Bring Back The Dinosaurs: What Is Involved For Human Sustainability
Kevin Lindsey
Communication 215
8/7/2013
Nicholas Courtright

Definition of sustainability is: to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainability for humans is a question they been trying to solve for years, since they don’t want to become extinct. The fear for humans is that they will not be the most powerful and smartest creatures on the planet. There have been some ideas on how they can sustain as humans, but the big question is how they do it without compromising other species or creatures. Humans also need to improve their quality of life while living within the capacity of the Earth’s eco-systems and stabilize the relationship between human culture and the living world. Finally there is the ethical issue of sustaining human life while preserving other species that will balance out the ecosystems. Human sustainability is just as important as the sustainability of all species and every creature plays its part in preserving life and the natural resources.
The difficulties with taking on sustainable issues are lack of leadership, economic and efforts to work together. It seems no one wants to take a firm stand and lead the movement to making more drastic measures of sustainability and let new ideas be brought to government to start holding people accountable. If some lawmaker was to take a more proactive stand there are too many people out there to oppose it and pretend the problem doesn’t exist. Then the economy is unstable and a lot of money being put towards other pressing issues, such as , military and economy growth. So for anyone to ask for money would probably get rejected even if the solution would solve immediate and future problems, this is why the private sector is taking a more proactive approach but also making a lot of money doing it. There been real solutions brought before the government to get them in the right direction, but no one can agree to work together and invest a little time and money to help with a real problem. Everyone seems to have their own agenda and if it doesn’t fit into that agenda then it gets thrown out. There have been real measures taken by the United States to do their part on wanting to help with human sustainability. On July 9, 1970, President Nixon submitted to congress a reorganization plan proposing the establishment of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, and independent agency of the Executive Branch of the Federal Government. And in June of 1993, President Clinton signed an Executive Order establishing the President’s council on Sustainable Development ( epa, 2013). Both of these orders were signed to protect human sustainability in the United States. President Clinton said, “Sustainable America: A New Consensus for Prosperity, Opportunity and A Healthy Environment for the Future”. Despite the many efforts the United States has taken, there still is a long road of solutions to implement. Sustainable development is a fluid concept that has various ideas over the last decade or more, there are some common interests that need to be looked at in more detail. First, is a commitment to equity and fairness. By this, there needs to be a clear plan to improve the current situation with sustainability, plus there needs to be future plans that need to be well researched out in order to protect future generations to give them the same resources we have needed to survive. Second is a long term view that will emphasize the threats of serious and irreversible damage with a cost effective solution to the current problem while meeting with other countries to work together to find solutions that will help globally . In 1997, there was a Earth Summit and in 2002 there was a World Summit just on the issue of Sustainable Development. Many countries, including the United States, see sustainable development as a great idea to help with the human sustainability and the continued effort globally, to make sure humans survive and provide solutions for future generations.
Hedonistic Sustainability is an project, by Bjarke Ingels, to use a specific architecture and use ideas preserve our natural resources as well as preserving our sustainability as humans. In Denmark they have already been using this concept to provide sustainability. Right now they use trash for energy, instead of filling up landfills, they pick up the trash and take it to a recycle plant that is connected with the power plant and they make energy from trash. The ideas that Mr Ingels is developing is to provide a whole new way of living and using our resource to the fullest without destroying too much of the planet to provide resources for future generations. Some of the ideas Mr Ingels came up with are to build developments that face the sun, use rain for swimming by filtering and reusing, then connect cities and build transportation that you can go anywhere in 45 minutes or less. All of this takes up less land and uses less resources, plus will provide future generations with a more permanent solution to sustainability. This not all in theory either, they been doing this in Denmark and Sweden plus later this year they will break ground in New York City to build one of Bjarke Ingels structures to start the movement of sustainability.
There needs to be an accountability and partnership between governments and civilians with coming up with ideas to implement and work towards a common goal. With the consumption rate they have been going on it will drive the human race to extinction. Just the food waste and consumption is taking the path to extinction faster than they would believe is happening. Not to mention the water supply is becoming scarce from the consumption, pollution and droughts going on. Lately, there are also more natural disasters, such as hurricanes, earthquakes and tornadoes that are adding to the difficulty of being able to implement solutions to preserving our natural resources. Another huge problem is pollution, which is probably the biggest contributor to destroying our natural resources. People that think this isn’t a problem is because they aren’t willing to listen, think their part will not make a difference or think that issues like, global warming, over flowing landfills, dumping into the ocean and the dwindling of the food supply does not exist.
As Albert Einstein said, “Hunger, love, pain, fear are some of those inner forces which rule the individual’s instinct for self preservation.” There are a lot of ideas out there that can help the human race from becoming extinct and can be helpful with the sustainability humans can endure. The precautions that society can take is everyone to do their own part plus get aggressive with real solutions to preserving the eco systems which will help with human sustainability. The fact that it has even gotten to this point is very eye opening especially when society takes a look at the problems that have arose out of ignorance. There has been warnings for decades that if humans continue to go on the path they are going it will end in disaster. In order for the progression in human sustainability to continue to make an impact there needs to be action taken on ideas, such as Hedonistic Sustainability with preserving resources, make more extreme measures on renewable energy and government listening to the private sector, by taking advantage of some experts who have great solutions and if they take action now human sustainability most likely will not be such a hard problem to solve.

References:

http://yosemite.epa.gov/r10/oi.nsf/Sustainablity http://www.designboom.com/architecture/bjarke-ingels-on-hedonistic-sustainability-festarch-2011/ http://www.odi.org.uk/publications/research-reports