Understanding Sustainability: Principles, Concepts, and the Urban Ecosystem
1. Sustainability and Natural Services
Sustainability is defined as human and social development that preserves cultural, institutional, and productive capital over time, ensuring its availability and maintenance for future generations. The World Watch Institute highlights the following aspects of “natural capital”:
- Production of raw materials (food, timber, building materials, forest products, genetic resources, medicines, dyes, etc.)
- Biological control of pests and diseases
- Habitat and shelter
- Supply
The Tertiary Sector: Trade, Tourism, and Transport
The Tertiary Sector
The tertiary sector encompasses immaterial activities such as transport, trade, tourism, and education, all of which focus on delivering services to meet the needs of individuals and companies.
Types of Services
Public Services
These services are provided by the government using revenue collected from taxes. Their primary aim is to ensure social welfare.
Private Services
Private companies deliver these services using funds paid by those who utilize them. Their main objective is to
Read MoreSolar Panels: A Sustainable Solution to the Energy Crisis
“Not only will atomic power be released, but someday we will harness the rise and fall of the tides and imprison the rays of the sun.” – Thomas Edison (Edison, 2014)
A quote from Thomas Edison an environmentalist, who focused on comparing energy with environment. He outlines that different types of power will be extracted. People will want to raise to the top trying different technologies. But due to scarcity of these fossil fuel, there will be a fall. By imprisoning the sun, Thomas says
Read MoreAndalusian Agrarian Revolts & Social Change in 19th Century Spain
Andalusian Agrarian Revolts
The Struggle for Land and Freedom
Every struggle has a purpose: achieving deserved freedom. By 1850, Andalusian peasants faced dire circumstances. The unequal distribution of property and increasing proletarianization fueled radical peasant movements. The final straw was the confiscation of land by the Progressives, dashing hopes for a fair deal for laborers.
Rising Tensions and Open Revolt
Agrarian insurrections became commonplace in Andalusia. Peasant uprisings often involved
Read MoreThe First Industrial Revolution: A British Transformation
The First Industrial Revolution in Britain
Factors Leading to Industrialization
The First Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain after 1750 due to a confluence of factors:
- Agricultural Revolution: Increased food production led to lower prices and a surplus of labor.
- Financial Institutions: A central bank and thriving industries provided capital for new factories.
- Entrepreneurial Spirit: Risk-taking entrepreneurs fueled innovation and economic growth.
- Mineral Resources: Abundant coal and iron powered
A Historical Overview of Key Events and Figures in African History
Abdel Omran’s Epidemiological System
Stage 1: Fluctuating Birth and Death Rates
High and rapidly fluctuating birth and death rates, canceling each other out, waves of epidemics & famines.
Stage 2: Declining Death Rates and Population Growth
Death rate shapes the structure of the population, improved standard of living + nutrition brings death rate down = population growth.
Stage 3: Rise of Degenerative Diseases
People adjust and birth rates start to come down. Degenerative diseases, such as heart