 Sustainable
Development |
Issue 124 |
Sustaining our world to ensure the future
If the world is now at the 200-metre point we need to ask ourselves, have we used up too much energy? Have we used up too many of our resources? Will we have enough in reserve so that we will be able to pass the baton on to the next runner in our team, our children and grandchildren? Is the world and its development >sustainable>? Will we be able to pass on a world in as good a condition as we received it from our parents and grandparents? Are there decisions we are taking today which will have negative consequences for people in other parts of the world? Are we robbing future generations to benefit ourselves now? The warning signs are there. We need to notice those warning signs before it is too late.
Sustainable development is about balancing the needs of the present generation against the needs of people in the future. Let's look at some of the ways that we are living at the present time and try to work out whether our needs are being balanced against the needs of future generations.
Food production
The world's population is expected to double over the next 50 years. Already there are hundreds of millions around the world who do not have enough to eat. Agriculture has changed to a much more intensive method with the addition of chi>ical fertilisers and the clearing of vast tracts of land. Machines are used much more than in the past for preparing, planting and harvesting. Despite these modern farming methods the goal of halving world hunger by 2015 is still not within sight. At the same time, there has been an increase in the degradation of much of the farmland due to erosion, pollution of waterways, increasing salinity and desertification. Forests are being cut down to create more farmland at an alarming rate in some countries with potentially disastrous consequences for generations to come.
Many previously plentiful fish species have been over harvested and many are close to extinction leaving future generations with fewer fish to provide important protein. It sei>s that we need to rethink our farming and food production methods which will address the environmental probli>s as well as the unequal distribution of the world's food where obesity is an increasing probli> in rich count ries of the North while so many go without adequate food in the South.
Cities
Cities take up less than 2% of the Earth's land surface but use 75% of the resources that we take from the Earth. This means that the >ecological footprint> of a city can be over 100 times as large as the land area it occupies. A large city in a country like Australia would be drawing on resources from countries all around the world. Cities are a source of many good things but also harbour much poverty, crime, overcrowding and pollution. Cities need to be redesigned so as to make thi> more sustainable.
Waste
The more we consume, the more we throw away. The average American now throws away twice as much as s/he did 40 years ago. In the mid 1990s the world's richest countries produced around 2 tonnes of household and industrial waste per person per year. Recycling is increasing but is nowhere near keeping up with the increasing amount of rubbish. This just means that resources are being literally wasted.
Global Warming
Each year the world adds more than 6 billion tonnes of carbon i>issions to the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels. This is mostly due to burning coal and oil to produce electricity as well as for transport in motor vehicles. There is no doubt that this level of carbon dioxide put into the atmosphere is raising the ti>perature of the Earth and causing climate change. Unfortunately, the world's biggest polluters have done little to this point to reduce the level of carbon i>issions thus risking the lives of millions of people around the world as weather becomes more extri>e and sea levels begin to rise. Many millions of lives, livelihoods and homes are at risk particularly for those who live in low-lying areas like Bangladesh and many smaller Pacific islands. Can we take the risk of tens of millions of climate change refugees forced to leave their homelands to find somewhere else to live?
The way ahead
The first step to change is to acknowledge that there is a real probli> that needs addressing. For this to happen the warning signs need to be accepted:
- Half the world's rivers are seriously polluted and depleted
- More than one quarter of the world's sea fish stocks are depleted
- 15% of land has been degraded due to human activity
- Sea levels are going to rise, no matter what we do from now on
- At the current rate, we are using up the Earth's resources 20% faster than it can replace thi> and so we need 1.2 Earths to maintain where we are now
- If the whole world lived like the average Australian we would need the equivalent of 4 Earths
It is time to restore the balance so that we can ensure the future for those who will follow us.
2005 to 2014 is the International Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. Go to portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-URL_ID=27234&URL_DO=DO_
TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html for more background and information.
HSIE/ SOSE/ Geography
1) a) Make a list of ten things you need in your life at the moment.
b) Compare your list with those around you.
c) Are there needs that conflict with one another? For example you may have said clean air and a car for transport.
d) How would you go about resolving these?
2) Complete the quiz that shows how much you know about sustainable
solutions to complex probli>s at www.worldbank.org/challenge/
html/innovate_q1.html
3) Go to:
www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/
biology/livingthingsenvironment/4
foodandsustainabilityrev7.shtml to
view a case study of modern dairy farming methods and how it is not sustainable.
- Read the case study and make a list of the reasons such methods are unsustainable.
- What are some suggested solutions?
- Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of making no change as well as making the changes suggested.
- Read how the probli> of pest control on Indonesian rice farms was atti>pted to be resolved in firstly an unsustainable way and then finally in a sustainable way.
- List the benefits of the use of sustainable pest control methods.
- Why were unsustainable methods used in the first place?
5) a) What do you think an ecological footprint is? Go to www.epa.vic.gov.au/
Eco-footprint/default.asp to
find out.
b) Do you think that is a useful concept to work out our impact on the world we live in? Read the information and answer the following:
- What exactly does the eco footprint measure?
- What two things should be in balance if development is to be sustainable?
- How many hectares does the average Australian use to support its lifestyle?
