Chapter 4: Geography and Sustainability

The discipline of geography and the sustainability of the natural environment and anthropogenic uses of Earth are old acquaintances. Dr. Carol Hardin, recently president of the Association of American Geographers, provided a reflective commentary on sustainability within the discipline of geography. She noted the scholarly past of the discipline and the topics surrounding contemporary sustainability issues are readily recognizable. Her words reflect the perspective of geography in the context of the sustainability movement globally.

Hardin (2009) further builds the case that geography was a leading discipline in the conservation movement of the mid-20th century, championed by such renowned individuals as Aldo Leopold and John Muir. However, by the 21st century the word conservation became associated more with natural resources and the management of land in agriculture. Sustainability emerged as a more modern concept. It also provided a new discussion on sustaining activities and practices ranging from languages and customs to the amount of land that was available for parks and recreation. The new concept of sustainability connected the traditions of geography as a discipline with the new challenges of the 21th century. Among those challenges is the use of geographic information to make predictions regarding sustainability relative to an increasing global population and a dynamic environment. There are growing practices in geography to apply sustainability models to cities, agriculture, recreation, energy, and water just to name a few. The discussion in this paper focuses on sustainability of water resources, namely ground water both globally and in the United States.