Handout 1

SUSTAINABILITY

“We hold the future in our hands. Together, we must ensure that our grandchildren will
not have to ask why we failed to do the right thing, and let them suffer the consequences.” UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, 2007

What is sustainability?

Sustainable is an adjective for something that is able to be sustained, i.e, something that is
“bearable” and “capable of being continued at a certain level”. Sustainability can perhaps be
seen as the process(es) by which something is kept at a certain level.

Concept of sustainable

The concept of sustainable development emerged as a response to a growing concern

about human society’s impact on the natural environment. Sustainable development is the
overarching paradigm of the United Nations. The concept of sustainable development was
defined in 1987 by the Brundtland Commission (formally the World Commission on
Environment and Development) as ‘development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ (Brundtland, 1987). This
definition acknowledges that while development may be necessary to meet human needs and
improve the quality of life, it must happen without depleting the capacity of the natural
environment to meet present and future needs. The sustainable development movement has
grown and campaigned on the basis that sustainability protects both the interests of future
generations and the earth’s capacity to regenerate. At first it emphasised the environment in
development policies but, since 2002, has evolved to encompass social justice and the fight
against poverty as key principles of sustainable development.

Three Components of SD

Sustainable development is generally thought to have three components: environment,

society, and economy. (1) Society, (2) Environment, and (3) Economy. The commonly used
visualization of how the various aspects of sustainable development interact are the three
overlapping circles which represent the three pillars of sustainable development - economy,
society and environment. 

 Society: understanding of social institutions and their role in change and development as
well as the democratic and participatory systems.
 Environment: awareness of the resources and fragility of the physical environment and
the effects on its human activity and decisions.
 Economy: sensitivity to the limits and potential of economic growth and their impact on
society and on the environment, with a commitment to assess a personal and societal
levels of consumption out of concern for the environment and social justice.

Thus, achieving sustainable development will require balancing environmental, societal,

and economic considerations in the pursuit of development and an improve quality of life.
Principles of Sustainable Development

Many governments and individuals have pondered what sustainable development means
beyond a simple one-sentence definition. The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development
fleshes out the definition by listing 18 principles of sustainability.

 People are entitled to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature.
 Development today must not undermine the development and environment needs of
present and future generations.
 Nations have the sovereign right to exploit their own resources, but without causing
environmental damage beyond their borders.
 Nations shall develop international laws to provide compensation for damage that
activities under their control cause to areas beyond their borders.
 Nations shall use the precautionary approach to protect the environment. Where there are
threats of serious or irreversible damage, scientific uncertainty shall not be used to
postpone cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation.
 In order to achieve sustainable development, environmental protection shall constitute an
integral part of the development process, and cannot be considered in isolation from it.
Eradicating poverty and reducing disparities in living standards in different parts of the
world are essential to achieve sustainable development and meet the needs of the
majority of people.
 Nations shall cooperate to conserve, protect and restore the health and integrity of the
Earth's ecosystem. The developed countries acknowledge the responsibility that they bear
in the international pursuit of sustainable development in view of the pressures their
societies place on the global environment and of the technologies and financial resources
they command.
 Nations should reduce and eliminate unsustainable patterns of production and
consumption, and promote appropriate demographic policies.
 Environmental issues are best handled with the participation of all concerned citizens.
Nations shall facilitate and encourage public awareness and participation by making
environmental information widely available.
 Nations shall enact effective environmental laws, and develop national law regarding
liability for the victims of pollution and other environmental damage. Where they have
authority, nations shall assess the environmental impact of proposed activities that are
likely to have a significant adverse impact.
 Nations should cooperate to promote an open international economic system that will
lead to economic growth and sustainable development in all countries. Environmental
policies should not be used as an unjustifiable means of restricting international trade.
 The polluter should, in principle, bear the cost of pollution.
 Nations shall warn one another of natural disasters or activities that may have harmful
transboundary impacts.
 Sustainable development requires better scientific understanding of the problems. Nations
should share knowledge and innovative technologies to achieve the goal of sustainability.
  The full participation of women is essential to achieve sustainable development. The
creativity, ideals and courage of youth and the knowledge of indigenous people are
needed too. Nations should recognize and support the identity, culture and interests of
indigenous people.
 Warfare is inherently destructive of sustainable development, and Nations shall respect
international laws protecting the environment in times of armed conflict, and shall
cooperate in their further establishment.
 Peace, development and environmental protection are interdependent and indivisible.

