LibGuides: Climate Change and Sustainability: Sustainability

Sustainability Definition

Sustainability

The long-term viability of a community, set of social institutions, or societal practice. In general, sustainability is understood as a form of intergenerational ethics in which the environmental and economic actions taken by present persons do not diminish the opportunities of future persons to enjoy similar levels of wealth, utility, or welfare.

The idea of sustainability rose to prominence with the modern environmental movement, which rebuked the unsustainable character of contemporary societies where patterns of resource use, growth, and consumption threatened the integrity of ecosystems and the well-being of future generations. Sustainability is presented as an alternative to short-term, myopic, and wasteful behaviours. It can serve as a standard against which existing institutions are to be judged and as an objective toward which society should move. Sustainability also implies an interrogation of existing modes of social organization to determine the extent to which they encourage destructive practices as well as a conscious effort to transform the status quo so as to promote the development of more-sustainable activities.

Quoted from:
Meadowcroft, J. (2021, August 12). sustainability. Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/science/sustainability

Environmental Movement Definition

Environmentalism

Political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities; through the adoption of forms of political, economic, and social organization that are thought to be necessary for, or at least conducive to, the benign treatment of the environment by humans; and through a reassessment of humanity’s relationship with nature. In various ways, environmentalism claims that living things other than humans, and the natural environment as a whole, are deserving of consideration in reasoning about the morality of political, economic, and social policies.

Quoted from:
Elliott, L. (2020, September 9). Environmentalism. Encyclopedia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/environmentalism

CQ Researcher

Circular Economy - Can companies renounce a “take-make-waste” model?
A growing number of companies worldwide are attempting to reimagine their businesses to keep their products and components continuously in use. Prodded by shareholders, environmentalists and governments, they are signing on to the concept of a circular economy, in which goods are designed to be easily shared, reused, refurbished, harvested for parts and eventually recycled for their raw materials. The goal is to eliminate waste and reduce pollution and the greenhouse gases responsible for climate change. China and the European Union are leading the way, investing money and creating new laws and regulations to accelerate a transition to a circular economy. In the United States, individual states are passing laws that require producers to finance and manage take-back programs for their products. But progress has been slow. Analysts estimate that 8.6 percent of the world economy is circular, down from 9.1 percent two years ago. And some question whether the circular economy will yield the promised environmental benefits, while others say progress will rest on customers changing their behavior.
Climate Change and Health - Is the threat to humans growing?
Scientists warn that a warming planet threatens human health. A United Nations agency estimates climate change will cause 250,000 additional deaths annually between 2030 and 2050. The threat is multifaceted. Prolonged droughts are causing malnutrition in Africa, while extreme heat is leading to spikes in heat stroke in places as diverse as Baltimore and Paris. Across the globe, changing climes are worsening allergies and increasing the deadly reach of illnesses such as malaria, dengue fever and West Nile virus. But consensus is lacking about what to do. Some experts argue the threat is exaggerated because people will adapt to the changing climate. Others say nations must quickly reduce carbon emissions to limit global warming and protect human health. Environmental activists are amplifying that message. One survey found that respondents ranked climate change as the top threat in 13 of 26 countries polled. In the United States, however, only 27 percent of Republicans — versus 83 percent of Democrats — view climate change as a major threat.
Air Pollution and Climate Change - Are tougher regulations necessary?
Air pollution kills 3.3 million people a year worldwide, including 55,000 Americans, according to a new study by an international group of scientists. Moreover, airborne pollutants, especially carbon dioxide (CO2), are contributing to global climate change. In response, President Obama, frustrated by congressional inaction, has used his executive authority to institute a sweeping plan aimed at limiting CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants, curbing smog-causing ozone and encouraging the growth of renewable energy. Industry officials are challenging Obama's Clean Power Plan in court, arguing the regulations are too costly and that market forces are enough to bring about reductions in pollution. Environmental advocates dismiss those claims and say the administration should have gone further in tightening emission standards. Meanwhile, the United States and almost all the other nations on Earth are set to begin climate talks later this month in Paris to seek consensus on ways to curb emissions to stave off further warming of the planet.
ESG Investing - Do socially responsible funds pay off for investors and society?
Investments that seek to improve society and hold businesses to high standards of conduct are becoming a growing force in the United States. These socially responsible investments — also known as environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) investments — reached $8.9 billion in the first half of 2019, surpassing the 2018 total. ESG investing is especially popular with Millennials worried about climate change and companies' treatment of workers. But critics say the term is hard to define and that its potential to revolutionize the financial services market is overblown. They also argue businesses' primary role is to make money for shareholders, and that building profitable companies ultimately benefits society. Still, ESG investing is gaining favor with socially conscious investors and with companies that believe corporations have a responsibility to both make money and help society. Economists are debating whether ESG investing makes sense for shareholders, but some recent studies have found that incorporating ESG criteria into investment decisions can pay off for companies and investors alike.
Climate Change - Will some regions soon become uninhabitable? (Short Report)
Record-setting heat waves scorched the United States and other countries this spring and summer as planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions reached new highs and scientists at the United Nations warned that critical climate change goals are fast slipping out of reach. It is almost certain, they say, that global temperatures will at least temporarily rise more than 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels, threatening to destroy virtually all of the world’s coral reefs and making many regions uninhabitable. But they and other experts also note important successes around the world in replacing fossil fuels — which emit greenhouse gases when burned — with renewable energy such as solar and wind power. In the United States, President Biden on July 28 claimed a major potential legislative victory in his ambitious bid to reduce carbon emissions, but a June 30 Supreme Court ruling sharply limited the administration’s ability to regulate such emissions. Biden also has struggled to balance climate priorities with the need to lower gasoline prices and help Europe deal with fuel shortages related to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Climate Change - Will world governments act in time? (Short Report)
Weather-related disasters continued to batter the United States and other countries this year, with heat and rainfall setting records across the globe. In August, the leading international body studying climate change issued its strongest warning yet that the world is running out of time to avoid even more catastrophic droughts, storms, heat waves, wildfires and floods, even as new research confirms that emissions of carbon dioxide and other planet-warming gases from the burning of fossil fuels are to blame. President Biden is acting on several fronts to shift the country away from those fuels — coal, oil and natural gas — and is prodding other countries to do the same ahead of a critical international climate conference beginning Oct. 31, but a rift within his own party has stalled his climate agenda in Congress.