HUTCHESONS’ GRAMMAR SCHOOLINTERNATIONAL STUDIES

PUPIL NAME: ______________________________ CLASS: _____Sustainable development

There is enough in the world for everyone’s need, but not for everyone’s greed. (Mahatma Gandhi)

Resources

A resource is anything that we find useful. For example:

S1 UNITSustainable

Development

A stone is a resource when it is used to build a house

Grass is a resource when cows eat it and produce milk for us to drink

Resources are either natural or human.

A natural resource has been provided by nature eg air, soil, water

A human resource is anything not natural; instead it relates to people eg a workforce, anything which has been made by people, even money.

Natural resources can also be divided into renewable and non-renewable.

Non-renewable resources can only be used once. They run out.

Renewable resources can be used many times.

We all use the earth’s resources – we breathe its air, use its water, and depend on its soil, trees and minerals.

But, how we share and use the earth’s resources affects the health of the planet and of everyone with whom we share it – now and in the future.

Managing our resources

There are more and more people in the world and we are using natural resources more than ever before - trees, minerals (eg coal, oil) – to make all the goods we need, the energy we need and the food we need. This is causing two problems:1. Some of our non-renewable resources are running out.2. The environment is being damaged– our farmland, seas and atmosphere - which causes

it to deteriorate (become worse). Sustainable developmentWhen we refer to the development of an area or country, we are referring to the improvement in people’s standard of living and quality of life there.Every country wants to develop so that its people can all enjoy a higher standard of living. So we all want to produce more food, goods and energy but this means some of our natural resources will run out and our environment will be permanently damaged. This will make it much harder or impossible for our children and grandchildren to enjoy a high standard of living and quality of life. This is unsustainable development.

These are some examples:

Our most important resources what we are doing that is unsustainable

Soil making the soil poorer > fewer crops grow

Using chemicals on soil

Minerals using up finite resources >sources of energy (coal, oil, gas) begin to run out, as well as useful minerals

Trees cutting trees down > climate change;

Air polluting the air;

burning fossil fuels > climate change;

Fresh water polluting water with chemicals;

using up underground water > water shortages

Seas polluting seas with litter, sewage and chemicals > fewer fish and seas unfit to use

Sustainable development is the improvement in people’s standard of living without wasting resources or harming the environment. We must try and make sure that everything we do (as an individual or country) is sustainable.

Our most important resources examples of sustainabilityHow to protect our soils keep the soil fertile; stop soil being eroded; farm

organically;

How to preserve our minerals use more renewable resources; recycle (glass,plastic, paper, clothing etc); don’t replace goods as frequently

How to preserve our trees protect forests; replace trees that have been cut down How to ensure clean air reduce air pollution, burning of fossil fuels

How to conserve fresh water don’t waste water; water harvesting; reduce water

pollution

How to protect our seas reduce water pollution

We are going to look in more detail at how to use two of our main resources sustainably – the valuable minerals in our rocks and the clean, fresh air above us.

Looking after our natural resources – rocks and minerals

The problem

At the present rate of use:Coal will last 126 yearsGas 64 yearsOil 43 yearsGold 45 yearsSilver 29 yearsAluminium 1812 yearsCopper 61 years

Our rocks contain hundreds of useful minerals (called mineral resources), such as gold, copper, oil; sometimes the rocks themselves are useful, such as coal, limestone. But rocks, and the minerals within them, take millions of years to form. Once we have used them, we cannot replace them. They are finite or non-renewable.

We are using up these rocks and minerals faster than ever before. At the present rate some of them will be exhausted (run out) in your lifetime. How long some of them will last is shown in the table opposite.

Solutions

1. Use renewable energy resources instead of non-renewable fossil fuels

Our main sources of energy for heating, lighting and transport are coal, oil and natural gas which we often use to make electricity. These are fossil fuels; they are formed from the remains of plants and animals. Over 80% of the world’s energy comes from fossil fuels. Not only will they run out but, when they are burned, they create a lot of air pollution.

Renewable energy resources are natural, for example water, wind and the sun. These will not run out but they are more expensive and more difficult to use. The most commonly used is water for hydro-electric power.

