TOWARDS A
SUSTAINABLE WORLD
ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS AND SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
• The world sustainability is interwoven with activities pertaining
to globalization and economic development since they emphasize
the need for everyone to have an awareness on conserving the nat
ural environment as well as the need for countries to act in concer
ted fashion in order to address global environmental issues and
the destructive effects of massive production of material goods an
d their consumption by humans.
• The more we consume, the more we lose if we don't replace
them.
• The imperative word here are “concerted fashion” and “massi
ve production.”
SUSTAINABILITY
WHAT IS IT AND WHY IT NEEDO BE STUDIED?
Development is the goal of every nation state. Every economic development is wh
at all nations, cities, communities, and people strive for. However, development co
mes at the expense of our planet.
Progress cannot be stopped but people must make it manageable, sustainable.
"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present,
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
SUSTAINABILITY
WHAT IS IT AND WHY IT NEEDO BE STUDIED?
• It is true that the burgeoning population faces the challenges associated with
poverty and hungerand this remains to be an imporant global agenda.
• Commitment must be made to ensure that policies will put premium on hum
an rights and exercise civic responsibilities that come with being a member of
the world, with whole-world philosophy and sensibilities, rather than as a citiz
en of a particular nation or a place.
• Sustainability and sustainable development are interrelated terms that
suggest one thing: the essential things in this world need to be maintain
ed.
Other definitions of sustainability
Sustainability is viewed as a science . It is defined as “the study of how natural
systems function, remain diverse, and produce everything it needs for the ecolog
y to remain in balance.
When viewed this way, sustainability takes the form of a broad discipline connect
ed with environmental science but draws on political science, economics, philoso
phy, and other social sciences.
From the perspective of ordinary individuals or the formal level of governm
ent, sustainability is something everyone can work towards . . . . whether it is pick
ing up garbage you see on the street or boycotting a company that practices envi
ronmentally harmful business methods.
Individuals' decision include recycling, which when done by everyone can have lo
ng-term impact on the environment.
Other definitions of sustainability
At the governmental level, United States Environmental Protection Age
ncy (EPA) explains that the enactment of the National Environmental P
olicy Act of 1969 articulates that US government's definition of sustaina
biliy as the “creation of and maintenance of conditions under which hu
mans and nature can exist in productive harmony, that permit fulfulling t
he social, economic, and other requirements of present and future gen
erations.
The EPA elaborates that sustainability is taken from a simple principle, t
hat is, eveverything that we need for our survival and well-being depen
ds, either directly or indirectly, on natural environment.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
• The concept was first introduced in 1987 through a report Our Common Future
by the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development.
• Sustainable development refers to a development that meets the needs of the p
resent without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs. It contains two key concepts:
• The concept of needs, in particular, the essential needs of the world's
poor, to which overriding priority should be given
• The idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social
organization on the environment's ability to meet present and future
needs.
• By showing concern on the needs of the present and the impact it may bring on
the needs of the future generations, the initial definition of sustainable developme
nt is formed from an intergenerational framework.
• From the notion of intergenerational framework, the phrase evolved into a conce
pt that stresses inclusivity in the attainment of environmentally sustainable econo
mic growth.
Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
• Target 1A: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, th
e proportion of people living on less than $1.
25 a day
• Target 1B: Achieve Decent Employment for
Women, Men, and Young People
• Target 1C: Halve, between 1990 & 2015, the
proportion of people who suffer from hunger
Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education
§ Target 2A: By 2015, all children can c
omplete a full course of Primary educ
ation/primary schooling, girls & boys
Ø Enrollment in primary education
Ø Completion of primary education
Goal 3: Promote gender equality & empower
women
• Target 3A: Eliminate gender disparity in prim
ary and secondary education preferably by 2
005, and at all levels by 2015
Ø Ratios of girls to boys in primary, secondary & tertiary educ
ation
Ø Share of women in wage employment in the non-agricultura
l sector
Ø Proportion of seats held by women in nat'l parliament
Goal 4: Reduce child mortality rates
• Target 4A: Reduce by two-thirds, betw
een 1990 and 2015, the under-five
mortality rate
Ø Under-five mortality rate
Ø Infant (under 1) mortality rate
Ø Proportion of 1-year-old children immunized vs m
easles
Goal 5: Improve maternal health
• Target 5A: Reduce by three-quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the mater
nal mortality ratio
Ø Maternal mortality ratio
Ø Proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel
• Target 5B: Achieve, by 2015, universal access to reproductive health
Ø Contraceptive prevalence rate
Ø Adolescent birth rate
Ø Antenatal care coverage
Ø Unmet need for family planning
Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other d
iseases
• Target 6A: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS
Ø HIV prevalence among population aged 15–24 years
