Category: Sustainable Development
Sustainable Consumption: What It Is and Real Examples
Sustainable consumption is the use of products and services with the least possible impact on the environment, also called responsible or conscious consumption. What is sustainable consumption in practice? According to the UN (2011), it seeks to minimize the negative effects of consumption and production while improving quality of life, taking the product’s whole life…
What Is Sustainable Development? Definition and Principles
Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own. That definition comes from the 1987 Brundtland report, Our Common Future, and rests on two ideas: human needs, especially those of the poorest, and the limitations of the environment and of technology. What…
Sustainable Cities: What They Are and Real Examples
A sustainable city is a habitat that offers its residents quality of life without compromising the resources of future generations. By 2050 the number of people living in cities will multiply to 6 billion, which raises major challenges around water, energy, transport and pollution that demand cooperation between government, the private sector and citizens. What…
Non-Renewable Natural Resources: Types and Examples
Non-renewable natural resources are materials that exist in fixed quantities and, once used up, do not come back on a human timescale. What are the best-known non-renewable natural resources? Oil, coal, natural gas, metallic minerals such as lithium, and nuclear uranium. They took millions of years to form, they pollute when burned, and oil and…
Environmental Organizations: Who They Are and What They Do
Environmental organizations are institutions, NGOs or government bodies that study, monitor and protect the environment. WWF brings together more than 5 million volunteers across 100 countries, and the Global Environment Facility has provided more than US$22 billion in funding since 1991. What are environmental organizations, and how far does their reach extend? What do environmental…
