Name:  Justin  Cheung  

Date:  
Room:  18  
Year:  8  
Genre:  Report  

Sustainable  Humanity  
‘Sustainable  Humanity’  means  preserving  the  Earth’s  natural  resources,  caring  for  the  environment  and  
not  using  more  than  you  need,  as  humanity  needs  to  preserve  resources  for  future  generations.  

Energy  comes  from  many  sources  and  can  be  used  to  power  many  things.  Most  of  the  energy  on  Earth  
comes  from  the  sun,  as  plants  and  animals  need  the  sun  to  grow  and  keep  warm.  Fossil  fuel  is  an  
unrenewable  energy  source,  which  is  currently  running  low,  due  to  a  high  demand  from  the  public  and  
also  companies.  Eventually  we  will  need  to  find  alternative  fuel  sources,  as  fossil  fuel  will  be  exhausted.  

Natural  resources  are  resources  and  energy  naturally  found  on  planet  Earth.  Although  most  of  these  
resources  are  renewable,  humanity  is  using  the  resources  faster  than  the  Earth  can  regenerate  them.  On  
the  25th  of  September  2009,  it  was  ’World  Overshoot’  day.  During  the  year  prior  to  that  day,  we  used  1.4  
Earths  of  resources  and  that  extra  0.4  Earths  of  resources  came  from  past  and  future  energy  sources.  
Some  of  the  energies  that  natural  resources  give  us  are:  Solar  energy,  Wind  power,  Tidal  energy  and  
Geothermal  energy.  Fossil  fuel  is  needed  but  there  is  not  currently  enough  of  it  as  humanity  and  big  
industries  use  a  lot  of  this  resource.  

Humanity  generally  creates  a  lot  of  waste,  as  we  like  to  use  things  that  are  unrecyclable  and  can  only  be  
used  one  time.  The  average  household  rubbish  is  made  up  of  46%  organic,  28%  paper,  10%  plastic,  3%  
metal,  3%  glass  and  10%  other.  The  way  we  get  rid  of  this  rubbish  is  putting  it  all  in  a  landfill,  burning  it  or  
recycling  it.  Burning  the  rubbish  might  make  it  disappear  but  it  also  creates  harmful  greenhouse  gases.  
Landfills  are  not  the  ideal  solution  as  the  rubbish  spills  over  and  the  plastic  waste  may  trap  marine  and  
birdlife.  

Humanity  also  faces  the  problem  of  climate  change.  All  greenhouse  gases  contribute  to  climate  change  
and  global  warming.  The  greenhouse  gases  emitted  by  cars  and  produced  as  a  result  of  industrial  
activities  create  a  layer  of  greenhouse  gases  up  in  the  atmosphere,  and  this  layer  prevents  the  ultraviolet  
(UV)  rays  from  the  sun  reflecting  back  into  space.  These  extra  UV  rays  trapped  in  the  atmosphere  raise  
the  temperature  of  the  planet  thus  contributing  to  climate  change.  

The  Earth  belongs  to  us  and  everyone  has  a  responsibility  to  look  after  the  planet  and  ensure  the  use  of  
our  resources  is  sustainable.  You  could  help  by  decreasing  your  use  of  natural  resources  to  only  what  you  
need  and  live  sustainably.