What does sustainable development mean, and how do we weigh up environmental decisions?
Sustainable development and the ecological footprint; sustainable management of resources; balancing economic, social and environmental needs; and making and evaluating decisions about environmental issues.
An SQA National 5 Environmental Science answer on sustainable development and environmental management, covering the meaning of sustainable development, the ecological footprint, sustainable management of resources, balancing economic, social and environmental needs, and how to evaluate decisions about environmental issues.
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What this dot point is asking
The SQA wants you to explain what sustainable development means, describe the ecological footprint, explain how resources can be managed sustainably, and show how decisions about environmental issues balance economic, social and environmental needs, including how to evaluate such a decision.
Sustainable development
The key idea is the future: using resources and developing the economy in a way that can carry on indefinitely, without exhausting resources, polluting the environment or destroying habitats that future people will need. It is the thread that connects energy, food, water and waste in this area of the course.
The ecological footprint
It is a way of measuring how much pressure humans put on the planet. A large footprint means a person or country uses more than their fair share of the Earth's resources; if everyone lived that way, the planet could not sustain it. People can reduce their footprint by using less energy, eating more sustainably, travelling less by car and air, buying fewer goods, and reducing, reusing and recycling waste.
Sustainable management of resources
Managing a resource sustainably means using it at a rate that allows it to be maintained for the future, and protecting the environment it depends on. Examples across the course:
- Energy: shifting from finite fossil fuels to renewable sources.
- Food and soil: crop rotation, organic methods and protecting soil from degradation.
- Water: using it efficiently and preventing pollution so supplies stay clean.
- Living resources (fish, forests): harvesting no faster than they can replace themselves, using quotas and replanting.
Balancing economic, social and environmental needs
Real environmental decisions involve trade-offs between three pillars of sustainability:
Making and evaluating decisions
To evaluate a decision about an environmental issue:
- Identify the options.
- Set out the advantages and disadvantages under the three pillars (economic, social, environmental).
- Consider short-term and long-term effects, since something cheap now may be costly to the environment later.
- Reach a justified conclusion: state your decision and back it with the strongest points.
This structure is exactly what extended-response and assignment questions reward: a balanced weighing-up, then a clear, evidence-based decision.
Examples in context
Example 1. Comparing two countries' footprints. A wealthy industrial country typically has a much larger ecological footprint per person than a low-income country, because it uses more energy, goods and transport. This shows how the footprint highlights unequal and unsustainable use of the Earth's resources.
Example 2. A sustainable fishery. Setting catch quotas and closed seasons lets a fish population replace itself, so fishing can continue year after year. This is sustainable management in action: using a living resource at a rate that maintains it for the future rather than exhausting it.
Try this
Q1. Define sustainable development. [1 mark]
- Cue. Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Q2. State the three pillars that a sustainable decision tries to balance. [2 marks]
- Cue. Economic (cost and jobs), social (people and communities) and environmental (protecting nature and resources).
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA N5 style3 marksExplain what is meant by sustainable development and what an ecological footprint measures.Show worked answer →
This asks for two definitions, so give a clear explanation of each (sustainable development is worth more, the footprint 1 mark).
Sustainable development means meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In other words, using resources and developing in a way that can carry on indefinitely without exhausting resources or damaging the environment.
An ecological footprint measures the area of land and water needed to provide all the resources a person, group or country uses and to absorb the waste they produce. A large footprint means a person or country is using more than their fair share of the Earth's resources.
Markers reward the present-needs-without-harming-the-future idea for sustainable development, and the area-of-land-and-resources idea for the ecological footprint.
SQA N5 style4 marksA new wind farm is proposed near a village. Evaluate the proposal by giving one economic, one social and one environmental point, then state a justified decision.Show worked answer →
An evaluate-and-decide answer needs points from the three pillars plus a reasoned decision, so plan one point each and a justified conclusion.
Economic: the wind farm would create jobs in construction and maintenance and could lower long-term electricity costs, though the initial build cost is high.
Social: it provides clean local energy, but some residents may object to the change in the landscape or to noise.
Environmental: it generates low-carbon, renewable electricity, reducing fossil fuel use and climate impact, but turbines can affect birds and change the appearance of the area.
Decision: on balance the proposal can be supported because the long-term environmental and economic benefits (renewable, low-carbon energy and jobs) outweigh the drawbacks, provided the site is chosen carefully to limit harm to wildlife and residents.
Markers reward a valid point from each of the three pillars and a decision that is clearly justified by those points.
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