2. RecycleInstead of throwing away goods we can (a) re-use many of them, (b) recycle others, and (c) reduce what we buy. If we do these things, we do not need to make as many new products, which means we do not use up scarce resources in making new ones. And we do not have use up scarce energy resources to power the factories that make them or the lorries that transport them.We can recycle:

Paper Textiles

Plastic Glass

Batteries Mobile phones

We can re-use:

Carrier bagsJars

Scrap paperTyres

Old clothes Packaging

We can reduce waste by:

Buying products with little packagingBuying products which can be recycledBuying only what you need

Not replacing goods as oftenSelling or give away unwanted goodsNot replacing goods as often

Looking after our natural resources – our precious air

We need clean air. Polluted air damages our health (lung diseases and heart diseases) and our environment. We pollute air when we release pollutants into it. These are usually gases but they might be liquids or tiny solid particles. Our main pollutants come chiefly from burning fossil fuels in:1. Factories, which release mostly nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxide2. Vehicles, which release mostly carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides.

The effects of air pollution(a)On our healthPolluted air can cause many lung diseases and heart diseases. In the long term, it is a killer. In London in 1952 fog mixed with air pollutants (called smog) killed 4000 people in a few days.It can also cause acid rain, which kills trees and lakes.

(b) On our climateBurning fossil fuels increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. CO² is also increasing because we are cutting down more trees.Carbon dioxide is one of the three main greenhouse gases – the others are methane and CFCs.Methane in the atmosphere is also increasing because there are more cattle, rice-fields and rubbish dumps in the world.CFCs are released from aerosols and refridgerators.These greenhouse gases cause the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect makes the earth warmer. More greenhouse gases causes global warming.

This is how the greenhouse effect works: Heat from the Sun passes through these greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and reaches the earth’s surface. But heat from the land cannot pass through these gases. They absorb the heat and radiate it back to land, keeping us warm. An increase in greenhouse gases causes global warming. And the earth is definitely getting warmer.

The red line on the graph shows changes in global temperatures over the last 1000 years.And the blue line shows changes in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

We are just beginning to realise the effects of global warming:1. Temperatures will rise and some ice-caps will melt and sea-levels will rise.

This will flood low-lying coastal areas. Badly affected will be the Nile Delta, Bangladesh and Netherlands.

2. Some areas will become drier, so it will be difficult to farm and there may be food shortages eg parts of Africa.

3. Some areas will become wetter, which will bring more pests and diseases. It is possible that Britain could be affected by malaria.

4. Some plants and animals may become endangered or even extinct, as the areas in which they live change in climate eg polar bears, penguins.

It seems sensible to look after our air and so reduce the harmful effects of global warming and air pollution. Here are two ways.

Solution 1: Sustainable Energy: burn fewer fossil fuels

We have covered this in the section above on minerals. Using more renewable energy should mean we burn fewer fossil fuels.

Solution 2: Sustainable Food: reduce food miles and reduce food waste

Food productionOur food chiefly comes from farms, although some comes from trees and from the sea. There are many different types of farm found all over the world.Arable farming is the growing of crops eg wheat farms, banana plantations.Pastoral farming is the rearing of animals eg dairy farmMixed farming is growing crops and rearing animals.Commercial farming is where the farmer sells his produce. Almost all farmers in the UK are commercial farmers.Subsistence farming is when the farmer uses his produce to feed himself and his family. Many farmers in remote areas of Africa are subsistence farmers.Intensive farms are small farms with high levels of inputs (workers and/or equipment and chemicals) eg growing fruit and vegetablesExtensive farms are large farms with low levels of inputs eg hill-sheep farming.

Changes in food production

The good news: The amount of food produced in the world is growing faster than the world’s population.The bad news: Rich developed countries eat most of the food and many people have too much to eatPoor developing countries eat less food and some do not have enough to eat.

Where our food comes fromIn the UK we were once all subsistence farmers and our food came from our own land. Now we buy our food. Some comes from local farms but more of our food now comes from other countries. This has taken place because we now have quicker ways of transporting food and better ways of keeping it fresh. For example, we get:

Beef from ArgentinaPepper from IndiaTomatoes from ItalyLamb from New Zealand

Wheat from CanadaCoffee from BrazilBananas from HondurasSugar from Jamaica

We even buy flowers from Kenya.

Food milesFood miles is the name given to the distance our food travels from where it is produced to where we eat it. Our food miles are increasing each year. The effects of this are:1. More food is transported over

greater distances by plane, lorry, ship and train, which all need fuel

2. More packaging and refridgeration is needed to keep the food fresh, which uses more electricity

3. We then travel to the supermarket by car to buy the food, using even more fuel.4. More fossil fuels are burned, increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in our

atmosphereBut the food we buy from developing countries

1. Has been grown with fewer chemicals which means less air and water pollution2. Has been produced using less machinery, so fewer fossil fuels have been burned3. Has not needed to be grown in greenhouses with heating, so again fewer fossil fuels

have been used4. And it gives jobs to people in the developing country5. And it gives the developing country much needed money to improve the standard of

living of its people

Food waste

In the UK and in all rich countries we waste more and more of our food. We do this for many reasons. We buy too much, we prepare too much and we don’t eat it in time. Half of the food wasted is in people’s homes.

