This essay is written by Clara Grosz, one of the runners up of our Sixth Form Essay Competition.
‘The needs of humans should have priority over those of nature in any planning for sustainability’. Discuss this suggestion.
The most commonly cited definition of sustainability – meeting the needs of the present without compromising the needs of the future – is taken from the Brundtland Report, entitled ‘Our Common Future’. Whilst the fate of the planet is in human hands, we share our future with the natural world. In seeking to rapidly generate profit from the demands created by an expanding and urbanising population, the fossil fuel industry and those in governance have condemned humankind to the same trajectory as the one which we have enforced on nature: a state of crisis. One cannot discuss sustainability without discussing the Anthropocene; an epoch characterised by humankind’s dominant, unsustainable influence on climate and the environment, resulting in temperature and sea-level rise, a more arid environment, increasingly frequent extreme weather conditions and the melting of the Arctic.
As inhabitants of a developed country, it is easy to feel both temporally and spatially distant from these conditions. We are familiar with the image of the lone polar bear stranded on melting ice, epitomising nature’s plight. However, advertisement campaigns such as these have reinforced the misconception that only nature is under threat, when in fact, humankind is already suffering. Living alongside the polar bear are Inuit whose food supply is already depleted due to the early break-up of sea ice, posing a risk to cultural sustainability and human health. This example proves the interconnectivity between human and natural needs: it is impossible to isolate one from the other.
So how might we consider human and natural needs alongside each other in planning for sustainability? Governments cannot continue to meet our needs as they have done thus far –exploiting natural resources at a rate faster than at which they can be replenished – as sustainable development is a long-term concept that requires us to consider future populations. Moreover, as ‘global citizens’ we cannot prioritise the ‘needs’ – or wants – of developed communities at the expense of developing communities. As expressed by the Egan Wheel, planning for a sustainable community must include the concept of equity. The example of the Inuit proves what Michael Mann has termed ‘the great tragedy of the climate crisis’: those who have left the smallest footprint upon the planet are subject to its greatest changes.
It is reasonable to conclude that planning for sustainability must consider both the short- and long-term needs of humankind, in all its diversity, alongside the needs of nature. This is no easy feat, as it involves uniting global and local players such as governments, IGOs, planners, developers and the general public, many of whom have competing interests. One solution is to be found in a recent UN sustainable development report, which identifies the value of scientific research in its ability to bridge the gap between knowledge and policy. Understanding and meeting the needs of nature may be our greatest asset in limiting climate change and mitigating the risks it presents to future generations.
Ecosystems thrive when they are at their most biodiverse, and as biodiversity increases, so do the ecosystem services offered to humans. Recent research into the seagrass ecosystem has proven the invaluable nature of the services it provides. Like other photosynthesising plants, seagrass absorbs CO2, but at very high rates: it is 40% more efficient than a tropical rainforest. British shorelines have lost over 35% of their seagrass due to human coastal activity. By replenishing its population, we can increase the carbon storage potential of our oceans, slowing its release into the atmosphere. Seagrasses are also ‘ecosystem engineers’, meaning that they modify their environment to provide unique habitats for fish, supporting commercial fisheries. One hectare of seagrass is worth approximately $19,000 per year. Seagrass replanting offers an example of the symbiotic associations we must strive to maintain, where both human and natural needs are considered alongside each other in planning for sustainability.
It is clear that the path to sustainable development is not a straightforward one. It is much easier to point to what we ought not to do than what we should do. However, the environmental challenges of the 21st Century have demonstrated that the long-term needs of humankind are inseparably associated with the needs of nature. It is up to policymakers to listen to the science and take urgent, inclusive action – the future is now.
Feedback from the Head of Department: “A good discussion of the short- and long-term challenges of sustainability, and the importance of considering both human needs and those of nature (as well as demonstrating how these were closely inter-connected). The essay also drew attention to role of science, and of different actors, from governments, IGOs, planners to the general public, in planning for these transitions to more sustainable futures”.
References
Brundtland Commission. “Our Common Future”, Oxford University Press, 1987.
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DISCLAIMER: THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THIS ARTICLE ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR ONLY AND DO NOT REPRESENT THE VIEWS OR OPINIONS OF COMPASS MAGAZINE AS A WHOLE OR THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY.
Image credits: Sophie John