Sustainability

our theme “social dimensions of sustainability challenges,” this week we will be discussing three very important sustainability challenges: agriculture and food systems, water resources, and urbanization. We will use the theories and concepts we learned in the first part of this course to critically analyze these sustainability challenges. As you may see in the readings, the sustainability implications of each of these topics (agriculture, water, and urbanization) are becoming quite significant and these are increasingly getting complex and to some extent interconnected. The social contexts of these challenges are also quite complicated that the (technical) solutions are not easy and we constantly have to deal with the “tradeoffs” in managing these challenges. ANSWER ONE OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.

1) What does the story (history and social dimensions) of “french fries” tell us about agricultural change (i.e., from smallholding to industrial ag) and the complex relationships of food, diet and health, fossil fuels, agro- biodiversity, and climate change? If this is a problem, why do we see “french fries” or other fast foods becoming increasingly attractive in a globalized world? What do Pollan (2008) and Robbins et al. 2010 (Ch. 14) suggest?

2)What is your reaction to Hirt et al. (2008)? Can you provide a solid criticism to those who claim that a desert city like Phoenix should not have been developed in the first place because these lack reliable water sources? How did Phoenix (Arizona in general) ensure water control and supply in the past, and what does our future look like? Why do some claim that water is a “human right” issue and the privatization/commodifcation of water is not a solution (but a problem in and of itself)?

3)Why do some urban residents–who claim to be aware of the environmental pollution and the health effects– still continue to use chemicals to maintain green lawns? What does this tell us about the changing perceptions and norms among the urban residents?