Essay about Canada: Globalization and Sustainable Development

“Many current discussions about sustainability focus on the ways in which human activity...can be maintained in the future without exhausting all of our current resources… there has been a close correlation between the growth of human society and environmental degradation - as communities grow, the environment often declines” (603).

Canadians do not need to rethink how they are currently treating our environment, as they have previously done that. Citizens have already made significant changes in how they live their lives, and Canada has seen an overall improvement in our environment situation. After the government began to certify certain merchandise as environmentally-friendly, Canadians have become more aware of the fact that Canada needs to be a more green country. They started buying these products, contributing to bettering Canada’s environment. Yet it may seem unrealistic that by buying more eco-friendly items, one is positively contributing to the environment, it is very true. The only people who are in charge of the environmental standards are the consumers. And

Canada is one of the developed nations in the world and with that comes a certain type of lifestyle that its citizens are accustomed to and often expect. This lifestyle is definitely not conscious of the environment at most times, however is trying to improve or at least find some kind of alternative to environmental problems that we can’t actually fix because they’ve become an important part of our everyday life. For that, our lifestyle has been measured by way of an ecological footprint and the results obviously haven’t been something to be proud of. Although there are many reasons why the ecological footprint of Canada is so high, one of the reasons is because of our excessive fossil fuel emissions from our cars, trucks, busses and planes.

Canada, with an increasing population, vehicles, government budget, and GDP shows a high standard of living. With a high standard of living, water, environment and food are of good quality. However, this does not mean it will not damage the environment. With the cost of a high standard of living, Canada seems to be damaging the environment for other costs. Conversely, a high GDP illustrates a the emergence of environmental science or technology reducing environmental problems in the near future.. Following the data based throughout several provinces, Canada contains a growing GDP, and an increasing environmental budget that helps the environment, which illustrates a prosperous economy that is investing into the environment. The growing amount

Despite its well-known Economic Action Plan and its continued emphasis on the need for more jobs and growth, it is still quite disturbing that the Canadian government gave a cold shoulder to environmental concerns in its 2014 budget. However, what has become clear in the last few years is that Canada is not committed to fighting climate change. In truth, it is not Canada that is uncommitted to the climate change cause. It is its Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, who is blocking all efforts to put Canada at the forefront of climate change efforts . And Canada should be leading climate change initiatives because it is one of the largest emitters in the world, and it is also a rich

Chapin, F.S., Carpenter, S.R., Kofinas, G.P., Folke, C., Abel, N., Clark, W.C., …& Swanson, F.J (2010). Ecosystem stewardship: sustainability strategies for a rapid change planet.

Canada is a role model for all countries hoping to reduce the human influence on climate change and preserve Earth’s natural beauty. Canada’s mission launched into action by raw fact doggedly continues to make a difference. Going forward, let us remember that we live on the same planet that our posterity will and let us strive to make our posterities’ planet better than

"Transitioning to a Cleaner Future, a Greener Economy" is exceptionally very much tended to by NDP in their platform by expressing that "Canada can no longer afford to stand on the sidelines when it comes to tackling catastrophic climate change and transitioning to a cleaner, greener economy “ .Accordingly, they guaranteed a key ventures $1.5 billion to handle environmental change, decreasing water contamination, enhancing vitality security etcetera. In their stage they have expressed sustainable development as the main right decision for Canada to guarantee long haul success as a country in an

Globalization is a phenomenon that has been impacting our world since as early as 114 BCE. Globalization refers to the assimilation of different economies, trade, and communication. Its origins can be traced back to the establishment of the Silk Road; an ancient trade route extending across from China to the Mediterranean Sea. Globalization, throughout history has had a positive effect in developing economies and creating trade. However, in light of recent events, many economists and leaders are describing it as a barrier to a utopian society. As civil servant and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Kofi Annan once said, “Globalization is a fact of life. But I believe we have underestimated its fragility” (Annan 1999). In many parts of the world, globalization

[6] A. J. East, "What is a Carbon Footprint? An overview of definitions and methodologies,"

Needless to say, that the exploitation of oil and gas created polarizing relationships between the economy and the environment at the municipal, provincial, and national levels. The phenomenon of the oil and gas production in Canada plays into environmental concerns of Climate Change in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, violations of First Nations land rights, vulnerability on an international market, and long-term ecological consequences, such as air and water pollution, oil spills and leaks, and etc., over “economic” benefits.

The Ecological Footprint tracks the use of six categories of productive surface areas: cropland, grazing land, fishing grounds, built-up land, forest area, and carbon demand on land. On the supply side, a city, state or nation’s biocapacity represents the productivity of its ecological assets (including cropland, grazing land, forest land, fishing grounds, and built-up land). These areas, especially if left unharvested, can also absorb much of the waste we generate, especially our carbon emissions. - The Bank of Montreal reduces ecological footprint by some following

Sustainable development is filling today’s needs without challenging the needs of future generations. It’s about bettering the standards of living by preserving human health, maintaining the environment, using available resources well, and progressing long-term economic competitiveness. To do this, the integration of environmental, economic, and social priorities into protocols and programs are required. This also requires different levels of action, from citizens, to industries, to government action. In 2008 a change to how the Canadian Government would accomplish its commitment to sustainable development was made called the Federal Sustainable Development Act. This Act made it so every 3 years, a complete approach showing the whole government

As I mentioned before, the world has been using more than it created especially in the US. The only reason why we Americans can live like we do is because we use resources of other countries. If everyone in the world were to live like the average American, then we would need around 5 Earths to provide for everyone. One way to reduce our footprint would be to use less. Of course, everyone hears that we should reduce, recycle, and reuse, but how many people actually do that. One great example of a place where everything used is completely renewable and eco-friendly is the Govardhan Eco-Village in India. This village, while not possible everywhere, sets the tone for sustainable living. For sustainability they utilize various techniques like organic farming, water conservation, soil biotechnology, and waste management. This village has attracted much attention and has won many awards including the International Green World Award and International Zero Waste Award. Using this as a model, I believe that with serious reform, we can improve our cities and homes to leave a smaller footprint and to become more

Over the Past 30 years many steps have been taken to further understand, and develop our sustainability and the impact it has on us, our communities, economy, social lives and future. As our understanding and knowledge continues to grow, we continue to see just how important and closely tied our environment is to us. There have been policies made by governments all around the world in order to achieve a sustainable living style, as well as many smaller organizations in comparison to larger meetings by world governments to come up with ideas such as the Kyoto protocol. One such concept that has arisen is the “Triple Bottom Line” which is considered an accounting frame work that takes into consideration Social,