Sustainable Resources

Description:

Human’s sustainability, which can be interpreted as the potential of long-term maintenance of wellbeing depends on the wellbeing of the natural world and the responsible use of resources. But sadly, with the rise in human numbers all over the world, the demand for resources has also increased. And thereby the human consumption of resource is going up, which results in the depletion of resource and the degradation of environment.

Historically, humanity has responded to a demand for more resources by trying to increase supply. Sustainability, instead, applies demand management of all goods and services by promoting reduced consumption, using renewable resources where possible, and encouraging practices that minimize resource intensity while maximizing resource productivity.

Another important issue is related to the distribution of resources. Developed countries use more resources than developing countries.

Enablers:

1.Population

More people live in this planet, more resource is needed.

2.Technology

Technology can affect resource in two different ways. On one hand, technology development can require more resource. For example the invention of cars requires fuels. On the other hand, technology can also help people save non-renewable resource and make better use of renewable resource. Such recycling and solar power.

3.Value/Education

Returning human use of natural resources to within sustainable limits will require a major collective effort. People need to recoganize the current situation and build up right value system about the sustainability, which requires continuous education in the different stage of people's life.

Inhibitors:

1. War/Nature Disasters

When such cases happened, resource sustainability is no longer human being's first priority. At that time, to be sustainable is to be alive by all means.

2. Poverty/Sickness.

Same reason as above.

Paradigms:

The Limits to Growth http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Limits_to_Growth
Book published by the Club of Rome in 1972 describing the consequences of a rapidly growing population with finite resources. This book is interested only in the broad behavior modes of the population-capital system. By behavior modes we mean the tendencies of the variables in the system (population or pollution, for example) to change as time progresses. A variable may increase, decrease, remain constant, oscillate, or combine several of these characteristic modes.
Updated in 2004 The Limits to Growth: The 30-year Update http://www.mnforsustain.org/meadows_limits_to_growth_30_year_update_2004.htm

Population: 6,706,993,152 (July 2008 est.)
Globally, the growth rate of the human population has been steadily declining since peaking in 1962 and 1963 at 2.20% per annum. In 2007 the growth rate was 1.19% per annum.

As of 2007, the average birth rate for the whole world is 20.3 per year per 1000 total population, which for a world population of 6.5 billion comes to 134 million babies per year.

Mortality rate is typically expressed in units of deaths per 1000 individuals per year; thus, a mortality rate of 9.5 in a population of 100,000 would mean 950 deaths per year in that entire population.

Experts:

International Energy Angency (IEA)

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Energy Information Administration (EIA)

Timing:

1962 - Rachel Carson publishes "Silent Spring".

1963 - International Biological Programme initiated by nations around the world.

1967 - The Environmental Defense Fund forms to pursue legal solutions to environmental damage.

1968 - Paul Ehrlich publishes book "Population Bomb" on the connection between human population, resource exploitation and the environment.

1970 - Natural Resources Defense Council forms with a professional staff of lawyers and scientists to push for comprehensive U.S. environmental policy.

1971 - International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) is established in Britain with a mandate to seek ways to make economic progress without destroying the environmnetal resource base.

1972 - Environnement et Développement du Tiers-Monde (ENDA -- Environment and Development Action in the Third World) is established as a joint environmental training programme between UNEP, IDEP, and SIDA to provide courses and training about environment and development in Africa.

1972 - Club of Rome publishes "Limits to Growth".

1972 - OPEC oil crisis fuels limits to growth debate

1973 - USA enacts Endangered Species Act to better safeguard, for the benefit of all citizens, the nation's heritage in fish, wildlife, and plants.

1973 - Chipko Movement born in India in response to deforestation and environmental degradation.

1974 - Bariloche Foundation publishes "Limits to Poverty". It is the South's response to "Limits to Growth" and calls for growth and equity for the Third World.

1975 - Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES) comes into effect.

1977 - Greenbelt Movement starts in Kenya. It is based on community tree-planting to prevent desertification.

1977 - UN Conference on Desertification is held.

Late 1970s - Environmental catastrophes capture public attention.

1982 - The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea is adopted.

1983 - World Commission on Environment and Development forms.

1984 - Worldwatch Institute publishes its first State of the World Report.

1986 - Accident at nuclear station in Chernobyl generates a massive toxic radioactive explosion.

1989 - Stockholm Environment Institute is established as an independent foundation for carrying out global and regional environmental research.

1992 - U.N. Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro. It results in the publication of Agenda 21, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Rio Declaration, and a statement of non-binding Forest Principles. The parallel NGO Forum signs a full set of alternative treaties.

1994 - Global Environment Facility. Billions of aid dollars restructured to give more decision-making power to developing countries.

1996 - ISO 14001 formally adopted as a voluntary international standard for corporate environmental management systems.

1997 - Asian ecological and financial chaos. Land-clearing fires intensified by an El Niño induced drought result in haze blanketing the region and causing US$3 billion in health costs and fire-related damage.

1998 - Controversy over genetically modified organisms. Global environmental and food security concerns raised over genetically modified (GM) food products.

2000 - The Second World Water Forum and Ministerial recognizes water security as a critical concern for the 21st century.

2001 - Fourth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization held in Doha, Qatar, recognizes environment and development concerns in the final Declaration.

2005 - Millennium Ecosystem Assessment released. 1,300 experts from 95 countries provide scientific information concerning the consequences of ecosystem change for human well-being.