The Sustainable Development concept

Transcription

1 The Sustainable Development concept Magdalena Svanström Division of Environmental Systems Analysis Department of Technology Management and Economics Chalmers University of Technology Do we want sustainable development? Why? Why not? 1

2 1987 Brundtland report: development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs 1972 Stockholm Environmental protection sustainable economic development social development 2002 Johannesburg - tre interconnected and mutually reinforcing pillars Efforts towards sustainable development require: integration of multiple perspectives (including negotiation and political compromises) Which aspects are relevant in each context? Who are the stakeholders? What are their needs/interests? transition towards sustainable systems and away from unsustainable ones (including understanding change needs and managing change) us seeing, caring for and being able to manage the bigger picture 2

3 Source: Robert W. Kates, Thomas M. Parris, and Anthony A. Leiserowitz, Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 47(3): SD is a political standpoint based on ethical principles Anthropocentric focus human needs are basic and essential Intergenerational equity without compromising the ability of future generations Intragenerational equity responsibility towards all humans, sharing resources with the poor But what is equity? What is fair? Ethics in governance participatory decision-making democracy equity is encouraged by effective citizen participation The right of everyone to be part of the political process and the duty to share responsibilities - requires respect for others and for diversity, and a peace culture Bioethics environmental protection; respect for nature For humans or for nature s or species own sake? Different foci in definitions of SD: Linking these is important! Human well-being, quality of life and happiness! NATURE Emphasis! SOCIETY ECONOMY Nested dependencies model 3

4 If the goal is to create a society for: 10 billion happy people within the limitations posed by nature But what is human well-being? And what are planetary boundaries? How are these connected? What metrics of progress are useful? Or, should we deal with this wicked system in a different way? How can we fulfill basic human needs? What makes you happy? What is life quality? One theory: Not changing Universal Not exchangeable Need satisfiers often mistaken for needs cultural differences Source: Manfred Max-Neef at al., Human Scale Development: An Option for the Future, Development Dialogue, 1989:1 4

5 Are people happy? Why/why not? USA nr 18 China nr 86 Source: World Happiness Report 2018, Eds John Helliwell, Richard Layard and Jeffrey Sachs The hypothetical benchmark country Dystopia has values equal to the world s lowest national averages for for each of the six key variables. This choice of benchmark permits every real country to have a non-negative contribution from each of the six factors. The capacity of the planet? One metric: Ecological footprint (according to Global Footprint Network) includes: Energy as carbon footprint Settlement as built-up land Timber and paper as forest area Food and fibre as cropland and pasture area Seafood as fisheries area Source: Living Planet Report 2016, WWF, GFN and others In 1970, global annual resources were used up two days before new-year In 2017, they were finished on August 2!!! 5

6 What about planetary boundaries? Source: W Steffen et al., Planetary boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet, Science 2015;347 So, we are limited by both planetary boundaries and the social foundation for human well-being; we need to find a way to live inside the doughnut Kate Raworth: 6

7 The MEA framework emphasises the connection between ecosystem services and human wellbeing Costanza points out the connections between capitals and human needs: Source: Costanza et al, Ecological economics, 2007, : Quality of life: An approach integrating opportunities, human needs, and subjective well-being 7

8 Resource use Income BAU trajectory Decoupling of growth from resource use/impact SD trajectory Carrying capacity Limitations in resources, space and ecosystem functions Consumption Environmental impact ? Time But, is economic growth a good metric of progress? World GDP per capita Source: Maddison project; 8

9 How we measure development will determine how we work for development Main theme in The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank, Jan 2011 Title refers to Adam Smith s The Wealth of Nations from 1776 the cornerstone of national economy GDP has two fundamental weaknesses in terms of measuring development: measures production but not people s well-being does not show whether or not production can be continued in the future if it is sustainable Sachs: externalities and costs imposed on future generations Genuine Progress Indicator - GPI An attempt to measure whether a country's growth, increased production of goods, and expanding services have actually resulted in the improvement of the well-being of the people in the country Precursors: Measured Economic Welfare (MEW) and the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW) Will be zero if the financial costs of crime and pollution equal the financial gains in production of goods and services, all other factors being constant 9

10 USA AUSTRALIA Human Development Index (HDI) Launched by Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq in 1990 Used in the annual Human Development Reports of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Takes into account: A long and healthy life (as measured by life expectancy at birth). Access to knowledge (today measured by two indicators: the adult literacy rate and the combined gross enrolment ratio in primary, secondary and tertiary education). A decent standard of living (as measured by the GDP per capita expressed in purchasing power parity [PPP] US dollars). There is also an inequality-adjusted HDI 10

11 Source: Living Planet Report 2014, WWF, GFN and others Small ecological footprint + High IHDI = Sustainable? IHDI includes life expectancy, education, GDP and the distribution of these within the population Low Happy Planet Index (HPI) introduced by the New Economics Foundation in 2006 includes average subjective life satisfaction, life expectancy at birth and ecological footprint per capita 11

12 Happiness HDI HPI GDP See e.g. 12

13 What are appropriate metrics/indicators? SD is an open, dynamic and evolving idea, a product of a global dialogue several decades old target is elusive SD should be interpreted differently in different contexts ofspecific places and peoples Appropriate indicators will vary! Is sustainable development defined in your research project? Are there explicit articulations of what sustainable development is about? Sustainability indicators you use? Implicit assumptions? 13

14 Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development On September 25th 2015, countries adopted a set of goals to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development agenda. Each goal has specific targets to be achieved over the next 15 years. 14

15 Jeffrey Sachs: four objectives of a good society economic prosperity social inclusion and cohesion environmental sustainability good governance SDGs call for socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable economic growth four complex interacting systems global economy social interactions Earth systems governance Can these be controlled or harnessed to generate human well-being? The problems we need to address are wicked! 15

16 To reflect on and discuss over lunch: What is it that truly makes you happy? What do you really need in life? Is sustainable (economic) growth an oxymoron? A relevant target? What metric(s) of progress should we use in sustainable development? In different contexts? Are the SDGs part of a true SD trajectory? How can we address wicked problems? 16