The application of sustainability concepts to Australian agriculture: an overview

2003 ◽  
Vol 43 (3) ◽  
pp. 195 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Stoneham ◽  
M. Eigenraam ◽  
A. Ridley ◽  
N. Barr
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Productive Capacity ◽  
Resource Base ◽  
Weak Sustainability ◽  
Natural Resource Base ◽  
Basic Standards

This paper reviews the concepts of sustainable development in an economic, environmental and social context. Weak and strong versions of sustainable development are reviewed and applied to the agricultural sector. The paper demonstrates that despite any degradation of the natural resource base, the agricultural sector is more productive now than in the past. This has occurred because the rate of investment in research and development (resulting in increased reproducible capital) has more than offset the rate of degradation in the natural capital stock. Science, it is argued, is part of the economic system that allocates productive capacity between current and future generations. Increases in expenditure on agricultural R&D since the 1950s have ensured that past generations have transferred productive capacity to future generations. With respect to the environment, the authors argue that a strong version of sustainable development may be appropriate, particularly where there are uncertain and irreversible outcomes. Finally, it has been observed that a hybrid version of social sustainability has been adopted in Australia. While resource mobility in the agricultural sector has been generally encouraged (weak sustainability) this has been underpinned by a welfare system that ensures basic standards of well-being and opportunity (strong sustainability).

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF WEAK AND STRONG SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT MODELS

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hajiyev Ayaz Amir oglu
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Development Models ◽  
Strong Sustainability ◽  
Great Relevance ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Over Time

The concepts of weak and strong sustainable development are used in the analy­sis of sustainable development. At the scientific level, the concepts of sustai­nability and sustainable development have been tried in different ways, and over time, dif­ferent view aspects have emerged. As is generally known, sustainable development sees the best way to ensure the well-being of future generations in providing the next generation with the same resources as today. At this point, there is some discussion about the nature of the resource that needs to be protected. This discussion to­uching on the relationship between human capital and natural capital has led to the emergence of the concepts of weak and strong sustainability, i.e., models of weak and strong sustainable development.The emergence of weak and strong sustainable development models, the basics and principles that differs them from each other, as well as the study and analysis of the arguments of the supporters of these approaches, are of great relevance. Analyzing in the article the positions of those, who support strong sustainability, it is con­c­luded that the replacement of development characterized by quantitative growth with qualitative sustainable development to increase welfare is one of the important principles of strong sus­tainable development.

The Denaturation of Environmental Education: Exploring the Role of Ecotechnologies

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annette Gough ◽  
Noel Gough
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Education ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Citizenship Education ◽  
Global Citizenship ◽  
Intrinsic Value ◽  
Education For Sustainable Development ◽  
Resource Base ◽  
Natural Resource Base

AbstractThis article explores the changing ways ‘environment’ has been represented in the discourses of environmental education and education for sustainable development (ESD) in United Nations (and related) publications since the 1970s. It draws on the writings of Jean-Luc Nancy and discusses the increasingly dominant view of the environment as a ‘natural resource base for economic and social development’ (United Nations, 2002, p. 2) and how this instrumentalisation of nature is produced by discourses and ‘ecotechnologies’ that ‘identify and define the natural realm in our relationship with it’ (Boetzkes, 2010, p. 29). This denaturation of nature is reflected in the priorities for sustainable development discussed at Rio+20 and proposed successor UNESCO projects. The article argues for the need to reassert the intrinsic value of ‘environment’ in education discourses and discusses strategies for so doing. The article is intended as a wake-up call to the changing context of the ‘environment’ in ESD discourses. In particular, we need to respond to the recent UNESCO (2013a, 2013b) direction of global citizenship education as the successor to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development 2005–2014 that continues to reinforce an instrumentalist view of the environment as part of contributing to ‘a more just, peaceful, tolerant, inclusive, secure and sustainable world’ (UNESCO, 2013a, p. 3).

scholarly journals IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology 2.0: descriptive profiles for biomes and ecosystem functional groups

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Hierarchical Classification ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Human Influence ◽  
Ecological Traits ◽  
Ecological Functions

Ecosystems are critically important components of Earth’s biological diversity and as the natural capital that sustains human life and well-being. Yet all of the world’s ecosystems show hallmarks of human influence, and many are under acute risks of collapse, with consequences for habitats of species, genetic diversity, ecosystem services, sustainable development and human well-being. The IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology is a hierarchical classification system that, in its upper levels, defines ecosystems by their convergent ecological functions and, in its lower levels, distinguishes ecosystems with contrasting assemblages of species engaged in those functions. This report describes the three upper levels of the hierarchy, which provide a framework for understanding and comparing the key ecological traits of functionally different ecosystems and their drivers. An understanding of these traits and drivers is essential to support ecosystem management.

