Learning Competencies and Tasks
Subject: CONTEMPORARY WORLD
Learning Competencies:
1. Differentiate stability from sustainability
2. Articulate models of global sustainable development
Major Concepts (Topic Outline):
I. Sustainable Development
a. What is Sustainable Development?
b. Alternative development model to the current form of globalization.
c. 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Topic Content:
GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY AND DEGROWTH
New Realities the Filipinos deal with as a result of Climate
Change induced by Global Warming:
Parched tracts of formerly verdant rice fields
Dead fish floating in once pristine waters.
Flashfloods plaguing lowlands.
Lungs helplessly breathing the poisonous air.
These may sound like excerpts from apocalyptic poem but they are
actually fact rather than fiction. Global warming has made life less
tenable and sustainable in many vulnerable communities. Basic
necessities such as food, potable water, and clean air have become
less abundant as extreme climate change started negatively
affecting planting and harvest seasons. Over extraction of
resources also seems to worsen in many parts of the world.
Corporations are expropriating frontier lands for cattle farming, as
well as mountains and forests for mining.
Macroeconomic growth occurs in many countries, but
millions still suffer from hunger and malnutrition. Meanwhile,
massive food waste happens in a number of developed countries,
while millions of people in developing countries starve. Climate
change has only made developing countries more vulnerable as the
worlds ecology is put to test by continuing population growth and
rapid urbanization. The key to success in this noble endeavor lies
in going back to the basics- living simply that the world may be as it
had been in the old days of the once unexploited earth. This will halt
the march of global warmings ugly cabal of disasters. Instead of
entirely disregarding civilization’s modern gifts, the youth can tap
humankinds’ advances in technology to possibly reverse the
damage done by the destructive forces of global warming and seek
alternative development models that will be sustainable in the long
run.
Definition of Terms:
Degrowth- a movement advocating for lesser or slower
macroeconomic growth as a way to achieve sustainable
development.
Sustainable Development- economic
development that focuses on fulfilling tha
basic needs of citizens rather than amassing profits
Global Citizenship- citizenship that puts emphasis on
one’s responsibilities to the international community.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Anthropocene (the epoch or era of humanity’s domination of the
earth) means:
The Earth has now left its natural geological epoch, the
present interglacial state called the Holocene. Human
activities have
become so pervasive and profound that they rival the
great force of Nature and are pushing the Earth into
planetary terra incognita.
The earth is rapidly moving into a less biologically diverse,
less forested, much warmer, and probably wetter and
stormier state. (Will Stefen, Paul J. Crutzen, and John R.
Mcneil). According to them, the
Unsustainability of humanity’s Earth- transforming
domination is made clearer by the global economic crisis
in 2008.
As Ploceinnik remarks, “a part from collapsing financial markets
there were rising unemployment, deeper inequalities, a
shrinking middle class, increase indebtedness, and inability of
governments to force through reforms. In addition, there were the
increasing challenges of climate change and availability of resources,
which are necessary to develop new technologies and keep
economies growing. The economic seems to be stable but not
sustainable. He also contrasts stability with sustainability by
emphasizing that the former means short- term firmness in
position, permanence and resistance to change, especially in a
disruptive way- these are general associations connected with the
term ‘stability’. In an economic sense this association was more
specific. On the other hand, sustainability “considers the long-
term capacities of a system to exist, not its short term resistance
to change. In a sense, globalization at this point remains stable. Its
main proponents, from mainstream economists to corporate managers
and bankers, resist talk about coming up with alternatives to
globalization.
Reasons about the current version of Globalization making it
Unsustainable:
1. Western- centric globalization is premised on the idea of
making everyone live and consume like a typical Westerner
does. For instance, the typical American consumes 3, 750
Calories per day (compared with Democratic Republic of the
Congo’s 1, 590 Calories) and has a per capita carbon emission
of 16.4 metric tons (compared with the world average of just
4.991 metric tons). Hence, it is simply not an option to live in
such a way as this would rapidly finish off the worlds finite
resources. As former Uruguayan President Jose Mujica notes in
the documentary The Poorest President (2014), we will need
two Earths if we are to live like typical American’s.
2. Current trends point out to a global race to the bottom with
regard to wages and corporate tax rates. This socially
destructive tandem is in the process of impoverishing millions
of ordinary folk, weakening the financial muscle of governments
to provide social services and strengthening corporations and
its wealthy owners. This regressive scheme of taxation, of
endless wealth accumulation for a minority at the expense of a
great number of people and the massive destruction of the
environment, is gain incompatible with the finite nature of
much of the world’s resource’s.
3. The continuous commodification of the world’s resources
from water and air, to minerals and forest lands- under the
economic system that
allows huge corporations almost unlimited access to them, is
bound to exhaust the world’s finite resources. Maximization of
profits from hauling and selling off the worlds resources in the
name of unbridled consumption all the more makes the system
unsustainable.
