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Understanding Sustainable Development
Neil Carter
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| Seminar Introduction |
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The tension between economic growth and environmental protection lies at the heart of environmental politics. The concept of sustainable development is a direct attempt to resolve this dichotomy by sending out the message that it is possible to have economic development while also protecting the environment. Not surprisingly, policy-makers the world over--told that they can have their cake and eat it--have seized on the idea. Almost every country is now committed, at least on paper, to the principles of sustainable development. Yet sustainable development is an ambiguous concept, with a meaning that is contested and complex. This elusiveness is both a strength and a weakness: it allows a multitude of political and economic interests to unite under one banner, while attracting the criticism that it is nothing more than an empty slogan. Policy-makers have also found it difficult to turn this loose set of ideas into practical policies. In this seminar Neil Carter examines the various meanings attributed to sustainable development, and identifies five core principles underpinning most definitions of the concept. Based on an extract from the book The Politics of the Environment, Neil Carter discusses this complex and contested concept to examine its strengths, weaknesses and core meanings.
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| Learning Objectives |
List the various commissions and reports that have been responsible for defining and popularising the concept of sustainable development. Explain how sustainable development is a relatively recent concept, which incorporates a plethora of contested meanings. Comprehend the range of dynamic debate surrounding sustainable development and illustrate how this ambiguity gives the concept its political strength. Classify the core principles of sustainable development and show how different parties agree on different meanings for each principle.
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This seminar is extracted from Chapter 8 of The Politics of the Environment, Copyright Cambridge University Press, 2001.
 | The rising profile of the environment in politics reflects growing public concern that we may be facing a large-scale ecological crisis. This unique textbook surveys the politics of the environment, providing a comprehensive and comparative introduction to ideas, activism and policy. Part One explores environmental philosophy and green political thought, assessing the relationship between 'green ideas' and other political doctrines. Part Two considers parties and movements, including the development of green parties from protest parties, the response of established political parties to the environmental challenge, and the evolution of the environmental movement. Part Three analyses public policy-making and environmental issues at the international, national and local levels. As well as considering a wide variety of examples from around the world, this important new textbook includes a glossary, lists of key issues, chapter summaries and guides to further study. The Politics of the Environment
Carter, Neil
Paperback (2001) |
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