Lecture

Challenges in Sustainable Development

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In course

HUM-355: Cooperation and development

Ce cours abordera les défis majeurs du développement durable auxquels font face les pays du Sud. Les étudiants-es travailleront en groupes interdisciplinaires sur des projets réels (p.ex. Medair, Swiss Red Cross etc.) visant le développement durable à trav ...

Description

This lecture covers the fundamentals of sustainable development, including economic efficiency, social equity, and environmental responsibility. It discusses governance of the environment, climate change, biodiversity, mistaken assumptions, and the need for transformative change. The instructor emphasizes the importance of aligning behavior with sustainable development goals, eliminating perverse incentives, and implementing sustainable public procurement. The lecture also addresses the financial aspects of sustainability, such as subsidies, sustainable investment needs, and the role of central banks and institutional investors. It explores the impact of financial inclusion, fintech, and the ingredients of success in achieving sustainable development. The conclusion highlights the necessity of policy frameworks that reward sustainable practices and political accountability for long-term sustainability.

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Related concepts (32)

Sustainable Development Goals

The Sustainable Development Goals or Global Goals are a collection of seventeen interlinked objectives designed to serve as a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future." The SDGs are no poverty; zero hunger; good health and well-being; quality education; gender equality; clean water and sanitation; affordable and clean energy; decent work and economic growth; industry, innovation and infrastructure; reduced inequalities; sustainable cities and communities; responsible consumption and production; climate action; life below water; life on land; peace, justice, and strong institutions; and partnerships for the goals.

Economic efficiency

In microeconomics, economic efficiency, depending on the context, is usually one of the following two related concepts: Allocative or Pareto efficiency: any changes made to assist one person would harm another. Productive efficiency: no additional output of one good can be obtained without decreasing the output of another good, and production proceeds at the lowest possible average total cost. These definitions are not equivalent: a market or other economic system may be allocatively but not productively efficient, or productively but not allocatively efficient.

Biodiversity loss

Biodiversity loss includes the worldwide extinction of different species, as well as the local reduction or loss of species in a certain habitat, resulting in a loss of biological diversity. The latter phenomenon can be temporary or permanent, depending on whether the environmental degradation that leads to the loss is reversible through ecological restoration/ecological resilience or effectively permanent (e.g. through land loss).

Biodiversity

Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (genetic variability), species (species diversity), and ecosystem (ecosystem diversity) level. Biodiversity is not distributed evenly on Earth; it is usually greater in the tropics as a result of the warm climate and high primary productivity in the region near the equator. Tropical forest ecosystems cover less than 10% of earth's surface and contain about 90% of the world's species.

Allocative efficiency

Allocative efficiency is a state of the economy in which production is aligned with consumer preferences; in particular, the set of outputs is chosen so as to maximize the wellbeing of society. This is achieved if every good or service is produced up until the last unit provides a marginal benefit to consumers equal to the marginal cost of production. In economics, allocative efficiency entails production at the point on the production possibilities frontier that is optimal for society.

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