Environment and Sustainable Development Nexus
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Date
2006
Authors
Waswa, F.
Otor, S.C.J.
Mugendi, D.N.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
School of Environmental Studies and Human Sciences,
Kenyatta University
Abstract
To appreciate the link between the environment and sustainable development,
one needs to understand the basic concepts within ecology. While numerous
literatures exists on this subject, ecology generally refers to the scientific
study of the inter-relationships between living things and their biotic and abiotic
environment, which determines the distribution and abundance of organisms in
an environment (Krebs, 1985). On the other hand, the environment according to
Kenya's Environmental Management and Coordination Act (EMCA) 1999
includes the physical factors of the surroundings of human beings including land,
water, atmosphere, climate, sound, odour, taste, the biological factors of animals
and plants, and the social factor of aesthetics, and includes both the natural and
the built environment. In essence the environment may be viewed as the totality
of nature and its components.
Current thinking no longer views ecology as a subdivision of biology, but
acknowledges that it has emerged from its roots in biology to become a separate
discipline that integrates organisms, the physical environment, and humans on
the premise that everything on earth operates in cycles, and all life is connected
(Odum, 1996). Various specializations in ecology have emerged and will continue
to emerge as humans continue to discover new areas in the environment for
utilization. As an emerging specialisation, and based on the role of humans as
the greatest force in shaping and being shaped by the environment, human ecology
is the study of humans as they relate to the environment. It includes the study of
the impact of humans on the environment and vice versa, as a basis for informed
and accountable decision-making about resource use and development towards
sustainable societies.
Prior to the development of ecological thinking, science had been reductionist
and concerned with compartmentalizing things in order to understand them. To
the contrary, ecology is holistic and requires a study of the whole, which is often
more than the sum of the parts. Ecology thus involves many branches of science
and must inevitably adopt an interdisciplinary and integrated approach, which
in essence simulates diversity and the inter-dependence of nature and its
components. It is on this basis that mainstreaming sustainability thinking in
education has gained momentum within the international community (UNEP,
2006).
Description
Book Chapter