Transcript FEM 3335 Development and Sustainability

FEM 3335
Development and Sustainability
Associate Prof Dr Sharifah Norazizan Syed Abd Rashid
Department of Social & Development Science
Faculty of Human Ecology
Universiti Putra Malaysia
[email protected]
Content
Topics for Lectures 1-6
• Scenario of the changing world, defining social change and sources
of change, and the advancement of technology and its impact on
society and the environment.
• Development and the multiple perspectives on change : the changing
trends of development and how the current trend differs from the
traditional approach.
• The changing society and how the earth is impacted. Global
perspectives on resources declining and consumption rising. The
developed versus the developing worlds and the question of
Ecological Footprints.
• Protocols for Sustainable Development. Tracing the historic origins of
the concept and its commonly accepted definition…aims, objectives,
and the basic principles of SD.
Topic 1
Scenario of the Changing World, Social
Change and the Impact of Technology on
Society and the Environment
• The History of the changing world.
• Social change processes and the role of technology.
• The advancement of technology and its impact on
society and the environment.
History of the Changing World
Complexity
Planetary Phase
100 years ?
Modern Era
1,000 years
Stone Age
100,000 years
20,000
Early Civilization
10,000 years
10,000
0
Years Before Present
Planetary Phase of Civilization
…..refers to a current historical transition from a world
of capitalist states and consumerist societies to a world
of increased global connectivity with new global
institutions (like the United Nations and the World
Trade Organizations), new information technologies,
the age of biotechnology, environmental change in the
biosphere, economic globalization, and shifts in culture
and consciousness.
Economic Base
Globalization
Industrial capitalism
Settled agriculture
Hunting &
gathering
105
104
103
102 Years Before Present
Communication
Internet
Printing
Writing
Language
105
104
103
102 Years Before Present
Definition of Social Change
• Generally, social change is defined as the movement
of society from one level of livelihood to another
level.
• Social change is also defined as the framework of
change and new social behavior that benefits the
society.
(Triandis dalam Rozali, 1991)
Social Change Concept
• Change is important in social behavior or changes
in the social system.
• Social change refers to changes in terms of existing
social relationships eg in the family, economy,
politic and religion
• Social change also refers to permanent changes to
the cultural components, social structure and social
bahavior.
cont
• The changes involved changes in cultural values,
norms and roles.
• It also involved leading social institutions like the
family institutions, religious, education etc.
• Social change is also a qualitative and quantitative
processes of change to both planned and
unplanned social phenomena
Dimensions
Technology
Governance
Economy
Social
Demography
Values
Knowledge
Sources of Social Change
• Environmental
- natural disaster
• Population
- Fertility, mortality, longevity and consumption.
• Modernization is a process of social change initiated by
industrialization process.
- industrialization, urbanization, bureaucratization
• Human interactions
- Human actions. Collective behavior, environmental factors,
declining norms. Social control breakdown.
sambung
• Global development
- developed countries @rich
- undeveloped countries @poor
• Technological factors
- automation
- cultural lag
- Cultural innovation, inventions, diffusions
Technology and Social
Change
• Rapid increase in the rate of population growth and the wealth of
society.
• Tensions created in society, the natural environment and ecology.
• Technology and engineering becoming more important in creating
and providing solutions to problems.
• Technology brings about social change on human lives in terms of
culture, lifestyle, communication and interactions among them.
• Technology influence peoples’ lives either positively and
negatively.
• People need to plan and in control of the changes to ensure
security and that the future generation live sustainably.
Discussion
1. What do you understand by Social Change?
2. What are the factors that cause Global Social
Change?
3. Define Technology and explain how technology
able to change the world?
Topic 2
Multiple Perspectives on Change
• Definitions
• Theories and changing trends of development approaches
• Current versus traditional approaches
Conceptual Surroundings of
Development
 Synonym for change
- usually considered as a positive change, beneficial alteration,
achievement of a better (material) life
 Other Parallel Concepts : Progress, Advancement and Growth
• Progress derives from the idea of moving on, advancing.
