It may seem like a silly question to ask. I assumed everyone in the world understood what environmental sustainability means. However, I’ve learned that some terminology can be confusing. Terms like sustainability, biodiversity, and global warming can have different meanings for different people. Recently, someone told me that global warming is a myth and that international organisations advocating for stricter carbon emissions regulations are actually trying to destabilise governments. This person argued that achieving a zero-emissions state is unnecessary to stop global warming because plants need carbon dioxide to live and use it for photosynthesis. This person “does not get it”.
I realised that many people don’t fully understand the "buzzwords" used by environmentalists. Without a clear understanding, it's challenging to persuade them that our efforts to protect the environment are important and that we should keep pursuing them.
Environmental sustainability means we take out less of the Earth than the Earth can regenerate. In ecological terms, sustainability refers to the capacity of natural systems and human societies to thrive together without depleting or damaging natural resources. It emphasises the balance needed to maintain healthy environments, economies, and communities for current and future generations. Essentially, it's about meeting our present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs.
It all sounds so easy—just don’t damage the environment while trying to make a living. However, it is easier said than done. Economic activities, especially mining, monoculture farming, and spreading urbanisation, encroach on natural land and its resources. Animals and other species are pushed to extinction. (Read more here) It appears that greed for profit and a generally growing number of humans on the planet will continue to damage the Earth without regard to whether the resources can regenerate.
In the years following World War II, many towns and cities had small shops on the main street that sold local produce to local customers. This close connection meant that the distance between producers and consumers was much shorter, allowing economic power to be distributed rather than concentrated in the hands of large corporations. These smaller businesses were more accountable to democratic laws and the communities they served. They were also more environmentally sustainable.
Today, these local shops have largely been replaced by big supermarkets and shopping malls. Additionally, online shopping allows customers to order products manufactured on the other side of the world with just a click of a button. While the economy continues to grow, so do the carbon emissions associated with transporting goods. A growing mountain of trash and waste increasingly threatens biodiversity.
Bringing back these grassroots shops is the key to long-term survival and improved environmental sustainability. The economy itself needs to change by shifting support for large-scale, export-oriented food and goods systems towards putting smaller, local businesses first. This is the key transferable principle that can strengthen sustainable projects everywhere.
For sustainability to work, we must change our attitudes. Nothing will change if we continue to support big business as consumers. Big companies' greenwashing efforts breed distrust among the public, who think all efforts to save the environment are useless and wasted. And who can blame them?
The media frequently shares stories about major corporations that flaunt environmental regulations and exploit the Earth's resources. We often focus on the wrong issues, such as reducing car exhaust emissions while allowing planes to burn unrefined fuel without restrictions.
Our response to environmental sustainability issues varies depending on who profits from a shift toward more sustainable business practices and who has a larger marketing budget. If a large business stands to gain from a change, it is typically implemented, as seen with the introduction of a surcharge for plastic bags at supermarkets. However, if a change threatens to reduce a company's profits, it is criticised and suppressed, such as banning fracking, stopping drilling for oil and gas, or stopping fishing near penguin nesting sites.
We need to wake up before it’s too late and realise that human greed is leading to the gradual destruction of our planet. Soon, we may also face extinction, much like the threats our animal and plant kingdoms face today.
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All so true...