Sustainable Development

Question 1.

a) How does the United Nations Environment Program define Sustainable development?

Meeting the needs (répondre aux besoins) of the present generation without compromising the ability (capacité) of future generation to meet their own needs.

b) Since when does consciousness prevail (prévaut) that an environmental problem exists and what triggered (déclencher) this consciousness?

• Among (parmi) the environmentally interested?

1819: In London, air pollution from factories caused many people to choke (étouffer) to death. They were the first big city to do something about it and they created zoning laws, moving the factories into a different district. For the first time, people were calling themselves environmentalists.

Since 1992: Earth (terre) summit convened (convoqué) by the UN (Conference on Environment and Development) in Rio de Janeiro. => was just a talk show: The Research Institute published a paper: the annual cost to Germany of all environmental restrictions (1% of PIB). How much for profits? 2% of PIB.

• Among the general public in USA?

1969: Cuyahoga River near Ohio; the river burst into flames. It burnt for three months. The Environmental Protection Agency started up (créé)

In 2006 in USA. Al Gore was running (etre candidat pour) for Vice-president. He showed and wrote a book about inconvenient truth about environmental problem.

• Among the general public in China?

In 2013: people suddenly being critical of economic development; China’s environmental turning point was in March 2013 with Kequiang’s speech.

Question 2.

a) The World Bank brings what into the fight against pollution?

The WB is not an American body. It begun what could we do to support Al Gore’s idea? So: International Bank of Reconstruction and Development. The WB set up a research body.

The World Bank set up the GEF: Global Environmental Facility

b) What does the GEF do?

GEF = Global Environmental Facility. What can we do to clean up without stop the economy? They publish an occasional paper with an item of sustainable development: they connect anybody with the World Bank to have money.

It is responsible for addressing environmental issues (questions, problems) and researching environmental problems.

What is its message?

Environmental stewardship (gestion) needs to be encouraged.

Which are the “important issues” it concentrates on?

- One of the main issues is Global Warming (réchauffement de la planète)

- Loss of biodiversity.

- Pollution of international waters (no more plastic and fishermen).

- Depletion of the ozone shield

Question 3.

a) Name and explain the “Three Agendas” of the World Bank.

WB has a new task: Environmental stewardship.

- The Brown Agenda. It deals with (traiter) pollution control in particular in urban environment.

- The Green Agenda. It talks about natural resources protection in particular in rural environment.

- Institution Building Agenda. NEAPs: National Environmental Action Plan. It controls department for doing an action. + Conceptual approach to development that focuses on understanding the obstacles that inhibit (empecher) people, governments, international organizations and non-governmental organizations from realizing their developmental goals while enhancing (améliorer) the abilities that will allow them to achieve measurable and sustainable results.

Big problem: to say have the courage to tell other people.

b) State the “Overall Aim” (objectif general) of the World Bank.

- Resettlement (reinstallation) issues: social participation, when people feel upset, you have to talk about it (meetings) => positive synergy between development and environment

c) Explain the “concrete steps” the World Bank undertakes (entreprendre) to realize its Overall Aim

• Invest in people (poor)

• Promoting efficiency (stop waste (déchets) , end all subsidies (subventions))

• Facilitating the transform of technology.

• Promoting macro-economic stability (long term thinking, promoted by education)

Question 4.

a) Why does the World Bank believe that international agreements are “much more effective” than national efforts?

 Countries who sign the agreement are always comparing each other. There is peer pressure to do the “right” thing and if the country doesn’t, they are publicity shamed. There are also no lobbyists involved (impliquer)

International agreements are better than national agreements:

- Peer pressure: shame factor is very efficient.

- Less influence of lobbyists.

- Politicians can be more courageous, if at home they say several controversial

b) Briefly explain the following terms: SNA, EDP 1 and EDP 2.

SNA = System of National Accounting => an international standard system of national accounts used to provide (fournir) integrated, complete system accounts enabling (permettant) international comparisons of all significant economic activity.

EDP 1 = Net Domestic Product – Resource Deplfaietion.

EDP 1 = Environmental adjusted Net Domestic Product (for resource depletion).

EDP 2 = EDP 1 – Environmental degradation e.g. soil erosion, pollution

Question 5.

a) Explain how the World Bank « illustrated » the awareness-raising potential of figures, using Mexico

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