Session 4/DL Colloquium/Spring 2005

January 31 - February 6

Sustainability II: Global Problems and Solutions

Over the course of this century, the relationship between the human world and the planet that sustains it has undergone a profound change. When the century began, neither human numbers nor technology had the power to radically alter planetary systems. As the century closes, not only do vastly increased human numbers and their activities have that power, but major, unintended changes are occurring in the atmosphere, in soils, in waters, among plants and animals, and in the relationships among all of these. The rate of change is outstripping the ability of scientific disciplines and our current capabilities to assess and advise. It is frustrating the attempts of political and economic institutions, which evolved in a different, more fragmented world, to adapt and cope. It deeply worries many people who are seeking ways to place those concerns on the political agendas . . . The Commissioners came from 21 very different nations. In our discussions, we disagreed often on details and priorities. But despite our widely differing backgrounds and varying national and international responsibilities, we were able to agree to the lines along which institutional change must be drawn. We are unanimous in our conviction that the security, well-being, and very survival of the planet depend on such changes, now.

--From "Our Common Future", The World Commission on Environment and Development (1987)

Fifteen years have passed since The World Commission presented its historic report, "Our Common Future"....It has been 10 years since the historic Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro--a good time to revisit the achievements since that gathering and to consider how to accelerate the pace of change in the decade ahead.....Stunning developments,such as the fact that half the world's wetlands have been destroyed--a goodly portion of them in the decade since Rio--are hard to grasp or to respond to. The fact that 12 % of bird species are now threatened with extinction....on the human front, a decade of unprecedented economic growth---adding over $10 trillion a year to the global economy--has left the number of people living in poverty nearly unchanged at more than 1 billion....In the struggle to create a sustainable world, there are only allies, not adversaries.

--Excerpt from the Forward and Preface of "State of the World 2002"

It is far too early to know whether the diversity and innovation that marked the Johannesburg World Summit will ultimately fill the gaps left by governments. But as you will see in "State of the World 2003", it is clear that the world is changing. Slowly, and sometimes chaotically, humanity is responding to stress--and is changing its ways, just as our ancestors did 40,000 - 50,000 years ago. Daily and powerfully, our fellow Homo sapiens remind us that it is far too early to give up on the human race.

--Excerpt from the Preface of "State of the World 2003" by Christopher Flavin

Reading

Continue with "State of the World 2004" review chapter 2-8 and choose only one chapter of interest to read (paper 2 is based on one chapter of your choosing)

Web Reading:

Things to consider when reading from the following websites:

1. What does "ecological footprint" mean?
2. What is meant by the term "carrying capacity"
3. What are the ramifications in Florida for the expansion of our human "ecological footprint."
4. What limits our "carrying capacity" in Florida?
5. What is meant by the term "fair earthshare"?
6. What is meant by "earth deficit."

You can include some or all of these considerations in your paper.

• Ecological Footprints of Nations How Much Nature Do They Use? -- How Much Nature Do They Have?
  http://www.ecouncil.ac.cr/rio/focus/report/english/footprint/
  You only need to read these pages from this website:
  Introduction
  Biological Productivity Available on this Planet

By: Mathis Wackernagel, Larry Onisto, Alejandro Callejas Linares, Ina Susana L—pez Falf‡n, Jesus M
}ndez Garc’a, Ana Isabel Su‡rez Guerrero, Ma. Guadalupe Su‡rez Guerrero With comments and contributions by Gianfranco Bologna, Hazel Henderson, Manfred Max-Neef, Norman Myers, William E. Rees and Ernst Ulrich von WeizsŠcker

Click on foot to read and complete the activity "Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on the Earth

Writing: Paper 2, "Selected Environmental Problem"

The second paper is due on February 14th . It will be graded and should be 3-4 pages in length, double-spaced. (Please pay special attention to the correct format when you email the paper.) Once you have gathered the information, write your paper. Submit your paper as an MSWord e-mail attachment . This paper is an overview of a selected environmental problem based on a chapter of your choice in State of the World 2004.

Choose one chapter (2-8) to base your paper on. Your choices are:

2. Making Better Energy Choices
3. Boosting Water Productivity
4. Watching What We Eat
5. Moving Toward a Less Consumptive Economy
6. Purchasing for People and the Planet
7. Linking Globalization, Consumption, and Governance
8. Rethinking the Good Life

There are also 11 BEHIND THE SCENES articles. Choose one of these articles and explain what material good they are writing about, the problems that this "material good" creates, and the solutions to the problem(s).

• State the issue of the chapter you have chosen to write about. (Include the title of the chapter in your Paper Title).
• Is this an important issue and do you agree it is something that needs to be remedied? What are the underlying causes of the issue presented?
• Think about the causes from global, national, social, political, economic, business, and personal perspectives. How do we add to the issue at hand? What can we do to lessen our impact (as individuals or societies)?
• Do you see signs of hope and success? How does this reading make you feel?
• What common endeavors can we begin? What can the United States do? What can you do?

There is a wealth of additional information about State of the World 2004's focus on "The Consumer Society" by visiting their Consumption Web Portal at http://www.worldwatch.org/topics/consumption

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