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Lecture on a breof history of sustainable devleopment as well as some of the philisophical isses that make it difficult to define
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History and Philosophy of Sustainable Development
MSc Sustainable Development
Gregory Borne
1. Background to SD 2. Political evolution and time line 3. Perspectives 4. Inter-disciplinarity 5. Sustainability Science 6. Activity
Outline
Tip of the Ice Berg
• Understanding sustainable development is a personal journey
• The following is my interpretation of the important issues
• Develop your own approach (epistemology)
1. Background
Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Brundtland 1987-Our Common Future )
Development? Needs? Compromise?
Sustainable development
Oxymoron- Contradiction in terms Fuzzy concept –means all things to all people no real world relevance, ineffective for policy
development Worse still - A means for continuing
legitimisation of global strategies of development which will continue the hegemony of the northern industrialised countries
Problems with Sustainable Development
Acceptance- of the unsustainable nature current developmental pathways –creation of global risks such as global warming
Focal Point- A concept that disparate organisations and institutions can come together around and try to look for solutions
Orchestration of the sciences – Promotes inter-disciplinarity –New world views that reflect real world problems
Advantages of Sustainable Development
Not just an academic subject of study but:◦ a paradigmatic shift in the way we look at the
world, nature and humankind;
◦ a change that requires rigorous thinking about the interconnections and interdependencies between the physical, the social and the intellectual worlds
Sustainable Development
2. Evolution
Time Line 1962 Rachel Carson publishes "Silent Spring". Detrimental effects of pesticides on the environment, particularly on birds. Carson accused the chemical industry of spreading disinformation, and public officials of accepting industry claims uncritically.
1968 –Paul Ehrlich publishes book "Population Bomb" “The battle to feed all of humanity is over. In the 1970s hundreds of millions of people will starve to death in spite of any crash programs embarked upon now. At this late date nothing can prevent a substantial increase in the world death rate” The Club of Rome. Its goal is to pursue a holistic understanding of and solutions to the 'world problematique'. The UN General Assembly authorizes the Human Environment Conference to be held in 1972.
1972 Pivotal Year
Picture of the Earth by the crew of the Apollo 17
United Nations Conference on Human Environment held in Stockholm United Nations Environment ProgrammeClub of Rome publishes "Limits to Growth". OPEC oil crisis fuels limits to growth debate
1980 - Independent Commission on International Development publishes "North:South - A Programme for Survival" (Brandt Report). It asks for a re-assessment of the notion of development and calls for a new economic relationship between North and South. 1982 - The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea is adopted. It establishes material rules concerning environmental standards as well as enforcement provisions dealing with pollution of the marine environment.1983 - World Commission on Environment and Development forms. Chaired by Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland, the commission works for three years to weave together a report on social, economic, cultural, and environmental issues.1987 - "Our Common Future" Brundtland Report) published. It ties problems together and, for the first time, gives some direction for comprehensive global solutions. It also popularizes the term "sustainable development". 1987 - Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is adopted1988 - Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change established with three working groups to assess the most up-to-date scientific, technical and socio-economic research in the field of climate change. 1992 - U.N. Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro. It results in the publication of Agenda 21, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Rio Declaration, and a statement of non-binding Forest Principles. 2002- WSSD – World Summit on Sustainable Development 2012-Rio + 20 – Institutional change for sustainable development/ Green economy
1980-2012
http://www.earthsummit2012.org/beta/sustainable-development-timeline
Time Line
3. Perspectives
Three pillars
Three Pillars approachEmphasizes the integration between economy, environment and society
A good starting point for understanding SD but a more complex perspective is needed
STRONG Vs WEAK SD
A radical reordering of economic, social and environmental relationships
Changing the existing developmental processes significantly
Alter processes of consumption and Production
Alterations to the capitalist ethos and what this means –Capitalism doesn’t work
Eco-Centric
Strong Sustainable Development
Operating inside the existing system but greening capatalism.
Technological fixes – Green technology (Ecological Modernisation)
Behavioural change – Incentives taxation Fiscal Behavioural Anthropocentric
Weak Sustainable Development
Metaphor Domain Description
Ethical Paradox Ethical Refers to the inconsistency between the term sustainable and development
Natural Capital Stock
Material
Refers to the quantifiable natural assets of the earths biosphere upon which development is based, a position utilised frequently in the natural sciences
Fairness Social Includes issues of social equity , equal rights for development, democracy, public participation and empowerment
Eco-form Spatial Refers to the built environment and the sustainability of human habitat
Integrative management
Management Refers to a holistic perspective on sustainable development, considering , economic, social and environmental perspectives
Global Discourse
Political
Refers to a unifying global discourse, the unifying image of one earth
Utopian Visionary Refers to the achievement of a perfect sustainable society.