Sustainability in Asian Countries: Perspectives from Economics

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-102
Author(s):  
Youngho Chang ◽  
Jiesheng Tan ◽  
Letian Chen
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Technological Progress ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Weak Sustainability ◽  
Hartwick Rule ◽  
The Status ◽  
Environmental Sustainability Index ◽  
Selection Of

Studies on sustainable development rely on diverse and seemingly conflicting concepts that yield contrasting results. The root of these conflicting concepts is the lack of agreement on the path toward achieving sustainable development (SD), namely, weak (or economic) versus strong (or ecological) sustainability. This article revisits the Solow-Hartwick model (Solow 1974, 1986; Hartwick 1977, 1978a, 1978b), which suggests that an economy can achieve intergenerational equity by mandating the Hartwick rule of investing the amount of rents from natural capital into renewable capital. It constructs a modified Solow-Hartwick model in which the assumptions of constant population and no technological progress are relaxed and from which it derives a more general form of the Hartwick rule. The modified Solow-Hartwick investment rule presents how weak sustainability can be attained and explains how the residual Hotelling rents (or proceeds from natural resources) could be utilized in order to achieve strong sustainability. In this article, we apply the modified Solow-Hartwick investment rule to a selection of developing and developed Asian economies to assess their sustainability. We then compare our results with two existing measures of sustainability, the genuine savings (GS) model and the Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI), both of which frequently present contradicting evaluations on the status of sustainability.

Rwanda as a Knowledge Society

2021 ◽  
pp. 63-84
Author(s):  
Rehema Baguma
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Cyber Security ◽  
Knowledge Society ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Resource Base ◽  
Fast Growing ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Natural Resource Base ◽  
Telecom Sector

Generating and developing knowledge societies is a key element for sustainable development as defined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015. Based on a limited natural resource base, Rwanda chose to take an approach to development that differs from that of its neighbours by making ICTs the cornerstone of its development. With this focus, government of Rwanda (GoR) took a Pro-ICT led public policy that has led to several public reforms such as but not limited to liberalization of the telecom sector, enactment of laws to govern electronic messages, signatures, transactions, data protection, cyber-security and ICT usage, development of relevant infrastructure and establishment of key institutions such as the Rwanda Utilities and Regulatory Agency (RURA) and Rwanda Information Society Authority (RISA). These reforms have in turn led to a fast-growing ICT sector in Rwanda compared to that of the neighbours. To-date, Rwanda is one of the fastest growing African countries in ICT. In 2015, Rwanda emerged as the third best ICT country in Sub-Saharan Africa behind South Africa and Seychelles. In 2016, it moved one position up and emerged 2nd behind Seychelles. The fast-growing ICT sector has stimulated entrepreneurial creativity and growth across the economy. This chapter examines the best practices that Rwanda has applied in her journey to a knowledge society that could possibly help other countries in the region pursuing the same objective. The chapter also briefly reviews challenges and gaps in Rwanda's journey to a knowledge society and suggests recommendations for further improvement.

Environmental Degradation and Some Economic Consequences in the Philippines

1988 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 205-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norman Myers
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Environmental Degradation ◽  
Natural Resource ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
Resource Base ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Natural Resource Base ◽  
Over Exploitation

As this paper demonstrates, the Philippines is undergoing much environmental degradation—mainly in the form of deforestation, soil erosion, disruption of hydrological systems, over-exploitation of fisheries, destruction of coral reefs, and extinction of species. These problems are accentuated by the pressures of a large, fast-growing and impoverished population; and they may shortly start to be aggravated yet more by climatic change in the wake of the global ‘greenhouse effect’. Moreover, and as this paper further makes plain, the environmental degradation leads to adverse economic consequences that are pervasive and profound—as may be expected in a country where several salient sectors of development are dependent upon the natural-resource base. In the long run, indeed, environmental degradation could well preclude the Philippines' prospects for sustainable development.

scholarly journals Knowledge sharing for sustainable development through biodiversity conservation in the Mesoamerican region

