The relationship between human civilization and the environment has had a damaging impact on natural eco-systems around the globe. Environmentalists and other activists have tried to encourage the use of more sustainable processes. Currently, they have relatively been successful, but there is still a lot that needs to be done. Although changes in the global environment is a natural process, the impact by human activities has resulted in unique artificial changes that many environmentalists believe are irreversible. These concerns have gradually resulted in the need to adopt sustainable practices. Arguments have been made that sustainable practices are virtually impossible to accomplish. The intent of this work is to demonstrate that critical initiatives can be made to enable sustainability in the modern world. It focuses on critical areas and issues of our civilization such as biodiversity, agriculture, and climate change (Rockström, et.al, 2009).
Sustaining Species and Biodiversity
Although extinction of species on the planet is a natural process, human activities have expedited the process to extremely high levels. At a natural pace, extinction occurs at about one to five species each year. Presently, it is estimated that the rate of extinction has been increased to thousands of times its natural rate (Stebbins, 2013). It has become one of the most serious challenges in modern times. It emphasizes the need to facilitate and support sustainable human lifestyles. A fitting analogy views life on earth as a house of cards; continually removing cards from the structure only results in a more unstable house.
The success of ecosystems is dependent on species perform specific roles. Different species and their unique part in the ecosystem. Specifically, endemic species should be preserved, and protected from the threat posed by invasive species (Stebbins, 2013). The preservation of endemic species begins with their identification. Environmentalists, and other activists, have played a major role in the preservation of at-risk species such as tigers, and Pandas. However, it is important to realize that there are many more species that man does not recognize that are also at-risk of extinction. When making goals to support sustainability, the role that biodiversity plays needs to be a major focus.
Sustainable Agricultural Resources
Modern agriculture is largely dependent on the use of synthetic fertilizers that have consequently been linked to the decimation of vast agricultural resources. This is especially observable in the developed world such as France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Synthetic fertilizers are artificial, inorganic products containing harmful compounds such as potassium sulfate, and ammonium nitrate. Widely practiced methods in modern farming require the use of vast amounts of pesticides, and other environmentally harmful chemicals. These are not environmentally sustainable practices. Although the farming goals are ultimately attained, it comes at a high cost to natural ecosystems.
Synthetic fertilizers are not a sustainable solution. They have been associated with adverse outcomes to the environment such as the destruction of marine life, and species biodiversity (Bensel, et.al, 2014). With the aim to attain sustainability in agricultural resources, it is imperative to identify the most significant problems facing accessible agricultural resources, and develop effective solutions. Compounds in synthetic fertilizers such as potassium sulfate, and ammonium nitrate have been shown to result in many harmful outcomes for ecosystems. Further, phosphorous has been attributed the issue of fertilizer runoff. By identifying the causes of the harm observed in the natural systems, solutions can be sought. A major concern in the in the development and sustenance of agricultural resources is the excessive dependence on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
Sustaining Water Resources
With rapidly growing populations, countries such as India and Bangladesh may struggle to avail clean drinking water to their citizens. there are also other uses of water such as farming, and marine habitats. Water resources across the globe have been over-exploited, especially through overfishing. Overfishing is the removal of a species of fish from a body of water at a non-sustainable rate. These harmful practices do not allow fish species to replenish, which results in depleted and underpopulated water resources. There is a real threat posed by overfishing that is observable in most water bodies across the globe. However, some jurisdictions such as the state of Alaska has introduced regulations that enable sustainable use of its water resources. the results obtained have been admirable.
To support sustainability across water resources, the practice of overfishing would be absent. It is important to introduce government regulation that limits activities within the fishing industry that exploit water resources. In Alaska, and other places where such government interventions have been adopted, there has been significant success in facilitating sustainable fishing practices. Fishing subsidies offered by many governments such as Japan to the fishing industry also need to be eradicated (Rosenberg, 2006). Research studies have shown that eliminating the support for unsustainable fishing practices is likely to curb on the negative results observed in the fishing industries.
Atmosphere and Climate Sustainability
Dependence on carbon-based fuels have been linked to global warming. Human activities have greatly influenced global environmental systems. Scientists believe that it is important to ensure that these natural systems remain within stable limits. In an extreme case, detrimental consequences may result from unstable environmental systems. Earth’s atmosphere is an important influencers of global climate. It is important to identify atmospheric and climatic limits that should remain stable in order to attain effective global sustainability (Han, et.al, 2017).
There exists a delicate balance across all natural systems. It refers to the capacity for these global biophysical subsystems to remain stable regardless of environmental interference by external activities. With the aim of enabling and supporting sustainability, people have to maintain acceptable environmental changes to avoid disastrous environmental consequences (Rockström, et.al, 2009). Many countries and jurisdictions such as cities have developed standards that must be met in order to limit atmospheric pollution. For instance, cities across Europe have introduced laws to decrease air pollution.
Waste Management
Recycling is a common practice used to solve the issue of waste management, but one that can be advanced to include more people and products. There are opportunities to advance the modern waste-based economy. For instance, waste-based products and services have to be stopped, more incentives should be presented for recycling, and all stakeholders need to be involved.
Conclusion
Sustainability is viewed by many as unattainable. In fact, many people have been labelled names such as tree-huggers, and hippies for presenting the view that sustainability should be a legitimate endeavor. This work has shown that many of the areas relevant to sustainability can be made more sustainable through already existing methods. It is intended to demonstrate that a sustainable lifestyle is attainable, and should therefore be sought out with the associated benefits in mind.
Bensel, T., & Turk, J. (2014). Contemporary environmental issues (2nd ed.).
Han, J., Meng, X., Zhou, X., Yi, B., Liu, M., & Xiang, W. N. (2017). A long-term analysis of urbanization process, landscape change, and carbon sources and sinks: A case study in China’s Yangtze River Delta region. Journal of cleaner production, 141, 1040-1050.
Rockström, J., Steffen, W., & Foley, J. A. (2009). A Safe Operating Space for Humanity. Nature, 461, 472–475.
Rosenberg, A. A. (2006). Rebuilding US Fisheries: Progress and Problems. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 4(6), 303-308.
Stebbins Jr, G. L. (2013). The genetic approach to problems of rare and endemic species. Madrono, 60(4), 302-319.