Geog1 Outline

Where we strive to be: the idea of sustainable development

What is sustainable development:

Sustainable development is development which meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
-World Commission on Environment and Development (1987). Our Common Future.

So then what is the problem?

Our current system and framework of development is only suited to address (in excess) the
needs of today with no regard for future generations.

Where we are: current iteration of “development”

The idea of development has evolved over the past centuries.
The age of imperialism saw the powerful and rich countries disproportionately profit from the
industries established in less-developed nations. The generally accepted idea was that as long
as a country became wealthier, never mind the consequences. The consequences usually
being the lack of equality of profits made and the negative environmental impact going
unaddressed.

What are the issues with development as we view it now in broad strokes:
-unequal distribution of progress
-impact on environment
-disregard for meeting the needs of future generations

The birth of industrialization started a mindset to make more; more money, more production,
more customers, etc. The industrial revolution of the 19th century hard-paved the mindset of
acquiring more, and progress is exactly measured by that.
Developed countries with well-established economies and industries naturally seek ways to
make even more progress economically and this allows for a system wherein there will be
nations who end up with the short end of the stick. If the profit is to be maximized, compromises
at the expense of those who are not in monetary power will be made. Imbalances in
development and amount of monetary wealth are direct consequences of this long-standing
mindset.

The current generations are now realizing that our planet is not a bottomless barrel of
resources, especially with the world population steadily climbing especially in less developed
countries. Another realization is that it is socially unacceptable that nations much further ahead
in terms of progress and development cannot keep turning a blind eye on those nations that
have been made the dumping grounds for the consequences of such rapid and sustained push
for progress by the leading nations in terms of political and economic power.

The three aspects of sustainable development according to Harris:

Economic: An economically sustainable system must be able to produce goods and
services on a continuing basis, to maintain manageable levels of government and
external debt, and to avoid extreme sectoral imbalances which damage agricultural or
industrial production.
• Environmental: An environmentally sustainable system must maintain a stable
resource base, avoiding over-exploitation of renewable resource systems or
environmental sink functions, and depleting non-renewable resources only to the extent
that investment is made in adequate substitutes. This includes maintenance of
biodiversity, atmospheric stability, and other ecosystem functions not ordinarily classed
as economic resources.
• Social: A socially sustainable system must achieve distributional equity, adequate
provision of social services including health and education, gender equity, and political
accountability and participation.

Charades but with a price, 3 rounds pero you give them three guesses and dont tell them
there’s another round pa

What is the current context of development?

-the mindsets that are leading to the problems
-the problems themselves

In Brendon Larson’s book, “Metaphors for environmental sustainability: redefining our

relationship with nature” (2014)
He outlined different metaphors or in this case mindsets that we have had when it comes to
nature. There are two that I want to focus on:
-competition in the ecological sense
This mindset leads us to approach nature in a commodified manner and leads to the idea of
having winners and losers becoming acceptable and not being fair is completely fine.
-equating growth with progress
It’s common to think that growth=progress=success. But constant growth without purpose also
means constant consumption

The mindsets we discussed have now led us to what the issues are with the current idea of
sustainability that can be seen from “Basic Principles of Sustainable Development” by Jonathan
Harris (2001)
What are the issues with development as we view it now in broad strokes:
-unequal distribution of progress
-impact on environment
-disregard for meeting the needs of future generations
Solution of sustainable development:

Sustainable development is development which meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
-World Commission on Environment and Development (1987). Our Common Future.

If it’s so obvious, why dont we all just do it?

There are certain factors that hinder the immediate application of sustainable development
philosophies

In “Indicators and information systems for sustainable development: a report to the Balaton
group” by Meadows, D. H. (1998), “constraints” are discussed and enumerated and are as
follows:
Laws of nature, rules of logic
Physical environment
Material resource stock
Carrying capacity
Human actors
Human organizations, cultures and technology available
Role of time
Role of evolution

Examples of sustainable development in the PH

Zuellig building
https://www.eco-business.com/news/zuellig-building-goes-the-extra-distance/

Banaue rice terraces

Eco-Business. (n.d.). Zuellig building goes the extra distance. Retrieved from https://www.eco-
business.com/news/zuellig-building-goes-the-extra-distance/

Larson, B. (2014). Metaphors for environmental sustainability: redefining our relationship with
nature. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Meadows, D. H. (1998). Indicators and information systems for sustainable development: a

report to the Balaton group. Hartland four corners, VT: The sustainability Institute.
https://www.britannica.com/place/Banaue-rice-terraces