Ø Condom use at last high-risk sex
Ø Proportion of population aged 15–24 years with comprehensive correct knowled
ge of HIV/AIDS
• Target 6B: Achieve, by 2010, universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for all those
who need it
Ø Proportion of population with advanced HIV infection with access to anti-retrovir
al drugs
• Target 6C: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and ot
her major diseases
Ø Prevalence and death rates associated with malaria
Ø Proportion of children under 5 sleeping under insecticide-treated bednets
Ø Proportion of children under 5 with fever who are treated with appropriate anti-malarial
drugs
Ø Incidence, prevalence and death rates associated with tuberculosis
Ø Proportion of tuberculosis cases detected and cured under DOTS (Directly Observed Tre
atment Short Course)
Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
• Target 7A: Integrate the principles of sustainable development i
nto country policies and programs; reverse loss of environmen
tal resources
• Target 7B: Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a signi
ficant reduction in the rate of loss
Ø Proportion of land area covered by forest
Ø CO2 emissions, total, per capita and per $1 GDP (PPP)
Ø Consumption of ozone-depleting substances
Ø Proportion of fish stocks within safe biological limits
Ø Proportion of total water resources used
Ø Proportion of terrestrial and marine areas protected
Ø Proportion of species threatened with extinction
Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
• Target 7C: Halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population with
out sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitat
ion
Ø Proportion of population with sustainable access to an improved wat
er source, urban and rural
Ø Proportion of urban population with access to improved sanitation
• Target 7D: By 2020, to have achieved a significant improvement
in the lives of at least 100 million slum-dwellers
Ø Proportion of urban population living in slums
Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development
• Target 8A: Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminat
ory trading and financial system
• Target 8B: Address the Special Needs of the LDCs
• Target 8C: Address the special needs of landlocked developing countries a
nd small island developing States
• Target 8D: Deal comprehensively with the debt problems of developing cou
ntries through national and international measures in order to make debt su
stainable in the long term
• Target 8E: In co-operation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access t
o affordable, essential drugs in developing countries
• Target 8F: In co-operation with the private sector, make available the benefit
s of new technologies, especially information and communications
CRITICISMS OF MDGs
CRITICISMS OF MDGs
CRITICISMS
o General criticisms include a perceived lack of analytical power and justification behind the chosen
objectives.
o The MDGs lack strong objectives and indicators for within-country equality, despite significant disp
arities in many developing nations
o MDG 8 uniquely focuses on donor achievements, rather than development successes.
o The MDGs were attacked for insufficient emphasis on environmental sustainability. Thus, they do
not capture all elements needed to achieve the ideals set out in the Millennium Declaration.
o Agriculture was not specifically mentioned in the MDGs even though most of the world's poor are
farmers
The Sustainable Development Goals (SD
Gs) are a collection of 17 global goals
designed to be a "blueprint to achieve a
better and more sustainable future for all".
The SDGs, set in 2015 by the United Nati
ons General Assembly and intended to be
achieved by the year 2030, are part of UN
Resolution 70/1, the 2030 Agenda
The goals are broad based and interdependent. The 17 sustainable development
goals each has a list of targets which are measured with indicators
1. No Poverty 10. Reducing Inequality
2. Zero Hunger 11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
3. Good Health and Well-being 12. Responsible Consumption and
4. Quality Education Production
5. Gender Equality 13. Climate Action
6. Clean Water and Sanitation 14. Life Below Water
7. Affordable and Clean Energy 15. Life On Land
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth 16. Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
9. Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure 17. Partnerships for the Goals
CRITICISMS OF SDGs
The SDGs have been criticized for setting contradictory goals and for trying to do everything first, instead
of focusing on the most urgent or fundamental priorities.
• Competing goals - Some of the goals compete with each other. For example, seeking high
levels of quantitative GDP growth can make it difficult to attain ecological, inequality reducti
on, and sustainability objectives. Similarly, increasing employment and wages can work aga
inst reducing the cost of living.
• Too many goals - 169 targets for the SDGs is too many, describing them as "sprawling, mi
sconceived" and "a mess. All other 16 goals might be contingent on achieving SDG 1, endi
ng poverty, which should have been at the top of a very short list of goals.
• Weak on environmental sustainability - he environmental sustainability side of the SDGs
is underrepresented, the resource security for all, particularly for lower-income populations,
is put at risk. This is not a criticism of the SDGs per se, but a recognition that their environm
ental conditions are still weak
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SDGs and MDGs
• The MDGs were about development while the SDGs ar
e about sustainable development
• MDGs used a sole approach to problems, while the SD
Gs take into account the inter-connectedness of all the
problems.
• Whilst the MDGs were strongly criticized by many NGO
s as only dealing with the problems, the SDGs deal with
the causes of the problems
• Another core feature of the SDGs is their focus on mea
ns of implementation, or the mobilization of financial res
ources, along with capacity building and technology