POLI 350 Week 8 - Resource Politics & Sustainable Development

Resource Politics & Sustainable Development

Sustainable Development

“sustainable development refers to a development model that seeks to meet present human needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, by integrating environmental protection, economic development, and social equity into global decision-making and governance.” (Chat GPT) 

Ecosystem Services

The benefits that ecosystems provide to people. 

Can be thought of as provisioning services (food, water, lumber), regulating services (flood control), cultural services (aesthetic value), supporting services (soil formation) 

E.g., Water quality, water quantity, erosion reduction, carbon capture, habitat conservation 

Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) 

Paying those who manage land for the preservation or enhancement of ecosystem services 

E.g., carbon offset, REDD +

• Critiques:

  • Reduce nature to a market-based framework i.e., value of cpacs is solely tied to their economic utility

  • Reliance on economic valuation language may crowd out conservation motivations

  • Procedural issues in implementation May also reproduce existing inequities and forms of social exclusion  Science experts based in Global North but effects are in Global South  

Buen Vivir

It is a paradigm of development 

State of Buen Vivir - Living in harmony with nature from a communal perspective 

It is differentiated from Western sustainable development by seeking neither to dominate nature nor conserve and protect it from human development.

Instead of striving towards a linear process of accumulation, development is conceived as the attainment and reproduction of the equilibrium state of buen vivir 

Rights of Nature 

Natural Entities have inherent rights.

Is legally recognized in some countries such as Ecuador. Shifts burden to industry to prove its actions aren’t hurting nature

Resource Curse

Countries with a high abundance of natural resources have slower development, slower economic growth, worse public services and weaker democratic institutions compared to those countries without abundant. 

“Localizing” Transparency Norms

The process by which local actors adapt, reinterpret international norms to fit their local legislation, culture, practices, and identities.

Example: Ghana adopting Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) (Ghana is a top gold producer and has o&g sites). EITI complemented existing national laws and legislation 

Transnational NGO’s (TNGOs)

Non-statet non-profit organizations that operate across national borders to influence national or local policies, provide services, or coordinate action on a global issues.

E.g., Conservation International

Paradox of Global Capacity 

Global TNGOs have a set of specific expertise and have specific donors. This can sypher off their ability to work well at the local level 

As such, TNGOs may NGOS pander towards global audiences rather than local audiences

“The more TNGOs invest in creating global norms that do not allow for flexibility and context-specificity, the less effective any potential bridges will be, thus ensuring TNGO failure on the ground”