There is not enough gold, nickel and silver to sustain the
world’s need for gadgets if companies will continue releasing
new models almost on a monthly basis. Mining sites are excavated
until they run out of gold; as a result, most mining sites now look
like abandoned caves. The truth is that the world will eventually
run out of timber and forestlands. For example, Brazil experienced
shocking decreases in forest cover, which went from 65.4% in
1990 to 59% in 2015; on the other hand, Indonesia’s forest cover
decreased from 65.4% to 50.2%.
The world’s oceans are overfished much of the world’s
corals are also dying, and farming fish has its own downsides as
well. “in 2013, the most recent year for which full data are
available, 32% of the world’s fish stocks were being exploited
beyond their sustainable limit. The amount of fish caught at sea
has been pretty much flat for the past three decades, but the
share of the world’s fish stocks that are being plundered
unsustainably has continued to increase.
There is not enough farmland for real estate developers to
turn into sites of box- type, high rise condominiums. The rapid
urbanization of the Philippines indeed comes at a price; in fact, it
remains food insecure despite housing the International Rice
Research Institute in Luzon. Big businessmen would realize that
there is an end to the amount of wealth that they can accumulate
before the earth starts turning into a wasteland of ruin.
Degrowth is being considered as an alternative method
of global sustainable development. It requires a paradigm
shift away from the profit motive and toward the common good,
from wants to needs, and from luxury to simplicity if the Earth is
to survive and be a suitable home to future generations.
Concept of degrowth encourages people to formulate
simpler demands, focusing on meetings everyone’s basic
necessities first so that the extraction of the worlds resources for
commodity production will not be as unbridled as it is today. In lieu
of a competitive race toward a higher and higher GDP, degrowth
compels every country to ensure instead that their citizens have
food, jobs, shelters, and other necessities as the world’s resources
can easily be spent out if every man’s whims and caprices will be
fulfilled firsts.
Burkett Links climate change to capitalism, as capitalist
industrialization contributed much to greenhouse gas emissions,
and stresses that deteriorating environmental conditions compel
citizens and policymakers to seek alternatives to dominant modes
of production. Angus points out that the Anthropocene is now at
hand and asserts that “what we face is not just extensive
pollution, not just rising temperatures, not just rising sea
levels, but many centuries in which a safe operating space
for humanity may no longer exist.” Therefore, understanding
and responding to the Anthropocene should be on top of any
agenda of social transformation.
Alternative development model to the current form of
globalization:
Pachamama is the name of an indigenous earth goddess and is
also an equivalent term for Mother Earth.
In 2011, Bolivia passed the first laws that granted nature with
rights equal to human. It institutionalized a paradigm shift that
relabels
the nations mineral deposits as “blessings” to conserve as
much as possible, rather than materials that should be
wantonly extracted. Likewise, it empowered communities to
monitor industrial polluters, and culminated in the
establishment of a relevant ministry that will prioritize the
protection of the environment without stopping all
industrialization schemes.
Bolivian concept of giving Mother Earth and all creatures
rights is the beginning of the realization that humanity’s
anthropocentrism must end.
Buen Vivir which assert the primacy of limiting
consumption and developing the collectivist idea that
builds on the indigenous Quecha people’s concept of sumak
kawsay – a way of doing things that is community- centric,
ecologically- balanced and culturally- sensitive.
Sumak kawsay contrasts with the market centric and
individualist ethos of capitalism.
Buen Vivir is the same with Pachamama Socialism,
because they put prime importance on the well- being of the
larger community of Earth’s Inhabitants rather than the
survival of individual species.
Buen Vivir as an alternative paradigm subjugates individual
rights to those of peoples, communities, and nature. It
highlights that humans are steward of Earth and never its owners,
such that an imposition of monetary value to environmental goods
is decried.
Green parties around the world also offer Green New Deals,
which focus on renewable energy- related or powered industries
as engines of sustainable growth and development.
Green Transition Program outlines several initiatives that will
lead the current mode of capitalist development to a more pro-
environment way of doing business:
1. Invest in green business by providing grants and low- interest
loans.
2. Prioritize green research by redirecting research funds from
fossil fuels and other- end industries toward research in wind,
solar and geothermal.
3. Invest in research in sustainable, nontoxic materials, closed
loop cycles that can eliminate waste and pollution.
4. Provide green jobs by enacting the Full Employment Program
which will directly provide 16 million jobs in sustainable energy
and energy retrofitting.
17 Sustainable Development Goals:
1. No Poverty
2. Zero hunger
3. Good health and well- being
4. Quality Education
5. Gender Equality
6. Clean water and sanitation
7. Affordable and clean energy
8. Decent work and economic growth
9. Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
10. Reduced inequalities
11. Sustainable cities and communities
12. Responsible consumption and production
13. Climate action
14. Life below water
15. Life on Land
16. Peace, justice, and strong institutions
17. Partnership for the goals
These 17 goals have been established on January 1, 2016. It
is expected that over the next 15 years, countries will expand their
resources to mitigate, if not eradicate, poverty and inequality;
as well as reverse climate change.
