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Sustainability

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Sustainability
Sustainability is the ability of the environment to endure changes occurring and the capacity to retain the diversity and productivity of biological systems over time. Healthy and long-lived forests and wetlands give a good example of the biological systems, which are sustainable. Sustainability in human beings is the inherent potential to achieve long-term preservation of the wellbeing on the dimensions such as economic, political, cultural, and ecological perspectives. Undoubtedly, economic development and human population growth are increasingly leading to rampant changes in the world’s ecosystems. The advancement of technology has endeavored to achieve economic prosperity at the expense of nature, and this leaves human lives as well as other micro-organisms at great risk of extinction.
Sustainability calls for reconciliation of social equity, economic, and environmental demands. This has gained recognition as ‘sustainability’s three pillars.’ Therefore, for sustainability to be realized and ensure Mother Earth inherently continues supporting life, various factors have to be considered. Coming up with measures to contain exacerbating factors leading to global warming will vehemently be the right path to sustainability. Human population growth is each day getting out of control, which has translated to over-exploitation of resources leading to environmental degradation (Atkinson, Dietz, & Neumayer, 2007).
Human Population Growth
It is not a secret that high human population growth as a result of improved health care, nutrition, and better living standards among other factors brings worries over depletion of natural resources and will trigger economic or social catastrophe if not checked and contained. Although the world population growth rate had been on decline from 1980s, concerns of excessive human growth continues to emerge and are expressed by the United Nations. Beder (2000) states that most developing nations have shown exponential human growth rate as a ripple effect from agricultural productivity increases and medical advancements that have alleviated deaths from killer diseases. With high birth rates and fewer deaths, the human population growth rate is on exponential stage. According to a report by the U.S. Census Bureau, the world’s population stood at 7.129 billion people as at 5th December 2013. Contemporary statistics on the carrying earth capacity under present conditions stands between 4 and 16 billion people (Vergragt, 2006). Scholars argue that, depending on the estimates, overpopulation may or may not have occurred empirically. Nevertheless, rapid increase of global human population in the last two decades is a cause for concern.
Projections estimate the human population to be around 8.5 and 10.5 billion people by 2040. The UN in 2011 increased the variant projections medium for 2050 to be 10.7 billion and 11 billion people for 2100 (Atkinson, Dietz, & Neumayer, 2007). Thus, the recent human population increases in the past two centuries have put in doubt the capacity of planet earth to sustain larger populations of the inhabitants. The rapid population increase in developing nations has happened because these nations do not have in place direct policies that deter birth rates. Family planning, contraception, and birth control access have been advocated as measures to reduce the rate of births. China is the only developing country that has imposed restrictions legally, requiring families to raise one child. Although technical solutions and extra-terrestrial settlement have been suggested as possible ways to mitigate overpopulation, sustainability remains the only plausible option.
According to Atkinson, Dietz and Neumayer (2007), the impact of high human population is seen everywhere around the globe. The high numbers of human population is a factor that has adverse impact on the resources. Lifestyles of people around the world have immense effects on the resource utilization and resultant pollution in which carbon footprint is undeniable. A recent study shows people from developed nations consume resources at the alarming rate of 32 times, compared to those in developing nations who account for human population majority. This explains the current problems in the world such as inadequate drinking water, natural resources depletion, especially fuels from fossil, rampant pollution, ecosystems loss through deforestation, global warming, mass extinction of species, conflicts of scarce resources, new pandemics and epidemics, and hunger among other severe effects.
In the views of Beder (2000), sustainability will be achieved only if human population growth rate is contained through measures that encourage lower birth rates. The world today experiences wastage of the available resources without preservation for future generations. Greener economies are promising better use of resources as well as sustaining the environment by reducing carbon emissions, using renewable energy, and forestation among other environmental preservation measures. Legal restrictions on family size will also reduce the accelerating birth rates. Green technology will help in sustainability given that it reduces wastage.
Issues of Robotics
The advancement of technology has ushered robots in the industrial revolution. Many people over the world have opposed the upsurge of robots use for work. They have been viewed with skepticism because of their capacity to do tasks done by men. However, this is not the case since today robots have reduced the wastage of resources, given their intellectual capacity and efficiency to bring high productivity and with little wastage. Not only are robots doing industrial tasks, which were considered dangerous to man (radioactive substances), but they are also completing them with efficiency. This makes the resources available to many people as well as alleviating poverty. The moral and ethical questions emanating from the use of robots require serious consideration. It is true robots have taken up most activities and rendered many jobless (Vergragt, 2006).
However, looking on the pros and not the cons, robots have alleviated human suffering by doing tasks dangerous to human beings. Developed nations have endeavored to achieve better societies by improving technology and science of robots solving the problem of uneducated labor force. Robots are also parts of the greener technology; therefore, they will enhance efficiency, reduce wastage, and provide environmentally sensitive measures.
Nature
The Mother Nature is experiencing changes that have taken its resources by surprise. Overpopulation in some parts of the world, increase environmental pollution, over-exploitation of resources, and encroachment of catchment areas among other effects are taking a toll on nature. There is need for remedial measures, which ought to be put in place lest all living organisms man included are faced with dire extinction. Global warming, extreme weather conditions, life-threatening hurricanes and typhoons have endangered man and the ecosystems (Atkinson, Dietz, & Neumayer, 2007).
Sustainable living as well as production will be important to reduce the hazardous effects that some of the human activities have on Mother Nature. Greener economy will ease the pressure on resources and reduce dependency on fossil fuels. The fossil fuels contribute to large carbon emission. Preserving the ecosystems by reducing the use of synthetic and inorganic chemicals is a smart move to conserving the environment. Water catchment areas are a source of life to many organisms and should be preserved to sustain the ecosystems. Meeting the needs of man efficiently and fairly will entail green economy measures and thus preserve nature (Vergragt, 2006).
Human Life
The human life is precious and has to be protected at all cost. However, the interaction between environment and humans is a subtle one, which needs serious thought. The living conditions of people are important for the health of these people. Poverty has over time degraded the dignity of man and left many people living lives of squalor and want. People need to be provided with the best living standards, environment, and drinking water. However, the environment also has to be sustained through preservation measures that will give hope to the future human lives. Greener municipalities, sustainable transport systems, green economy, and appropriate green technology are measures to preserve human life (Atkinson, Dietz, & Neumayer, 2007).
Conclusion
Sustainability entails putting in place measures to ensure healthy environments and ecosystems pivotal to the flourishing and survival of all living organisms, man included. However, achieving sustainability calls for changes, which will help reduce human consumption globally to sustainable limits. It is important to reduce the negative impact by humans through sound environmental management, human consumption management, and aID political and cultural concerns for the equilibrium of sustainability matrix.

References
Atkinson, G., Dietz, S. & Neumayer, E. (2007). Handbook of sustainable development. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.
Beder, S. (2000). Costing the earth: Equity, sustainable development and environmental economics. New Zealand Journal of Environmental Law. 4. P. 227-243.
Vergragt, P. (2006). How technology could contribute to a sustainable world. Tellus Institute. p. 1-34.