Sustainable Development and Social Justice Global Citizenship

Aim and Objectives Aim: Objectives: To explore the link between sustainable development and social justice. Objectives: You hopefully will………… Know how social justice and sustainable development are related; Know the 3 dimensions that need to be balanced for sustainable development to exist; have a basic understanding of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). have a basic understanding of how the MDGs relate to social and global justice, and sustainable development.

Sustainable Development Brundtland Commission stated the goal of sustainable development is to enable all people throughout the world to satisfy their basic needs and enjoy a better quality of life, without compromising the quality of life of future generations. This presentation and exercise is free to use in UK schools, colleges and universities. It is provided by games-ED (www.games-ed.co.uk) who licence collaborative games based learning including a sustainable development game entitled Sustainaville. © pixelfountain (games-ED) – free to use in UK schools, colleges and universities.

Limited Resources If everyone had the same standard of living as people in North America or Europe, we would need the resources of three planet earths. © pixelfountain (games-ED) – free to use in UK schools, colleges and universities.

? ? ? ? ? ? What are our basic needs? © pixelfountain (games-ED) – free to use in UK schools, colleges and universities.

What are our basic needs? Food Water Shelter Power Waste Treatment Medical Care © pixelfountain (games-ED) – free to use in UK schools, colleges and universities.

Three Dimensions Social Environmental Economic People Planet Profits Sustainable development is the balancing of social, economic and environmental dimensions. Social Environmental Economic People Planet Profits © pixelfountain (games-ED) – free to use in UK schools, colleges and universities.

Exercise $ Social Sustainable development is relevant in your local area. Think about a good and bad thing in your community. Write it on a red or green sticky note and place it where you think it fits: social, economic or environmental. $ $ (20 minute activity) Once the students have placed the sticky notes on to the diagram (use red for bad and green for good), consider whether they have been placed into the correct place. Most issues can be thought of in terms of social economic AND environment. Ask the question “so do you think X is just an environmental problem?” When the students think about it, they are likely to want it moved to the centre (sustainable). See examples below: Traffic jams Social = Pollution effects health, frustration effects social. Economic = Businesses are affected and so is the GDP. Environmental = Pollution causes greenhouse gases and dirty deposits on buildings. Roads cut through countryside. Public transport Social = Help with access and social inclusion. Economic = Public transport can reduce congestion and help people to get to work. Environmental = Can relieve congestion on roads and so pollution. Unemployment Social = Poor well-being comes from an inability to participate in society. Economic = reduces economic output (loss of productive capacity). Environmental = Green collar jobs such as in renewable energy. Grot spots Social = Make people feel down. Economic = Local image is harmed – bad for tourism and new businesses. Environmental = A grot spot could be a source of pollution. Beauty spots Social = Good feel factor. Economic = Good for tourism. Environmental = Good for encouraging wildlife. Local people / Population Social = Community spirit and cohesion make a place more attractive – they add to social capital. Economic = People are the way value can be added to a community. The jobs they create, the work they do, the taxes they pay and so on. Environmental = People equal houses, but people could also mean conservation. Dereliction Social = Poor quality housing impacts on health and can attract crime. Economic = A run down neighbourhood can not attract people and businesses to move into the area often keeping any remaining potential from flourishing. Environmental = We should not forget that the built environment is part of the planet. Local amenities Social = People such as the elderly depend on local amenities. Economic = Can make an area more attractive for businesses and local population. Environmental = The countryside, waterways and parks are amenities but also provide habitats. New houses Social = New houses are likely to mean better quality housing. Population growth and people living apart are increasing the need for more houses. Economic = Housing demand increases economic activity. Environmental = Loss of green belt or re-use of an old building or reclamation of a brownfield site. Waste Social = Responsibility to recycle, loss of amenity land and pollution leading to ill health. Economic = Loss of profit equals less successful businesses and potentially fewer opportunities for employment. Environmental = Running out of landfill and potential pollution . Health Social = Illness impacts very obviously on a person’s quality of life. Economic = Illness is a burden on the NHS, but also means that sick people are not contributing to the economy. Environmental = Possible cause of the ill health (pollution) and on the positive front can be a source of wellbeing and recreation opportunity. Crime Social = Crime and fear of crime impacts on quality of life. Drugs also represent a real health problem. Conversely, community spirit can help reduce crime. Economic = Crime costs both directly in terms of policing and making good damage, but also indirectly through insurance premiums and making areas less attractive. Environmental = Poor built environment such as dark underpasses may create the conditions for crime . Dereliction attracts vandalism. Waterways Social = An amenity for recreation, a source of drinking water. Economic = Fishing, canal boats, tourism and waterside development adds to the economy. Environmental = Waterways are habitats. Environmental Economic © pixelfountain (games-ED) – free to use in UK schools, colleges and universities.

Being Sustainable Most issues are combinations of social, environmental and economic. If you create a solution that considers all three, then you are being sustainable and have achieved a win-win-win. $ Social Equitable Bearable Sustainable Remind learners that the social part of this diagram relates to people. Development has often caused much social injustice. For example, dams have been built in the past to provide water and electricity for a city, but whole villages and towns might get flooded for the dam to be put in place, which means the people who live there get displaced; their sacred buildings and heritage get lost; and fishing communities further downstream might no longer have a good supply of fish. Development might also often mean the bulldozing of so-called slums, displacing slum-dwellers in order to develop new housing or businesses, which these people cannot afford to live in or use. Participatory or inclusive development would aim to include everyone in the development process, and make sure that these people actually want this development to take place – that they have a say in how the development is carried out. This type of development is more likely to be sustainable, as people will be happier and feel the situation is more socially just, or fair. And on the flipside, if the development is environmentally and economically sustainable, then there is more chance of social justice existing, as there might be less health problems from pollution, less people affected by climate change, more hospitals, employment, schools, and better transport and infrastructure. Sustainable development and social justice can actually reinforce one another. Environmental Economic Viable © pixelfountain (games-ED) – free to use in UK schools, colleges and universities.

If development is to be sustainable: It cannot succeed without the development of social resources (education, hospitals, etc.); It cannot be based on the destruction of natural resources or ignore environmental constraints; It must consider the needs and rights of all species to enjoy the same share of resources and quality of life; Source:  Education for Sustainable Development Toolkit: http://www.esdtoolkit.org/resources/web_esd.htm Can it be seen from the above points, that sustainable development relates to social justice? If so, in what ways? Think (2mins) – Pair (2mins) – Share (3mins)

Source: Education for Sustainable Development Toolkit: If development is to be sustainable: It will require transformation of the existing industrial base and the development of more Earth-friendly technologies; It must consider the needs of future generations; It must support fairness between all people so that everyone can enjoy the same level of access to resources and quality of life, i.e. it must support SOCIAL JUSTICE. Source:  Education for Sustainable Development Toolkit: http://www.esdtoolkit.org/resources/web_esd.htm Whole class to discuss the above (5mins)