Natural resources are very vital in the basic survival of human beings in every country. Hence the preservation of resource is cardinal for every government and people at large. There are many constraints in preservation of such which threatens the sustainability of natural resources. Such constraints can be attributed to the unequal distribution of goods and services as well as the negative impacts of economic growth. This can be reduced through environmental education, innovative ideas and the development of green technologies. The aforementioned will be discussed in depth in this academic piece of writing.

Environmentalism of the poor is an ideology that seeks to emerge two fields of study and these are the political ecology and the ecological economics (Guha, 2000). It comprises of movements that are against the misuse of environmental resources and services by the rich and powerful. People organise themselves in order to correct the wrongs that have being done against environment.

There are a number of cases of environmentalism of the poor. Some of these include two examples related to copper mining that is from Rio Tinto, Andalusia, in the 1880s against sulphur dioxide; and in the early 1900s against the pollution of the Watarase River by Ashio Copper Mine in Japan with the peasant leader Tanaka Shozo. Most of those that participate in protests are very poor and this is because they fully understand that development will disadvantage them by causing pollution and destroying their livelihoods (Martinez, 1995).

The desire to take development to most geographical locations in the countries in the shortest period of time has brought about expansion and improvements in the transport sector. Access roads are being constructed all around the world. These improvements literally motivate more people to own automobiles or use private collective transport modes. The aforementioned bring about climate change as well as compromised quality of earth (Krummernach, 2008).

Sustaining biodiversity and ecosystem services is directly linked to poverty alleviation. An example is how forests and woodlands support local livelihoods through provisioning of building material, fuel, medicine and protein. Furthermore,avoiding deforestation is also a global public good, for instance related to carbon sequestration and maintenance of demography. Decision makers are faced with the dilemma of balancing socio-cultural, economic and ecological values and these trade-offs need to be further analysed and understood (Flint, 2001).

 There are three forms of environmentalism of the poor and one of these is the Conservation Biology. Traditional and International Organizations like The World Wide Fund address the enclosure of areas that have endangered species in order to support their production over time as well as protect them from disappearing. The second is the gospel of Eco-Efficiency which has the idea that there is more valuation of land as an economic resource and this makes sure that protects on the natural resources through schemes encourages people on the ground to preserve them and achieve sustainable development. Last but not the least is the Mantra of Environmental Justice. This is the fair treatment and involvement of everyone regardless of their race, nationality or income with respect to development (Pearce, 1993).

Environmental governance also promotes a social element of sustainability. The aspirations towards establishing a society based on social justice which is clearly envisioned in the South African Constitution is to ‘heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights’. Keeping in mind that ‘environmental problems are also social problems, both in their causes and their effects’, and that the effect of environmental degradation are felt most acutely by people who are also already subject to socio-economic disadvantage. Environmental governance is responsive to equity and justice concerns, especially amidst the deep-seated socio-economic divides that persist in South African Society (National Strategy For Sustainable Development, 2008).

People need to learn to share the limited resources available amongst themselves and use them sustainably. Peasant farmers for example highly depend on resources such as water (which is one of the exploited resources) for their livelihood. One way of preserving water as a country is by encouraging power stations to consider recycling sewage waste and reusing it for power because water is stressed. Some countries have overused their share of global commons and natural debts like financial debts must be paid. An agreement must be reached that will enable that resources are shared equitably because no country in the world will accept freezing inequity. All countries must strive to limit their emissions and maximise the opportunity that those provide (Jeffrey, 2005).

Many people feel that providing renewable energy is for the poor in order to keep them poor. For example, people are told to restrict use of solar energy by not buying a television set. Showing that only those that are poor must use it. It is then important for people to look at the soft power of nature and not concentrated sources of energy such as coal and oil that have created enormous problems of air pollution as well as climate change. If people understand native method of living they would shift to weaker sources of energy such as solar or wind energy (Todaro, 2003).

Youth engagement is critical to foster environmental behaviour. Integration of environmental issues into school programs has a substantial positive effect on community awareness. Youths    are effective messengers, advocates and change agents. They can advocate for environmental protection and can lead by example. Through eco-clubs for example, children learn about local environmental issues and actively participate in addressing them, acquire research skills, become proponents for environmental protection and promote environmentally friendly behaviour (Najam, 2006).

In conclusion, environmental governance does not operate in a vacuum but is linked to and complementary with other aspects of good governance and therefore promotes sustainable development by ensuring independence and prevent corruption within the various elements of the environment governance system. Corrupt and unprincipled decision making frustrates program implementation, masks environmental results and erodes public confidence in the environmental law. Because the cost of compliance with environmental requirements can be significant to individual actors, it is vital to reduce the potential for graft and bribery on environmental officials, such as inspectors and permitting officers, through anti-corruption measures standards of ethical conduct for government officials.

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Krummernacher,H(2008). Environmental factors as triggers for violen conflict: empirical evidence from the east data base.  Bern: Swiss         Peace.

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National Strategy For Sustainable Development Of Romania – 2030 horizon

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