Planet’s Sustainable Management: Models and Indicators
The Sustainable Management of the Planet: It is necessary to civilize humanity in its relationship with nature. Our future depends on the decisions we make.
Development Model
This model is characterized by the belief that the planet’s resources are unlimited. It does not consider the environment as part of its conception, viewing nature as something to be subject entirely to man. This development thinking has been, and still is, widely used worldwide.
Conservation Model
This model emerged from the limits of growth, proposing a halt to overall economic development. It opposes the previous development model due to the serious harm caused to the environment. However, it advocates for zero growth, which underdeveloped countries may see as hindering their right to prosper.
Sustainable Model
This model attempts to achieve coexistence between conservation and development. It does not deny growth but prioritizes social and environmental parameters. It seeks to integrate social and natural aspects so that ecology and economy can progress together.
Ecological Sustainability: Key Premises
The basic premises for a successful sustainable model are:
- Use renewable resources below their regeneration capacity, avoid overexploitation, promote effective use, and save energy.
- Minimize contamination processes.
- Encourage recycling and reuse in society.
- Promote behavioral patterns aimed at preserving the environment, moving away from anthropocentric behavior and recognizing nature’s importance to humans.
- Transform consumption patterns prevalent in developed societies.
- Attempt to eradicate poverty and promote debt forgiveness for countries in need.
- Reduce population growth to bearable levels for the planet to ensure resource demand is manageable.
- Achieve a serious commitment from global institutions and governments to implement appropriate environmental actions.
This means achieving eco-efficiency, where economic interests are compatible with ecological well-being, seeking societal welfare while reducing habitat damage.
Audit Scheme
This is an instrument for control, evaluation, and verification, often requested voluntarily by a company. An environmental audit inspects a company to certify its environmental behavior and demonstrate consistency with ecologically correct practices to third parties.
Eco-Labels
Companies whose products meet specific environmental performance requirements receive an eco-label awarded by an official body. The European Ecolabel is a prominent example. Eco-labels demonstrate a firm’s commitment to the environment through transparency and credibility.
Life Cycle Analysis (LCA)
To obtain eco-labels, it is necessary to study the potential environmental problems a product may cause. This involves examining materials from their origin through all intermediate stages to their waste disposal, essentially from cradle to grave.
Sustainability Indicators
Sustainability indicators must be inclusive, encompassing environmental, economic, and social areas to be truly effective. Sustainability requires an integrative perspective of the planet. One of the most commonly used indicators is the ecological footprint. This measures the difference between the available surface area (carrying capacity) and the area consumed in a particular region, known as the ecological deficit.
Each country has a different carrying capacity and ecological footprint. The ecological footprint of a U.S. citizen differs from that of a Kenyan citizen. Most industrialized countries have an ecological footprint that exceeds their carrying capacity, resulting in an ecological deficit with the rest of the planet.