4.1.

1-
Sustainability and
sustainable
development
 2

From the Study Design

Key Knowledge Key Skills

▰ Understandings and critiques ▰ Analyse definitions of
of sustainability and sustainability and the concept
sustainable development of sustainabile development
 3

Sustainability
▰ Buzzword….
▰ Associated with:
╺ Being “Green”
╺ Renewable products
╺ Environmentally friendly
╺ Claiming products, policies,
services either reduce harm
OR have much less impact
 1. Investigate “Sustainability”
The term ‘sustainability’ is hard to define because it can be
linked to an idea, a property of living systems, a
manufacturing method or a way of life.

We generally associate the term ‘sustainable’ with being

environmentally friendly, renewable and green.

See the multiple definitions, Textbook pg. 251

(& glossary)

Write a definition for each of the following:

• Sustainability
Learning • Sustainable development
• Ecologically sustainable
Task: • Renewable
• Non-renewable
 5

The Demise of the Rapa Nui

• Rapi Nui is located in the South Pacific,

otherwise known as Easter Island
• Famous for the giant stone moai statues
• By the time Europeans arrived in 1722,
the indigenous population was in
freefall
 The Demise of the Rapa
Nui
Watch:
“How Gods Die”
Talking points for after:
1. Describe their relationships
with the environment and
outline the consequences.
2. Outline what contemporary
societies can learn from the
plight of the Rapa Nui
people.

6
 U N D E R S TA N D I N G S O F
S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y &
S U S TA I N A B L E D E V E L O P M E N T

There have been four key collaborations that have contributed to our
understanding of the concept of sustainability.

Outline the contributions of each of the following (1 sentence):

• Brundtland Commision 1987
• Earth Summit 1992
• World Summit 2005
• United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development 2012

See pg.252-254
Elements of sustainability
Sustainability

Economy
Sustainability can only be
achieved through integrating
three key elements.
These elements are referred to as
Society Environment the pillars of sustainability.
 THE ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT PILLAR
• Refers to the promotion of standards of living and market productivity of
a country.
• Many countries (like Australia) have focused on resource extraction and
manufacturing processes, which can have a detrimental impact on the
environment in order to achieve economic growth.
• About 80% of the world’s private consumption is consumed by only
20% of the world’s population
• Consumption and population rates are increasing, demanding more from
the environment and consuming more of its resources
• We are starting to understand that the economy that we socially depend
on is a part of the environment
 THE SOCIAL
DEVELOPMENT PILLAR
• Refers to the social wellbeing of all people, regarding the meeting
of the basic needs for survival
• Inequality between rich and poor is increasing.
• 1% of the world’s population own 40% of the world’s wealth
&
the poorest 50% own only 1% of the world’s wealth
• A major focus of sustainability is social equalisation – to enable all
humanity to access basic needs, many of which stem from
environmental resources

Fast Facts about Social Consumption
 Australia is the largest emitter
of greenhouse gases in the
world, largely due to its
dependence on fossil fuels.
 Australian is ranked 5th highest
in the world for the production
of municipal waste
(households). We generate 67
million tonnes of waste each
year – approx. 2.25 kg per
person/per day
11
 Australians spend $10.5 billion
annually on goods and services
that are never or hardly used.
This is more than the total spent
by governments on universities
or even roads.
 Glass can be recycled
indefinitely, it never wears out (or
breaks down) BUT
we only recycle 57% of our glass
waste
 T H E E N V I R O N M E N TA L
PROTECTION PILLAR
• Environmental protection was very low, or even non-existent in governmental policies.
The environment suffered due to this neglect
• The past 30 years have seen greater understanding of the links between environmental
health and social and economic development
• Much of our social and economic development relies on the precious resources
provided by the environment
• This has seen the development of environmental health monitoring and the adaption of
‘cleaner’ methods to survive
• Companies and industry are investing in environmentally friendly technologies,
processes and products
• Consumers are far more aware of theses and actively seek them out for the benefit of
the environment