Week 1: Sustainable Development
Lecture
Sustainable Development
Brundtland Definition: “fulfilling the needs and wants of the present without compromising
the ability to meet future generations’ needs”
Cradle-to-Cradle
triple-P bottom line: people-planet-profit
Baker’s “ladder” of sustainability
Reformist vs. Radical
market environmentalism: sustainability problems are caused by market failure, by the
existence of negative externalities, and thus sustainability problems can be solved by the
market (e.g. tradable emission permits)
ecological modernization: (1) markets do not regulate themselves, a strong state is needed
to help sustainability and (2) sustainable technologies exist but some are more sustainable
then others
environmental populism: sustainable development is about individuals, their choices and the
network we create
the limits perspective: we need urgent actions, there are boundaries we cannot and should
not cross
eco-anarchist movement: sustainable development is not possible, as long as companies
need to make profit, resources will be used. Consumption and capitalisms do not go
together with sustainability
Starting Hypothesis
Sustainable Technologies do not exist. It is impossible for any technology to not have environmental
impact due to the use of resources.
Mike Hume (2009); Challenge of Development
How we understand development
Five major trends viewed as of global concern by the Club of Rome:
1. accelerating industrialization
2. rapid population growth
3. widespread malnutrition
, 4. depletion of non-renewable resources
5. a deteriorating environment
We measure growth in GDP, however, this tells us nothing of ecological well-being. It captures only a
limited set of the dimensions of social and political life which are needed to describe human well-
being. The Brundtland commission came up with two new measurements: the human development
index (HDI) and the ratio of a region’s ecological footprint to the global biocapacity.
There are two different ways and five different views on sustainability:
reformist movement
1. market environmentalism: sustainability can be reached through a successful market
system (no market failure) if we adequately price the goods and services offered by the
ecosystem.
2. ecological modernization: sustainable development can be secured through more direct
regulation of various industrial and consumption practices
3. environmental populism: we need to seek new social forms of co-operation and
participation for securing climate goals
radical movement
4. neo-Mathusianism: emphasis on limits to the Earth’s resources and how many people
the planet can support
5. eco-anarchist: the ultimate cause of climate change is the world capitalist order,
unbridled consumption and excessive materialism
Climate Change and Poverty
We need to choose between saving lives today (poverty) and saving lives tomorrow (climate
change). The illusion that there is a choice to made is an illusion, we could do both.
People are vulnerable to climate change because they are poor, not the other way around. All
technofixes will create the next generation of crisis, because they ignore the fundamental problems
of capitalism as a system that ignores injustice and promotes inequality.
Climate Change and Population
There is very little discussion about population control and control of population growth, however,
no goal is more crucial to healing the global environment than stabilizing human population. But
tackling climate change by tackling population growth is not a popular or politically correct
approach.
Conflict between Climate Change and Development
clean development: developed countries which have accepted legally binding commitments
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are entitles to gain emission ‘credits’ from investment
projects that reduce emissions in developing countries (Clean Development Mechanism
(DCM))
trade and mobility: attempt to control GHG emissions may restrict international trade and
tourism, removing the key strategies for less developed countries to grow their way out of
poverty
biofuels and food: land being switched from food crops to fuel crops threaten food security
Lecture
Sustainable Development
Brundtland Definition: “fulfilling the needs and wants of the present without compromising
the ability to meet future generations’ needs”
Cradle-to-Cradle
triple-P bottom line: people-planet-profit
Baker’s “ladder” of sustainability
Reformist vs. Radical
market environmentalism: sustainability problems are caused by market failure, by the
existence of negative externalities, and thus sustainability problems can be solved by the
market (e.g. tradable emission permits)
ecological modernization: (1) markets do not regulate themselves, a strong state is needed
to help sustainability and (2) sustainable technologies exist but some are more sustainable
then others
environmental populism: sustainable development is about individuals, their choices and the
network we create
the limits perspective: we need urgent actions, there are boundaries we cannot and should
not cross
eco-anarchist movement: sustainable development is not possible, as long as companies
need to make profit, resources will be used. Consumption and capitalisms do not go
together with sustainability
Starting Hypothesis
Sustainable Technologies do not exist. It is impossible for any technology to not have environmental
impact due to the use of resources.
Mike Hume (2009); Challenge of Development
How we understand development
Five major trends viewed as of global concern by the Club of Rome:
1. accelerating industrialization
2. rapid population growth
3. widespread malnutrition
, 4. depletion of non-renewable resources
5. a deteriorating environment
We measure growth in GDP, however, this tells us nothing of ecological well-being. It captures only a
limited set of the dimensions of social and political life which are needed to describe human well-
being. The Brundtland commission came up with two new measurements: the human development
index (HDI) and the ratio of a region’s ecological footprint to the global biocapacity.
There are two different ways and five different views on sustainability:
reformist movement
1. market environmentalism: sustainability can be reached through a successful market
system (no market failure) if we adequately price the goods and services offered by the
ecosystem.
2. ecological modernization: sustainable development can be secured through more direct
regulation of various industrial and consumption practices
3. environmental populism: we need to seek new social forms of co-operation and
participation for securing climate goals
radical movement
4. neo-Mathusianism: emphasis on limits to the Earth’s resources and how many people
the planet can support
5. eco-anarchist: the ultimate cause of climate change is the world capitalist order,
unbridled consumption and excessive materialism
Climate Change and Poverty
We need to choose between saving lives today (poverty) and saving lives tomorrow (climate
change). The illusion that there is a choice to made is an illusion, we could do both.
People are vulnerable to climate change because they are poor, not the other way around. All
technofixes will create the next generation of crisis, because they ignore the fundamental problems
of capitalism as a system that ignores injustice and promotes inequality.
Climate Change and Population
There is very little discussion about population control and control of population growth, however,
no goal is more crucial to healing the global environment than stabilizing human population. But
tackling climate change by tackling population growth is not a popular or politically correct
approach.
Conflict between Climate Change and Development
clean development: developed countries which have accepted legally binding commitments
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are entitles to gain emission ‘credits’ from investment
projects that reduce emissions in developing countries (Clean Development Mechanism
(DCM))
trade and mobility: attempt to control GHG emissions may restrict international trade and
tourism, removing the key strategies for less developed countries to grow their way out of
poverty
biofuels and food: land being switched from food crops to fuel crops threaten food security
