Global Sustainability and Prosperity

1. Global Sustainability and Prosperity Can sustainability and prosperity be balanced in a globalizing world?

2. Prosperity versus Sustainability • In the last section, you learned about the conflict between economic goals and maintaining a healthy environment • Which do you think should be the higher priority: prosperity or a healthy environment? • Can these two co-exist in a globalized world?

3. Sustainability • What does sustainability mean for people, the economy, and the environment? • Should sustainability matter? • “It is a stark and arresting fact that, since the middle of the 20th century, humankind has consumed more natural resources than in all previous human history.” • “Environmental awareness is something total. One cannot live for half the day concerned with the environment and the other half ignoring or destroying it.”

4. Sustainability • Sustainability: ability of the earth to provide the resources necessary to meet people’s needs • People cannot live without effecting the environment • Materials to make homes, clothing, tools, etc • Fuel for heat, transportation, electricity, etc • Food • Water for drinking, cooking, cleanliness and health • Ecological Footprint: describes the load people impose on nature • Area of the earth’s surface necessary to sustain level of resources you use and waste you create

5. Ecological Footprints • Canada has a large ecological footprint (more developed – uses more resources & produces more waste) • 7.25 hectares per person • Population: 33 million • Population density: 3.3 persons per sq. km • Population growth rate: 0.88% • GDP per Person: $35, 200 (US) • Life expectancy: 80 • Bangladesh has a small ecological footprint (less developed – uses less resources & produce less waste) • 0.6 hectares per person • Population: 147 million • Population density: 1023 persons per sq. km • Population growth rate: 2.09% • GDP per Person: $2,200 (US) • Life expectancy: 62

6. Global Perspectives on Ecological Footprints The Resource Gap • Gap between resources and earth can reasonably supply 1.89 ha/person • We now use 2.8 ha/person • What challenge does this pose for the future? • We are going into debt • Earth cannot continue to sustain basic necessities needed to support life • Debt has to be repaid

7. Have efforts to promote sustainability been successful? Kyoto Protocol • Problem: greenhouse gases are contributing to the rise of global temperatures; developing nations will suffer more • Goals: countries asked to reduce 1990 greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2% by 2012 (Canada set goal at 6%) • Actions: nations free to develop own plans • Successes: 2004 – Canada was 27% higher than 1990 levels • Barriers: Alberta and other industrial sectors believe it will lead to job losses

8. Positive Steps in the Right Direction? Kyoto, is this enough? • The Kyoto Protocol is a product of the third Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This conference took place in Kyoto, Japan, and the agreement was first signed on December 11, 1997. Since then, a large number of countries have agreed to cut their greenhouse gas emissions. • One notable exception is the United States, which has signed but not ratified. That signature but lack of ratification means that the U.S. agrees in principle to the goal of the Protocol but doesn't find it necessary to adhere to its standards. • The countries that have ratified the Protocol have agreed to cut their greenhouse gas emissions to 5 percent below the 1990 levels by the year 2012. Given that those levels have certainly gone up since 1990, that's a significant drop in emissions for many countries. • http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/globalwarming.html

9. Have efforts to promote sustainability been successful? Alberta Tar Sands • Problem: costs 1 barrel of oil to retrieve 3 – produces tons of greenhouse gases • Goals: lower the energy needed to extract oil • Actions: creating new, more efficient methods to extract the oil (ie: steam) • Successes: Alberta government oversees operations; monitors environmental conditions • Barriers: as oil around the world runs out, many people turn to the tar sands, creating a larger demand

10. Have efforts to promote sustainability been successful? Alternative Energy Sources • Problem: solar and wind power create less damage to environment • Goals: replace a substantial portion of fossil fuels with alternative energy • Actions: examples – retrofitting existing buildings to use green energy resources; greater efficiency standards for vehicles • Successes: built several wind farms in Alberta; lowering cost of solar energy; built hydroelectric plants • Barriers: prices for alternative energy are higher than conventional methods; existing tax structures support conventional methods; must find way to store energy

