differences - sustainable development v tragedy of the commons

Structure of essay?

• Difference in whether they believe the international community can come together

• Difference in economic structure in tandem with tackling climate change

• Difference in the extent to which they have influenced international agreements

P1 - difference in whether they believe the international community can come together

• Perhaps the most importance difference between TOC and SD is whether they believe the international community can come together to tackle climate change effectively

• TOC suggest that the international community is unlikely to come together effectively to tackle climate change, as the self-interest of individual countries will prevail.

  • This theory is rooted in the idea that shared resources, including the atmosphere and planet, are overexploited because all states prioritise their short-term economic interests rather than global good.

  • This can be seen in the fact fossil fuel-dependent countries like Saudi Arabia and Russia have resisted international agreements to reduce carbon emissions, fearing economic losses from transitioning towards renewable energy.

• By contrast, sustainable development is based on the belief that collective action and effective international cooperation are achievable and necessary to tackle climate change, by balancing economic growth with the environment.

  • This can be seen in the EU’s approach and success in tackling climate change

  • EU committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, and has introduced an Emissions Trading System; a market based approach that has successfully reduced emissions from power and industrial sectors by over 40% since 2005.

P2 - difference in economic structure in tandem with climate change

• Another key difference is TOC believes that the pursuit of economic growth under capitalism will prevent effective action to tackle climate change, whilst SD believes that countries can develop economically without destroying the planet.

• Proponents of the TOC theory argue that economic growth inevitably leads to overconsumption and environmental degradation, as states exploit natural resources for their own benefit.

  • As a result, they argue that without strict limits on resource usage and a significant change to how global capitalism operates, efforts to tackle climate change won’t succeed as overconsumptopn and environmental damage is inherent to global capitalism.

• Those who advocate for SD disagree and argue not only that tackling climate change can coexist with economic growth, but also that global capitalism is an important part due to investment and innovation in renewable energy

  • Costa Rica generates over 98% of its electricity from renewable sources and benefits a great deal economically from eco-tourism, demonstrating that economic development can align with environmental sustainability.

P3 - difference in the extent to which they have influenced international agreements

• A final difference between the TOC and SD is the extent to which they have influenced international agreements to tackle climate change

• SD has been influential in the most prominent international efforts and agreements to tackle climate change to date. It has naturally gained support from government and corporations who hold the real power and have an interest in economic growth.

  • This can be seen in the Paris Agreement, which supported a flexible, market-friendly, approach to tackling climate change.

• TOC highlights the obstacles to international cooperation and why more radical and ambitious global agreements haven’t yet been reached

  • This can be seen in the fact that the US, a major emitter, failed to sign the Kyoto Protocol, and pulled out of the Paris Agreement under both of Trump’s presidencies.

  • The IPCC predicts that the current commitments of countries place the world on a devastating trajectory for a 2.7C to 3.1C rise in temperatures by 2100.