Overview
This lecture introduces the concept of sustainability, its core definition, and frameworks for understanding how resource use impacts current and future generations.
Definition of Sustainability
- Sustainability is meeting present needs without compromising future generations' ability to meet their needs.
- The U.N. Brundtland Commission popularized this definition of sustainable development.
- Sustainability focuses on living today so that future generations can thrive.
Resource Use and Equilibrium
- Many planet resources (e.g., trees, fish) can replenish if used at the right rate (replacement rate).
- Replacement rate is the pace at which resources can naturally recover after use.
- Using resources at the same rate they replenish keeps them at equilibrium.
- Overusing resources depletes them, leading to issues such as disappearing fisheries and forests.
- Excessive consumption causes problems like climate change and ocean plastics.
Systems Thinking in Sustainability
- Sustainability requires understanding how individual actions affect global systems.
- Every decision, like buying a smartphone, has worldwide impacts, including on resource extraction and people.
The Three E’s Framework (Triple Bottom Line)
- Sustainability involves three interconnected pillars: environment, economy, and equity.
- Focusing only on short-term economic profit undermines long-term economic health.
- Protecting the environment without considering livelihoods can harm society.
- Ignoring equity leads to unequal resource distribution and social problems.
- Successful sustainability requires balancing and connecting all three E’s.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Sustainability — using resources in a way that does not harm future generations’ ability to do the same.
- Replacement Rate — the rate at which a resource can naturally replenish after being used.
- Equilibrium — a state where resource use matches the rate of resource replenishment.
- Triple Bottom Line (Three E’s) — framework emphasizing environment, economy, and equity in sustainable decision-making.
- Systems Thinking — analyzing the complex connections between decisions, resources, and global impacts.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review the definition of sustainability and the three E’s framework.
- Reflect on personal consumption habits and their global impacts.