Sustainability Concepts and Issues - Free Essay on Environmental Issues

Sustainability is the suggested process to improve human life quality within those limitations of the worldwide environment. It generally involves the solutions for the improvement of human welfare, which as a result, does not degrade the environment or imping on the wellbeing of other human beings. There is a general consensus whereby three basic concepts of sustainability are involved in measures that are sustainable. These concepts are; understanding the interconnections which exist among environment, economy and society, maintaining a fair trend of resources distribution and opportunity, for this current generation as well as for the next one and lastly, living within the certain limits of the capacity of the earth to maintain life. For there to be a sustainable society, there is the need for major change (Lemons, Westra, & Goodland, 1998, p. 17).

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The principles that underlie sustainability are the material domain, the economic domain, the domain of life, the social domain and the spiritual domain. The material domain does constitute the basis for the regulation of the consistent flow of energy and materials which underlie existence. The economic domain does provide a framework that acts as a guide for the creation and management of wealth. The domain of life provides the basis for behavior that is appropriate in the biosphere. The social domain on the other hand, provides the basis for all social interaction. Lastly, the spiritual domain does identify the necessary orientation in the attitude and also, does provide the basis for the code of ethics that is universal. The result of sustainability is a set of the above five principles, each with a derived policy and an implication that is operational. All these domains are connected (In Rowe, 2014, p. 36).

A sustainable society is that society which meets all the needs of the present day generation, which does not compromise that ability of the future generation, to meeting their own needs. It is also a society whereby each and every human being has that opportunity of developing oneself with freedom, within a society that is well-balanced and it is also in harmony with its own surrounding. The basic idea of a sustainable resources focuses greatly on the depletion of the resources that are available. It could also cover pollution that is irreversible, ecological and environmental aspects, as well as the conservation of nature (Reisch, 2015, p. 23).

Currently, the situation under resource usage is unsustainable basing on the manner in which the resources are used. Globally, Australia has been considered to be among the top consumers of their resources. The rate of green gas emission, which eventually causes pollution, is very high. This in turn, is threatening to the environment and the climate too. Averagely, almost seven hectares of land and space for water is used per person as compared to a footprint of less than an hectare per person. The loss of biodiversity, climate change, pollution and depletion of resources are an eye opener for the current situation that is unsustainable and there needs to be realization of a sustainable society in the future (Chiras & Reganold, 2010, p. 87).

Nonetheless, for there to be a sustainable society, especially in Australia, it is important that there be changes in the usage of resources. Resources are indeed the backbone of any given economy and it does provide two basic functions. These functions are; environmental services and raw materials for the production of services and goods. The depletion of resources does play an integral role in the usage of renewable natural resources and non-renewable resources. Environmental resources can be degraded by factors such as pollution and eventually rendered as useless (Reisch, 2015, p. 49)

The greatest driver that is caused by human impact on the systems of the Earth is literally the destruction of the biophysical resources and with major concerns to the Earths ecosystem. The impact of the environment, of humankind as a whole, does depend both on the impact per person, as well as population, which eventually depends on the complexity means on what kind of resources are being used, whether those resources are renewable or not, and even the scale of the activities of human beings, that is relative to that carrying capacity of the involved ecosystem. Stern resource management can be applied at numerous scales, from the economic sector such as manufacturing, industry and agriculture, to the organizations of work, the patterns of consumption of individuals and houses and even to the demand of resources of individual services or goods (Mendonca, Cunha, & Chakrabarti, 2012, p. 45).

Additionally, for there to be a sustainable society, it is very critical that there is major change in the usage of resources. For Australians, and the other developed countries that are over using their natural resources, they need to reverse their trends in order to achieve a sustainable society. This can be done by the reduction of the usage of fossil fuels and the improvement of the general management of the natural resources, fisheries and farms. To live sustainably, it is critical for there to be a reduction in the usage of natural gas, water and electricity. It is also important for the wastes which have been recycled, reused and composited to be diverted from landfill, as much as possible. This will help greatly in the reduction of pollution which is a threat to the natural resources. Recycling and reusing already used material can be very beneficial as it will help in the general process of overusing the natural resources. More efficient and safer performance of energy can also be achieved through the management, measuring and the reduction of energy. This in turn will live the biosphere less exhausted (In Mahendra & In Yedla, 2015, p. 104). Conclusively, sustainability is an important aspect of human lives. It is important that there is sustainability for the environment, in order to achieve and maintain a sustainable society. With a sustainable society, the current generation, as well as future generations, will be safe from the repercussions of unsustainability. However, the usage of resources poses a greater threat and for that matter, it needs major change so as to achieve a society where everyone is able to live in freedom and also able to acquire the resources that they require for survival. In Australia for example, resources have been completely overused and it is high time that there is change in that aspect. Due to the depletion of natural resources, the environment has been degraded, this includes the water. There has been pollution and the resources are almost exhausted, leaving nothing for the future generation. Nevertheless, these trends can be reversed by sticking to an ecofriendly strategy where there is limited usage of natural. The energy used can be made more efficient and even have a safer performance. Recycling and reuse can be done so as to avoid over usage of the remaining natural resources.

References

Chiras, D. D., & Reganold, J. P. (2010). Natural resource conservation: Management for a sustainable future. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Benjamin Cummings/Pearson.

In Mahendra, D. S., & In Yedla, S. (2015). Cities and sustainability: Issues and strategic pathways.

In Rowe, D. (2014). Achieving sustainability: Visions, principles, and practices.

Lemons, J., Westra, L., & Goodland, R. (1998). Ecological Sustainability and Integrity: Concepts and Approaches. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.

Mendonca, A., Cunha, A., & Chakrabarti, R. (2012). Natural resources, sustainability and humanity: A comprehensive view. Dordrecht: Springer.

Reisch, L. A. (2015). Time policies for a sustainable society.