Economic sustainaility vs Environmental sustainability

Background

- Sustainable development by the Brundtland comission

"meeting the needs of todays generation without compromsing the needs of the future generations"

To have full sustainable development, human wellbeing is protecting and quality of life remains high without the environment being depleted past its carrying capacity and can be sustained on a long term basis

the global economy depends on the capacity of the natural environment to provide resources and absorb increasing levels of pollution 

Sustainable development mainly from the 1970's expresses interms of environmental objectives, this included

• Maintaing ecological systems
• preserving genetic diversity and utliising the environment without destroying it

Evironmental sustainable - set out in the 1992 Rio summit

• Environmental standards and limits for countries
• should not effect the global environment
• harmful activities should be limited
• Environmental impacr assement EIA should be undertaken
• schemes to reduce impact on environment

Economic developments - The economy keeps running without the need for explotation and destruction of the environment

All states to elimate poverty in order to elimate inequality

unsustainable development methods elimate and more appriotare technoogies

scienetifc innoovation can help understanding

Limits to Growth - MIT scientists the world will go into global catastrophy if its is not managed

Norway is considered to be a sustainable country which has transfromed its economy from oil based profits to a fund to make sure this is sutainable for future generations

It also has many envirpnmental projects which makes it one of the nicest places to live according to the UN

It combines all pillars of development (social, economic, environmental, poltical) to ensure great quality of living for its nation

Norway has a high ESI score as its environmental sustainable and quality of life improving

Brazil has had very high growth rates since 2001

this is a result of exportation of agricultiral and raw materials

Trade surlpuses with China and India or Iron ore

Amazon rainforest is being deforestes 83% already has

200 million head of cattle - soy farms and ranching encouraged by  the government as their development agenda

Composite index used from 1999-2005  - eplaced by Environmental Performance Index which included more factors including health

• Uses 21 variables
• ESI places countries on an index from 0-100
• has multiple dimensions (economic, environmental factors)

5 main themes

• Environmental systems
• Global Stewardship
• reduciing stresses
• reducing human vunerability
• social and insitutional capacity

Focuses that developing countries need to work on finding solutions to water depletion and environmental challneges

Developed countries need to focus on reducing environmental energy resources

Good points

• Can see progress - the New Environmental performance index shows % increase per year
• visual represntaion can plot it on a star diagram
• easy to compare and rank
• quantititve data

Bad points

• outdated
• critical environmental issues not taken into account
• some issues may be effected by the other counties