Supermarkets are also responsible for a lot of wasted food. They have to throw away a lot of the food that people do not buy in time especially fruit, vegetables and bakery items.The effects of food waste are:1. It is a waste of the fossil fuels used to transport the food from where it was produced.2. More carbon dioxide is being released into our atmosphere for no benefit.3. Much of the wasted food is thrown away and goes to a landfill site. Here it produces

methane, which is another greenhouse gas.Altogether, one-third of all the food in the world is wasted.

How to reduce your foodprint Read the labels on food – you can safely

eat food beyond its Sell By date, but not beyond its Use By date.

Freeze it before its Use By date and you can still eat it later

Store left-over food and eat later Donate left-over food to food banks Recycle waste food as compost Restaurants should offer smaller portions

What can we do to promote sustainability?

We are citizens of our own country but now, in the 21st century, our lives are so connected with hundreds of places worldwide that it is just as important to be citizens of the world. Sustainable development is

A Global Citizen is someone who participates in and contributes to the community at a range of levels from local to global.

important for the world and for your children and for your grandchildren. We should be doing whatever we can to support sustainable development.

1. What the school does to support sustainable developmentThe school does the following:

Recycle

plastic paper

tins batteries

cartridges textiles

Reduce energy

new cladding on walls double-glazing

Reduce food waste Special disposal of food waste from kitchen/dining area for composting

Re-use

sell second-hand school uniforms collect spectacles

collect clothing

2. What you and your family does_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What you could do_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

4. What the school could do____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Giving Nation ChallengeYour class has been lent £50 by Giving Nation for the Giving Nation Challenge.Your task is to:

(a) Choose an issue related to sustainability(b)Then choose a specific project which involves taking action to support the

issue

TASK 1 This is a whole-class project but, first, divide into groups to think of suitable

ideas. Then put your ideas to the rest of the class and vote on the best one.

- Divide into groups of 3-4- Firstly, decide which issue relating to sustainability interests you most.

One you have just covered e.g.climate change recyclingrenewable energy saving energy food waste pollutionfoodbanks food miles

Or another one, e.g. water conservation soil conservationforest conservation- Next, decide on your area of interest for the chosen issue – do you

want to focus on something that could be done in school, in the local community, in Glasgow….. or globally

- Then, think of a ‘project’, a way of taking action to support this issue

For instance, you could: give a presentation at pastoral assembly raise a petition to support stage an event to showcase the issue put up posters make up a Facebook page make a dedicated website make a video run a social enterprise – make or do something and use the money

to help in some way run a campaign – do several things at the same time volunteer for a related organization involve Practical Action

For example,Let’s say you are really keen on organic food because it conserves soil quality and means fewer greenhouse gases go into the atmosphereSo what could your class do?

(a)Take the intellectual approach – do a research project - Find out how much pupils/parents etc know about the advans of org- Find out how many buy org- Compare different age-groups- Ask pupils in our partner school eg in Nitte or Australia- Compare their results

(b)Have an awareness-raising campaign- Think of effective ways of letting pupils, parents, local community,

wider community of the imp of org food- Then carry it out

(c) Work with an existing group/campaign/charity- Find out what they do and how your class could help- You could you work with this year’s charity: Practical Action

(d)Run a social enterprise- Whole class does something or makes something and then uses the

money to do something which helps the cause(e) Volunteer

- Help out in some way by giving up your time

TASK 2

Once your class has decided what project to do, you need to divide into groups with different tasks, such as:

1. Marketing/publicity- Publicising the event in the school, community

2. Budgeting/finance- Managing the £50 start-up loan- Allocating the money

3. Research- Find out additional information- Do some market research

4. Activity/event planning- Organize any events – where, when, volunteers, who does what

5. G-blogging - Two pupils need to be responsible for collecting and entering the class’s

G-Blog and planning and producing the G-Video for the competition

TASK 3Do it!

TASK 4Take time afterwards to debrief:

what did you learn what went right what went wrong what to improve, if you were to do something similar again