CUC100 Persuasive Essay: Sustainable Lifestyle Choices in Urban Areas

This essay delves into the critical relationship between urban lifestyles and sustainability, examining environmental, social, and economic concerns. It highlights the unsustainable consumption patterns in urban settings, contrasting them with the needs of rural communities, and discusses the role of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in addressing these issues. The essay emphasizes the importance of balancing environmental protection, social equity, and economic viability for a sustainable future. It further proposes solutions such as increased public awareness, environmental education, and the active implementation of SDGs to promote responsible lifestyle choices and ensure a healthier, more equitable world for current and future generations. The student document is available on Desklib, a website offering study tools and resources for students.

Running Head: SUSTAINABILITY 0
Sustainability
Persuasive Essay: Lifestyle choices in urban or
community settings
(Student Details :)
2/7/2019

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Contents
Sustainability Essay: Lifestyle choices in urban settings...........................................................2
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Sustainability in Urban Settings.................................................................................................2
Sustainability concerns from an environmental, social and economic view point................3
Sustainability concern from an environmental viewpoint.................................................3
Sustainability concern from a social viewpoint.................................................................4
Sustainability concern from an economic viewpoint.........................................................4
Responses to discussed concerns to achieve sustainability....................................................5
Response to environmental issues to ensure sustainability................................................5
Response to social issues to ensure sustainability..............................................................5
Response to economic issues to ensure sustainability.......................................................5
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................6

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Sustainability Essay: Lifestyle choices in urban settings
Introduction
The essay is emphasized on the paradigm of sustainable development (SD) in urban
settings while emphasizing on lifestyle choices of urban public. Sustainability is a paradigm
for thinking about the future in which environmental, societal and economic considerations
are balanced in the pursuit of an improved quality of life (Banister, 2008). In this context,
chosen scenario for discussing sustainability concerns as well as finding their solutions is
lifestyle choices in urban settings. Hence, this discussion will contain key sustainability
concerns from an environmental, social and economic point of view. Subsequently, we will
also discuss responses to the discussed concerns which could assist to ensure future
sustainability for all.
SD can be well-defined as the progress which can fulfil the requirements of the
current generation without negotiating the capability of upcoming generations for meeting
their requirements (Barrow, 2008). The paper will reflect on suggested lifestyle choices in
urban settings for sustainable development which enables revolutionary change by adopting
new nature friendly behaviours as well as practices. In this way, this essay provides
perceptive links amid all sustainable development goals (SDGs) for the urban settings (Bass
& Dalal-Clayton, 2012).
Sustainability in Urban Settings
Urban life setting typically includes dealing with the consequences of huge number of
people living their life close together. Moreover, a lifestyle of people living in an urban place
is usually categorized as more hectic as well as polluted than others. Besides, urban
communities people lives life at a quicker pace than the residents living in a comparatively
less populated area or rural setting. Most importantly, people living in urban setting change
their atmosphere from their consumption styles of food, water, energy and land (Birol, 2018).
Thus, the polluted urban atmosphere influences the health and quality of life style of the
major metropolitan population. In this context, sustainability concerns arise into urban setting
as persons who live in urban settings carry completely different consumption patterns than
rural setting residents. Therefore, major problems related to urbanization include bulk

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population density, insufficient infrastructure, flooding, and deficiency of inexpensive
housing, pollution, slum creation, congestion, crime and poverty. Stakeholders involved in an
urban community setting are as follows:
o Local urban community public
o Local rural community public
o Nation’s Government
o United Nations
In addition, issue of excess population density is mainly caused by the heavy
migration rate of rural area people. Hence, sustainability practice is essential for the urban
settings which clearly define as managing usage of the natural resources in a way that nobody
from the current generation suffers from the deficiency of their minimum requirements as
well as future generations can happily live their lives with present natural resources (Blewitt,
2008). To ensure a healthy, wealthy and happy life style for all we need to identify the
sustainability issues lying in our lifestyles so that sustainable future can be attained for the
whole planet.
Sustainability concerns from an environmental, social and economic view
point
To identify as well as understand the sustainability concerns from the social,
environmental and economic point of view, first we need to know the difference amid
sustainable development and sustainability (Cui & Fang, 2011). Here, sustainability is a long-
termed goal such as sustainable world, whereas sustainable development defines as many
procedures as well as pathways to establish those long-term sustainability goals (Dash, 2013).
Sustainable development is having four key dimensions include society, culture,
environment and economy those are interweaved (Dresner, 2008). For an instance, a
flourishing society depends upon a healthy atmosphere to deliver good food and resources,
clean air and safe drinking water to their citizens.
Sustainability concern from an environmental viewpoint
The most important sustainability concern from the environmental perspective is that in spite
of knowing the borders of usage world nations misuse the right to exploit their own natural
resources. Hence, countries and communities should utilise the cautionary approach to
protect our environment. Moreover, there are so many other concerns as highlighted by the

