SAJC H2 Geography Cluster 1 Lecture 1 (Sustainable Development; Our Common Future)

St Andrew’s Junior College H2 Cluster 1: Development, Economy and Environment (Topic 1.1) H2_Cluster 1_Lecture 3_2024/pg 1 Lecture 3 Sustainable Development (III): Our Common Future? KEY QUESTION: What are the challenges that might limit the progress towards sustainable development? With the completion of this lecture, attached readings and tutorial, you should be able to understand: - the economic and political challenges limiting the progress towards sustainable development Lecture Outline 3.1 Introduction: What’s “wrong” with the concept of sustainable development? 3.2 Political Challenges 3.2.1 The Differing Perspectives of Developed and Developing Countries 3.2.2 Local Political Context 3.3 Economic Challenges 3.3.1 Who pays? Developed or Developing Countries 3.3.2 Energy Transition Box 1: The varied ‘ways’ to sustainable development A timeline of international conferences on sustainable development & climate change Following the Brundtland Report in 1987, the Rio conference in ’92 promised to chart a path for the world to attain sustainable development. More than 30 years have since passed, yet we remain concerned, and indeed more than ever before. This is despite the multiple conferences meant to discuss strategies and nudge actions. What is stopping us from moving forward and faster?

St Andrew’s Junior College H2 Cluster 1: Development, Economy and Environment (Topic 1.1) H2_Cluster 1_Lecture 3_2024/pg 2 3.1 Introduction: What’s “wrong” with the concept of sustainable development? • The idea of sustainable development is an attempt to overcome two fundamental conflicts that became increasingly apparent. o The first of these is the seeming incompatibility between maintaining a healthy environment and the economic growth needed for development; o The second is the continuing gap between the quality of life in developed countries and the developing countries. • These conflicts play out clearly especially when we take the positions of developed countries and developing countries respectively. As Section 3.3 shows, developing countries want better development, while developed countries want a better environment, preferably without harming their own development prospects too much (see Section 3.2). • The Brundtland Report, Our Common Future (WCED, 1987), was important for securing wide public exposure for sustainable development and establishing it on the international political agenda. Both developing countries and developed countries could agree with what it said. But, it had two basic flaws. o First, it did not say how continued economic growth could in practice be balanced against the need to conserve resources and natural environments. This effectively put human needs before those of the environment. o Second, it was sufficiently ambiguous to enable each of the two m