• Progress has a connotation of structural changes which are
based on superindividual factors.
• Development is more consciously accomplished change.
Definitions of Development
• For almost every writer a different definition of
development exists.
• Important to first distinguish between:
 Development as a state or condition-static
 Development as a process or course of
change- dynamic
Meaning of DevelopmentTodaro
• Development is not purely an economic
phenomenon but rather a multi-dimensional process
involving reorganization and reorientation of entire
economic AND social system
• Development is process of improving the quality of
all human lives with three equally important aspects.
These are:
Todaro’s Three Objectives of
Development
1. Raising peoples’ living levels, i.e. incomes and
consumption, levels of food, medical services,
education through relevant growth processes
2. Creating conditions conducive to the growth of
peoples’ self-esteem through the establishment of
social, political and economic systems and
institutions which promote human dignity and
respect.
2. Increasing peoples’ freedom to choose by
enlarging the range of their choice variables, e.g.
varieties of goods and services
Alternative Interpretations of
Development
• Development as Modernization- emphasizes
process of social change which is required to
produce economic advancement; examines
changes in social, psychological and political
processes;
• How to develop wealth oriented behavior and
values in individuals; profit seeking rather than
subsistence and self sufficiency
• Shift from commodity to human approach with
investment in education and skill training
Alternative Interpretations of
Development
• Development as Distributive Justice - view
development as improving basic needs
• Interest in social justice which has raised three
issues:
i.
Nature of goods and services provided by
governments
ii. Matter of access of these public goods to different
social classes
iii. How burden of development can be shared
among these classes
Target groups include small farmers, landless, urban
under-employed and unemployed
Marxist View of Development
• Emphasizes Mode of Production - elements and
activities necessary to produce and reproduce real,
material life
• Capitalist (market economy) mode depends on
wage labor whose labor power produces a surplus
which is accumulated and appropriated by the
employer-result is often class conflict in capitalist
societies
Sustainable Development
• Defined as development that is likely to achieve
lasting satisfaction of human needs and
improvement of the quality of life and encompasses:
 Help for the very poorest who are left with no option but to
destroy their environment to survive
 Idea of self-reliant development with natural resource
constraints
 Cost effective development using different economic criteria to
the traditional –i.e. development should not degrade
environment
 Important issues of health control, appropriate technologies,
food self-reliance, clean water and shelter for all
 People centered activities are necessary- human beings
are the resources in the concept
Development Philosophy
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
•
•
•
•
•
Physical needs.
Physical and emotional security.
Social needs.
Status, respect, power.
Self-actualization.
Current Trends of Development
Development from Below
• Bottom up approaches (as opposed to top-down) to
peoples’ participation are important in this view
• How are various social groups and classes affected
by rural-urban, core-periphery and other spatial
interactions?
• Growing importance of “decentralization” of
decision-making and authority from center to
periphery
Current Trends of Development
Development from Below
• Voluntarism
- creativist idea of individuals (contra consumerism of
passive recipients)
• Avoidance of bureaucracy
• Self-reliance as objective (contra as means for
modernization)
- aims and values from within
- no forerunners to follow
Current Trends of Development
Development from Below
• Empowerment
- capacitation
- Participation
•
-
Indigenous knowledge
populism
critique of science and theory
Aversion (dislike) of systematization
• Trickle-up
- grass-root development agency
- distrust of experts
Current Trends in Development
Participatory, People-Centered Development
• Decisions about development goals, objectives,
and the means to achieve these goals and
objectives are decided by the people.
• Development must be sustainable (i.e.,
ecologically sound, cost-effective, local control).
• Modest and achievable goals. No utopias.
• Feedback on goals, objectives, methods of
development.
Current Trends in Development
Participatory, People-Centered Development
•
•
•
•
•
Appropriate technology.
