LPL Civics Hub: Sustainability

Carbon Footprint: "The total amount of greenhouse gases that are emitted into the atmosphere each year by a person, family, building, organization, or company. A persons carbon footprint includes greenhouse gas emissions from fuel that an individual burns directly, such as by heating a home or riding in a car. It also includes greenhouse gases that come from producing the goods or services that the individual uses, including emissions from power plants that make electricity, factories that make products, and landfills where trash gets sent." (Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)) [1]  

See also: 

• Britannica: "Carbon Footprint"
• Nature.org - The Nature Conservancy: "What is your carbon footprint?"
• University of Michigan, Center for Sustainable Systems: "Carbon Footprint Factsheet"

Climate Change: "A change in the state of the climate that can be identified (e.g., by using statistical tests) by changes in the mean and/or the variability of its properties and that persists for an extended period, typically decades or longer. Climate change may be due to natural internal processes or external forcings such as modulations of the solar cycles, volcanic eruptions and persistent anthropogenic changes in the composition of the atmosphere or in land use." (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)) [2]

See also:

• BBC: "What is climate change? A really simple guide"
• NASA: "What Is Climate Change?"
• UN: "What Is Climate Change?"

Climate Equity/Climate Justice: "The subject of climate justice and equity brings together a range of topics relating to human and cultural rights. Specifically, it refers to the unfair or unequal distribution of climate change impacts and responses. These usually affect the poor and vulnerable who are experiencing greater social and economic disadvantage and an erosion and marginalisation of their individual and collective human and cultural rights. These experiences can be further exacerbated by oppression, discrimination, racism, sexism, homophobia and xenophobia. The promotion of equity involves acknowledging how these inequalities operate in practice and working to address them. (International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)) [3]

See also:

• Global Environmental Change, Volume 87, July 2024, 102885: "Defining and conceptualizing equity and justice in climate adaptation"
• NIH: "Centering Equity in the Nation's Weather, Water, and Climate Services"
• NYSERDA: "Climate Justice"

Ecology: "Ecology is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment; it seeks to understand the vital connections between plants and animals and the world around them. Ecology also provides information about the benefits of ecosystems and how we can use Earth’s resources in ways that leave the environment healthy for future generations." (Ecological Society of America (ESA)) [4]

See also:

• Britannica: "Ecology"
• EPA: "Ecosystems"
• NIH: "Ecology and Ecosystems"

Electric Vehicle (EV): "An EV is defined as a vehicle that can be powered by an electric motor that draws electricity from a battery and is capable of being charged from an external source. An EV includes both a vehicle that can only be powered by an electric motor that draws electricity from a battery (EV) and a vehicle that can be powered by an electric motor that draws electricity from a battery and by an internal combustion engine (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle)." Department of Energy (DoE) [5]

See also:

• DoT: Electric Vehicles: "Vehicle Types"
• EPA: "Electric Vehicle Myths"
• International Energy Agency (IEA): "Electric Vehicles"

Energy Assessment/Audit: "A home energy assessment, also known as a home energy audit, can help you understand the whole picture of your home's energy use, comfort, and safety. An assessment can help you determine how much energy your home uses, where your home is inefficient, and which problem areas and fixes you should prioritize to save energy and improve the comfort of your home.  A home energy assessment should be your first step before making energy-saving home improvements, as well as before adding a renewable energy system to your home." (DoE) [6]

See also:

• Bureau of Labor Statistics: Green Jobs: "Energy Auditors"
• New York State: "Energy Assessments and Benchmarking"

Fair Trade: "Fair Trade seeks to foster opportunities for small producers while implementing environmental policies in the business, with a great focus on transparency, accountability, and fair trading practices. Additionally, Fair Trade initiatives advocate for awareness and change through ethical consumption and policy influence" (World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO)) [7]

See also:

• Britannica: "Fair trade"
• Local2030.org: "Localising the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through Fair Trade" (PDF)
• National Bureau of Economic Research: Reporter, No2, June 2019: "The Economics of Fair Trade"

