Ecological Economics addresses the interdependence and coevolution of the economy, society and the natural environment, understanding the economy as an embedded subsystem of the planet. Student work in this section discusses social and environmental issues from this perspective.
“It’s just my luck. I talk to a nice girl, seem to hit it off, and she turns out just to be an ad” [1]. The residents of South Park, Colorado, are renowned for their hyperbole; but this glum announcement by a nine-year-old cartoon character seems uncomfortably poignant. Adverts are no longer just broad-brush mass...
Economics is an easy discipline to criticise. Other social scientists dislike its anti-social theory, citizens are suspicious of its perceived political bias, and students lament its formal dryness and apparent irrelevance to all that makes life meaningful. This essay argues that sustainability researchers have reason to join the chorus of complaints and ought to search...
Extravagant, individual and as high as possible – construction projects around the world symbolise economic growth and prosperity. Global construction market is expected to grow by 85% until 2030, with China, India and the US taking the global lead in growth rates [1]. The rapid increase is due to three main key drivers: residential construction,...
We walk past them every day. We ignore their cries for help. Morally, it is time we face the facts: UK homelessness is on the rise. Becoming homeless is complex, triggered by personal characteristics and structural causes, like the housing market [1]. Drug addiction, family problems and other individual factors influence vulnerability. Nevertheless, following the...
Upwards of 1 million Muslims have been detained in western China [1]. An alarming 10% of the population within the Xinjiang region (XUAR) are currently detained in so called ‘re-education facilities’ [2]. Chinese officials claim justification in quashing religious extremism among Muslim populations, aiding national unity and economic development. However, western media alongside UN officials...
Today’s livestock industry is resource-intensive and detrimental to the environment; it causes considerable damage to ecosystems, biodiversity and ecological resilience [1,2]. In 1990, global meat production amounted to 229 million tonnes. This number is expected to rise to 465 million tonnes by 2050 [3]. In developed countries, animal products are believed to be an essential...
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a popular children’s book written by Eric Carle. The book depicts a caterpillar who eats more and more each day until on the last day it turns into a butterfly. The human species consumes more and more resources each year, causing more and more damage to ecological systems. However, unlike...
Despite special offers at your local supermarket chain, eating well is still a luxury for an increasing number of households in the United Kingdom. Trussell Trust, one of the biggest food banks in the U.K. provided more than 1.3 million of three-day emergency food supplies to people in hunger during 2017-2018 [1]. Compared to the...
In 2017, we lost one football pitch of forest every second [1]. From the dawn of the industrial revolution up until now, the global forest cover has decreased from 5.9 billion hectares to nearly 4 billion hectares [2]. During this same period, the global economy has grown excessively. These are not two coincidental facts. The...
Look around. From your chair, to your pen, to that fancy walking jacket you like to wear - plastics are everywhere. But with many of these products being single-use, so too is plastic waste. It is found in the air we breathe (1), buried under the land we live on and floating in the seas...
As Philip Hammond rolled out this year’s budget, it comes with further deliverance of injustice. With eight years of public spending cuts, 85% of the burden of austerity has fallen upon women in the UK [1]. So how come women bear the brunt of these measures? The answer is, inequality permeates our labour markets, our...
Home to over 10 million people, Jakarta is one of the largest and most densely populated cities in the world. The 13 rivers that flow through Jakarta mean that the land is generally swampy [1] and together with Jakarta’s low-lying nature, (average elevation of 8m above sea level) flooding is a regular occurrence. This problem...
Vehicle emissions are certainly in the forefront of the UK public’s mind, no better demonstrated by Volkswagen dieselgate. The Hoaxwagen [1] scandal consisted of manipulating technology so that vehicle emissions were remarkably low during laboratory tests. Fast forward to the cars actually being used on roads, and emissions catapulted to alarming levels. NOx and NO2...
Māori are expected to live shorter lives than non-Māori New Zealanders. For women, this difference is five years, but for men the average difference is seven years [1]. The average quality of health of Māori is also less than that of non-Māori, with far higher incidence of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease [2]. But how...
While the World looks away, Yemen stands on the brink of a famine that the UN have warned may be the worst in 100 years [1]. Now in its 3rd year of a civil war, multiple groups vie for control of its territories. Primarily, Houthi rebels are embroiled in a bitter conflict with a Saudi...
Introduction – why system dynamics System dynamics modelling has grown alongside the development of modern computing, starting with Forrester’s World Dynamics (1971). The purpose of system dynamics modelling is to form an explicit picture of a system that allows a researcher to understand relationships between the elements in that system, particularly feedback loops (Wolstenholme, 2003),...
Development of the first modern plastic took place in 1907 when Leo H. Baekeland patented the first synthetic plastic (Crespy et al., 2008), heralding the beginning of the “Plastic Age” (Cozara et al., 2014). With further optimization of manufacturing techniques, mass production of lightweight and durable plastics began in 1940 and has continued to increase...
Economics is an easy discipline to criticise. Other social scientists dislike its anti-social theory, citizens are suspicious of its perceived political bias, and students lament its formal dryness and apparent irrelevance to all that makes life meaningful. This essay argues that sustainability researchers have reason to join the chorus of complaints and ought to search...
Development of the first modern plastic took place in 1907 when Leo H. Baekeland patented the first synthetic plastic (Crespy et al., 2008), heralding the beginning of the “Plastic Age” (Cozara et al., 2014). With further optimization of manufacturing techniques, mass production of lightweight and durable plastics began in 1940 and has continued to increase...
Introduction – why system dynamics System dynamics modelling has grown alongside the development of modern computing, starting with Forrester’s World Dynamics (1971). The purpose of system dynamics modelling is to form an explicit picture of a system that allows a researcher to understand relationships between the elements in that system, particularly feedback loops (Wolstenholme, 2003),...