Sustainable technology.
Informed technology.
Control over technology.
Place-based technology.
• Adaptive technological change.
Popular Development and
Power
• How does the power structure affect development?
• Examine sources of empowerment, inequality and
discrimination
• Need to devise more people centered approaches
which stress empowerment and participation
• Empowerment as participatory development seeks to
engender self-help and self-reliance but also effective
collective decision-making
Obstacles to Participatory Development
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Customs and traditions.
Lack of skills.
Apathy.
Depression.
Tensions among competing groups.
Macroeconomic and social forces.
Resources for a more labor-intensive approach.
Discussion
• Define Development, its aims and objectives?
• Outline the theories of Development?
• What is the current trend of development and how
does it differ from the traditional approach?
• How would you describe the current trend of
development in your country?
Topic 3
Development, Advancement and Modernity Science and Technology and its Impact on
Society and the Environment
• Our Changing society.
• Global perspectives where resources declining and consumption
rising
• Drivers of technological change and impact on planet earth
• The developed versus the developing worlds and their ecological
footprints
The New Global
Setting
• Increased financial, trade, investment and technology flows.
• Rapid and accelerating technological progress, including ICTs,
biotechnology, new materials, electronics, robotics have both
positive and negative impacts on society and the environment.
• New managerial and organizational systems
• New international rules and regulations: trade, quality,
environment, intellectual property rights
Terminology
• Technology is the modification of the natural
environment in order to satisfy perceived human
needs and wants.
• Technological literacy is the ability to use, manage,
assess, and understand technology.
Our Changing Society
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Living longer
More generations co-existing
Rising divorce rate
Changing household structures
Smaller households
Fast rising incomes & wealth
Changing ethnic mix (Eurasian)
Living elsewhere
Living differently
Home leasing on the rise
New tribalism
Spending differently
Outsourcing tasks and chores
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Rise of virtual shopping
Living with leisure
New entertainment & sports
Increasing knowledge
Increasing financial literacy
Living with IC&T
Electronic “guardian angels”
Working differently
New industries/ occupations
Changing spirituality
Outlawing discrimination
Changing politics
(ideologies)
•
Ecological sensitivity
SOLAR
CAPITAL
EARTH
Goods and services
Heat
Human
Economic
and
Natural Capital Cultural
Systems
Human Capital
Depletion of
nonrenewable
resources
Degradation of
renewable resources
Pollution and waste
Global Perspective
life supporting resources
declining
consumption of
life supporting resources
rising
The Technology Divide - Outlook
• A small number of industrialized countries provide practically all
the world’s technology innovation.
• Some developing countries are able to adopt these technologies
in production and consumption.
• The remaining part is technologically disconnected, neither
innovating nor adopting foreign technologies.
Planet Earth is Impacted The Developed and Developing
Worlds
• Ecological Footprints -The ecological footprint is a
measure of human demand on the Earth's
ecosystems.
 United States - 5 hectares/person
 Developing nations - 0.5 hectare/person
• For everyone to live at today’s US footprint would
require 3 planet Earths
• Increasing affluence and population is damaging
Earth’s essential ecology
Our Planet in Danger
•
•
•
•
•
•
Atmospheric pollution and climate change
Water pollution, including ground aquifers
Deforestation and loss of oxygenation
The oceans, coral reefs and their bounty
National parks, wildernesses and wetlands
Nonrenewable natural resource depletion
 Biodiversity is in Danger
 Global warming…
Drivers for Technological
Change
•
•
•
•
•
Social
Technology and Science
Economic
Environmental
Political
Social Drivers
• Consumer awareness, perceptions, attitudes
and beliefs affecting preferences and choice
• Increasing per capita incomes in developing
countries
• Demographic changes
• Lifestyle changes associated with urbanization in
developing countries
Info and Communication
• Cell phones, internet access
• Greater direct access to international markets
– web site
– Internet
• Greater accessibility to information
– Technologies, market data, scientific and
technical databases
• Direct connection between buyer and seller
• Improved and real time traceability
Summary
• Major increases are occurring in human population and
affluence.
