Module 8-SDG

• Global Sustainable Development is a contested concept with many different meanings
• Sustainable development


  Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs
• Over the past two decades in particular, economic growth has come at the expense of the environment
• Sustainable development is a carefully planned strategy to embrace growth while using resources more efficiently, with utmost consideration of immediate AND long-term benefits for our planet and the humans who live on it
• Goals of Sustainable development

  • Economic growth
  • Environmental protection
  • Social inclusion

  
• To achieve effective sustainable development, the 3 primary objectives must be applied simultaneously, interacting with one another in a consistent, committed effort
• Applying these strategies to development means that cities must embrace low-carbon growth and public transportation, climate-smart agriculture, preservation of natural resources and greater efficiency in energy and the global supply chain
• Sustainable development practices help countries grow in ways that adapt to the challenges posed by climate change, which will in turn help to protect important natural resources for ours and future generations
• By the year 2050, it is estimated that our global population will likely reach 9 billion people. The challenge of sustainable development is to move forward in such a way that every single one of these people will be able to enjoy a substantial quality of life without being detrimental to our natural resources
• Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

  • End poverty and hunger
  • Better standards of education and healthcare, particularly as it pertains to water quality and better sanitation
  • Sustainable economic growth while promoting jobs and stronger economies
  • Sustainability to include health of the land, air, and sea
• Sustainable development recognizes that growth must be both inclusive and environmentally sound to reduce poverty and build shared prosperity for today's population and to continue to meet the needs of future generations
• Three pillars of sustainable development

  • Economic growth
  • Environmental stewardship
  • Social inclusion

  
• Economic development


  Providing incentives for businesses and other organizations to adhere to sustainability guidelines beyond their normal legislative requirements
• Social development


  Awareness of and legislation protection of the health of people from pollution and other harmful activities of business. Encouraging people to participate in environmental sustainability and teaching them about the effects of environmental protection as well as warning of the dangers if we cannot achieve our goals
• Environmental protection


  The need to protect the ecosystem, air quality, integrity, and sustainability of our resources and focuses on the elements that place stress on the environment. Developing technology is key to this sustainability and protecting the environment of the future from potential damage that technological advances could potentially bring
• The process of describing indicators helps diverse members of a community reach consensus on what sustainability means. Indicators help put sustainability in concrete terms that demonstrate a new way to measure progress
• 1. legged stool model


  The three dimensions of sustainability: economic, environmental, and social / cultural
• Some people add a fourth leg / dimension: culture
• People dimension


  Actions and issues that affect all aspects of society, including poverty, violence, injustice, education, healthcare, safe housing, labor and human rights
• Culture dimension


  Actions and issues that affect how communities manifest identity, preserve and cultivate traditions, and develop belief systems and commonly accepted values
• 1. legged stool metaphor


  Reinforces the three dimensions required for a high quality of life - economic, environmental, and social/cultural. Shows that society is unstable if one of them is weak.
• The downside of the 3-legged stool metaphor is that the economic, environmental, and social legs look separate and equal.
• Dimensions/legs added to the 3-legged stool model

  • Economic
  • Environmental
  • Social/cultural
  • Culture
• Sustainability "streams" or "pillars"

  • Economy
  • Environment
  • People
  • Cultures
• 1. overlapping-circles model of sustainability


  • Acknowledges the intersection of economic, environmental, and social factors
  • Depending on mindset, the circles can be resized to show one factor as more dominant
• The 3-overlapping-circles model implies that the economy can exist independently of society and the environment.
• 1. nested-dependencies model


  • Shows that human society is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the environment
  • The society-economy relationship is symbiotic
• Global Citizenship


  • Nurtures personal respect and respect for others, wherever they live
  • Encourages individuals to think deeply and critically about what is equitable and just, and what will minimise harm to our planet
  • Helps learners grow more confident in standing up for their beliefs, and more skilled in evaluating the ethics and impact of their decisions
• Characteristics of a Global Citizen

  • Aware of the wider world and has a sense of their own role as a world citizen
  • Respects and values diversity
  • Has an understanding of how the world works
  • Is outraged by social injustice
  • Participates in the community at a range of levels, from the local to the global
  • Is willing to act to make the world a more equitable and sustainable place
  • Takes responsibility for their actions
• To be effective Global Citizens, young people need to be flexible, creative and proactive. They need to be able to solve problems, make decisions, think critically, communicate ideas effectively and work well within teams and groups.
• These skills and qualities are increasingly recognised as being essential to succeed in other areas of 21st century life too, including many workplaces.
• These skills and qualities cannot be developed without the use of active learning methods through which pupils learn by doing and by collaborating with others.
• With the interconnected and interdependent nature of our world, the global is not 'out there'; it is part of our everyday lives, as we are linked to others on every continent socially, culturally, economically, environmentally, and politically.
• Young people are entitled to an education that equips them with the knowledge, skills and values they need in order to embrace the opportunities and challenges they encounter, and to create the kind of world that they want to live in.
• The active, participatory methods of Education for Global Citizenship and Sustainable Development help young people to learn how decisions made by people in other parts of the world affect our lives, just as our decisions affect the lives of others.
• Everything done in school sends out messages, so we need to exemplify the values we wish to promote.
• Research shows that in more democratic schools pupils feel more in control of their learning, and the quality of teaching, learning and behaviour is better.
• The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child affirms the right of children to have their opinions taken into account on matters that affect them.
• Education for Global Citizenship deals with issues of global interdependence, diversity of identities and cultures, sustainable development, peace & conflict and inequities of power, resources & respect.
• Far from promoting one set of answers or values or attitudes, education for global citizenship encourages children and young people to explore, develop and express their own values and opinions.