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United Nations while establishing 17 SDGs for the sustainable world and cities. Due to
lifestyles and choices adopted by urban settings sustainability issues like inadequate clean
energy and poor economic growth develops into living environment and hence excessive
harnessing of environmental resources escalates (Arto, Capellan-Perez, Lago, Bueno, &
Bermejo, 2016). In addition, sustainable cities and communities is a major concern from the
environmental point of view as land, water, engineering materials as well as other basic
requirements of sustainable cities will not get fulfilled if environmental resources will not be
available in an enough proportion. Climate change is also an important concern which
changes our living environment to a large extent. Moreover, life of animals and humans
living below as well as on land will be badly affected if environmental sustainability will not
be achieved. One more big sustainability challenge or concern from an environmental
perspective is clean and enough energy for all. As we know that ensuring clean energy for all
is an essential aspect of achieving sustainability in the world hence this is also a big concern
of sustainability from the environmental viewpoint.
Sustainability concern from a social viewpoint
There are so many wrong practices or not recommended lifestyle choices from the
sustainable development point of view which also causes social problems like poverty,
hunger, bad health, poor education, gender inequality as well as unhygienic water and
sanitation. For an example, in urban areas people use showers, Jacuzzi and swimming pools
to take a bath everyday which takes the amount of water equivalent to total required water for
daily activities in a day by a rural community home. On the other hand, in rural areas people
do not have the access to minimum requirements of clean and safe water for drinking and
other purposes. In this way, lifestyle choices of urban setting are hugely affecting the process
of ensuring sustainability for all as they are living a luxurious life through harnessing the
natural resources out of their limit. Besides, increasing inequalities among all people of the
world is also a sustainability concern from the social point of view. For instance, some people
are living in bungalows consuming 2-3 times the required space and others do not having
even a single room to live safely and hence they often found sleeping on the footpaths. In this
way, the above are the sustainability issues for the whole world which are restricting
governors of SDGs to establish the goals effectively.
Sustainability concern from an economic viewpoint
The lifestyle choices of urban community are unbalancing the economy of the all
respective nations. As we know that to ensure sustainability for the whole world, world’s

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economy needs to be powerful through making all nations’ economies strong. On the other
hand, economy of a single country can be developed more when each and every citizen of the
nation will be having enough access to the minimum requirements of daily-life. Thus,
excessive usage or wastage of natural resources by the urban setting people sustainability
concerns like poor economic growth as well as imbalanced consumption and production are
occurring and increasing day-by-day.
Responses to discussed concerns to achieve sustainability
An immediate responsive action towards above discussed concerns for achieving
sustainability for world is essential. In order to resolve the sustainability issues from the all
point of view, United Nations set the Millennium Development Goals with the SDGs. These
goals have covered each and every aspect of the above discussed concerns so that an effective
solution can be achieved for all (Barrow, 2008).
Response to environmental issues to ensure sustainability
Environmental issues which are related to sustainability will be best handled with the
interactive involvement of all concerned citizens of the nation. In this context, world’s
nations should facilitate as well as embolden public awareness and active participation
through making environmental info extensively available for all (Griggs, et al., 2013).
Through introducing environment awareness in the each and every class subjects of school
and colleges, an effective awareness about the environmental issues can be ensured by the
education ministry of the nation. Moreover, workshops, conferences and seminars on national
as well as international level must be organized in all languages and literacy level so that
urban people can evolve their lifestyle practices in order to aid something to the SDGs and
MDGs (Kaygusuz, 2012).
Response to social issues to ensure sustainability
SDGs 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 are majorly about the social welfare of the society which in turn
resolves all social barriers and challenges to ensure sustainability for all. Moreover, the SDG-
11 set by United Nations constitutes sustainable cities and communities which mean that all
missions and vision listed in this SDG are related to solving all issues related to a sustainable
city and community (Bibri & Krogstie, 2017). In this way, through following mission and
vision of SDG-11 we all can resolve all of the sustainability concerns related to social aspect
of the community (Hojer & Wangel, 2015).

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Response to economic issues to ensure sustainability
The four dimensions of sustainability are all intertwined and hence social,
environmental as well as economic concerns are also connected with each other. Thus,
responsive action towards these concerns will also inter-relate with each other. It means that
when we will address environmental issues then global inequalities of various things will get
eliminated and it will minimize social consequences of inequalities. Moreover, an economic
condition of any nation, country or world majorly depends upon the per capita income of
their citizens (Hammer & Pivo, 2017). Subsequently, per capita income of any nation will be
directly affected through social and environmental determinants of the place. In this way,
achieving all 17 SDGs will improve each and every aspect of the economy and that in turn
address all economic issues related to world sustainability (Kaygusuz, 2012).
Conclusion
In conclusion, it has been proved that Sustainability being a paradigm of thinking
about the sustainable future where societal, environmental and economic considerations are
well-balanced in the quest of an enhanced quality of life. The essay has successfully
discussed about major concerns related to sustainability while emphasizing on economic,
environmental and social perspective for the urban community. With the help of highlighting
the lifestyle choices and daily life practices of urban setting people the paper has analysed
many major concerns of the rural community setting of any place from the perspective of
achieving sustainability for all. Moreover, role of SDGs and MDGs set by United Nations
while achieving sustainability has been discussed. Post highlighting the issues of sustainable
development, resolution techniques for the highlighted issues related to three measurements
of sustainability have been discussed in the context of lifestyle choices of urban community
people. Finally, to have equilibrium among environmental, economic and societal
considerations an effective implementation of 17 SDGs through active global participation is
essential which cannot be possible without the contribution of each and every citizen of the
nation.

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