• Major stresses result in our society, natural environment, and
ecology.
• Technology and engineering are central to the creation and the
mitigation of problems.
• Predicting the future is difficult. The next twenty five to fifty years
will be decisive.
Role and Impact of Technology:
Sustainability
• It is technological development that meets the economic and
environmental needs of the present while enhancing the ability
of future generations to meet their own needs.
• As world population increases, the industry can serve more
customers with higher quality, higher performing products and
services, while demonstrating responsible stewardship of our
planet.
• The nation should be properly positioned to bring into reality the
technology vision of an industry – one that protects
environmental quality, improves economic well-being, and
promotes a higher quality of life.
Topic 4
Protocols for Sustainable Development
Background history of Sustainable Development
Sustainable Development
History : A Background
Critique of traditional development
• Contributing to health problems, ecological
degradation, poverty and social injustice
• Undermining ecological, social and economic
capital of communities
Sustainable Development as remedy.
Emergence of Sustainable
Development
Stockholm Conference
(Eco-development)
1972
Brundtland Commission
(our Common Future)
1987
UN Conference on Environment & Development
(Agenda 21)
1992 (June)
UN Commission on Sustainable Development
1992 (Dec.)
National Sustainable Development Action Plans
1992 +
UNCSD Reviews Progress on Agenda 21
1997
Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change
1997 (Dec.)
Background
• The topic takes an historical approach tracing the widening
understanding of sustainable development from the 1980s up to the
present day. This history includes landmark international events such
as: the 1987 Brundtland Report, the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de
Janiero, the 1997 Rio+5 Conference and the 2000 Millennium Summit
in New York, and the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable
Development in Johannesburg.
• Much has been written in academic terms about the meaning of
sustainable development and the need to integrate ecological and
economic principles into personal and public decision-making.
• However, there is no agreed definition of the concept and perhaps
there is no need for one. This is because sustainable development
concerns a process of change and is heavily reliant upon local
contexts, needs and interests.
Introduction
Sustainable Development
• Sustainable development is one of the most fundamental
challenges confronting humanity.
• There is as yet no commonly accepted definition of the term. Of
the numerous definitions to be found in literature, the most
commonly accepted, states that sustainable development is
“meeting the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to develop.” (Our Common Future
published by the UN World Commission on Environment and
Development).
Brundtland Report cont
• In 1987, the World Commission on Environment and
Development (chaired by G.Harlem Brundtland) released its
report The Brundtland Report, also known as Our Common
Future. A Global Agenda For Change.
• The Report alerted the world to the urgency of making progress
toward economic development that could be sustained without
depleting natural resources or harming the environment.
• The Report provided a key statement on sustainable
development, defining it as ….development that meets the
needs of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs.
cont
• "Our Common Future", otherwise known as the Brundtland
Report, which framed much of what would become the 40
chapters of Agenda 21 and the 27 principles of the Rio
Declaration on Environment and Development.
• It defined sustainable development as development which;
“meets the needs of present generations without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”
What were new then as stated in
the Brundtland Report???
• The notion of equity and justice within and between
generations.
• The idea of developing a shared understanding of the longterm goals for human life on earth.
• The idea of new governance instruments and of building
collective action.
• Advocating the need for leadership and building trust with
others.
Brundtland Report cont
The Brundtland Report was primarily concerned with securing a
global equity, redistributing resources towards poorer nations
whilst encouraging their economic growth. The report also
suggested that equity, growth and environmental maintenance are
simultaneously possible and that each country is capable of
achieving its full economic potential whilst at the same time
enhancing its resource base. The report also recognized that
achieving this equity and sustainable growth would require
technological and social change.
