‘While environmental sustainability is desirable, it is an unachievable goal.’ Discuss.

environmental-sustainability

While there is increased awareness and  education surrounding one’s  ecological footprint and  its impact  on the environment, conservation efforts through environmental sustainability have been questioned for its true effectiveness in mitigating the  impact  of our current  environmental degradation.   This begs the  question of whether true environmental sustainability is indeed possible to achieve or if it will only remain  as a mere  goal  that  is impossible to carry out, let alone, impactful.

The assumption in the question in that sustainability has intrinsic value. It has positive  benefits or impacts on our environment. Environmental sustainability is unachievable and  any efforts  will not  be  able  to mitigate the  existing problems and  impacts of our current  environment.

Discuss the desirability  of environmental sustainability and evaluate whether the goal or the  efforts  at  achieving  this goal  are  achievable  or not.  A thoughtful  response also  reflects  the perspective of “Ideal versus Reality”; reasons and factors that may hinder  the goal from arriving at its idealistic  outcomes are discussed, resulting in a key treatment of the contention “desirable, but unrealistic  goal”.

Provides  an accurate and  complete understanding of the  key terms  in the  question; the  concept of ‘environmental  sustainability,  as  well  as  the  contention of  ‘desirability’  and  ‘achievability’  of  this concept is explained  and  evaluated  against  each  other   consistently  and  extensively.  Explain  environmental  sustainability  in  terms   of  the  efforts  taken   by  various stakeholders (Individuals, Society, Government, NGO, etc.) in ensuring the longevity  of resources and ensuring that  environmental degradation is kept  to a minimum.  The ‘desirability’ of sustainability is explicitly discussed in terms  of its inherent worth, value, significance, or benefits. The ‘achievability’ of a goal  is also  discussed through analysing  the  outcomes of the  goal/objective, or the  process of carrying  out  the  objective.