Chapter 2: Environmental Protection and

Sustainable Development

2.1 Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development

Increasingly, environmental protection is being incorporated into all human actions and into the process of development.

Meeting our needs while protecting the environment iscalled sustainabledevelopment.

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Environmental protection has evolved from piecemeal local efforts to a much more comprehensive global strategy covering a wide assortment of environmental problems.

This involves high levels of cooperation among states and nations

FIGURE 1 The evolution of environmental

protection

The Evolution of Sustainable Development

Although environmental policy and protection efforts have evolved dramatically in the past three decades, most solutions dealt with symptoms.

Efforts are now under way to address the root causes of the problems.

The Next Generation of Environmental Protection Efforts

2.2 Meeting Human Needs while Protecting the Environment

What Is Sustainable Development?

Sustainable development = a means of meeting present needs without preventing future generations and other species from meeting theirs.

The environment is essential to satisfying the needs of present and future generations.

Environmental protection is a key to its success.

Creating Sustainable Solutions

Conditions created by sustainable development

FIGURE 5: Infrastructure and infra-infrastructure

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Principles of Sustainable Development

Humans depend on the environment for countless goods and services that are essential for day-to-day living and the functioning of the economy.

The renewable and nonrenewable resources that support our lives have very real limits, many of which we have exceeded.

FIGURE 6: Dates of depletion of due to unsustainable practices

Growth and Development: Understanding the Differences

Courtesy of Dan Chiras

FIGURE S01_2: Solar heating FIGURE S01_3b: Tire walls

Japan's next leader has promised a big cut in greenhouse gas emissions, saying he will aim for a 25% reduction by 2020 compared with 1990 levels.Democratic Party leader Yukio Hatoyama is due to take over as prime minister on 16 September, after a resounding election victory in August. His predecessor, Taro Aso, had pledged cuts of only 8%. Mr Hatoyama said the plan was dependent on other nations agreeing targets at December's climate talks in Copenhagen.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8241016.stm