2005 ◽  
Vol 04 (03) ◽  
pp. C05
Author(s):  
Topiltzin Contreras-MacBeath
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Secretary General ◽  
Environmental Stewardship ◽  
Global Environment ◽  
Future Generations

As recognized by United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, the human community has reached a point in which it is faced with an array of choices that will determine the quality of our lives and the state of the global environment for present and future generations. One possibility is that at long last we will pave a path toward environmental stewardship and sustainable development. But it is also quite possible that we will travel a less enlightened course, running down the earth's natural capital and severely limiting the choices our descendants will face.

scholarly journals COMPARATIVE ASPECTS REGARDING THE TAXATION SYSTEM IN THE CONTEXT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

InterConf ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 26-37
Author(s):  
Maria Hămuraru ◽  
Alina Cojocaru
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Tax System ◽  
Economic Agents ◽  
Ecological Aspects ◽  
The Republic ◽  
High Level ◽  
Taxation System

This article reveals the comparative analysis of the tax system from Denmark and Norway which, although have a progressive tax system, also have a high level of social and economic well-being. The premise for the welfare state in Denmark and Norway lies in the awareness of all economic agents, including households, that taxes and fees contribute to ensuring sustainable development. Sustainable development represents all forms and methods of socio-economic development, focused on ensuring the balance between social, economic, ecological aspects and the elements of natural capital. Furthermore, there are researched ways to bond the tax system in the Republic of Moldova to international practices in order to ensure a high level of quality of life and sustainable development.

scholarly journals Embedding the United Nations sustainable development goals into energy systems analysis – expanding the food-energy-water nexus

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taco Niet ◽  
Nastaran Arianpoo ◽  
Kamaria Kuling ◽  
Andrew Wright
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
United Nations ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Energy Systems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Ecological Diversity ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Development Goals

Abstract BackgroundThere have been numerous studies that consider the nexus interactions between energy systems, land use, water use and climate adaptation and impacts. These studies have filled a gap in the literature to allow for more effective policymaking by considering the trade-offs between land use, energy infrastructure as well as the use of water for agriculture and providing energy services. Though these studies fill a significant gap in the modelling literature, we argue that more work is needed to effectively consider policy trade-offs between the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to avoid missing important interactions.ResultsWe examine the 17 SDGs individually to determine if it should be included in a modelling framework and the challenges of doing so. We show that the nexus of climate, land, energy and water needs to be expanded to consider economic well-being of both individuals and the greater economy, health benefits and impacts, as well as land use in terms of both food production and in terms of sustaining ecological diversity and natural capital. Such an expansion will allow energy systems models to better address the trade-offs and synergies inherent in the SDGs. Luckily, although there are some challenges with expanding the nexus in this way, we feel the challenges are generally modest and that many model structures can already incorporate many of these factors without significant modification.Finally, we argue that SDGs 16 and 17 cannot be met without open-source models and open data to allow for transparent analysis that can be used and reused with a low cost of entry for modellers from less well off nations.ConclusionsTo effectively address the SDGs there is a need to expand the common definition of the nexus of climate, land, energy, and water to include the synergies and trade-offs of health impacts, ecological diversity and the system requirements for human and environmental well-being. In most cases, expanding models to be able to incorporate these factors will be relatively straight forward, but open models and analysis are needed to fully support the SDGs.

scholarly journals Challenges for the Entrepreneurial Environment and the European Union During the Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-40
Author(s):  
Irina Geanina Harja ◽  
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Business Community ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Resource Base ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Late Twentieth ◽  
Natural Resource Base

In the last decade, it has come to the recognition and awareness that European states and the business environment have been constantly guided by the objectives set out in the strategies by the European Union. Due to the crises, that arose, the whole of contemporary society was in a constant struggle to maintain a balance between the economic, social and environmental. Thus, the trinomial of the interdependence between economic growth, resource use and environmental protection, now known as "sustainable development", creates a multitude of activities that succeed in promoting realistic strategies on how to manage the natural resource base. Currently, due to the new crisis in the European economy, a trinomial has formed between entrepreneurship - pandemic - sustainable development. The EU continues to play its role in protecting citizens and the business community by mobilizing financial resources to minimize the negative impact of the pandemic. The purpose of this article is to highlight the fact that awareness of the emergence of a new impending crisis is forcing EU states to consider the sustainable development of the entrepreneurial environment as the driving force of the late twentieth century.

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