SUS1501
ASSIGNMENT 7
SEMESTER 1 2024
(727168) - DUE 22
APRIL 2024
COMPLETE ANSWERS
[School]
[Course title]
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SUS1501 Assignment 7 Semester 1 2024 (727168) -
DUE 22 April 2024
PART A
I am going to start this assignment with a poignant quote from Albert Einstein:
“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created
them”. (Einstein A., 1934)
Now that I have calculated my ecological footprint, I find that there is an interesting
situation that I have to deal with when it comes to unpacking my ethical thinking in this
assignment. I spend about 9 months of the year living and studying in Cape Town. While
I am in Cape Town, my ecological footprint is 5.7 gha, with a 9.3 tonnes/year CO2
emissions level. This is in stark contrast to the time I spend on my family’s farm in Eston,
Kwa-Zulu Natal. On the farm, my ecological footprint is 2.1 gha, with a 3.2 tonnes/year
CO2 emissions level.
Re-reading the “Sustainability” section in the learning units and looking at the UNDP HDI
in particular, I feel quite uneasy that when I am in Cape Town I have a “European”
ecological footprint. It starts to make me think about how easily we are influenced by the
people and environment surrounding us. When on the farm, it is easier to have an
ecological footprint closer to the global average because the norm is to recycle (lack of
municipal waste removal), grow one's own food and only travel to town when it is needed.
When living in a metropolis however, you are swept away by consumerism and things like
lattés and fast food are the order of the day. Even those who profess to be gluten-free
vegans purchase prepared meals that use many resources, particularly water. I was
shocked to see how much water goes into producing a kilogram of tomatoes, beef and
even soy. I am reminded by Kant's writings how unsustainable my ecological footprint is,
because if everyone on Earth lived the way that I live while in Cape Town, we would need
quite a handful of planets – and those are quite hard to find.
Part B
As Prof Eccles put it:
“Bottom line, if you are anthropocentric in your outlook, just make sure that
you don’t lose sight of your place in nature. Also bear in mind that an
anthropocentric viewpoint lacks a spiritual sense of awe, wonder and
gratitude towards the natural world.”
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