Study Session 11: Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS)
Expected Duration: 1 week or 3 contact hours
Introduction
This study session draws our attention to the effort of the United Nations in
addressing the issue of sustainable development. The session thus discusses
briefly the Millennium Development Goals and the improvement that has
been made on this target through the Sustainable Development Goals. There
are three sub-sessions which include one each on introducing what the idea
of sustainable development entails, the 17 SDGs and the challenges to the
actualisation of the SDGs.
11.0 Learning Outcomes for Study Session 11
When you have studied this session, you should be able to:
11.1 define Sustainable Development (SAQ 11.1);
11.2 enumerate the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SAQ 11.2); and
11.3 discuss the obstacle hindering the achievement of the Sustainable
Development Goals (SAQ 11.3).
Box 11.1 Meaning of Sustainable Development Goal’s
The Sustainable Development Goals are global call to action to end
poverty, protect the earth's environment and climate, and ensure that
people everywhere can enjoy peace and prosperity .
11.1 The Idea of Sustainable Development
From the name- sustainable development, it will mean that not all ideas of
development are sustainable. For instance, development is pursued with the
need to have energy. However, many of the sources of our energy will get
depleted faster than they can be replaced. The implication is the need to be
cautious about the use of depletable resources. This has led to the search for
alternative, renewable sources for providing energy for the pursuit of
development. Moreover, unlike when humans thought they were the centre
of the universe and thus that every development effort revolves around
them as a result of anthropocentric beliefs, it is clear that humans are just
part of nature, and that they are just caregivers put in place to nurture the
garden.
Humans have now realised that destruction to the environment has
implications for not just other species, but for humans themselves. The quest
for sustainable development is thus the quest for human development in
such a way that the least harm is done to the environment and other species
that we share the earth with. Sustainable development is the pursuit of
development in ways that future generations’ interests are not jeopardised,
as the aftermath of the exploration of resources and other human activities.
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It has to do with the pursuit of economic development without depletion of
natural resources so that when the future generations come the right to the
resources will not be denied them.
Sustainable development aims at finding sustainable patterns and processes
of development. Advocacy for it is about abandoning certain policies,
programmes, and traditions of doing things which are destroying the
environment and affecting the future. Sustainable development criticises
short-sightedness about the means of development which is hurting nature,
humans, distant persons, and future generations. It is a call to building more
eco-friendly technologies, urban centres, cleaner sources of energy. The aim
is to ensure that planetary integrity is not compromised not the stability of
the natural system affected. The United Nations, in the Brundtland report,
defined sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of
the present generation without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs.”
Aher and Shinde (2022) defined it as a “process of development that
promotes not only environment friendliness but also qualitative
improvements in human life through environment protection, conservation
and minimising unwanted use of it.” The promotion of this idea of
development is necessary in order to “eradicate poverty, reduce
environmental pollution, change lifestyles, improve the quality of health, and
live in harmony with nature.”
Sustainable development expects that development efforts will take into
consideration the carrying capability of and regenerative capacity of nature
and natural resources, with carrying capability referring to the amount of
pollution and damage the nature and the environment can endure Aher and
Shinde (2022) conclude that
The concept of sustainable development pushes for qualitative
improvement in every field such as health education, social
security, social justice, social equality, basic needs, etc., so that
maximum welfare of the common man can be achieved. The
concept of sustainable development is conducive to the
elimination of social discrimination, exploitation and unnecessary
social pressure. Sustainable development presents an ideal model
of resource utilization. It also emphasizes future needs,
sustainable economic growth and protection of the ecosystem
(Aher & Shinde, 2022:8).
Historically, the concern about sustainable development has root in
economics as a discipline. In this discipline, there has been discussion about
whether the capacity of the earth’s limited resources is able to continuously
support the ever increasing human population. The Malthusian population
theory captures this issue in the early 1800. Malthusian population theory
holds that human population is growing in a more rapid way than the food
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supply. Malthus’s postulation is that “human population tended to grow in a
geometric progression, while subsistence could grow in only an arithmetic
progression, and for that matter, population growth was likely to outstrip the
capacity of the natural resources to support the needs of the increasing
population” (Mensah, 2019:7-8). It was however believed that technology
would help mitigate this concern.