Brundtland Report cont
The report highlighted three fundamental components to
sustainable development : environmental protection, economic
growth and social equity. The environment should be conserved
and our resource base enhanced, by gradually changing the
ways in which we develop and use technologies. Developing
nations must be allowed to meet their basic needs of
employment, food energy, water and sanitation. If this is to be
done in a sustainable manner, then there is a definite need for a
sustainable level of population. Economic growth should be
revived and developing nations should be allowed a growth of
equal quality to the developed nations.
Report of the World Commission on
Environment and Development:
“Our Common Future” (Brundtland 1987)
1. Sustainable development is development that meets the needs
of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two
key concepts:
• the concept of ‘needs’, in particular the essential needs of 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.
cont
4. The satisfaction of human needs and aspirations is the major
objective of development. The essential needs of vast numbers of
people in developing countries for food, clothing, shelter, jobs are not being met, and beyond their basic needs these people
have legitimate aspirations for an improved quality of life. A world
in which poverty and inequity are endemic will always be prone to
ecological and other crises. Sustainable development requires
meeting the basic needs of all and extending to all the opportunity
to satisfy their aspirations for a better life.
Sustainable Development
A Context & Direction
• “Development that meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations
to meet their own needs”
• “Living off the interest of our environmental and
resource capital rather than spending the capital itself
”
• “Thinking globally, acting locally”
• “Doing more with less”
Definition of Sustainable
Development
• The phrase “sustainable development” has become an
essential part of the vocabulary in environment and
development circles. It denotes a particular approach to the
process of development.
• The term is really a combination of two separate concepts DEVELOPMENT and SUSTAINABILITY.
• DEVELOPMENT” is usually understood as a process that
moves towards people’s participation in the meeting of their
own basic human needs such as food, health care, employment
and housing.
Definition of Development
• Transformation from one level to another which will enrich
human life to become more better and various in material and
culture aspect, rational and others.
(Galseki, 1972)
• Development is like a variable, a complex definition and have
different meanings and are not consistent which means can
change according to whom who suggest and use it.
(Van Nieuwenhinjze, 1969)
• Nowadays development
sustainable development.
concept
are
more
63
to
achieve
cont
Positive processes of development are ones in which:
• people participate to solve their own problems.
• traditional cultures and lifestyles are respected.
• people become less dependent on external aid and more
capable of using and developing their own resources.
• power and resources are shared.
• women, indigenous people, and other marginalized groups
participate in decisions.
Definition of Sustainable
• Economist: sustainable as an effort to explain balancing which
is needed between economic growth and natural environment
conservation.
• To maintain, to endure, to reserve
(Webster’s Dictionary)
• Capable of being maintained at length without interruption,
weakening, or loss in power or quality.
65
Definition of Sustainable
Development
• Is the main goal in economic and social development because
it encompass the welfare of future generation.
( Simon, 1989)
• Sustainable development is a process of bringing Economic
Development, Community Development and Ecological
Development to balance with each other.
(The Local Agenda 21 Planning Guide, ICLEI )
• Sustainable development is "Development that meets the
needs of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs"
(WCED / Brundtland Commission, 1987)
Definition of Sustainable
Development (Contd.)
The result is a new approach to development that combines some
key development principles (factors that are necessary to ensure
long-term economic, political, or social viability - such as
involvement of women, appropriate technology, and community
participation), with factors necessary to ensure environmental
viability (impact assessment, consideration of the particular
environmental context, etc.)
What is Sustainability?
There is no universally agreed definition on what sustainability
means. There are many different views on what it is and how it can be
achieved. The idea of sustainability stems from the concept of
sustainable development which became common language at the
World's first Earth Summit in Rio in 1992. The original definition of
sustainable development is usually considered to be:
"Development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs." Brundtland Report for the World Commission on Environment
and Development (1992)
Definition of Sustainability
“SUSTAINABILITY” as the word suggests means that the
development project or process is one that can be maintained in
the long term. This means it must be economically, socially, and
politically sustainable; it also means that it must be
environmentally sustainable. Development must take place
without destroying or undermining the ecological and resource
base upon which it rests.
