Global Perspectives:Environment and

DevelopmentDr Mahfuzul Haque

(Lecture Notes 1.2)

Issues for Debate

• Whether over-population is the cause for poverty?• Whether over consumption causes poverty?• Whether poverty pollutes the environment?• Whether inaccessibility to food causing poverty?• Whether “Green Revolution” was a mistake?• Is it better to remain underdeveloped for the sake of

a pristine environment?

Points for Discussion

• Debate Continues…• UNCHD, Stockholm, 1972• UNEP, Nairobi, 1973• UN Development Decades 1960s,1970s,1980s• WCED (Brundtland Commission) 1989• UNCED (Rio-Summit) 1992• MDGs 2000• WSSD, Johannesburg, 2002

Environment & Development

• How much greening of the Earth?• “Light Green” (technocentric), which focuses on humankind,

improvement of human standards of living and quality of life. (e.g., improved industrial or energy-generation system reducing pollution)

• “Dark Green” (ecocentric), which says earth is much more important than human progress and rapid economic growth. This radical approach called for reduced consumption and major shifts in economic and political structures

• What about “Brown” issues?

International Events

• 1972: United Nations Conference on Human Development (UNCHD), Stockholm, Sweden. The Conference brought leaders of the industrialized and developing nations to chart an Action Plan on Human Development

• Does it have a techno-centric approach of “light green”?• 1973: United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) was formed

in 1973 in Nairobi, Kenya

UN Development Decades

• During the First United Nations Development Decade of the 1960s, development thinking prioritised economic growth and the application of modern scientific and technical knowledge as the route to prosperity in the underdeveloped world. Development was modelled as becoming “more like the West”

• However, by the Second UN Development Decade of the 1970s, inequality between and within countries worsened. Many developing countries had achieved economic growth as measured by GNP but this “development” was not shared equally amongst the populations of these nations. Underdevelopment was the direct outcome of development elsewhere

UN Development Decade

• By the Third UN Development Decade of the 1980s, improving the income level of target populations were accepted as fundamental parts of any development strategy. Over-emphasising of the economic dimensions of development was criticised.

• “Development” in contrast was seen as a multidimensional concept encapsulating widespread improvements in the social as well as the material well-being of all in society. It must encompass not only economic and social activities, but also those related to population, use of natural resources and resulting impacts on the environment

Debt-for-Nature swaps

• In the 1990s, after more than three decades of “development”, many developing countries had debt burdens which outweighs their GNP

• “debt-for-nature” swaps became popular in late 1980s/early 1990s. Under this program, a developing country agrees to conserve its degraded natural resources in exchange of waiver of debt by developed country or organization. A win-win scenario for the both countries

• Under US Government Act, such program also took place in Bangladesh

Sustainable Development• 1989: World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) or

the “Brundtland Commission” in it’s report Our Common Future defined “Sustainable Development”. Gro-Harlem Brundtland, Prime minister of Norway was the chair

• “Sustainable Development is the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising with the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. (ref: Our Common Future, WCED, 1987

• Sustainable development refers to maintaining development over time; long-time development

• Issue of “intergenerational equity” turned up. What is it that one generation passing to another generation?

• visit: www.un.org/esa/sustdev

UNCED, 1992 www.un.org/esa/sustdev/documents/UNCED

• 1992: United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), Rio-de-Janeiro, Brazil, also known as the “Earth Summit” or “Rio-Summit” assembled the world leaders to address global environmental issues of concern

UNCED, 1992

Following five Conventions were signed:• United Nations Framework Convention on

Climate Change (UNFCCC)• Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)• Earth Charter• Forestry Principles• Agenda 21

UNFCCC www.unfccc.int

Objectives are to :• achieve stabilization of GHG concentrations in the

atmosphere at a level that would prevent anthropogenic (man made) interference with the climate system

• achieve such a level within a timeframe (1990) to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change

• ensure that food production is not threatened• enable economic development to proceed in a

sustainable manner

CBDwww.biodiv.org

• Biological diversity means variability among living organisms-terrestrial, marine and aquatic systems including diversity within and between species and ecosystems

