Sustainability

In the syllabus and the exam

Sustainability is defined around balancing present human needs against the ability of future generations and ecosystems to continue meeting their own needs, and at SPM level it is examined mainly through practical examples rather than abstract definitions alone: sustainable fishing quotas that allow fish populations to reproduce and recover, selective logging and replanting schedules in forestry, using renewable energy sources instead of depleting fossil fuel reserves, and reducing, reusing and recycling to lower resource consumption. Candidates are expected to explain why a named practice is or is not sustainable by linking it to whether the resource can renew itself at the rate it is being used, rather than simply labelling an activity 'good for the environment' without this specific reasoning. A frequent error is treating sustainability as identical to conservation; conservation is the protection of existing resources or species, often through legal measures such as protected areas, while sustainability is broader, covering how resources are used and managed over the long term so they remain available. Exam scenarios often contrast an unsustainable practice, such as clear-felling a forest with no replanting, against a sustainable alternative, and ask candidates to justify which is preferable using specific ecological or resource-based reasoning rather than a general statement that one is 'better for nature'. Candidates are also expected to link sustainability to the concept of carrying capacity, recognising that a population or activity exceeding the environment's capacity to renew a resource is, by definition, not sustainable in the long run.

Example

Harvesting timber from a forest at a rate that allows new trees to mature before the next harvest, so the forest keeps producing wood indefinitely, is an example of a sustainable practice.

Related terms

Greenhouse effectGlobal warmingEutrophication

Source:SRC-DSKP-EN