Talent for Growth

• Middelbare school
• vmbo
• Leerjaar 2,3

Talent for Growth

Sustainability

• is about meeting the world's needs of today and tomorrow by creating systems that allow us to live well and within the limits of our planet

Consumption wil increase worldwide

1. True
2. False

Today, Europe still consumes more resources and contributes more to environmental degradation than other regions. Our indicators, such as the consumption footprint and material footprint show no signs of significant reductions.

The global population will
grow 5 % by 2050

1. True
2. False

The global population will grow by almost one-third to 10 billion by 2050

Global resource use will
double by 2060

1. True
2. False

We are using resources faster than the planet can replenish them, creating pollution, destroying nature, driving climate change and impacting people’s health and well-being. A transition to a sustainable future will require a fundamental shift in production and consumption systems.

Energy demand will grow
by 10% by 2040

1. True
2. False

Energy demand will grow by 30% by 2040

Water demand will increase
by 55% by 2050

1. True
2. False

Water demand will increase by 55% by 2050;

Sea levels are rising due to climate warming.

By how many millimeters has the sea level risen per year in recent years?

1. 1 mm
2. 2 mm
3. 3 mm

3 millimeters per year. Every 10 years the sea level rises by about 3 centimeters.

New heat records are being broken again and again. Normally, the average annual temperature in the Netherlands is 10.1 degrees Celsius.

What was the average annual temperature in the Netherlands in 2022?

1. 10.2 ℃
2. 10.9 ℃
3. 11.7 ℃

The sea ice at the North Pole is decreasing.

By what percentage has the sea ice decreased in the last 45 years?

1. 20%
2. 30%
3. 50%

• sea ice has decreased by 50% since 1979

A lot of research is being done into the consequences of climate change.
What prediction have scientists NOT made?

1. The polar bear will become extinct within a year
2. People have to flee due to floods
3. The earth will warm up another 2 to 6 degrees

• The polar bear is having a hard time and is on the endangered species list. Numbers are declining, but the polar bear is not expected to become extinct in the short term.
  

• It has been predicted that large groups of people will have to leave their living environment and flee natural and climate disasters caused by global warming.

• The Earth is expected to warm another 2 to 6 degrees this century.

By what percentage has the number of animals in the world decreased over the past 50 years?

1. 12%
2. 26%
3. 69%

Since 1970, wildlife numbers have declined by 69%

"One of the first conditions of happiness is that the link between Man and Nature shall not be broken"

- Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) -

In the movie 'Our Planet' also the balance between 'man and nature' has been mentioned.

2 ages ago Tolstoy already recognized this. 

BUT......

• We are using resources faster than the planet can replenish them, 
• We are creating pollution and destroying nature,
• We are driving climate change and impacting people’s health and well-being.

While technological advancements and innovations have led to more prosperity, they have also caused widespread damage to nature.

About 75% of land and 40% of seas are now severely altered worldwide. The planet, including Europe, is also experiencing exceptionally rapid loss of biodiversity, with more species threatened with extinction now than at any point in human history. There is increasing concern that pollution and climate change will lead to sudden and irreversible shifts in our environment, severely disrupting nature’s ability to deliver essential services like food, soil, and water that we depend on.

These pressures are also inflicting harm on human health and well-being. Three times as many people are suffering or losing their lives from environmental pollution now than AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined.

Can we live within the limits of the planet? Do you know some examples in your own living environment of disbalance between man and nature?

Always refer to the definition of sustainability:

meeting the world's needs of today and tomorrow by creating systems that allow us to live well and within the limits of our planet

Can we explore and anticipate the future? 

How about shaping it?

Young people have to be engaged in the big chalenges of our time. It's about their future. 

We have to teach them to be critical and take the future into their own hands.

Big challenges of our time

Sustainability challenges:

• Food security
• Climate change
• Loss of biodiversity

Less plastic, less waste, less pollution

Consumption patterns significantly affect the amounts, types and characteristics of the products and services produced or offered — as well as how they are managed when they become or generate waste. They are therefore directly linked to production and waste management processes, which are primary sources of pollution within the EU and abroad.

How can we contribute to a transition to a sustainable future?

Big global environmental problems are not problems between the north and south pole. 

They're between our ears. 

They're in the way we live, in our mindset, in our values.

The technology is already there.

How can we create a mindset in which our values regarding a healthy living environment are a priority.

What can you do at home, school or in your region to contribute to a more sustainable future?

Discuss with the students:

• what they want to change and how
• how to create the right mindset - how to become aware of urgency