Lecture Fifteen.pptVIP

Lecture Fifteen Ecologically Sustainable Development? Ecologically Sustainable Development? Ecologically Sustainable Development is the concept that society is capable of managing its economic growth in such a way as to do no irreparable damage to its environment The term has been criticized as ambiguous and open to a wide range of interpretations – many of which are contradictory Ecologically Sustainable Development? This confusion arises because “sustainable growth” and “sustainable use” have been used interchangeably as if their meanings were the same They are not Sustainable growth is a contradiction in terms: nothing physical can grow indefinitely Sustainable use is applicable only to renewable resources: it means using them at rates within their capacity for renewal Ecologically Sustainable Development? The most commonly used definition of the term “sustainable development” is one that originated with the 1987 report “Our Common Future” by the World Commission on Environment and Development By that formulation sustainable development is “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” Ecologically Sustainable Development? By balancing economic requirements with ecological concerns, the needs of the people are satisfied without jeopardizing the prospects of future generations While this concept may seem common sense the history of the world shows that it has not been common practice A major obstacle to sustainable development in many countries is a social structure that gives most of the wealth to a tiny majority of its people Ecologically Sustainable Development? Here I want to show some of the ideas taught at a major American university: Environment: maintaining the earth’s life support system (eg ecosystem services such as pollution filtering) Social: maintaining community (civic) capacity that fosters effective participation and ‘equitable’ treatment of all stakeholders Econom