11. Stewardship • What is environmental stewardship? • The obligation to maintain resources in a sustainable manner • How does this connect with our ecological footprint? • What is an ecological footprint? • http://islandwood.org/kids/impact/footprint/footprint.php

12. Spirituality and Stewardship • As people assess their position on sustainability, many consider their spiritual perspective in addition to political, ideological, or economic perspectives • It can have a profound effect on how people see the world, and how they view the environment and the development of land and resources • People who believe in stewardship feel a responsibility to protect and tend the Earth to keep it healthy for future generations • The relationship between the two often compels people to protect the land

13. Sustainability and Urbanization • As you already know, globalization has resulted in increased urbanization • There are many challenges to sustainability that exist in an urban setting • For example, a high concentration of people results in a large amount of garbage for disposal • Also, air quality may be affected by increased traffic from the suburbs • If globalization has contributed to these problems, can it be used to help solve them? • What is URBAN SPRAWL?

14. Making Sustainability Work • How can cities achieve prosperity through globalization and at the same time protect their environment to achieve sustainability? • One way is to rely on their citizens to practice responsible behaviour such as waste disposal programs, recycling programs, and the use of public transit • Another approach is to encourage sustainability through globalization by tying international trade agreements to environmental protection • Example: as a part of NAFTA, Mexico is obligated to bring its environmental protection standards in line with those of Canada and the United States

15. Regions of Canada • Canada is the second largest country in the world in physical size, but most of the land is covered by tundra, forests, and ice • Though Canada’s natural resources are very valuable in world markets, developing these resources may cause environmental damage • How will Canadians decide which resources to develop and which to leave intact? Whose perspectives need to be considered when decisions about resources are being made?

16. Sustainability and Prosperity in Canada: Regions of Canada Much of Canada’s prosperity depends on the development and trade of natural resources. Why is it important to develop these resources carefully?

17. Perspectives on Conservation • Many natural resources like oil and gas are finite, or limited. If they are consumed faster than they develop, they can become depleted • When a resource can no longer meet demand, alternatives must be sought, but in many cases, however, alternatives are unavailable or in short supply.

18. Regional Differences • Wealth is not evenly spread throughout Canada’s regions and provinces • People tend to move where they think they might find work, so migration tends to occur from less developed provinces to more developed provinces • To distribute wealth more equally across Canada, tax money from all provinces is collected by the federal government and then dispensed through equalization payments. • The transfer of funds to less wealthy provinces is designed to ensure that all Canadians have access to the same level of services such as education and health • But are these transfers fair? Different people have very different ideas

19. Regional Differences • An example: in 1980, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau’s government created the National Energy Policy (NEP) with the aim of lowering energy costs across Canada • The idea behind it was to protect Canadians from paying global market prices for oil and gas because the resource was readily available in Alberta • Therefore, the government made oil companies lower prices all across Canada • Oil companies that did not want to comply, were shut down with money and jobs lost • The goal of the NEP was to contribute to sustainable prosperity by allowing all Canadians to enjoy low-cost oil, but it didn’t work, because the strategy discouraged business in Canada (the companies just looked for profits elsewhere) • Is it sustainable for an economy to rely on a single resource?

20. Sustainability and Prosperity in a Globalizing World • Whose responsibility is it to ensure that the needs of people worldwide are being met in a sustainable way? • How do global issues of sustainability and prosperity affect you and those around you? • As a person who lives in a more developed country, you likely consume many more resources than people in less developed countries • Some environmental scientists claim that the entire world needs to reduce consumption of energy and materials by 50 percent by the year 2050 in order to keep from damaging the ecosystems of the world beyond repair • How are you responsible for doing this?

21. Lastly, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development • Globalization has led to the development of many international organizations concerned with sustainable prosperity • The OECD is a major international organization “made up of 30 countries that work together to meet the challenges of globalization”. • Canada is one of 19 founding members • The OECD’s purpose is to “help governments achieve sustainable economic growth.....while maintaining financial stability.” • OECD’s main areas of research are: globalization, sustainable development, and the environment