"SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT"

MGN 231 Project

Submitted

in partial fulfillment

for the award of Community Development project

Bachelor of Technology

in Department of Computer Science Engineering

Submitted By:-

Mayank Shekhar
11907197
B64
K 19 JF
Mayank Shekhar
11907197
B64
K 19 JF

Lovely Professional University,

Jalandhar, Punjab.
Module 1: Introduction:
What Are the Big Ideas?

I consider this course an academic introduction. Although

we’ll learn plenty of things that will help us understand what
personal actions we are taking are sustainable (or not!),
graduates of this course will primarily develop a more
sophisticated base of knowledge of the issues. Whatever our
position on sustainability, whether we think it’s central to
human civilization or think it’s just an irrelevant distraction,
let’s raise the level of discussion. We best understand our
arguments, and others, when we can see how it fits in the
context of previous work on the subject. And since it turns
out that many ideas and conceptions have similar underlying
themes, we can go beyond op-ed level arguments very
quickly. So we’ll spend lots of time looking at these core
concepts and build upon them to understand the natural and
social forces that control the ways in which we use
resources. There will be many opportunities to look deeply at
these questions, and I hope we’ll have some very useful
observations and discussions on the boards.

Facts are also important – most facts can be quickly

retrieved online, but we still need some essentials to quickly
comprehend arguments. In the same way that the times
tables help us speedily determine the tip to leave the cab
driver, being aware that there are 7 billion people alive today
helps us put perspective on the estimates of there being 9
billion people at mid-century.

In this introductory module, we’ll articulate why people worry

about population growth – critically examining the IPAT
equation, the history of Malthusian thought, and the concept
of a system’s carrying capacity – and we'll think about what
might cause an unsustainable system to fail catastrophically.

Goals and Objectives

After you actively engage in the learning experiences in this
module, you should be able to:

 Define the meaning of sustainability, understanding

the role of both the natural and human parts of the
system.
 Critically assess the “impact formula” or IPAT theory
of environmental impact.
 Explain what I, P, A, and T stand for.
 Explain the “SI = P x C/P x I/C” formulation, and
explain what each of the terms stands for. Be able to use
it to answer questions about predictions of impact. Know
that this is essentially equivalent to the IPAT formulation.
 Know that SI = P x C/P x I/C has not been successful
at predicting future outcomes.
 Define and critique the “Malthusian catastrophe.”
Sketch a linear food growth vs exponential population
curve and mark the “point of crisis.” Know that starvation
occurs at the point of crisis. Know that the Malthusian
catastrophe hasn’t happened, and be able to say why.
Know that the current trends in both developed and
undeveloped countries is increased food production and
lower mortality.
 Define “Malthusianism” (the idea that population
growth is limited by agricultural productivity, and so
results in inevitable mass poverty) and “neo-
Malthusianism” (which is concerned with environmental
degradation as well).
 Sketch, compare, and discuss in an ecological
context “J-curves” and “S-curves” and how they relate to
the “carrying capacity” of the environment.

Key Phrases/Concepts
Keep your eyes open for the following key terms or phrases
as you complete the readings and interact with the lecture.
These topics will help you better understand the content in
this module.

 Impact formula
 Malthusian catastrophe
 Point of crisis
 Neo-Malthusianism
 J-curves
 S-curves
 Carrying capacity
Module 2: Population
Overview
Human population change has been one of the most
dramatic features of recent decades – both in terms of
society and in terms of the environmental conditions of the
planet. In this module, we will see how human populations
have evolved over time and get a sense of where the next
century of change will take us.

