Week 2.2: Declarations on Our Common Future and The End of Nature

Sustainable Reader

  As mentioned in the introduction of the Brundtland Commission's piece, the report is most concerned with humans rather than their environmental counterparts. There is still much debate regarding the weight human welfare has over environmental welfare. Is the planet merely here to sustain human life or does it have intrinsic value of its own? The Commission provides an interesting idea for why it was appropriate to use the anthropocentric perspective in the report. The report is addressing people, as improvements will come from the changes made in human behavior. By appealing to the individual's desire for self-preservation, perhaps using anthropocentric arguments will make a more significant impact, leading to an increase in change.

  In Agenda 21 the definition of the "enabling approach" in section 7.3 is unclear. Is this considered financial investment in the community (e.g. World Bank loans rather than donated goods)? 

       

 

   The Brundtland Commission defined sustainable development in the 1987 report, Our Common Future, as “development that meets the needs of the present without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. The commission worked to develop a definition that encompasses the many values and aspects of sustainability, the definition has still come under fire. It has received criticisms for neglecting to address issues that contribute to inequity, over-consumption, and degradation, like continued, conventional economic growth and global power struggles. But, as mentioned in the article, this definition and the report is a compromise among many individuals different backgrounds and perspectives.

   In making their case for the importance of sustainable development, the commission states that “The Earth is one but the world is not.” This recognizes the existence of division between the systems, values, desires, and goals of different individuals and communities. These groups, however, all depend on the same body of resources – the biosphere and the atmosphere. For this reason, these groups are bound together and must align to ensure that this one earth is preserved.

   Poverty results in environmental degradation as individuals in poverty are forced to overuse their natural resources in order to survive. This creates a feedback loop, as the environmental degradation further impoverishes the community.

   The commission recognizes that environmental utilization is inevitable. It is important that the environmental exploitation is planned with regard to water use, soil erosion, and genetic losses to ensure that the complexity and interdependency of ecosystems are sustained. The commission does not recommend the prohibition of nonrenewable resources, but suggests responsibly consuming these resources according to their availability and need.

  In Bill McKibben's The End of Nature, the processes and drivers of climate change are outlined and discussed. One mechanism by which the earth is warmed is the greenhouse effect. The energy radiating from the earth is trapped by atmospheric, greenhouse gases. This energy is then re-radiated into the lower atmosphere. The greenhouse gas carbon dioxide traps infrared radiation, which contains high amounts of energy that can be damaging to the biosphere. The upper layer of the oceans that interact with the atmosphere exchange carbon and temperature at equilibrium. So as the atmosphere heats, the oceans absorb these changes as well.

Scientists have calculated that the atmosphere before the Industrial Revolution contained about 280 parts per million of carbon dioxide.

  Today the atmosphere contains 360 parts per million of carbon dioxide and is growing at an annual rate of 1.5 parts per million. Carbon dioxide accounts for .035 % of the earth's atmosphere, which is considered a safe level necessary for maintaining life. Scientists are concerned that moving this concentration up, even slightly, will have irreversible feedbacks. The burning of fossil fuels for energy contributes significantly to the increase in greenhouse gases. Coal is one of these fuels that produces the most carbon dioxide, and is a fuel that is relied on by the state of Indiana for its energy needs. Agricultural processes throughout the globe are another significant source of greenhouse gases. This includes the burning of forests to clear land which releases carbon dioxide (and is no longer available to absorb carbon dioxide), the methane produced by termites that digest the logs that are cleared but not burned, and the methane produced by livestock in their digestive processes.