“Pale Blue Dot” is the photograph taken in 1990 by the Voyager 1 space module, from a distance of 6 billion kilometres from our home. Now, we lower the classroom blinds and listen to Carl Sagan’s narration.
‘PROS & CONS’ – Discuss in pairs and afterwards make a decision together.
Ecological ceiling: Scientists have warned us that we have already exceeded six of the nine planetary boundaries that ensure humanity’s survival. We have caused climate change, pollution and the extinction of several animal species… How dependent do you think you are on nature? Are human beings essential to the planet? Where will we go if Earth is no longer habitable? This is environmental sustainability.
Migration: It is estimated that, by 2050, Spain will have lost 2.6 million of its current workers because they will have reached retirement age. The economy will be at risk unless more young people arrive beforehand and are able to continue working in businesses. Does our well-being depend on the arrival of young people from other countries? If migrants do not arrive, how will pensions be paid to so many retired people? This is economic sustainability.
As living beings, we are ECO-DEPENDENT on the natural environment because we need the resources provided by our finite planet: food, air, water, energy, and so on. We are also INTER-DEPENDENT because, throughout our lives—especially during childhood, old age or illness—we cannot survive without the care and support of other people. Protecting the economy of a region allows families to continue earning money to buy essential goods. However, without the environment or human communities, money would be completely meaningless. Therefore, we must prioritise the other two factors necessary for life before the economy.
The SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS were agreed in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly. A total of 193 signatory countries committed themselves to working towards 17 goals divided into 169 targets. These goals list the most urgent problems that humanity must solve before 2030 in order to survive.
According to the Sustainable Development Report 2024, we are making only limited progress, as 84% of the targets show limited progress or have even deteriorated. The countries with the lowest scores for meeting international commitments are the United States, Somalia, South Sudan, Israel and North Korea. Spain ranks 14th, still some way behind the leading countries—Finland, Sweden and Norway—as can be seen on this map.
DOUGHNUT ECONOMICS
DOUGHNUT ECONOMICS is a theoretical framework that represents, within a “doughnut”, the prosperous economy needed to support life. This economy meets everyone’s basic needs without exhausting the ecosystems that support life on our planet. It visually explains that infinite economic growth is impossible on a finite planet and that negative externalities put us all at risk. Both insufficient growth—inside the doughnut—and excessive growth—outside the doughnut—are harmful. Its lower and upper limits are:
A SOCIAL FOUNDATION that guarantees human sustainability: water, food, health, housing, social networks, energy, education, employment, justice, political participation, fairness and gender equality.
An ECOLOGICAL CEILING that must not be exceeded in order to protect environmental sustainability: climate change, the ozone layer, air pollution, ocean acidification, chemical pollution, nitrogen and phosphorus levels, freshwater extraction, land conversion and biodiversity loss.
Putting our school to the test
< Write one proposal in each section in your notebook to improve sustainability at school. >
1. How can we reduce the waste produced during break time?
2. How can we improve the emotional well-being of people who are going through a difficult time?
3. How can we make it possible for less well-off families to access after-school revision classes?
< We compare our answers as a whole class and observe that some of these solutions require funding from a public institution, such as the local council or the government. >
6.3. Tackle challenges effectively, fairly and sustainably in a range of real or simulated contexts and situations, applying the necessary economic and financial knowledge.
