Sustainable management
Applying the Operating Principles to Human Systems
A. Human systems can be revamped by using the operating principles for redesign and restructuring.
B. The primary community systems are:
1. Transportation (surface and water-based systems)
2. Housing and other buildings (construction systems)
3. Agriculture, food processing, and distribution (food production systems)
4. Business (commercial and industrial)
5. Education
6. Government
C. The systems above can be improved/revamped by applying the following principles of sustainable development to each system and devising an action plan (this would be done on the local, state, or national level):
1. Conservation (efficiency and frugality)
2. Recycling and composting
3. Renewable resource use (especially energy)
4. Habitat protection, restoration, and sustainable management
5. Growth management (controlling growth patterns and stabilizing growth)
D. Individual Actions Count
1. Be Frugal. Buy only what you need. Be a conscientious consumer.
2. Be efficient. Use all resources in your daily life efficiently.
3. Be a recycler.
4. Support renewable resource use.
5. Help restore the environment.
6. Help control population growth. Support organizations that promote population stabilization.
Suggestions for Presenting the Chapter
· Class discussion can help students grasp the concept of sustainability. Breaking the class into small discussion groups to list the activities in their lifestyle that are sustainable or could be made sustainable is an interesting activity.
· The instructor might provide local examples of sustainable development and even provide a field trip for this purpose. Examples might include a recycling center, compost facility, solar building or an industry involved in sustainable activity.
· Local environmental problems provide excellent opportunities for class analysis and discussion. The class can be asked to identify end-of-pipe pollution controls and suggest the “root cause” of the particular problem. Potential solutions might be discussed in light of the principles of sustainability provided in the text readings.
· Instructors might encourage activism by initiating a sustainable project with the class such as recycling or environmental restoration. Student enthusiasm for such projects is usually contagious and spawns interest in more sustainable activities.
· Asking students to analyze their use of resources at home is an effective technique to help students examine their own lifestyles and behaviors. This could take the form of an energy analysis, recycling/waste stream analysis, or might focus on consumptive behavior.
· Before presenting the chapter have students break into groups and list the human systems in the community they live in. This provides an interesting comparison to what you will do in lecture and also provides a student with a directed activity with which to start the class. This fosters a participatory attitude necessary for community activism.
· Have your students collect articles from the newspaper that relate to the issue of human systems and sustainability. They should focus on changes at the local, state, or national level in systems that are unsustainable or foster sustainability.
· Have your students analyze the educational system. Does your institution have an environmental policy? What is done on campus to promote sustainability? Does your campus have any student environmental organizations or an environmental club?
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