Towards Sustainable Development: World Commission on Environment and Development

The term sustainable development is explained in a coherent manner whereby the enhancement of both current and future potential to meet human needs are interconnected in a process of change in the exploitation of natural resources, technological and institutional change. The strategy for sustainable development requires several mandates from a government, locally and internationally. For instance, equality of trade and finance,  public participation in decision making and sustainable technological system  are crucial to global harmony between humanity and nature and among human beings. Therefore, this theoritical approach to a sustainable development will depend on the effectiveness and the sincerity with which these measures are addressed.
Reference: http://www.graphicreflections.org/category/development/

Blog Reflection: What future would you like to see for the Alberta Sand Project

The Alberta Tar Sand project has triggered a myriad of debates in the world today. More and more people are becoming aware of climate change and ecosystem disintegration. One would imagine that we would think twice before we repeat the same mistakes that our ancestors committed in the past. But unfortunately, the Alberta project is a backward system instead of a sustainable forward system. The environmental impacts caused by the development are not being given enough credibility, driven by our government's and citizen's blind and easy acquisition of wealth. It is true that we have maximized our oil extraction and we need oil for a myriad of systems. However, instead of finding a replacement to our oil reliance we need to invest more into finding alternative sustainable resources to meet our needs. Therefore, I believe that the future of the Alberta oil sand is bleak. We are not thinking about the long term. It is undeniable that there are more cons than pros in this development. The environmental impacts of the tar sand extraction is vast and is impacting many locals and animals. For instance, the toxic waste generated after the extraction should be treated before it is discharged in the tailing pond. No matter how much greenhouse gas emission is reduced from the tar sand extraction, we are causing damages in other part of the ecosystem in one way or the other. Thus, I believe that if more and more people protest against the tar sand without the intervention of certain "supposedly-liberal environmental activists" and their wrong motives, we can bring a halt to this project. If we consumers do not let our voice be heard and change our ways of living we will live in this misery for a very long time and watch our environment being degraded in front of our own eyes.

Reference: http://randsco.com/index.php/2006/02/05/Roaring_Dinosaurs-Prosperous_Alberta

Resource activity: Carolyn Steel: How food shapes our cities.

It was surprising to me to learn that food was being transported from one county to the other over 10,000 years ago. According to me, instead of moving away from this notion we have turned our means of getting food and its quality worse today. One would imagine that before we were to let this catastrophe happen we would have devised solutions bigger and more sustainable than the one we have today. Unfortunately, industrial Agriculture has shaped our world and multinational corporations have taken custody and control of our food system.It is true that our population is rising at a pace faster than we can sustain it. However, It is not too late for us to start making changes to the flaws that we see in our food system. For instance, I believe there are solutions better than conventional agriculture in meeting our food needs. For example, the adoption of organic farming technologies in our conventional agriculture is a great way of improving our crop yields. Next, if each and every one of us were to grow some of the most basic vegetables that we need daily, we will contribute tremendously to a healthier solution to growing our food. After all it is us, consumers that run the food market and thus public scrutiny can make a difference in the economy. By taking more into account, the distances our food travel and how it is produced, we can help reduce the higher prices of organic food and allow for its availability to those who cannot afford it.
Reference: partlysunnyrisd.blogspot.com

Women's indigenous Knowledge and Biodiversity Conservation

Vandana Shiva argues that our capitalistic paradigm today has disintegrated the biodiversity of organisms and of women. Shiva stresses that women contribution and knowledge in different fields of food production and agriculture have been underlooked. This is related to the treatment of biodiversity as a monoculture and society's patriarchic approach. Women undestand and have a large role to play in biodiversity conservation.However,biotechnology today has destroyed biodiversity whereby natural occurences of seeds are being manipulated for the benefits of multinational coorporations. Thus, patents are stealing safe and healthy food from Third World Countries by interrupting the natural flow of creation.
Reference: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jamie-bechtel/lets-try-something-new-en_b_696059.html

Envionmental, Energetic, and Economic Comparisons of Organic and Conventional Farming Systems

This selection is based on a 22-year study done by the Rodale Institute Farming in order to compare the productivity of crops grown on three different cropping systems: a conventional system, an animal manure and legume-based organic system and a legume-based organic system. It was found that there is variability in crop yields in the organic system and the conventional system due to different factors such as amount of  rainfall, and soil characteristic. However, the organic system has more environmental benefits than the conventional system. Thus, organic technologies can be used in conventional system in order to create a more sustainable cropping system. The non-conventional agricultural system does come with disadvamtages such as Nitrogen deficiency and weed competition, but fortunately these snags can be overcome. Therefore, the organic system in the end, is way more sustainable and ecologically sound than the conventional system.

Reference:  www.cefs.ncsu.edu/.../farmingsystems.html

Food Scarcity:An environmental wake up call

Lestor Brown stresses on the factors that will lead to food shortage which are directly related to environmental degradation. Rising grain prices will lead to an economical unsustainability making the cost of living of the million of hungry people around the world even worse. The increase in population and thus in food production have led to an unefficient usage of water and land. Land and water exploitation due to food scarcity are causing major environmental destruction along with low economic progress. Therefore, it is crucial that we find a balance between climate and population. An environmentally sustainable economy and proper use of natural resources are key to our food and population emergency.

Reference: http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2008/06/05/amid_calls_for_unity_politics_divide_un_food_conference/

The Agricultural Crisis as a crisis of culture

In this selection, Wendell Berry, emphasises on the transition of farming communities of yesterday to the community-killing agriculture of today. Science and technology has replaced traditional sustainable farming with a culturally destructive manner of agriculture.  Today's culture has shifted agricultural food production  from good quality to quantity. If today's culture remain disconnected as it is with nature, the healthy farming culture will slowly disintegrate and lead to a catastrophe. The agricultural system of today is switching farmers' healthy farming etiquette to money oriented agricultural etiquette.Therefore, since culture, agriculture and nature are interdependent, we  need to adopt respectful measures without affecting any of the members connected in this interdependency.

reference:http://www.export.gov.il/Eng/_Articles/Article.asp?ArticleID=1994&CategoryID=399