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    Principles of Sustainability

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    The document discusses three key principles of sustainability: reliance on solar energy, biodiversity, and nutrient cycling. It explains that nature has survived for billions of years by following these principles and that human lives and economies depend on energy and resources from nature. The document also introduces concepts like natural capital, environmental impact factors, and the importance of protecting natural resources for future generations.

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    Principles of Sustainability

    Uploaded by

    Crackshot 69
    36 views20 pages
    The document discusses three key principles of sustainability: reliance on solar energy, biodiversity, and nutrient cycling. It explains that nature has survived for billions of years by following these principles and that human lives and economies depend on energy and resources from nature. The document also introduces concepts like natural capital, environmental impact factors, and the importance of protecting natural resources for future generations.

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    The document discusses three key principles of sustainability: reliance on solar energy, biodiversity, and nutrient cycling. It explains that nature has survived for billions of years by following these principles and that human lives and economies depend on energy and resources from nature. The document also introduces concepts like natural capital, environmental impact factors, and the importance of protecting natural resources for future generations.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    36 views20 pages

    Principles of Sustainability

    Uploaded by

    Crackshot 69
    The document discusses three key principles of sustainability: reliance on solar energy, biodiversity, and nutrient cycling. It explains that nature has survived for billions of years by following these principles and that human lives and economies depend on energy and resources from nature. The document also introduces concepts like natural capital, environmental impact factors, and the importance of protecting natural resources for future generations.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 20

    Principles of Sustainability

    • Nature has sustained itself for billions of years by using solar


    energy, biodiversity, and nutrient cycling

    • Our lives and economies depend on energy from the sun and
    natural resources and natural services (natural capital) provided by
    the earth
    Three Principles of Sustainability
    Nature’s Survival Strategies Follow
    Three Principles of Sustainability
    1. Reliance on solar energy
    • The sun provides warmth and fuels photosynthesis
    2. Biodiversity
    • Astounding variety and adaptability of natural
    systems and species
    3. Chemical cycling
    • Circulation of chemicals from the environment to
    organisms and then back to the environment
    • Also called nutrient cycling
    Nutrient Cycling
    Sustainability Has Certain Key
    Components
    • Natural capital: supported by solar capital
    • Natural resources: useful materials and energy in nature
    • Natural services: important nature processes such as renewal
    of air, water, and soil

    • Humans degrade natural capital

    • Scientific solutions needed for environmental sustainability


    Natural Capital
    Solar Natural Capital = Natural Resources + Ecosystem Services
    energy

    Air
    Renewable
    Air purification energy (sun,
    wind, water
    Climate control flows)
    UV protection
    (ozone layer) Life
    (biodiversity)

    Water Population
    control
    Water purification
    Pest
    Waste treatment control

    Nonrenewable Soil Land


    minerals
    (iron, sand) Soil renewal Food production
    Natural
    gas Nutrient
    Oil recycling
    Nonrenewable Coal seam
    energy
    (fossil fuels)

    Natural resources
    Ecosystem services
    Natural Capital Degradation
    Degradation of Normally Renewable Natural Resources

    Shrinking
    Climate forests
    change
    Decreased
    wildlife
    Air pollution habitats
    Species
    extinction
    Soil
    erosion Water
    pollution

    Declining ocean
    fisheries
    Aquifer
    depletion
    IPAT is AnEnvironmental Impact
    Model
    I=PxAxT

    • I = Environmental impact
    • P = Population
    • A = Affluence
    • T = Technology
    IPAT Illustrated
    Conceptual tools for understanding
    sustainability
    scale
    may be:
    - physical / geographical
    • ranking based upon size, dimension, geographical
    subunit, etc.
    - ecological
    • individual, deme, community, population
    - jurisdictional
    • local, municipal, regional, federal, global
    scale
    GLOBAL / MACRO
    earth United Nations
    continent .
    country .
    province governments
    region .
    municipality .
    neighbourhood ngos / community groups
    household .
    individual individuals
    LOCAL / MICRO
    spatial jurisdictional /
    decision making
    Sustainability
    • involving methods that do not completely use up or
    destroy natural resources
    • 3 main factors:
    • Social
    • Environment
    • Economic
    Environmentally Sustainable Societies Protect
    Natural Capital and Live Off Its Income
    • Environmentally sustainable society: meets current
    needs while ensuring that needs of future
    generations will be met

    • Live on natural income of natural capital without


    diminishing the natural capital
    Individuals Matter
    • 5–10% of the population can bring about major
    social change
    • We have only 50-100 years to make the change to
    sustainability before it’s too late
    • Rely on renewable energy
    • Protect biodiversity
    • Reduce waste and pollution
    Three Big Ideas
    1. We could rely more on renewable energy from the
    sun, including indirect forms of solar energy such as
    wind and flowing water, to meet most of our
    heating and electricity needs.
    Three Big Ideas
    2. We can protect biodiversity by preventing the
    degradation of the earth’s species, ecosystems, and
    natural processes, and by restoring areas we have
    degraded.
    Three Big Ideas
    3. We can help to sustain the earth’s natural chemical
    cycles by reducing our production of wastes and
    pollution, not overloading natural systems with
    harmful chemicals, and not removing natural
    chemicals faster than those chemical cycles can
    replace them.

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