Metaphors of Sustainable Development
3. Disciplines and Inter-disciplinarity
Why are today's problems different from previous centuries or even decades?
Climate Change Complex Uncertain Ambiguous Non –linear
Wicked Problems
The very nature of these problems causes challenges traditional disciplines
As Jeffrey Sachs recognises
‘The problems just refuse to arrive in the neat categories of academic departments’
Sachs, J. (2008) Common Wealth, Economics for a Crowded Planet
Interdisciplinarity
Structuring modes of academic practice
Communities of scholars who: Specialize in some aspects of knowledge; Share interests, concepts, methods and
ways of knowing the world Share a particular way of thinking about the
nature of reality and knowledge
Discipline
Disciplinarity (5 typologies)Mono-disciplinarity Approach using one discipline alone
Uni-directional disciplinarity
Approach driven largely by one discipline
Multi-disciplinarity Involvement of multiple disciplines but with little or no integration of knowledge. Competition
Inter-disciplinarity Several disciplines working together to produce knowledge greater than the sum of the whole. Cooperation
Trans-disciplinarity Integrated knowledge across several disciplines that leads to new knowledge paradigms within the disciplines themselves as well as research results
5. Sustainability Science
Is it a science which seeks to maintain the scale of human society within physically defined carrying capacity of planet?◦Interdisciplinary endeavor: ecology, biology,
physics, chemistry, etc. plus policy sciences
◦Transdisciplinary endeavor: ethics, philosophy, psychology, economics, cultural values, etc.
What is Sustainability Science?
The domain of Sustainability Science
Social Systems
Sustainability Goals
Environmental systems
Sustainability Science
Multiple issues have to be considered
A possible approach is the following matrix
What does it look like?
Science for Sustainable Development: Interdependence of variables relating to sustainable development
Mee
ting
Hum
an N
eeds
for
…
while Preserving Life Support Systems of…
A system is a perceived as a whole whose elements are interconnected
Systems thinking has developed a substantial body of knowledge drawn from a number of areas of study including:
Cybernetics, ecology and complexity theory
Emphasises the positive and the negative interactions within a system.
Sustainability Science and a Systems Approach
The use of pesticides on crops is one example of how a solution to one problem has created greater problems. While trying to combat a pest or disease to improve food production, pesticides in many cases have disrupted ecosystems, some of which indirectly support the crop being grown and have had adverse health effects on people from pesticide residues on food crops
Systems thinking
TRADITIONAL SCIENCE Mechanistic Curiosity-driven Value free Divide and conquer No direct policy user Reduce and eliminate the
rest Expert / corporate
dominated Profit /prestige seeking Linear evolution of
knowledge Product focused (paper,
patent, …)
SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE Evolutionary Problem-driven; problem-
solving Value inclusive Integrate and be open Potential users included Systemic, complex system Extended peer-reviewed Socially relevant Non-linear evolution of
knowledge Place-based analysis Process focused, capacity
building
Traditional Science versus Sustainability Science
Metaphors of Sustainable Development
6. Activity
Metaphor Domain Description
Ethical Paradox Ethical Refers to the inconsistency between the term sustainable and development
Natural Capital Stock
Material
Refers to the quantifiable natural assets of the earths biosphere upon which development is based, a position utilised frequently in the natural sciences
Fairness Social Includes issues of social equity , equal rights for development, democracy, public participation and empowerment
Eco-form Spatial Refers to the built environment and the sustainability of human habitat
Integrative management
Management Refers to a holistic perspective on sustainable development, considering , economic, social and environmental perspectives
Global Discourse
Political
Refers to a unifying global discourse, the unifying image of one earth
Utopian Visionary Refers to the achievement of a perfect sustainable society.
Metaphors of Sustainable Development a Knowledge Map
What might be the problems of using this sort of framework for Understanding SD
Says little about the use of sustainable development in political contexts
Cross overs between metaphors – the metaphors are not exclusive
Problems with the Knowledge Map?
Fill in the Blanks What issues do you think should go in the
description Colum? What is wrong with the Knowledge Map? What is missing? How would you change it?
Questions
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