Nevertheless, with time reality dawned about the non-renewability of some
natural resources and the consequences these have on production and long-
term economic growth, and Malthusian population theory was reconsidered
(Mensah, 2019). However, many scholars trace the recent history of the
concept to the United Nations’ Conference on the Human Environment held
in Stockholm in 1972. It was at this conference that critical issues about the
environment was raised at international level. Beyond this, the United
Nations Environment Programme prepared a 10year report (1972-1982) on
the natural and social environment. Thus, being examined were issues like
water, land, air, forest and wildlife under the natural environment and issues
like human population, health, agriculture, culture, industry, resources,
transportation, tourism, and every aspect of society that has an effect on
human life as part of the social environment. With these, the United Nations
drew attention to issues of poverty, inequality and underdevelopment as
major obstacles to sustainable development (Aher & Shinde, 2022:8).
However, it is important to add that just before Sustainable Development
Goal there was the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) with eight goals
with measurable targets and clear deadlines for improving the lives of the
world's poorest people. To meet these goals and eradicate poverty, leaders
of 189 countries signed the historic millennium declaration at the United
Nations Millennium Summit in 2000. However, this had to give way to the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), because of a few challenges,
including the fact that there was lack of interconnectivity between the goals
and little consideration for environmental and economic dimensions . The
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are:
Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education
Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
Goal 4: Reduce child mortality
Goal 5: Improve maternal health
Goal 6: Combating HIV/AIDs, malaria, and other diseases
Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development
Some authors consider the MDGs to be too ambitious and unrealistic, while
others believe they are too narrow to capture the major issues of
development.
In-Text Questions (ITQs) 11.1
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1. What is sustainable development according to United Nations?
2. State the Malthusian Theory of Population.
In-Text Answers (ITAs) 11.1
1. The United Nations, in the Brundtland report, defined sustainable
development as “development that meets the needs of the present
generation without compromising the ability of future generations to
meet their own needs.”
2. Malthusian population theory holds that human population is growing
in a more rapid way than the food supply. Malthus’s postulation is that
“human population tended to grow in a geometric progression, while
subsistence could grow in only an arithmetic progression, and for that
matter, population growth was likely to outstrip the capacity of the
natural resources to support the needs of the increasing population”.
11.2 Sustainable Development Goals:
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals are a
collection of 17 interconnected global goals. The SDGs were set up in 2015
by the United Nations General Assembly (UN-GA) and are intended to be
achieved by 2030. The SDGs were developed to succeed the Millennium
Development Goals which ended in 2015. These goals are broad and
interdependent, yet the UN on the 6 July 2017 made the SDGs more
"actionable" through a UN Resolution that was adopted by the General
Assembly. The Resolution identifies specific targets for each goal, along with
indicators that are being used to measure progress toward each target.
The 17 SDGs are briefly mentioned below:
Goal 1: No poverty
SDG 1 is to: "End poverty in all its forms everywhere".
Achieving SDG 1 would end extreme poverty globally by 2030. This goal is
considered important because 10 percent of the world's population live in
poverty and struggle to meet basic needs such as health, education, and
access to water and sanitation.
Goal 2: Zero hunger (No hunger)
SDG 2 is to: "End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and
promote sustainable agriculture".
Undernourishment is an issue in our world today, and this SDG goal aims to
address it as 1 in 9 people are undernourished, often resulting in death. The
majority of this live in developing countries.
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Goal 3: Good health and well-being
SDG 3 is to: "Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages".
The aims of this SDG is directed at implementing the World Health
Organisation’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control; supporting
research, developing and providing universal access to affordable vaccines
and medicines; increasing health financing and supporting health workforce
in developing countries; among others. When this is achieved, life
expectancy will increase among adults; while there will be a reduction of the
causes of child and maternal mortality.
Goal 4: Quality education
SDG 4 is to: "Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote
lifelong learning opportunities for all".
SDG 4 aims at reducing out of school children, which is still on the high side
in our world today. To achieve this governments of countries are to: build or
upgrade inclusiveness of schools while ensuring they are safe; expand
access to higher education through provision of scholarships for developing
countries. It is also expected that there will be more supply of qualified
teachers in developing countries.
