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Sustainability 1.4 - Coggle Diagram
Sustainability 1.4
Key
The use and management of resources that allows full natural replacement of the resources exploited and full recovery of the ecosystems affected by their extraction and use
Sustainable development = meeting the needs of the present generation without impeding that of the future generations
Natural capital = Natural resources that can produces a sustainable natural income of goods or services = goods or services that are not manufactured but have value.
eg a forest can produce timber indefinitely and sustainably provided the amount removed each year is no greater than the amount that can be replaced by natural growth
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Sustainable development has different meanings for different types of people e.g. for economists sustainable economic development might be consistent economic growth whereas for environmentalist this might be employing renewable energy resources to provide environmentally friendly goods
Natural capital
Renewable = generated and replaced as fast as it is being used.If it is used beyond its natural income this use becomes unsustainable. E.g. living species and ecosystems that use solar energy. Nonliving items like the ozone layer.
Non-renewable = either replaceable or only replaced over geological timescales. They cannot be replenished at the same rate and which they are taken from the environment. They exist in finance amounts. We must either improve efficiency, develop substitute to recycle them. E.g. Fossil fuels
Resources
Humans rely on the natural environments to supply all resource needs. If these are used sustainably, the planet will be able to support future generations.
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Any society supporting itself by depleting natural capital is unsustainable. E.g. the harvesting of timber illustrates sustainability. If the rates of forest removal is less than the annual growth then the forest removal is sustainable if it exceeds the rate of annual growth then the force removal is unsustainable
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EIA
Involves producing a baseline study before any environmental development, assessment of possible impacts, and monitoring of change during and after the development.
A planning tool providing decision makers with an understanding of effects that human actions may have on the environment. Policymakers can then choose whether the project should proceed or not. Different governments perform EIAs at national or local levels or don't at all. The underlying assumption of all EIAs is that all human activity has the potential to affect the environment, and that knowledge will improve that decision
Limitations:
- Poor public consultation practices
- Poorly written reports
- Costly, inefficient and time consuming practices
- Information understated or omitted from reports
- Lack of monitoring and review of terms set out in reports.
This result in a lack of confidence in the process by both decision makers and the general public.
Ecological footprint
Area of land and water required to sustainably provide all resources at the rate at which they are being consumed by a given population
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