Goals and Objectives

After you actively engage in the learning experiences in this
module, you should be able to:

 Explain how world population has changed over time

and is predicted to change over the future.
 Recall that current population is ~7 billion.
 Recall that peak population is expected to be ~9-10
billion, that it will reach this level between 2050 and
2100, and that it may be stable after this.
 Identify that mortality rates are decreasing, in both
developed and undeveloped countries.
 Explain the major reasons for the demographic
transition: income, the level of female education, and the
social structure of the country.
 Sketch the demographic transition diagram, including
the axis.
 Explain the demographic transition and thus the role
that age structure plays in population growth.
 Sketch age pyramids of the different demographic
profiles and discuss the implications of each stage in
terms of country wealth and development, and
implications for future population growth.
 Explain the relationship between per capita wealth
and fertility.
 Discuss the implications of demographic change for
economic growth.
 Recognize that the US has a transitional age
structure.
 Define the terms “developing countries” and
“developed countries,” and discuss why most countries
will not have “developing country” demographics by
2050, if current trends continue.
 Explain that changes in fertility are more important
than changes in mortality in determining future
population growth.
 Discuss examples of policies that aim to alter
population trends, such as the “one-child policy” in China
and family planning approach in India.

Key Phrases/Concepts
Keep your eyes open for the following key terms or phrases
as you complete the readings and interact with the lectures.
These topics will help you better understand the content in
this module.

 Demographic transition
 Population pyramids
 Birth rate
 Death rate

Module 3: Ecosystems
and Climate Change
Overview
The Earth faces many environmental pressures that result
from human exploitation of natural resources. It is possible to
manage these resources sustainably, but we see many
places where this is not the case. This is paradoxical, as
rational individuals would choose to use resources in a
sustainable way. Fisheries, forests, even the atmosphere
itself, are examples in which human action appears to
inevitably lead to resource degradation. There is a unifying
idea that explains why such diverse systems fail despite the
interests of the individuals involved, and understanding this
idea means that we can better understand potential
solutions. This idea is the "Tragedy of the Commons."

In this module, we will also look at the issue of climate

change. The Earth's climate is an important and complicated
Earth system, with external forcings and internal feedbacks
determining the climate's properties. It is also very significant
from a sustainability point-of-view – current human activity is
clearly altering the climate, which raises the question, can
we continue to produce greenhouse gases without radically
altering the Earth's environment?

We will focus on three key elements needed to understand

the Earth's past, current, and future climate. Firstly, what do
we mean when we talk about climate – how is it different
from weather? Secondly, how do we know that climate
changes over time – what is the evidence, and what are the
processes that control the climate? Finally, we will look at
how scientists attempt to estimate the climate of the near
future.

Goals and Objectives

After you actively engage in the learning experiences in this
module, you should be able to:

 Describe the meaning of the term “Tragedy of the

Commons” (ToC) and illustrate the concept with the
examples of common pasture land, fisheries, and
forests.
 Describe the state of the world’s fisheries, and
discuss general issues and general solutions.
 Recognize examples of ToC in presented examples,
and isolate the “tragedy” and the “commons.”
 Discuss how ToC might occur and how it can be
avoided.
 Explain the argument Hardin uses to say that
“appeals to conscience” (individual action) don’t solve
the problem.
 Describe the general types of ToC solutions,
recognize examples of such, and suggest at least one
example of each that has been used: external
governance, removal of the commons (property rights,
“privatization”), and internal governance/community.
 Explain that these approaches require
communication, good government, and good institutions
to be successful and can fail if there are weak societies,
corruption, or an inability to monitor outcomes.
 Articulate how different conditions in “Tragedy of the
Commons" situations can lead to successful (such as
when communication is allowed) and unsuccessful (such
as when individuals act on their own, but not in the
collective best interest) outcomes.
 Make a critique of the ToC model – in particular, note
how traditional commons have not suffered “tragedies.”
 Understand the difference between climate and
weather, and define the two.
 Know the major factors that determine the Earth’s
climate, in particular the concepts of insolation, albedo,
and greenhouse gases, and describe examples of each.
 Explain why the Earth’s climate has changed over
geologic time.
 Know what would happen to the climate system if
insolation rates change. Be able to describe how
insolation variation creates the Earth’s seasons.
 Explain how changing atmospheric composition can
alter the Earth’s climate, in particular how CO2 and other
greenhouse gases allow energy into the atmosphere but
hinder its escape, using the concepts of long and short
wavelengths.
 Understand positive and negative feedbacks in
Earth’s climate, and be able to use the “snowball Earth”
hypothesis as an example.
 Explain how a comet, meteorite, or global nuclear war
cools the surface of the Earth by adding dust into the
atmosphere.
 Know that when the early Earth was warmer it also
had higher CO2 levels in the atmosphere, and that this is
related to periods of warm climates in the past.
 Describe the changes in the Earth’s climate over the
Quaternary, describing the role of Milankovitch cycles in
the climate system.
 Describe how cores (rock, sediment, and ice) can
give past climate evidence. Know that the deeper the
core, the older the material. Know how fossils (both of
animals and plants, especially pollen) provide evidence
of past climate. Describe why knowing the types of
plants that lived in the past (via pollen records) provides
information about past climates. Understand how
isotopic fractionation provides temperature information in
cores.
 Describe examples of both proxy and instrument
climate records, and be able to state their strengths and
weaknesses.
 Know the major sources of CO2 (fossil fuels) and
methane (farming) in the atmosphere.
 Know that the US and China are the two biggest
producers of greenhouse gases.
 Know the difference between per person and country
totals of greenhouse gas production.
 Be able to describe the role of computer simulations
in predicting future climate.
 Describe the projected impacts of global warming on
global temperature, climate variability, glaciers, sea
level, and ecosystems over the next century.

