Robertson Ch. 3 & 4

"Our task is to understand as much as we can about how systems function, that is, to read the instruction manual carefully, so that we can propose positive solutions that work."

I think that we honestly have failed when it comes to the understanding aspect of how systems function. Our lack of knowledge really has led to this environmental downfall and on going chain of effects. If we were more knowledgable of how our actions effected the Earth, we wouldn't be in this position. Hopefully now that we have more of an idea of how to make our actions more sustainable we have a better chance at making the Earth better for the future. The only problem with this is making sure that not only 10% of populations  contribute towards making the Earth more sustainable. 

MLA (Modern Language Assoc.)

Robertson, Margaret. Sustainability Principles and Practice. Routledge, 2017.

"If all humans on the planet lived with the same standard of living enjoyed by people in the United States and Canada, we would need 4.5 more planet Earths even if the population did not grow at all."

This fact was just shocking to me at how the United States and Canada are the primary examples of how a bad standard of living is. It's more shocking to find out that we would need 4.5 more planets if the rest of the world was living like these two countries. Its crazy because these two countries will see that their standard of living is not good for the Earth and its like their mindset is more focused on "How much more can the Earth endure?" I think personally that not only these two countries but any country that has a similar standard of living will continue to have this mindset until it's entirely too late to make any changes, and that's what scares me. 

MLA (Modern Language Assoc.)

Robertson, Margaret. Sustainability Principles and Practice. Routledge, 2017.

APA (American Psychological Assoc.)

Robertson, M. (2017). Sustainability Principles and Practice. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

"Human population is growing approximately exponentially (Figure 4.1). Unlike arithmetic or linear growth that occurs when a quantity increases by adding the same number repeat-edly, exponential growth means that the quantity increases by a fixed percentage over a given time."

We are the fastest growing generation that is continuing to grow. The only way to really ensure the our future generation will be safe after we're gone is passing the sustainable torch to them and making sure we leave off on a good note. If we leave our generation with what we have now they're doomed to repeat the same actions and putting the Earth in a much worse situation. It's important that we spread the importance of sustainability because we need to ensure that the future is going to be safe. It's honestly baffling to me that we're on this rapid pace of population growth.

MLA (Modern Language Assoc.)

Robertson, Margaret. Sustainability Principles and Practice. Routledge, 2017.

APA (American Psychological Assoc.)

Robertson, M. (2017). Sustainability Principles and Practice. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.