A Cause...
A solution...
The textbook defines sustainability as “the ability of the earth’s various natural systems and human cultural systems and economies to survive and adapt to changing environmental conditions indefinitely”. To me, sustainability means putting need over want and personal sacrifices. To me, sustainability means putting need over want and personal sacrifices. In order for us to achieve sustainability, we must sacrifice buying and using things that harm our environment and serve us personally and try to lead lives that sustain our environment.
When people think about sustainability and environmental problems affecting it, most think about pollution but no usually poverty. In my opinion poverty is one of the world’s biggest environmental problems that cause many other problems. The daily lives of half of the world’s people, who are trying to live on the equivalent of less than $2 a day, are focused on getting enough food, water, and cooking and heating fuel to survive. Many of these countries are lacking economically and resort to cheap fuel sources such as coal which is very harmful to the environment and can result in industrial smog. Because these people have a mind-set that focuses in on their short-term survival, this can result in depleted and degraded soils, forests, fisheries, grasslands, and wildlife. Although the depletion and degradation of natural resources is a significant impact environmentally, one of the biggest negative effects is population growth. The world is growing at such a rapid pace in different parts of the world and we are beginning to fear what might happen when we run out of resources and space. Many families in developing countries have many children in an attempt for survival. Their children work on farms, help support the family, and tend to the elderly, especially since they do not have any proper form of health care in most cases.Although poverty causes environmental problems, it is also affected by environmental degradation and pollution. Pollution of waterways in developing countries is a huge issue and cause many health problems that can be deadly because of lack of proper medical attention such as dysentery caused by sewage and dirty water sources. Lack of proper food and nutrients is also a major issue in these countries as well. The growth of the population and poverty go hand in hand and perpetuate each others growth. In order to solve this issue more education is key, especially in women and birth control.
Pictures:
#1- This picture comes from India and represents the poverty. A big eye-opener in this course was the rapid growth of the world population. I did not realize how severe this has become and how much poverty caused other environmental problems.
#2- Global warming is more than just sad polar bears being stranded in open water. Global warming was also a scary reality that we learned about. It was interesting learning about all of the specifics beyond the facts about the ice melting. Global warming affects everyone and the climates around the world.
#3- This cartoon picture represents waste reduction. As a part of the 3 R’s, (Recycle, Reuse, and Reduce) it serves as one of the most important. After seeing the video “Trash inc.” as a part of one of our assignments, I was enlightened about a problem we are facing today. The growing amounts of garbage along with the population is a huge problem because one day we wont be able to support all of the people and trash in this world.
This course has been an eye-opener and has changed my views on sustainability and the environment.