Key Phrases/Concepts
Keep your eyes open for the following key terms or phrases
as you complete the readings and interact with the lectures.
These topics will help you better understand the content in
this module.

 Tragedy of the Commons

 Commons
 Property rights
 External governance
 Climate vs. weather
 Feedbacks
 Milankovitch cycles
 Greenhouse gases
 Insolation
 Albedo
 Snowball Earth
 Stable isotopes

Module 4: Energy
Overview
In this module, we will look at energy use. Globally, we're
using more energy then ever before, but most of the energy
we use – over 80% – comes from fossil fuels. What's more,
total global energy use is increasing as the population
continues to grow and as increasing development similarly
increases energy consumption. We will also consider what
this trend means for the planet, and how we might transition
to a more sustainable pattern of use.

Our current pattern of use is unsustainable for two reasons.

Firstly, energy sources that emit carbon dioxide contribute to
global climate change, and accelerating the use of these
energy sources is likely to result in an unacceptably large
amount of global warming. Secondly, the vast majority of
global energy production comes from finite resources – oil,
coal, natural gas, and uranium. If we use up these finite
supplies, we may not have the energy we need to run
modern societies. We will therefore examine energy use
today, and look at alternatives for the future, to determine if
there is a sustainable path available.

Goals and Objectives

Non-Renewable Energy
After you actively engage in the learning experiences in this
module, you should be able to:

 Identify the energy sources that we use, citing the

major examples of oil, gas, coal, and uranium. Know that
around 80% of US primary energy use comes from fossil
fuels. Know that around 10% of US primary energy use
comes from nuclear fuels.
 Describe the nature and origin of coal, petroleum, and
natural gas, and evaluate their extraction and use. Know
that worldwide fossil fuel use has more than doubled
over the last 50 years. Know a few of the big oil
producers – such as the Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Iraq,
Iran), Russia, Canada, the US, and Venezuela. Be able
to put the extraction of oil from new sources, such as
Alaska’s North Slope, in context of the overall
production.
 Know and be able to explain the key advantages of
fossil fuels: cheap, high-energy density, power-on-
demand. Be able to explain why these features are
important for modern transport systems.
 Be able to explain the key disadvantages of fossil
fuels: carbon pollution and unsustainable use.
 Know that much coal remains – hundreds of years at
the current rate of use.
 Describe nuclear energy and evaluate fuel extraction
and use. Know that advantages of nuclear energy are
that it doesn’t produce carbon dioxide pollution and that
it creates a small amount of waste. Know and be able to
describe the key disadvantages of nuclear power: cost,
proliferation, fuel supplies, and sustainability, and
 pollution. Know that nuclear waste suffers from high,
long-term toxicity, and that there are few places to store
waste. Understand and be able to explain the acronym
“NIMBY” (“Not In My Back Yard”).
 Evaluate the political, social, environmental, and
economic impacts of non-renewable fuel use.
 Be able to describe the sustainability issues of non-
renewable fuel use (e.g., understand what is meant by
“conventional energy,” “peak oil,” and “energy return”).
Be able to cite examples of oil: know how many years of
current production are estimated – around 40 – know
that past peak oil predictions have been wrong as more
oil has been discovered. Use the examples of peak
whale oil and peak uranium production in France to
illustrate how “peak oil” type events don’t necessarily
imply a problem. Know that future oil will have energy
returns that are low as it will be more difficult to extract
and process: current oil energy return is over 10; future
oil may be at 5 and below. Know that an energy return of
less than 1 implies that there is a negative investment –
less energy comes out than goes in. A possible example
is biofuel production in the US.