Concepts in Sustainable
Development
• The central concept of this definition is the need for
intergenerational equity : future generations have the same
rights as the present ones.
• Intergenerational equity means that persons of the same
generation belonging to different political, economical, social
and geographical contexts, have the same rights. The success
of this concept, mainly of ecological source, has inspired the
international debate and led to numerous in-depth studies and
further elaborations, so that over time it has come to comprise
all dimensions that contribute to development.
Concepts of Sustainable
Development cont
• The interdependence of society, economy and the natural
environment is another key concept in SD. The very existence
of mankind was dependent upon utilizing the environment for
resources, respecting that there are limits to what nature can
provide without being damaged.
• Unfortunately, mankind, through unsustainable patterns of
resource consumption, seems now to be increasing the rate of
change and consequently the levels of stress experienced
within the environment.
• Interdependence exists across both time as well as space.
Past, present and future are inextricably connected.
Understanding the concept of interdependence will assist us in
recognizing our responsibilities for the future.
Other Concepts of SD
Needs and Limitations
"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs
of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two key
concepts:
• the concept of needs, in particular the essential needs of 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."
Goals of Sustainable Development
• A sustainable society enables its members to achieve a high
quality of life in ways that are ecologically sustainable (United
Nations). Sustainability is related to the quality of life in a
population or community - whether the economic, social and
environmental systems
• Securing economic development, social equity and justice, and
environmental protection is the goal of sustainable
development. Although these three factors can work in
harmony, they are often found to conflict with one another.
• A Goal for Sustainable Development is to enable each
individual to live life to their full potential physical, mental, and
spiritual development (1992 Earth Summit - Agenda 21)
Aims of Sustainable
Development
• More recently, society has grown to realize that we cannot live in a
healthy society or economy with so much poverty and
environmental degradation. Economic growth will remain the basis
for human development, but it must change and become less
environmentally destructive. The challenge of SD is to put this
understanding into practice, changing our unsustainable ways into
more sustainable ones.
• The aim of sustainable development is to balance our economic,
environmental and social needs, allowing prosperity for now and
future generations.
• Sustainable development consists of a long-term, integrated
approach to developing and achieving a healthy community by
jointly addressing economic, environmental, and social issues,
whilst avoiding the over consumption of key natural resources.
Principles of Sustainable
Development
The guiding principle of sustainable development is
development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs.
Sustainable development recognizes the interdependence of
environmental, social and economic systems and promotes
equality and justice through people empowerment and a sense of
global citizenship. Whilst we cannot be sure what the future may
bring, a preferable future is a more sustainable one.
Key Principles
"In essence sustainable development is about five key
principles: quality of life; fairness and equity; participation and
partnership; care for our environment and respect for
ecological constraints - recognizing there are 'environmental
limits'; and thought for the future and the precautionary
principle". (From Making London Work by Forum for the
Future's Sustainable Wealth London project)
contd
"The environment must be protected… to preserve essential
ecosystem functions and to provide for the wellbeing of future
generations; environmental and economic policy must be
integrated; the goal of policy should be an improvement in the
overall quality of life, not just income growth; poverty must be
ended and resources distributed more equally; and all sections
of society must be involved in decision making". (The Real
World Coalition 1996, a definition based on the work of the
World Commission on Environment and Development)
Principles of Sustainable
Development
Basic Principles
• Inter generational equity
• Polluter pays principle eg remedy to compensate the villagers
suffering from the lethal waste left behind by a group of
chemical industries
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT:
DEFINING A NEW PARADIGM
•
There has been a growing recognition of three essential aspects of
sustainable development - ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL AND
SOCIAL
•
The goals expressed or implied are multidimensional, raising the issue
of how to balance objectives and how to judge success or failure.