CBDwww.biodiv.org

Objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) are to:

• conserve bio-diversity• ensure its sustainable use• ensure fair and equitable sharing of benefits

arising from the use of genetic resources

Earth CharterForestry Principles

• Earth Charter expresses the wish of the world leaders to conserve this only habitable planet, the Earth

• Forestry Principles are some guidelines to save the forests

• For details visit: www.un.org/documents

Agenda 21(www.un.org/esa/sustdev/documents/agenda21)

• Agenda 21 is the Agenda for the 21st century covering all sectors of development spread over 40 chapters

• All signatory nations are expected to develop their National Agenda 21

• Bangladesh has partially addressed Agenda 21 in National Environment Management Action Plan (NEMAP), 1995

Agenda 21(www.un.org/esa/sustdev/documents/agenda21)

Out of 40, some important chapters are as follows:• Combating Poverty• Changing Consumption Patterns• Population and Sustainability• Protecting Atmosphere• Combating Deforestation• Sustainable Agriculture Development• Safer use of Toxic Chemicals• Women in Sustainable Development• Children and Youth in Sustainable Dev• Partnership with NGOs

MDGs 2000(www.un.org/millenniumgoals/)

UN Millennium Development Goals stipulated that by 2015, all 189 UN member states would:

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger reduce half the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day. Reduce by half the proportion of people who suffer from hunger

2. Achieve universal primary education3. Promote gender equality and empower women

eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary level by 2005 and at all levels by 2015

4. Reduce child mortality by two thirds the mortality among under five children

MDGs 2000(www.un.org/millenniumgoals/)

5. Improve maternal health reduce by three quarters maternal mortality ratio

6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases halt and reverse spread of diseases including malaria

7. Ensure environment sustainability reduce half proportion of people accessing safe drinking water

8. Develop a global partnership for development address special needs of LDCs, SIDS, and landlocked countries

WSSD, 2002www.johannesburgsummit.org

• World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) was held in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2002

• Summit took stock of developments since the Earth Summit, 1992 held 20 years ago and implementation status of Agenda 21

• Summit outcome was “Johannesburg Plan of Implementation”

WSSD, 2002www.johannesburgsummit.org

Johannesburg Plan of Implementation:

• Poverty Eradication• Changing unsustainable pattern of consumption and production• Protecting and managing the natural resource base of economic

and social development• Sustainable Development in a Globalizing world• Health and Sustainable Development• Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States• Sustainable Development for Africa

WSSD, 2002www.johannesburgsummit.org

• Other Regional Initiatives• Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean• Sustainable Development in Asia and Pacific• Sustainable Development in West Asia Region• Sustainable Development in Economic Commission for Europe

Region• Means of Implementation• Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development• Role of UNGA, ECOSOC, International Organisations

Probable Questions

• “Earth Summit” was a great event as it brought many challenges in the field of environment and development. What are they?

Further Reading• Kingsbury, Damien et al., Key Issues in Development. 2004, New York:

Palgrave Macmillan. Pages: 22-44, 221-226,266-291• Kothari, Uma (ed), Development Theory and Practice: Critical

Perspectives. 2002, New York: Palgrave. Pages: 92-113, 136-156• Rahman. A., et al, Exploding the Population Myth, Consumption Versus

Population: Which is the Climate Bomb? Dhaka: BCAS, July 1993 • Rapley, John. Understanding Development: Theory and Practice in the

Third World.2002, London: Lynne Rienner. Pages: 161-182• Willis, Katie. Theories and Practices of Development. 2005, London and

New York: Routledge. Pages: 146-172

Further Reading• The World Commission on Environment and Development, Our

Common Future, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987.• Text on United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

(UNFCCC)1992. Internet: www.unfccc.int• Text on Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) 1992. Internet:

www.biodiv.org• An Inconvenient Truth, 2006, an Oscar winning film by former US

Vice President Al-Gore (internet: www.climatecrisis.net• visit: www.un.org/esa/sustdev; • www.un.org/millenniumgoals

THANK YOU