Goal 5: Gender equality
SDG 5 is to: "Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls".
There is still a lot of disparity among males and females in our world today,
reflecting in unequal access to education, job opportunities, holding of
offices, and political education, among others. Female genital mutilation and
cutting (FGM/C) still need to be address too.
Goal 6: Clean water and sanitation
SDG 6 is to: "Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and
sanitation for all".
The target of this SDG is to ensure that people everywhere have access to
safe drinking water; improved water quality, wastewater treatment and safe
reuse. Open defecation and access to sanitation will also be championed by
this SDG.
Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy
SDG 7 is to: "Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern
energy for all".
A major issue about sustainable development has to do with reducing or
eliminations energy use that contribute to pollution and global warming. This
goal in the SDGs is directed at ensuring this. This will lead to access to
affordable and reliable energy and increment of the share of renewable
energy. A number of households in developing countries still use energy that
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have grave effects on the health of individuals within the household, while
many businesses still rely heavily in generators, contributing to pollution of
the environment. SDG 7 has the following target: Universal access to modern
energy; increase global percentage of renewable energy; double the
improvement in energy efficiency; promotion of access to research,
technology and investments in clean energy; and expansion and upgrading
of energy services for developing countries.
Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth
SDG 8 is to: "Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth,
full and productive employment and decent work for all".
A lot about development is tied to economic growth, and this SDG 8 directs
attention to this fact. People are to be provided with labour that is decent,
have good working conditions, and a conducive working environment.
Diversification of the economy is encouraged too so that there will not be an
overdependence on a single product, like most developing countries have.
There is also a target against modern slavery, trafficking, and child labour;
while effort is made to ensure improvement in renumeration, promotion of
youth employment, education and training.
Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
SDG 9 is to: "Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable
industrialisation, and foster innovation".
Infrastructural development, industrialisation and innovation are key for
economic development. All these are to be done paying attention to the
need for sustainable development. This means that the infrastructure must
ensure that present generation have their needs without damage to future
generation’s capability to meet theirs. To achieve this there is meant to be
an upgrade to all industries and infrastructures for sustainability;
enhancement of research and upgrading of industrial technologies
Goal 10: Reduced inequality
SDG 10 is to: "Reduce income inequality within and among countries".
Development is not just in terms of infrastructure, science and technology,
rather development should reflect in social relations, and one of the ways
this can done is to reduce the gap between those who and those who don’t,
that is between the rich and the poor. This goals also targets economic,
social and political inclusion, having of equal access to opportunities and
ending of discrimination against persons and groups. Moreover, the SDG 10
targets improved regulation of global financial markets and institutions
such that there will be enhanced representation for developing countries in
financial institutions. Responsible and well-managed migration policies are
also part of what this goal will ensure.
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Goal 11: Sustainable cities and communities
SDG 11 is to: "Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient,
and sustainable".
Decent living is part of what it means to be developed. However, the number
of slum dwellers rare on the high side. In places like Eastern and South-
Eastern Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Southern Asia, people are
living in cities and communities that are deplorable, with urban slum being
on the high side. Paying attention to this SDG 11 will reduce slum dwellers
and improve living conditions for many.
Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production
SDG 12 is to: "Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns".
SDG 12 targets the implementation of the 10-Year Framework of
Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns; achieving
the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources; reducing
by half the per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels
and the reduction of food losses along production and supply chains,
including post-harvest losses; achieving the environmentally sound
management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle;
reducing waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and
reuse; encouraging companies to adopt sustainable practices; promoting
public procurement practices that are sustainable; and ensuring that people
everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable
development.
Goal 13: Climate action
SDG 13 is to: "Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
by regulating emissions and promoting developments in renewable energy".
SDG 13 requires that actions be taken to tackle climate change. Climate
change is affecting the global community in every nation across the world.
The impact of climate change not only impacts national economies, but also
lives and livelihoods, especially those in vulnerable conditions. Climate
change continued exacerbating the frequency of natural disasters, such as
massive wildfires, droughts, hurricanes and floods. Action is to be taken
through strengthening resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related
disasters; integrating climate change measures into policies and planning;
and building knowledge and capacity to meet climate change.