COMMON THREE-RING SECTOR
VIEW OF SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
ECONOMY
SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
SOCIAL
NATURAL
ENVIRONMENT
source : B Giddings, B Hopwood & G O’Brien, Sustainable Cities Research Institute
Economic, Environmental and
Social
• * Economic: An economically sustainable system must be able to
produce goods and services on a continuing basis, to maintain
manageable levels of government and to avoid extreme sectoral
imbalances which damage agricultural or industrial production.
• * Environmental: An environmentally sustainable system must
maintain a stable resource base, avoiding depleting non-renewable
resources and that investment is made in adequate substitutes. This
includes maintenance of biodiversity, atmospheric stability, and other
ecosystem functions not ordinarily classed as economic resources.
• * Social: A socially sustainable system must achieve fairness in
distribution and opportunity, adequate provision of social services
including health and education, gender equity, and political
accountability and participation.
Dimensions of Sustainable
Development
Sustainable development requires simultaneous and balanced
progress in four dimensions that are totally interdependent
 Social
 Economic
 Environmental
 Political **
Achieving this goal requires a dynamic balance between
 Production and Consumption
 Ecology and Economics
 Development and Conservation
Since 1987: What is Sustainability /
Sustainable Development?
• There may be as many definitions of sustainability and
sustainable development as there are groups trying to define it.
More than 500 definitions in the literature.
• Most widely accepted is that in the Brundtland Report [1987].
All the definitions have to do with:
 Living within the limits
 Understanding the interconnections among economy, society,
and environment
 Equitable distribution of resources and opportunities
Sustainability
• “A condition where economic, political, cultural and
ecological practices operate to enable succeeding
generations to receive stock of equitably distributed
natural capitals to meet their needs that is no less
per capita in quantity and quality than that utilized
by preceeding generations to meet their own
needs….” McManus 1996 pg 67
• In other words… “Leaving as much (and as good)
natural resources to the next generation as was
enjoyed by us the earlier generations..”
Sustainability is also …
….. the condition under which the patterns of
interaction and the resulting satisfaction of human
needs and wants can endure from generation to
generation. In other words, sustainability is the
condition achieved when our economic, environmental
and social systems are operating in a manner that
yields constant or increasing human well being over
the long run.
Viederman/Steve Hackett Ecological
Economics: Five Capitals
Sustainability … a community's preservation and
prudent use of natural, human-made, human, social
and cultural capital in order to generate a sustained
flow of benefits that support the "3 pillars" of economic
vitality, ecological integrity and democratic process.
However, different ways of defining sustainability are
useful for different situations and different purposes. For
this reason, various groups have created definitions of:
• Sustainability and sustainable development
• Sustainable community and society
• Sustainable business and production
• Sustainable agriculture
etc
The 3 E’s and the 3 P’s
 Three E’s (also ~ Triple Bottom Line)
• Economic
• Environmental
• Equity (Social)
 Three P’s [EPA’s P3]
• People
• Prosperity
• Planet
Millennium Development
Goals (UN Goals for 2015)
• Eradicate Extreme Hunger and Poverty
(economics)
• Achieve Universal Primary Education (equity)
• Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
• Reduce Child Mortality
• Improve Maternal Health
• Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
(equity)
• Ensure Environmental Sustainability
(environment)
• Develop a Global Partnership for Development
Sustainability Definitions in 33 US
Cities
(Warner 2002)
In a survey of cities (who at the city?), 93 percent
regarded a healthy economy and 79 percent regarded
a healthy environment as extremely and very
important, while 63 percent mentioned equity as
important.
Discussion
• Define Sustainable Development and What are its aims and
Objectives?
• What are the concepts and basic principles of Sustainable
Development?
• What do you understand of Equity and Balance? In your
opinion, is there a need to restructure the world’s income and
consumption patterns if Sustainable Development is to achieve
its Aims and Objectives?
Thank You