The "Rio principles" give us parameters for envisioning locally relevant and culturally
appropriate sustainable development for our own nations, regions, and communities. These
principles help us to grasp the abstract concept of sustainable development and begin to
implement it.

Following parameters may be considered:

1. Environmental Sustainability:

Environmental sustainability is concerned with whether natural resources and life support
systems are protected and maintained for future generations. This emphasizes on area of
conservation of biodiversity hot spots, increase in forest cover, watershed protection and
adoption of holistic approach.

Equally important are reduction of environmental threats, environmental pollution and

using environment friendly clean and green technologies to mitigate local to global level
environmental problems such as biodiversity loss, climate change from an inter-generational
equity perspective.

2. Economic Sustainability:

Economic sustainability refers to practices that support long term economic growth. With
effecting social, cultural and environmental aspects of the community. This emphasizes on
promotion of economic self-sustenance of development projects through measures like adequate
budgeting, budget transparency and financial incentive.
 The focus area includes; alleviation of poverty, increase in per capita income, promotion
of income generating activities.

3. Social Sustainability:

Social sustainability focuses identifying and managing business impacts on people. It

focuses on upgrading human environmental quality of life with fulfillment of basic needs and
transforming man from most dangerous animal to most important creative resource. It
emphasizes local communities to be well informed on sustainable ways of resource utilization.

It ensures active public participation at various level of development activity,

collaborative efforts in conservation and development activities, improvement in public health,
education and basic need, reduction of conflict among stakeholders on resource use. This will be
derived through upgrading public environmental awareness, enhanced gender equity and self-
confidence among local community with an emphasis on economically
disadvantaged/marginalized groups.

4. Institutional Sustainability:

Plans and programmes without action represent futile exercise. Strict implementation and
monitoring of relevant environmental policies, plans, laws, regulations and standards is
indispensable to attain the goal of sustainable development. There should be adequate skilled and
motivated manpower and strong institutional capacity to address environmental and social
sustainability.

Focus area lies to achieve environmental quality of life such as reduced air, water, soil,
noise pollution to accepted level of international standard and public confidence to get involved
in environmental conservation activities. Institutional strengthening of project management
should be efficient to deal with environmental problems having local, national, and regional to
global level significance and including legally binding world conventions and treaties.

FIVE DIMENSIONS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

 Ecological sustainability: Conserving critical ecological capital on which all life and
economic production depends.
  Economic sustainability: Generating wealth and well-being in a continuous way without
periods of ’boom and bust’.
 Social sustainability: Meeting everyone’s basic needs and reducing inequalities in ways
that promote social justice and reduce social conflict.
 Cultural sustainability: Drawing on culturally appropriate knowledge and promoting
cultural diversity.
 Personal sustainability: Promoting people’s physical and mental health and fostering a
state of well-being within them and with the rest of the world.

Education for sustainable development

History of Education for Sustainable Development

From the time sustainable development was first endorsed at the UN General Assembly
in 1987, the parallel concept of education to support sustainable development has also been
explored. From 1987 to 1992, the concept of sustainable development matured as committees
discussed, negotiated, and wrote the 40 chapters of Agenda 21. Initial thoughts concerning ESD
were captured in Chapter 36 of Agenda 21, "Promoting Education, Public Awareness, and
Training."

Unlike most education movements, ESD was initiated by people outside of the education
community. In fact, one major push for ESD came from international political and economic
forums (e.g., United Nations, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development,
Organization of American States). As the concept of sustainable development was discussed and
formulated, it became apparent that education is key to sustainability. In many countries, ESD is
still being shaped by those outside the education community. The concepts and content of ESD
in these cases are developed by ministries, such as those of environment and health, and then
given to educators to deliver. Conceptual development independent of educator input is a
problem recognized by international bodies as well as educators.