Economic development is to be promoted without
sacrificing the welfare of the environment.
The SDGs also recognize that to eradicate poverty is to
build encompassing strategies that will target issues in
health, education, social protection, and job opportunities.
This will be done alongside the implementation of climate
change and environment protection initiatives.
The SDG Agenda is a good start to rethink and reshape
the current economic system and serves as an official
recognition of the fact that the current, dominant way of life
under globalization is inherently unsustainable. Therefore,
there is a need for new goals that are parallel with
endeavors that will bring a more sustainable development
for the present and future generations sake.
Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship in
Education 2030/ SDG 4
In a globalized world with unresolved social, political, economic
and environmental challenges, education that helps building
peaceful and sustainable societies is essential.
Education systems seldom fully integrate such transformative
approaches, however. It is vital therefore to give a central place
in Education 2030 to strengthening education’s contribution to
the fulfillment of human rights, peace and responsible
citizenship from local to global levels, gender equality,
sustainable development and health.
Sustainable Development Goal Target
1. By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire knowledge and
skills needed to promote sustainable development
2. through education for sustainable development and
sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality,
promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence,
global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity
and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.
The Global Indicator for SDG
1. global citizenship education and
2. education for sustainable development including gender
equality and human rights, are mainstreamed at all levels in
3. national education policies
4. curricula
5. education and
6. Student assessment.
Strategies Recommended in the Education 2030 Framework for
Action
1. Develop policies and programs to promote (ESD)
education for sustainable development and (GCED) global
citizenship education.
2. Provide learners of both sexes and of all ages with
opportunities to acquire all the things they need to learn
3. Develop and disseminate good practices on ESD and GCED
4. Promote participatory programs for learners and
educators related to ESD and GCED
5. Ensure that education acknowledges the key role that
culture plays in achieving sustainability
6. Support the development of more robust assessment
systems for ESD and GCED
7. Promote an interdisciplinary, and if necessary, multi-
stakeholder approach to ensure ESD and GCED at all
levels
References:
San Juan, D. M. M.,(2018). Journeys through our
Contemporary World. Vibal Group, Inc.
UNESCO Bangkok. (2019). Education for Sustainable
Development and Global Citizenship in Education 2030 / SDG 4.
[online] Retrieved from:
https://bangkok.unesco.org/content/education-sustainable-
development-and-global-citizenship-education-2030-sdg-4
[Accessed 28 Feb. 2019]
END OF NOTES
Activities/Tasks:
Activity 1:
Read and understand the reading material on Global Migration and
answer the different guiding light questions.
1. How do we measure sustainability? 5pts.
2. Is development, degrowth and sustainability synonymous? Why or
why not? 5pts.
3. Explain through examples the different reasons why the current
version of Globalization is Unsustainable. (Do not use the
definition given to explain it, understand the definition given and
craft your own example that explains the different reasons. ) 15
pts.
4. Discuss and give examples on the difference of Buen Viver and
Pachamama. 10 pts.
a. Buen Viver:
Discussion: Example/s:
b. Pachamama:
Discussion: Example/s:
5. In your own opinion, how could Filipino avoid food and food waste?
5 pts
6. Give one example of a program/laws/policies or even a
practice that you have seen, watch or heard being initiated by
the government to meet the 17 Sustainable Development
Goals. 1 example per SDG. 20 pts.
For example:
SDG1 :No Poverty
- example is the Pantawid programang Pamilyang Pilipino or 4
P’s which aims to help the poor people to level their status
through financial aids, health care and education.
SDG 2: ZERO hunger: The amelioration program being given by
the government at presen to help the people who cannot work and
cannot gain income or salary because of COVID-19
-SDG1 and 2 is done, continue with SDG 3
Activity 2: 40 POINTS
The students will be asked to read and reflect on Pablo Neruda’s “Oda
a la manzana” (Ode to the apple’) and Lea Salonga’s “Paraiso”.
1. What are the message of the poem & song? 10pts
a. Pablo Neruda’s “Oda a la manzana” (Ode to the apple’)
b. Lea Salonga’s “Paraiso”
2. What does the author wish for the world? 10pts
a. Pablo Neruda’s “Oda a la manzana” (Ode to the apple’)
b. Lea Salonga’s “Paraiso”
3. Does it mirror most people’s wishes? Explain 10pts
a. Pablo Neruda’s “Oda a la manzana” (Ode to the apple’)
b. Lea Salonga’s “Paraiso”
4. In your own opinion, what are the reasons why the
Philippines is worth living for? (Please do not argue or
change the premise) 10 pts
NOTE: (For Activity 1 please refer to your notes and your
understanding of the topics but for Activity 2 you need to search
and listen to the poem and song and based from your reflection
you answer the questions above. )
Please upload the file per week using One (1) file only covering
the tasks per week. Label your file with your family name and title
of the output example: Jane Doe April 27 to 30
-Please send it through my email.
If the instruction is unclear, re-read and understand the guidelines,
if still unclear. Please feel free to ask questions through PM.
