Sustainable Development SOSC 562 Instructor: Jerry Patchell (sopatch@ust.hk)
TA: Kaxton Siu
(Kaxton@ust.hk)
Sustainable Development SOSC 562 Instructor: Jerry Patchell (sopatch@ust.hk)
TA: Kaxton Siu
(Kaxton@ust.hk)
What is Sustainable Development?
One Problem: Two Vicious Circles Poverty Affluence Environmental degradation Environmental degradation Resource imports,
pollution exports
How does poverty cause environmental damage?
Agriculture: need to survive causes overuse of land (grazing, intensive agriculture, fertilizer, fuel wood, logging) leading to deforestation, topsoil erosion, water contamination
Worsened by:
population pressures;
lack of control over local resources and poor governance;
Inability to invest in environment
Industry: inefficient, dirty industry locates where wages and influence over environment are low, causing pollution of air, land, and water
Cost-based competition
Labour intensive
Low capacity to invest in environment
How does affluence cause environmental damage?
High productivity levels cause greater throughput of materials and energy per person
Higher income levels enable greater consumption of energy and materials
Greater throughput of energy and materials means more land used for agriculture (more pesticides, fertilizers, erosion), more wood and mineral resources used, more energy extracted and used, etc.
Urbanization has disconnected producers and consumers relieving them of the influence of environmental degradation on their lives.
How are the two vicious circles connected?
Connections
Trade in resources, pollution and waste
Exploitation of global commons for resources and waste disposal
Impact of local actions on global health
Two Paths to Sustainable Development Poverty Affluence Environmental degradation Environmental degradation Resource imports,
pollution exports Welfare Improvement:
Basic needs (food, shelter, edu.)
Productive employment
Control over resources
Population control
Energy Environmental Remediation:
Production
Consumption
Fulfilling employment/leisure
Responsibility and participation
Energy
Livelihood Lifestyle Cooperation on Global Governance
From Ad Hoc Responses to the Environmental Crisis… Social Demands
Catalytic events: disasters, Pollution, Habitat Destruction etc.
Scientists, Environmentalists, Social Movements raise Awareness: demand for action, green consumption
Political Action
Government Regulations, Penalties, and Administration
International Conferences and Agreements
Business Response
Evasion
Compliance with regulations
Sustainability as strategy
…to an (Ambiguous) Consensus on Sustainable Development
"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. ” (WCED)
The short definition was qualified by its originators in the following manner: “It (sustainable development) contains within it two key concepts:
the concepts of needs, in particular the essential needs off the world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and
the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs.” (WECD, 1987, 43)
History
Stockholm 1972: UN Conference on the Human Environment
Report of the World Commission on the Environment and Development: “Our Common Future”.
Rio 1992: UN Conference on Environment and Development: Agenda 21
Johannesburg 2002: 2nd World Summit on Sustainable Development
Far-Reaching Ethical, Political and Economic Implications
Raised the environmental issue to a high level;
Recognizing the issue of intra-generation and inter-generation equity;
While, still allowing for growth and development;
And bound all countries to a global effort.
Local, National and Global Strategies
revive growth, but change the quality of growth;
meet essential needs for jobs, food, energy, water, and sanitation;
ensure a sustainable level of population;
conserve and enhance the resource base;
reorient technology and manage risk;
merge environment and economics in decision making;
enhance the flow of capital to developing countries;
link trade, environment, and development by improving the terms of trade;
increase the diffusion of environmentally sound technologies and their funding to developing countries.
Who does sustainable development?
The UN and its agencies
Dozens of environmental conventions and programs(UNDP)
National, state, local governments, communities
110 national, over 6000 local Agenda 21s
Non-governmental organizations
Thousands involved
Industry Sectors
All firms involved in service provision from cradle to cradle
Companies and other Organizations
Environmental Management Systems; Corporate social responsibility/sustainability programs; ethical investing
Consumers
Green consumer movements, fair trade
How is Sustainable Development Done?
Integration
Systems: any change in behavior or technology to reduce environmental impact requires and causes changes throughout the human-environment system
Principles: traditions, ideologies, economic theories, laws etc. that shape environmental behaviour have to be changed
Practices: the tasks, processes, and technologies of the way we work and play are changed according to system needs.
How can we stop climate change?
How does the human-environment system work?
What are the principles governing human inputs?
What practices need to be changed?
Sustainable Development as Integration Science &
Technology Politics Society Environment Environment Economy
Sustainable Development as Integration
All activities depend on the environment
Society is the core of the system because it shapes relations with the environment and because of need for equity (resources, health, responsibility; intra & inter generational)
Society needs economy for support and to exist within carrying capacity
Society exists within long-term technological conditions
Society requires government to set common standards of behavior.
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