(ESD) was a United Nations program that defined as education that encourages changes
in knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to enable a more sustainable and just society for all.
ESD aims to empower and equip current and future generations to meet their needs using a
balanced and integrated approach to the economic, social and environmental dimensions of
sustainable development. ESD is the term most used internationally and by the United Nations.

What role does education play in sustainable development?

Good quality education is an essential tool for achieving a more sustainable world. This
was emphasised at the UN World Summit in Johannesburg in 2002 where the reorientation of
current education systems was outlined as key to sustainable development.

Education for sustainable development (ESD) promotes the development of the

knowledge, skills, understanding, values and actions required to create a sustainable world,
which ensures environmental protection and conservation, promotes social equity and
encourages economic sustainability.

The concept of ESD developed largely from environmental education, which has sought
to develop the knowledge, skills, values, attitudes and behaviours in people to care for their
environment.

The aim of ESD is to enable people to make decisions and carry out actions to improve
our quality of life without compromising the planet. It also aims to integrate the values inherent
in sustainable development into all aspects and levels of learning.

Education at all levels can shape the world of tomorrow, equipping individuals and
societies with the skills, perspectives, knowledge and values to live and work in a sustainable
manner.

It directly affects sustainability plans in the following area:

1. Implementation 2. Decision-making 3. Quality of life

1. Implementation.

An educated citizenry is vital to implementing informal and sustainable development.

Nations with high illiteracy rates and unskilled workforces have fewer development options. An
educated workforce is the key to moving beyond an extractive and agricultural economy.
2. Decision making.

Good community based decisions—which will affect social, economic, and

environmental well-being—also depend on educated citizens.

3. Quality of life.

Education is also control to improving quality of life. Education raises the economic
status of families, it improves life conditions, lowers infant mortality, and improves the
educational attainment of the next generation.

ESD should:

 Be embedded in the curriculum in an interdisciplinary and holistic manner, allowing for a

whole-institution approach to policy making.
 Share the values and principles that underpin sustainable development.
 Promote critical thinking, problem solving and action, all of which develop confidence in
addressing the challenges to sustainable development.
 Employ a variety of educational methods, such as literature, art, drama and debate to
illustrate the processes.
 Allow learners to participate in decision-making on the design and content of educational
programmes.
 Address local as well as global issues, and avoid jargon-ridden language and terms.
 Look to the future, ensuring that the content has a long-term perspective and uses
medium and long-term planning.

Key action themes for Education for Sustainable Development.

There are a number of key themes in ESD and while the dominant focus is on
environmental concerns, it also addresses themes such as poverty alleviation, citizenship, peace,
ethics, responsibility in local and global contexts, democracy and governance, justice, human
rights, gender equality, corporate responsibility, natural resource management and biological
diversity. It is generally accepted that certain characteristics are important for the successful
implementation of ESD, reflecting the equal importance of both the learning process and the
outcomes of the education process (adapted from ‘UN Decade of Sustainable Development’
UNESCO Nairobi Cluster, 2006).

Key themes are as follows:

1. Gender Equality. Where each member of society respects others and plays a role in
which they can fulfill their potential.

2. Health Promotion. Schools should act not only as centers for academic learning, but
also as supportive venues for the provision of essential health services, in collaboration with
parents and the community.

3. Environment. Teaching society how to behave responsibility and respect the

environment lies at the core of education for sustainable development.

4. Rural Development. Education and training are essential in addressing rural poverty
and ensuring sustainable development in these parts of the world.

5. Cultural Diversity. ESD aims at promoting teaching which respects indigenous and
traditional knowledge, and encourages the use of indigenous language in education, the
integration of worldviews and perspectives on sustainability into education programs at all
levels.

6. Peace and Human Security. Peace and security are fundamental to human dignity
and development, the sustainable development of any culture is always endangered by a situation
of insecurity and conflict.

7. Sustainable Development. With responsible decision-making, however, cities also

hold promising opportunities for social and economic advancement and for environmental
improvements at local, national, and global levels.

8. Sustainable Consumption. Our choices as consumers today will impact the way
people will live tomorrow. Sustainable consumption means consuming goods and services
without harming the environment or the society.