The overarching goal of sustainable development always has been the enhancement of human living standards and gains in wellbeing.
Being invented by Eva Balfour and Wes Jackson, sustainable development for the first time appeared in the World Conversation Strategy published by the World Conversation Union in 1980. However, first prominence was given to this elusive term in 1987 by the document Our Common Future produced by the World Commission on Environment and Development and its chairwoman Brundtland.
With the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 sustainable development finally reached the international policy agenda.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Evaluation of the Sustainable Development Strategy
2.1 The Economic Dimension: One planet Economy
2.2 Environmental Aspects: A Future Without Regrets
2.3 The Social Dimension: From Local To Global
3. Further Aspects of the Strategy
3.1 Behaviour Change
3.2 Climate Change
3.3 Implementation: Ensuring It Happens
4. Critical Appraisal of Economic Growth
Research Objective and Key Themes
The primary objective of this assignment is to conduct a critical appraisal of the UK's sustainable development strategy, "Securing The Future," by evaluating its alignment with the fundamental principles of sustainable development, specifically focusing on the challenges of decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation.
- Evolution of sustainable development concepts from international agreements to national policy.
- Integration of economic, environmental, and social dimensions within the UK strategy.
- The role of behaviour change, climate change mitigation, and implementation mechanisms.
- Critical analysis of the feasibility of constant economic growth within finite environmental limits.
Excerpt from the Book
Critical Appraisal of Economic Growth
An approach that glorifies economic growth while it is depleting finite resources once has been denoted “terminal-hyper-growthmania” by Doly (quoted by Reid, 1995). So it is to evaluate whether sustained (not sustainable) growth is feasible.
According to Hartwick constant economic growth is possible. This would support the idea of Securing The Future. However, according to his rule Hartwick outlined four requirements an economic system has to embody to ensure constant growth without eventually being stopped by depleted resources. In the UK Strategy there are no evidences of these requirements that include, amongst others, rents re-investment and efficient extraction of resources. Moreover the Hartwick Rule was criticised by the Nobel laureate economist Robert Solow (DMU, 2005a) and his finding highlighted the unfeasibility of the Hartwick Rule, as too many uncertainties are involved. However, Solow himself came up with an interesting idea that would justify an ongoing economic growth. He legitimated the degradation and even the depletion of resources as the current generation has “no obligation to [its] successors to bequeath a share of this or that resource” (quoted by Perman et al., 2003). Solow is interpreted by Perman et al. in a way that only the “capacity to do the things that [people] now do using oil” (oil as an exemplary representative of finite resources) is the thing successors are interested in (2003). Solow and Hartwick are in some way supporting the idea of continuing growth, presented in Securing The Future. However, they attach to the depletion of resources several conditions. It is therefore arguable whether the kind of “high and stable economic growth” (p.15) is feasible.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: This chapter provides an overview of the development of sustainable development concepts, starting from the Brundtland definition to its incorporation into international and UK-specific policies.
Evaluation of the Sustainable Development Strategy: This section breaks down the UK's strategy into its three pillars—economic, environmental, and social—analyzing how the document addresses each dimension.
Further Aspects of the Strategy: This chapter explores supplementary themes integrated into the UK strategy, specifically focusing on behaviour change, climate change, and the practical implementation of sustainability measures.
Critical Appraisal of Economic Growth: This section critically examines the compatibility of the strategy's goal for "high and stable economic growth" with the finite nature of environmental resources and the necessity of decoupling.
Keywords
Sustainable Development, Securing The Future, UK Strategy, Economic Growth, Environmental Limits, Decoupling, Behaviour Change, Climate Change, Implementation, Social Dimension, Governance, Sustainability, Resource Depletion, Hartwick Rule, Wellbeing
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this academic assignment?
The work provides a critical assessment of the UK government's sustainable development strategy, titled "Securing The Future," evaluating how it translates theoretical concepts into practical policy.
Which dimensions of sustainability are examined?
The assignment analyzes the three traditional pillars: the economic dimension (One planet Economy), the environmental dimension (A Future Without Regrets), and the social dimension (From Local To Global).
What is the primary research question addressed?
The paper explores whether the current UK strategy can successfully facilitate long-term sustainable development, particularly questioning the feasibility of decoupling economic growth from environmental impacts.
Which scientific methods are utilized for this analysis?
The author uses a literature-based appraisal method, comparing policy documents against established sustainable development theory, including the Hartwick Rule and Ehrlich's impact equation.
What specific topics are covered in the main body?
The main body examines the structure of the UK strategy, the inclusion of modern challenges like behaviour change and climate change, and the effectiveness of current implementation processes.
Which keywords best characterize this analysis?
The paper is defined by terms such as Sustainable Development, Decoupling, Economic Growth, Environmental Limits, and Sustainability Strategy.
How does the author view the strategy's approach to economic growth?
The author is skeptical, noting that while the strategy aims for "high and stable economic growth," it lacks sufficient evidence of meeting requirements for sustainable resource management, such as the Hartwick Rule.
Does the strategy effectively address population growth or consumerism?
The author notes that while these are critical factors in Ehrlich’s impact equation, they are largely ignored or not explicitly addressed in the "Securing The Future" strategy.
- Quote paper
- Bastian Görke (Author), 2006, Sustainable Development in Practice. Enhancement of Human Living Standards and Gains in Wellbeing, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1030686