- How does this compare to the rest of the world?
- What is "ecological overshoot"?
- What is the USA's ecological footprint?
6) Calculate an ecological footprint for your school. Go to www.epa.vic.gov.au/
Eco-footprint/Schools/default.asp for
guidelines. Perhaps your class could come up with a plan to reduce the
impact your school has on the environment and so make it more >sustainable. >Present
your plan to the school executive through the SRC.
7) a) Calculate your personal ecological footprint at www.myfootprint.org/
b) Does the result shock you?
c) What steps can you personally take to reduce your ecological footprint?
8) In small groups, research the alternatives to burning of fossil
fuels at: news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/
world/2002/disposable_planet/energy/alternatives/
Present your findings to the rest of the class on a poster or as a PowerPoint presentation with a list of advantages and disadvantages for each alternative energy source: Nuclear, solar, wind, hydropower, hydrogen and others (tidal, geothermal etc)
9) Go to news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/
world/2002/disposable_planet/slideshow/default.stm for
a slide show which highlights the major thi>es of sustainable development
for the future.
10) Go to news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/
in_depth/world/2002/disposable_planet/
waste/weeks_waste/ to
find out what makes up the 14.3 kilograms of waste the average American
produces each week. Click on each of the links to find out what happens
to it. What percentage of each eli>ent of the waste is recycled? Is this
sustainable?
11) Go to news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/
world/2002/disposable_planet/waste/
chinese_workshop/default.stm to
see an example of where dangerous waste from rich countries is dumped
on poor countries. How would you feel if you knew that your waste was
causing sickness and suffering to people in poor countries?
12) Go to www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/education/
sysm/eco/eco_friendly.shtml?page=index for
an interactive on line game which is a fun way to learn about the issues
of sustainability. It is suitable for upper primary as
well as lower secondary students. It is a probli> solving
game in an attractive format.
13) Go to www.dep.org.uk/globalexpress/23/page1.pdf to read background articles on the issue of climate change. There are also teaching activities on this topic. There are also worksheets available for downloading at www.dep.org.uk/globalexpress/activities.htm Click on Issue 23, Climate change .
14) Play the goat game at www.globalgang.org.uk/
goats/launch5.htm as
an example of simple, sustainable and effective development.
environment/forest_game_ks2 This game is suitable for primary students .
Science
Go to www.scienceyear.com/outthere/index.html?
page=/outthere/environ/index.html for
ideas on integrating sustainability into the curriculum and for teaching
and learning activities.
Mathi>atics/ Social Sciences
1) Go to news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/
world/2002/disposable_planet/food/statsbank.stm and
look at the various types of graphs used to display data on world food
production. Answer the following:
- How many different types of graphs are on this web page?
- Name as many of the different types of graph as you can.
- How many different types of land degradation are mentioned?
- Which is the worst cause of land degradation?
- From the information given about land degradation, can you estimate approximately how much of the Earth's land is covered by forest?
- How does overgrazing degrade soil?
- From the information about fisheries, what would you say the trend has been? Are there more or fewer fish to be caught than there were 30 years ago?
- In what year did some fisheries start to decline?
- How many undeveloped fisheries (what percentage) were there in the world in 1950?
- How many undeveloped fisheries (what percentage) were there in 1991?
- Where are the majority of the world's hungriest countries located?
- What percentage of Somalia's population was hungry and malnourished in 1999?
- How much below the recommended daily food intake was the average Somalian?
2) Go to news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/
world/2002/disposable_planet/
waste/statsbank.stm and
answer the following:
- Name the two countries that recycle more of their waste than put it into landfill.
- What percentage of your household waste is recycled?
- Is most of your waste food or biodegradable?
3) Go to news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/
world/2002/disposable_planet/
energy/statsbank.stm and
from the graph, work out;
- How many more years of oil supply we have left.
- How many years of natural gas are left?
- How many years worth of coal are left?
The US consumes 25% of the world's energy with only 5% of the world's population while 33.3% of the world's population (2 billion people) do not have access to electricity at all. Is this sustainable? Is this fair?
For more teaching ideas and ideas on how to integrate sustainability specifically to different subject areas go to www.nc.uk.net/esd/site_map.htm
For more teaching and learning ideas across the curriculum go to www.globalgang.org.uk/images/gangersg_tcm7-1157.pdf
Read about the Tsunami affected areas of the world one year on at www.caritas.org.au/tsunami/ This will give some idea of the impact the tsunami has had and is still having on the lives of those affected. It is also a way of seeing what has been done with the money so generously donated by so many of you.
The 2006 Project Compassion materials are now available
on the Caritas website. These resources will help you to plan your
Lenten activities as we traditionally focus on actively raising awareness
as well as funds so as to improve our world and its many injustices.
There are new materials and ideas so check thi> out at www.caritas.org.au/projectcompassion/
materials.htm
Visit Catholic Earthcare at: www.catholicearthcareoz.net for more information about environmental justice.
Form your own environment group at your school to raise awareness and take action to make your school/ parish/ organisation more sustainable.
Find out what the Australian government is doing for the International Decade of Education for Sustainable Development at www.deh.gov.au/education/decade/