Greenhouse Gases and Emissions: Greenhouse gases are gases in the atmosphere such as water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide that can absorb infrared radiation, trapping heat in the atmosphere. This greenhouse effect means that emissions of greenhouse gases due to human activity cause global warming. (IPCC) [8] 

See also:

• EPA: "Overview of Greenhouse Gases"
• Our World in Data: "CO₂ and Greenhouse Gas Emissions"
• UN: "Causes and Effects of Climate Change"

Greenwashing: "When a company exploits an environmental movement or trend, it is known as “greenwashing.” This variant of whitewashing plays along with eco-friendly practices without fulfilling any specific environmental goals. A greenwashing food company may create new labeling for a product advertising all natural ingredients, but not make any changes to the current recipe or continue to use genetically modified crops for production. More subtle, problematic forms can occur when stores sell organic items that waste more energy in shipping than nonorganic items would waste. Greenwashing becomes a problem when it is too easy for companies to represent themselves as environmentally friendly. To combat this, some organizations offer independent environmental certification for businesses that want to prove their eco-friendly practices." (Encyclopedia of Small Business) [9]

See also:

• Geography Compass, Volume18, Issue1: "Greenwashing: Appearance, illusion and the future of ‘green’ capitalism"
• Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance: "Greenwashing: Navigating the Risk"
• UN: "Greenwashing – the deceptive tactics behind environmental claims"

Pollution and Particulate Matter: "The addition of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or any form of energy (such as heat, sound, or radioactivity) to the environment at a rate faster than it can be dispersed, diluted, decomposed, recycled, or stored in some harmless form. The major kinds of pollution, usually classified by environment, are air pollution, water pollution, and land pollution. Modern society is also concerned about specific types of pollutants, such as noise pollution, light pollution, and plastic pollution. Pollution of all kinds can have negative effects on the environment and wildlife and often impacts human health and well-being." (Britannica) [10]

See also:

• EPA: "Particulate Matter (PM) Basics"
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD): "Pollution"
• UN Office of Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR): "Pollution"

Renewable Energy: "Renewable energy includes resources that rely on fuel sources that restore themselves over short periods of time and do not diminish. Such fuel sources include the sun, wind, moving water, organic plant and waste material (eligible biomass), and the earth's heat (geothermal). While the benefits of renewable energy are substantial, some renewable energy technologies can have impacts on the environment. For example, large hydroelectric resources can have environmental trade-offs on such issues as fisheries and land use." (EPA) [11]

See also:

• DoE: "Renewable Energy Pillar"
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory: "Energy Basics"
• Natural Resources Defense Council: "Renewable Energy: The Clean Facts"

Resilience: "The ability of a system and its component parts to anticipate, absorb, accommodate, or recover from the effects of a hazardous event in a timely and efficient manner, including through ensuring the preservation, restoration, or improvement of its essential basic structures and functions." (IPCC) [12]

See also:

• Britannica: "Ecological Resilience"
• Department of the Interior (DoI): "Selected Resilience and Sustainability Information"
• Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI): "Resilience and Adaptation"

Sustainability: "Long-term viability of a community, set of social institutions, or societal practice. In general, sustainability is understood as a form of intergenerational ethics in which the environmental and economic actions taken by people in the present day do not diminish the opportunities of people in the future to enjoy similar levels of wealth, utility, or welfare." (Britannica) [13]

See also:

• Department of Agriculture (DoA): "Definitions: Sustainability and Food Systems"
• EPA: "Sustainability"

Sources:

Other interesting reads:

• Brookings: "Identifying barriers to advancing climate equity through U.S. financial markets"
• Center for Global Development: "Is There Any Point Defining a ‘Climate Migrant’?"
• Department of Energy: Alternative Fuels Data Center: "Electric Vehicle Benefits and Considerations"
• Department of Transportation: "Electric Vehicles & Rural Transportation"
• Energy Information Administration: "Renewable energy explained"
• IPCC: "Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation" [Full Report, PDF]
• Natural Resources Defense Council: "What Is Greenwashing?"
• NIH: "Air Pollution and Your Health"

   

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