Goal 14: Life below water
SDG 14 is to: "Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine
resources for sustainable development".
The oceans, seas and marine are important to economies of the world and
are important for human survival and sustenance. Unfortunately, water
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bodies have been at the receiving end of a lot of human pollution with grave
consequences for marine life. Also, these water bodies are the source of life
of the planet and the regulator of global climate system as well as the
world's largest ecosystem, home to nearly a million known species. Thus,
SDG 14 seeks to reduce marine pollution; protect and restore ecosystems;
reduce ocean acidification; sustain fishing; conserve coastal and marine
areas; end subsidies contributing to overfishing; and increase the economic
benefits from sustainable use of marine resources.
Goal 15: Life on land
SDG 15 is to: "Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial
ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt
and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss".
This SDG 15 is targeted at conserving and restoring terrestrial and
freshwater ecosystems; ending deforestation and restoring degraded forests;
ending desertification and restoring degraded land; ensuring conservation of
mountain ecosystems, protecting biodiversity and natural habitats;
protecting access to genetic resources and fair sharing of the benefits;
eliminating poaching and trafficking of protected species; preventing
invasive alien species on land and in water ecosystems; and integrating
ecosystem and biodiversity in governmental planning. Life on land is key to
human survival as it is the primary host of our specie. There are a whole lot
of other species that thrive on land too. Development will have to make
provision for dependants on the land and its resources.
Goal 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions
SDG 16 is to: "Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable
development, provide access to justice for all and build effective,
accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels".
All the actions taken to achieve sustainable development will be futile if
there are no strong institutions to see to the implementations of these ideals.
Also, violence, conflict, and outright war will not allow people enjoy the
benefits inherent in these goals. However, a major condition for peace and
progress in any society that there must be justice, for between individuals
and for groups. SDG 16 recognises these. It is targeted at reducing violence;
protecting children from abuse, exploitation, trafficking and violence;
promoting the rule of law and ensuring equal access to justice; combating
organised crime and illicit financial and arms flows, substantially reducing
corruption and bribery; developing effective, accountable and transparent
institutions; ensuring responsive, inclusive and representative decision-
making; strengthening the participation in global governance; providing
universal legal identity; and ensuring public access to information and
protect fundamental freedoms.
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Goal 17: Partnership for the goals
SDG 17 is to: "Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the
global partnership for sustainable development".
Crucial to fulfilling the SDGs is having partnership among nations, and
international institutions coming to the aid of each other and those of
underdeveloped countries to having meaning achievements of these goals.
Moreover, rather than seeing themselves as competitors, countries and
international institutions are to cooperate to ensure that the SDGs are
achieved. Knowledge, expertise, technology, and financial support are to be
given to fulfil the task.
In-Text Questions (ITQs) 11.2
1. What does SDG 4 state?
2. What does SDG 16 state?
In-Text Answers (ITAs) 11.2
1. SDG 4 is to: "Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and
promote lifelong learning opportunities for all".
2. SDG 16 is to: "Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable
development, provide access to justice for all and build effective,
accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels".
11.3 Some Challenges to the Implementation of the
Sustainable Development Goals
While the SDGs are laudable, implementation is not without some
challenges. The first challenge has to do with the political leaders who are to
implement these goals. With many of them being greedy, and thriving on the
abject poverty of their states, they will not be committed to implementation.
In this regard, Aher and Shinde (2022:14) point out that:
Politicians, especially in third world countries, have immature,
selfish and narrow vision towards sustainable development. As a
result of this approach, politicians in these countries believe in
ad hocism. The objectives of their policies are narrow, not far-
reaching. The leaders here are more interested in exploiting the
common man than in developing him. At the same time, they
lack a sense of commitment. That is why these politicians are
failing to come up with better legislation to overcome the
challenges to sustainable development in these countries.
The implication of this is that having good governance is a
precondition for the implementation of all these SDGS. However,
many nations lack this basic requirement.
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While SDGs 17 calls for collaboration to ensure that the SDGs are
implemented, a major issue is that there is no way in which nations, or
institutions can force the hand of those not complying with the requirement
of the SDGs. For instance, during Donald Trump’s administration, he pulled
out of agreement which the USA was part of regarding taking actions to
reduce global warming.
