The Journey to Sustainability
Imagine a future (probably a long time from now) in which human beings have achieved environmental sustainability on a global scale. That means
that we as a species have figured out how to maintain a lifestyle that can go on indefinitely. Humans will exist in harmony with their environment, not
needing more resources than can naturally be replenished. What would such a world be like? How might we get there from here?
In this final assignment, you will play the part of science-fiction writer, imagining and describing what a sustainable Earth, inhabited by humans, might
look like in the distant future. You will need to provide examples throughout to support your descriptions. You should include all the terms that you
have researched during Weeks 1 through 4 of this class, underlining each term as you include it. Be sure to expand on your terms and include other
concepts that you learned in the course. (Terms listed below) Provide as detailed a picture as possible of how that future world might function on a
day-to-day basis.
-Must incorporate all four of your previously selected terms.
-Include two scholarly sources including the course text.
Your paper will consist of seven paragraphs using the format below to address the elements with the assumption that environmental sustainability has
been achieved:
• Paragraph 1:
o Describe how the human relationship to nature will be different from what it is at present.
o Examine how humans will cope differently with the ways that natural phenomena like hurricanes affect lives.
• Paragraph 2: (Term: Extinction)
o Describe what Earth’s biodiversity and ecosystems will look like in a sustainable future.
o Explain what humans have done differently to enable biodiversity and ecosystems to function sustainably.
• Paragraph 3: (Term: Soil Erosion)
o Examine how agricultural production will be different in a sustainable future.
• Paragraph 4: (Term: Overfishing)
o Differentiate between how humans will manage water resources (freshwater and ocean) in a sustainable future compared to how it is done now.
• Paragraph 5 (Term: Nuclear Power)
o Examine how humans will meet their energy needs in the future in a way that will enable maintenance of a sustainable, habitable atmosphere and
climate.
o Indicate the changes that humans have made that are enabling them to maintain a healthy atmosphere and climate for all.
• Paragraph 6:
o Describe how waste management will be different in a sustainable future.
o Indicate the changes have been made to how humans think about and treat what is currently called “waste.”
• Paragraph 7:
o Summarize some of the major social, economic, political, and ecological choices and tradeoffs that will need to be overcome for this sustainable
future to arrive. What are some of the major issues and challenges humans will have to face in order to achieve sustainability on a global scale?
