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Sustainability
Sustainability
Important words

• Sustainability

• Environmental

• Economic

• Social

• Hydrocarbon

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Sustainability
What is sustainability?

• Sustainability is the conservation of balance in the world’s ecology

indefinitely.

• Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the

present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their
own needs.

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The three pillars of sustainability

• Sustainability is often explained in terms of three pillars:

• Environmental pillar

• Economic pillar

• Social pillar

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Sustainability and population growth
• Examine the graph below. Do you think it raises any concerns with regard
to sustainability?

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Sustainability and fossil fuels

• A fuel is any substance that burns in oxygen to produce heat.

• Fossil fuels are fuels that were formed from the remains of plants
and animals that lived millions of years ago.

• Some examples of fossil fuels are:

• Coal

• Oil

• Petrol

• Diesel

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Sustainability and fossil fuels

• Fossil fuels consist of compounds called hydrocarbons.

• Hydrocarbons are compounds consisting of hydrogen and carbon only.

• When fossil fuels are burned they react with oxygen according to the
following equation:

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Sustainability
Sustainability and fossil fuels

• Burning fossil fuels has increased the level of CO2 in the atmosphere.

• CO2 is called a greenhouse gas because it contributes to the

greenhouse effect. The extra CO2 in the atmosphere is enhancing
the greenhouse effect.

• This enhanced greenhouse effect is called global warming.

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Sustainability and fossil fuels

• Biofuels are fuels made from plants.

• Biofuels absorb carbon dioxide when they are growing and release it when
they are burned. Therefore, they are greenhouse neutral.

• Can you think of some advantages and disadvantages of using biofuels

instead of fossil fuels?

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Extraction and use of materials – implications for sustainability

• Many raw materials are obtained from the Earth.

• These materials are used to make many useful products.

• Some examples are:

• Crude oil

• Coal

• Natural gas

• Metal ores

• Timber

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Extraction and use of materials – implications for sustainability

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Disposal and recycling of materials – implications for sustainability

• Pollution is the addition of harmful substances to the environment.

• Some examples of pollutants are:

• Sewage

• Fertilisers

• Toxic substances

• Air pollution

• Landfill

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Sustainability
Disposal and recycling of materials – implications for sustainability
• The disposal and recycling of materials have important implications for
sustainability.

• For sustainability to be successful, we need to make sure that:

• For renewable resources, the rate of harvest should not exceed

the rate at which these resources can be regenerated.

• For non-renewable resources, the depletion of the

non-renewable resources should require development
of renewable substitutes for these resources.

• For waste disposal, the rate of waste generation should not

exceed the capacity of the environment to absorb this waste.

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