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