Chapter 1 – Fundamentals of Sustainability Flashcards

Question

Explain the most important aspects of ecology:

Answer 1

* The rate of depletion of renewable resources (e.g., wood) should not exceed their rate of regeneration * Non-renewable resources (e.g., mineral oil) should only be used to the extent that their functions can be replaced by other resources * Substance inputs into the environment should be based on the load-bearing capacity of the environmental media * The temporal capacity of the environment to respond to anthropogenic inputs or interventions and to regenerate must be considered * Hazards and unacceptable risks to human health from anthropogenic impacts are to be avoided

Answer 2

1. Orientation on Human needs: Design of sustainable development processes must be based on addressing human needs. 2. Intergenerational equity: Consideration of the needs of present as well as future generations 3. Intragenerative justice: Consideration of the balance between industrialized and developing countries 4. Integrative aspect: Consideration of economic, ecological and social developments

Answer 3

* Maximum principle: more material goods and services are produced with the same resource input * Minimum principle: the same material wealth is generated with less resource input * Factor X principle (Schmidt-Bleek 1993, Weizsäcker et. al. 1995) * Problem: no consideration of effectiveness  Rebound effect

Answer 4

Consumption of renewable (wood, water) and non-renewable (coal, oil, minerals) resources

Answer 5

Sustainable Development is „development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.“

Answer 6

The concept presents a set of planetary boundaries within which humanity can continue to develop and thrive for generations to come. The boundaries are associated with nine essential Earth system processes that help maintain the stability and resilience of the Earth system. They are: 1. Climate Change 2. Change in Biosphere Integrity 3. Modification of Biogeochemical Flows 4. Introduction of Novel Entities 5. Land System Change 6. Freshwater Change 7. Stratospheric Ozone Depletion 8. Ocean Acidification 9. Increase in Atmospheric Aerosol Loading

Answer 7

The idea of „limits to growth“ The planetary boundaries were first formulated by the Stockholm Resilience Centre in 2009, as an answer to the question of whether or not nature had any identifiable limits that we couldn’t exceed, and attempted to draw up a definitive list of thresholds that couldn’t be safely exceeded.

Answer 8

For companies, the carbon handprint is a measure of how much GHG emission reductions they can help their customers achieve through their products and services, compared to a baseline product or service. The bigger the handprint, the better. The idea behind carbon handprint is to offer customers better visibility on the solutions that help them decrease their carbon footprint.

Answer 9

Carbon footprint is a measure of the total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by an individual, event, organization, service, place or product. It's typically measured as tons of CO2 equivalent (CO2e) per defined function or unit.

Answer 10

* Measuring progress against the 1st Sustainable Development Goal "End poverty". * Consideration of 10 indicators in the areas of health, education and standard of living. → Presentation of the nature and extent of thedisadvantage

Answer 11

* Reorganization of material and energy flows so that a return to the natural material cycles is possible. * Prerequisite: technical innovations

Answer 12

Determined figures for the period 1999- 2018: Worldwide ... → 495,000 fatalities as a direct result of extreme weather events. → 12,000 extreme weather events worldwide → US$3.54 trillion loss (in purchasing power parity) as a direct result of extreme

Answer 13

* Compiled annually since 2007 by Germanwatch * 58 countries (> 90 % of global energy-related CO2 emissions) * Relative ranking (better - worse)

Answer 14

**Handprint**: * Innovative approach to facilitate the measurement, evaluation and communication of the ecological, economic and social sustainability impacts of products. * A measure of how much products and services are helping others cut their GHG emissions. * **You want it to be BIG.** **Footprint**: * The existing approach focuses on negative ecological impacts on individuals, organizations or countries. * A measure of GHG emissions For an individual, event, organization, service, place or product. * **You want it to be SMALL.**

Answer 15

Carbon handprint calculations make it easier to understand how a company's products or services help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. One of the main aims of Carbon Handprint is to help communicate, says Annamari Enström, Life Cycle Assessment Associate at Neste, a global leader in the field of renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel. The Carbon Handprint shows the difference is when the customers use the products of a company, e.g., Neste, compared to when they use conventional products with similar functionality that have been available for decades.

Answer 16

* Sufficiency goes down and left * Efficiency goes up and left * Consistency jumps to the left **legend**: **y**-Economic return **x**-Expenditure of resources or environment

Chapter 1 – Fundamentals of Sustainability Flashcards

(40 cards)