Renewable Energy
After you actively engage in the learning experiences in this
module, you should be able to:

 Be able to define the concept of “renewable energy.”

 Know that the key advantages are sustainability,
security, and (relative) non-pollution.
 Be able to discuss the key disadvantages. Know that
the key disadvantages are:

1. Low energy density, which is poor for collection and

transport.
2. Insufficient sources and that there may not be enough
renewable energy available to meet current needs.
3. Intermittent power generation.
4. Prices that are currently higher than conventional
alternatives.
 Outline the major sources of renewable energy and
assess their potential for growth.

1. Know that hydroelectric power is the most significant

renewable energy source in the US but that wind-power
(especially) and solar are growing rapidly.

 Describe hydroelectric, solar, and wind energy and

the ways they are harnessed. Be able to evaluate their
advantages and disadvantages.
 Describe how the policy measures of research
subsidies, generation subsides, and regulations have
been used to encourage renewable energy adoption.
 Describe the way in which conservation can be used
to reduce energy needs and the obstacles that
conservation faces, such as upfront costs and users
having to learn new systems.
 Know that current growth in energy use in the US is
slowing.
 Know that California has had no electricity use growth
for several decades as a result of heavy regulation.

Key Phrases/Concepts
Keep your eyes open for the following key terms or phrases
as you complete the readings and interact with the lectures.
These topics will help you better understand the content in
this module.

 Peak oil
 Fossil fuels
 Renewable energy
 Conventional energy
 Energy return on energy invested (EROEI)
 “Not In My Back Yard” (NIMBY)
Module 5: Water and
Agriculture
Overview
The Earth is a world of water and yet water issues are a
major concern for both natural and human systems. Modern
society requires copious amounts of fresh water for
domestic, industrial, and, especially, agricultural use.
Although water has the potential to be a renewable
resource–the hydrologic cycle is solar powered–there are
many places around the world where human use is not
sustainable. In some places, water withdrawals exploit
replacement rates, lowering water tables and depleting
aquifers. In other places, water pollution is making stocks
unusable.

Projected growth in both the world population and per capita

consumption suggests that water stocks will be further
stressed in the coming decades. The use of water in
agricultural productivity is a crucial limiting factor; high yields
require sufficient fresh water availability. Twentieth century
growth in agricultural yields–necessary to avoid Malthusian
conditions–may be slowing, in part because of an inability to
meaningfully increase the amount of irrigation.

In this module, we will explore the connection between water

and food and see what will be required to feed the planet
over the course of the century.

Goals and Objectives

After you actively engage in the learning experiences in this
module, you should be able to:

