False sustainability
From Envirowiki
False sustainability is a concept first put forward by environmental theorist David Pearce[1], which states that if the conditions of sustainability are met in one country, but that this is at the expense of sustainability in another country, then that is not real sustainability.
[edit] 1 examples
A prime example of this effect is the palm oil biofuel industry. biodiesels are sold in wealthier nations, such as australia, or the USA, and the vehicle drivers can claim some kind of sustainability through in-cycle carbon emissions. often the reality of the system is that palm oil plantations in the less wealthy nations (e.g. malaysia, or the philipines) are extremely destructive, and are often planted on what was previously rainforest. Not only does this have a negative environmental impact (i.e. it's unsustainable), but it also releases carbon emissions from land clearing, plantation machinery, and fuel processing and transport. Often these emissions far outweigh the emissions saved at the end of the process, and over all waste (carbon emissions) is increased over the old system, making the entire process incredibly unsustainable.