In-Text Question (ITQ) 11.3
What is the major challenge of Sustainable Development Goals?
In-Text Answer (ITA) 11.3
There are other challenges of sustainable Development Goals but, the major
challenge of Sustainable Development Goals is lack of implementation.
Summary of Study Session 11
In this study session 11, you have learned that;
1. not all means of pursuing development are sustainable;
2. There is a need to be careful about the exploration of natural resources
because some of them cannot be replaced as fast as they are
depleted;
3. the quest for sustainable development is thus the quest for human
development;
4. development meets the needs of the present generation without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs;
5. sustainable development can be traced to discourses in Economics;
6. Before the emergence of the Sustainable Development Goals, there
was the Millennium Development Goals;
7. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) or Global Goals are collections
of 17 interconnected global goals; and
8. one of the great obstacles to achieve the SDGs is the selfish nature of
political leaders in third world countries.
Self-Assessment Questions (SAQs) for Study Session 11
Now that you have completed this study session, you can assess how well
you have achieved its learning outcomes of this session by answering the
questions following. You can check your answer with the Notes on Self-
Assessment Questions at the end of the sessions.
SAQ 11.1 (Tests Learning Outcome 11.1)
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1. Define Sustainable Development
2. Describe how scholar traced the recent history of the idea of sustainable
development
3. State the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) preceding the SDGs
SAQ 11.2 (Tests Learning Outcome 11.2)
Describe what you understand by the concept “Sustainable Development
Goals”
SAQ 11.3 (Tests Learning Outcome 11.3)
Mention one challenge that stands on the path of the SDGs.
Glossary of Terms
Sustainable Development is the pursuit of development in such a way that
future generations’ interests will not jeopardised.
Malthusian Population Theory is a population theory which compares the
growth of human’s population to the available means of subsistence.
Sustainable Development Goals as Global Goals are a collection of 17
interconnected goals.
Gender Equality means that both males and females have equal access to
opportunity in the society without gender discrimination.
Institutions refers to political, social, economic, educational and other
institutions which functions on their own without undue pressure.
References
Aher, S & Shinde, S. (2022). Sustainable Development: Challenges and
Remedies. International Journal for Legal Research and Analysis, Vol.
2, Issue 7.
Mensah, J. (2019). Sustainable Development: Meaning, History, Principles,
Pillars and Implications for Human Actions: Literature Review. Cogent
Social Sciences, Vol. 5, No. 1.
United Nations General Assembly (1987) Report of the World Commission on
Environment and Development: Our Common Future Archived 31
March (2022) at the Wayback Machine. Transmitted to the General
Assembly as an Annex to document A/42/427 – Development and
International Co-operation: Environment.
Rooda, N. (2017). Fundamentals of Sustainable Development. 2nd Edition.
London: Routledge.
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Ayre, G & Callway, R. (eds.), (2013). Governance for Sustainable
Development: A Foundation for the Future. London: Earthscan.
Ramutsindela, M & Mickler, D. (2019). Africa and the Sustainable
Development Goals. Springer.
French, D. & Kotze, Louis J. (2018). Sustainable Development Goals. UK:
Edward Elgar.
Additional Readings
Assembly, G. (2015). Sustainable development goals. SDGs Transform Our
World, 2030, 6-28.
http://www.igbp.net/download/18.62dc35801456272b46d51/1399290
813740/NL82-SDGs.pdf
FUND, S. (2015). Sustainable development goals.
https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/106391567056944729/
pdf/World-Bank-Group-Partnership-Fund-for-the-Sustainable-
Development-Goals-Annual-Report-2019.pdf
Katila, P., Colfer, C. J. P., De Jong, W., Galloway, G., Pacheco, P., & Winkel, G.
(Eds.). (2019). Sustainable Development Goals. Cambridge University
Press. https://books.google.com.ng/books?
hl=en&lr=&id=723CDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=Sustainable+D
evelopment+goals.
+pdf&ots=JK_BQw9a_V&sig=Mz_oXjmHiWjvEazyV51e173nSzY&redir_
esc=y#v=onepage&q=Sustainable%20Development%20goals.
%20pdf&f=false
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