24tomorrow’s world. overview of chapter 24 living sustainably sustainable living: a plan of...

24 Tomorrow’s World

Overview of Chapter 24

Living Sustainably Sustainable Living: A Plan of Action Changing Personal Attitude and Practices What Kind of World Do We Want?

© 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

Living Sustainably

Environmental Sustainability Ability to meet

humanity’s current needs without compromising the needs to future generations


Living Sustainably

Consumption Human use of materials

and energy World does not have

enough resources to sustain everyone at level enjoyed by US Countries like China are

rapidly catching up (right)


Five Recommendations For Sustainable Living

1. Eliminating poverty and stabilizing the human population

2. Protecting and restoring Earth’s resources 3. Providing adequate food for all people 4. Mitigating climate change 5. Designing sustainable cities


From Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble, Published in 2006 by Lester R. Brown

Recommendation 1 - Eliminating Poverty and Stabilizing Human Population

Eliminating Poverty Improving quality of life in

lower-income countries will require increasing economic growth Must address issues of:

health, nutrition and education

Role of women requires attention (right)


Recommendation 1 - Eliminating Poverty and Stabilizing Human Population


Eliminating Poverty Need more trained

professionals in developing countries

Debts to poorest countries should be forgiven

Population Must devote necessary

resources to family planning

Recommendation 2 - Protecting and Restoring Earth’s Resources

The world’s forests Lost for two reasons

Converted to cash Pressure from rapid

population growth and widespread poverty

Need to protect forests



Loss of biodiversity Need to protect biodiversity

Food, medicine, clothing

Ecosystem services



Protecting and Restoring Earth’s Resources Economic development cannot ignore

functions of biological and physical systems

Depends on attitudes and practices based on scientific information


Recommendation 3 - Providing Adequate Food For All People

Link between poverty and food insecurity Agriculture must be improved to achieve more

global sustainability


Manage farmlands and grazing lands efficiently (precision farming and IPM)

Reduce loss of soil fertility, erosion, aquifer depletion, etc

Recommendation 4 - Mitigating Climate Change

Human activities are causing the increase in global temperature

Must address climate change in aggressive coordinated fashion Cannot wait until scientific knowledge is

complete- earth is too complex Stabilizing climate requires a comprehensive

energy plan Phase out of fossil fuels in both developed AND

developing countries


Recommendation 4 - Mitigating Climate Change


Recommendation 5 - Designing Sustainable Cities

Almost 50% of world’s population now lives in cities

Need to design sustainable cities Urban transportation systems Parks and open spaces


Innovative approaches to handle water scarcity and sewage treatment

Case-In-Point Jakarta, Indonesia

Megacity in a developing country Badly polluted air 95% of human waste

dumped into rivers 2009 Green Hope

Education program


Changing Personal Attitudes and Practices

Consumption overpopulation Situation where each individual in a population

consumes too large a share of resources Sustainable consumption

Use of goods and services that satisfy basic human needs and improve the quality of life but that minimize the use of resources so they are available for future use


Changing Personal Attitudes and Practices

Role of Education Accurate information must be made widely

available People’s concerns

for the environment do not translate into action


Role of Education

People must be educated to understand the reasons for changing practices

1. Set up environmental curricula at all school levels

2. Encourage environmental organizations

3. Support institutions that promote conservation and sustainability

4. Encourage inclusion of relevant material in programs of social groups


What Kind of World Do We Want?

Those who live in developed countries are the source of most of the problems facing the global environment Assumption made that environment will take care

of itself This view needs to be changed radically


What Kind of World Do We Want?

Most critical environmental problem is our own attitudes and values

Your generation must be the next pioneers Explore a different way for humans to exist in the

world Requires reconnecting with natural environment Requires revaluing ourselves according to a new

set of ideals What kind of world do you want to live in?


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