Discuss in detail the following problems and the international measures taken to ensure sustainable development. Environmental sustainability is the ability to maintain an ecological balance in our planet’s natural environment and conserve natural resources to support the wellbeing of current and future generations.
Discuss in detail the following problems and the international measures taken to ensure sustainable development (Environmental Sustainability)
INTRODUCTION
Environment refers to the physical surroundings and physical conditions that affect people’s lives. 🗸🗸
The ever-increasing pressure on our environment originates from increasing population numbers and excessive consumption🗸🗸
Our air, land, and water are under constant assault from the ever-growing ravages of man-made pollution generated chiefly by industrialized societies. 🗸🗸
[Accept any appropriate introduction]
[Max 2]
BODY-MAIN PART
Conservation
- Conservation is necessary because human actions cause pollution and over-utilisation of resources. 🗸🗸
- Conservation is a strategy aimed at achieving the sustainable use and management of natural resources. 🗸🗸
- Conservation seeks a creative continuity of the environment while ensuring that change is sympathetic to the quality of life for both present and future generations. 🗸🗸
- Certain aspects of conservation need to be taken into account.
- Firstly, there is an opportunity cost. 🗸🗸
- Secondly, externalities are often present. 🗸🗸
- Lastly, self-interest has a short term horizon – meaning that decisions cannot be left entirely to market forces. 🗸🗸
- Over utilization of resources causes a reduction in supply, increase in prices, contradiction of demand and a search for substitutes. 🗸🗸
- This necessitates conservation of both renewable and non-renewable resources. 🗸🗸
- Conservation has to be concerned with limiting what is harvested in order to maintain a stable stock at least at the minimum level. 🗸🗸
- Government can use permits and quotas as two possible direct control methods in order to maintain the stock of resources at the minimum level. 🗸🗸
Preservation
- Preservation involves any strategy undertaken to safeguard the environment, maintain its current condition and keep it as habitable as possible for people and animals. 🗸🗸
- Heritage sites, indigenous forests, specifies of animals etc. that have special cultural or environmental significance, are often targeted preservation. 🗸🗸
- Preservation is not likely to work as a private enterprise because the benefit to society is much bigger than the income of the producer. 🗸🗸
- It may be possible to use cost-benefit analysis to calculate the social benefits of preservation of the environment.
- The weaknesses in market solutions require the government to intervene in order to preserve environment assets. 🗸🗸
- Government could do any of the following:
- Buy or expropriate – Environmental assets are simply closed for human use. 🗸🗸
- Subsidise-A subsidy would increase net benefits to the owner and raise the property’s present value. 🗸🗸
- Controls – The government can compel the owner to apply control measures like restricting the quantities exploited or number of visitors allowed per day. 🗸🗸
[26 Max]
ADDITIONAL PART
Stockholm Conference (1972)
- The Stockholm Conference was the first major large scale international meeting on the environment convened with the support of the United Nations. 🗸🗸
- The meeting agreed upon a declaration containing 26 principles concerning the environment and development, an action plan with 109 recommendations and a resolution. 🗸🗸
- The meeting directly impacted on the environmental policies of many countries. 🗸🗸
Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit (1992)
- This meeting acknowledged the importance of cooperation in addressing environmental concerns that threaten sustainability. 🗸🗸
- The conference helped to make countries around the world aware of the dangers of unsustainable development. 🗸🗸
- Unfortunately the principles outlined and accepted at the summit were not binding and subsequently many countries did not confirm to them. 🗸🗸
Rio + 5 (1997)
- This conference noted that globalization made some countries poorer – 🗸🗸
- In particular African countries and the least developed countries showed a low level of growth or even declined. 🗸🗸
Kyoto Protocol for Climate Change (1997)
- Countries committed themselves to reducing their total emissions of greenhouse by 5 %.🗸🗸
- Unfortunately, China was excluded from this agreement and the USA withdrew. 🗸🗸
World Summit on Sustainable Development (2002)
- The objective of this summit held in Johannesburg was to conserve natural resources in a world that is growing in population. 🗸🗸
- The meeting focused on issues like poverty eradication, water and sanitation, energy, health agriculture and biodiversity. 🗸🗸
COP 17 (2011)
- The main goal of the conference held in Durban was to establish a treaty to limit carbon emissions and plan strategies to keep global temperature rise to less than 2 degree Celsius in the 21st Century. 🗸🗸
- Although the framework for this treaty was established it was not finalised. 🗸🗸
CONCLUSION
- The solution to our environmental problems will depend on our ability to make sound economic decisions that take account of the natural environment and to change our individual behaviour and attitudes. 🗸🗸
[Accept any other relevant conclusion]
[Max 2]