 Recognize and explain the essential elements of the

hydrologic cycle, including concepts such as: water
table, aquifer, stocks versus flows, sustainability,
renewability, and contamination.
 Know the meaning of water flux in this context.
 Sketch or label a diagram of the hydrologic cycle,
noting the major sources (oceans, groundwater,
atmosphere, ice caps) and fluxes (precipitation,
evaporation, runoff, groundwater flow).
 Know the role of insolation and gravity in driving the
cycle.
 Know that in most countries agriculture is the largest
single user of water and that industrial use is important.
 Know that residential water use is relatively minor in
developed countries.
 Know that in the US the single largest use of water is
electrical generation.
 Know that water use in the US is not currently
increasing.
 Understand the concept of indirect water use and
define the concepts of imbedded water and virtual water.
 Know how global mismatches between water use and
water resources can cause water stress in societies.
 Use the term water stress.
 Describe possible reasons why countries become
water stressed.
 Know that most places in the world currently have
sustainable water use patterns.
 Know that our water comes from aquifers that are
replenished by precipitation.
 Describe how groundwater contamination works, both
from pollution and local water table lowering, and how
this can threaten sustainable use.
 Know that future water use is expected to increase.
 Understand the concept of virtual water trading and
how this can help alleviate water stress.
 Use India and Yemen as examples to describe how
poor government policy can exacerbate water problems
in water stressed areas.
 Describe how the Green Revolution came about.
Describe some reasons behind the increase in food
 production: increased use of fertilizer, herbicides, dwarf
crop varieties, drought resistant crops, development of
genetically modified (GM) crops that are herbicide
resistant. Know that GM crops are very prevalent and
that the majority of US corn is GM.
 Define and critique the precautionary principle. Using
GM foods as an example, discuss the pros and cons of
applying the precautionary principle.
 Know why soil loss is a problem.
 Know that soil naturally replenishes itself.
 Know that current soil loss rates are higher than the
replenishment rate but that in the US rates of soil loss
are decreasing as a result of different farming methods.
 Cite the examples of terracing and no-till farming.
 Describe current trends in global agriculture and the
implications for future global food security.
 Know that food production is increasing, demands for
protein are increasing, demand for total calories is
increasing, and carbohydrate production is increasing as
a consequence of increased animal production.

Key Phrases/Concepts
Keep your eyes open for the following key terms or phrases
as you complete the readings and interact with the lectures.
These topics will help you better understand the content in
this module.

 Hydrologic cycle/water cycle

 Agricultural yield
 Green Revolution
 Genetically modified organisms
 Precautionary principle
Module 6: Environmental
Policy
Overview
We live in a world of finite resources. Societies, like
individuals, have limited goods, money, time, and attention.
If we wish to design rules about how to best solve
environmental issues, we need to invest our resources
wisely; it would be tragic to exhaust ourselves on the
inconsequential instead of tackling the monumental. So how
do we, as a society, determine where to focus our efforts to
do the most good?

One way in which groups choose how to improve decisions

that impact the environment is through the use of policy. By
negotiating and formulating rules, groups can act to change
individual actions and patterns of consumption, thereby
(hopefully) producing better environmental outcomes. In this
module, we will examine some of the common tools used by
policy-makers and some of the forces that shape (or
misshape) policy.

Making good policy requires a deep understanding of both

natural and social systems. In order to make good policy,
then, we need to understand something of the social
sciences, including a branch of economics known as
environmental economics. Economics has something of a
reputation in the minds of many people who are concerned
about the environment, but here we approach economics as
an academic discipline that is descriptive rather than
prescriptive. In the same way that the fields of atmospheric
science or ecology are helpful in informing us of the impact
of policies on the natural world, economics can help tell us
the impacts of policy on human behavior. The more we
know, the more we can ensure that our limited resources are
likely to achieve the goals our policies aim for.

Goals and Objectives

After you actively engage in the learning experiences in this
module, you should be able to:

 Apply the following concepts in assessing novel

environmental policies: ambient standards, cost benefit
analysis, risk management and the precautionary
principle, and mobilization bias.
 Outline examples of environmental policy successes
and failures and describe, with an example, the following
concepts: omission, too costly/fail to provide benefit, and
unintended consequences.
 Describe mobilization bias and how it can impact
policy.
 Understand the concept of positive and negative
externalities and provide the following environmental
examples: plastic pollution, light pollution, atmospheric
pollution, and sound pollution.
 Describe how negative externalities can be reduced,
contrasting the role of regulatory and market-based
approaches.
 Define a Pigovian tax.
 Apply the concept of a social cost and explain how it
relates to negative externalities.
 Understand economic efficiency in an environmental
context.
 Interpret a simple demand and cost curve and sketch
the results of simple policies (such as taxes or subsidies)
on prices and quantities.
 Understand the key features of cap-and-trade and
taxation approaches in limiting pollution and be able to
use carbon taxes, carbon credits, and carbon emissions
in examples. In particular, you should: Know why
allowing trading is more efficient in capped regimes;
Know why taxation and cap-and-trade approaches can
produce the same result as one another; Know that tax
systems specify cost but not the level of pollution; Know
that cap systems specify level of pollution but not cost.
Calculate the outcome (both in terms of economic and
environmental cost) of very simple applications of these
policies.
 Enumerate the differences between and cite
examples of: command and control regulations and
incentive-based regulations.

Key Phrases/Concepts
Keep your eyes open for the following key terms or phrases
as you complete the readings and interact with the lectures.
These topics will help you better understand the content in
this module.

 Cost benefit/cost effectiveness

 Efficiency
 Social cost/social benefit
 Externality

Module 7: Measuring
Sustainability
Overview
In this course, we've examined many different aspects of
modern society that may be unsustainable, especially
pollution production, ecosystem loss, resource depletion,
climate change, water use, agricultural production, and
population growth. We've also examined how we might deal
with these issues through better application of technologies
and processes and through better policy and economics. It is
not clear that sufficient progress has been made to avert
non-sustainable outcomes in the Earth system.

Here we will examine what tools are available to measure

sustainability. To do this, we will consider the essential role
played by the natural world (such as the ecosystem services
that we rely on), a brief history of how measures (also known
as metrics) of sustainability have come about, and a range of
critiques of these measures – in particular how they may not
be philosophically compatible with ethical positions that
value nature intrinsically.
Finally, I will make some predictions on global sustainability
for the 21st century based on the models we have spoken
about it class and the trends that have been observed in the
early part of this century.

Goals and Objectives

After you actively engage in the learning experiences in this
module, you should be able to:

 Know what biodiversity is and why it is considered

important in ecosystem health and be able to recognize
examples in which loss of biodiversity results in
compromised ecosystems.
 Define the concepts of resilience and fragility in an
ecosystem context and be able to recognize use of this
concept in other domains, such as in social structures.
 Define and be able to explain the reasoning of
ecosystem services. You should also be able to
recognize examples of ecosystem services and how they
are distinct from man-made services.
 Recognize the Daly Rules and describe the rationale
behind each of the three points.
 Define and be able to cite examples of different types
of environmental footprinting, describe and critique
ecological footprinting, and describe and critique carbon
footprinting.
 Describe and critique food miles.
 Define and recognize examples of the use of
heuristics in environmental thinking and be able to
compare the advantages and disadvantages of heuristic
versus metric-based approaches.
 Know the difference in the general environmental
trends of developed and developing regions.
 Know that developed regions have, in general, higher
per capita environmental impacts than developing
regions.
 Describe and critique dematerialization and other
descriptions of peak resource use (such as peak travel
and peak stuff).
 Describe, recognize, and critique Environmental
Kuznets Curves.
 Describe and recognize examples
of intrinsic valuation of the natural world and know how it
can be incompatible with quantification-based
approaches.
 Define embodied/embedded energy and understand
its importance in sustainability assessment.
 Summarize and recognize the process
of Life Cycle Assessment, including the four stages in
the model.
 Apply systems thinking in making an assessment of
the sustainability of a practice.

Key Phrases/Concepts
Keep your eyes open for the following key terms or phrases
as you complete the readings and interact with the lectures.
These topics will help you better understand the content in
this module.

 Sustainability metric
 Environmental footprint
 Food mile
 Biodiversity
 Ecosystem services
Conclusions: implications for
sustainable development
Sustainable development is largely
about people, their well-being, and
equity in their relationships with
each other, in a context where
nature-society imbalances can
threaten economic and social
stability. Because climate change,
its drivers, its impacts and its policy
responses will interact with
economic production and services,
human settlements and human
societies, climate change is likely to
be a significant factor in the
sustainable development of many
areas (e.g., Downing, 2002). Simply
stated, climate change has the
potential to affect many aspects of
human development, positively or
negatively, depending on the
geographic location, the economic
sector, and the level of economic
and social development already
attained (e.g., regarding particular
vulnerabilities of the poor, see Dow
and Wilbanks, 2003). Because
settlements and industry are often
focal points for both mitigation and
adaptation policy-making and
action, these interactions are likely
to be at the heart of many kinds of
development-oriented responses to
concerns about climate change.