This class will explore concepts related to sustainable development, and policy issues that derive from attempts to implement such an approach at the local, regional, national, and international scale. The most common definition of sustainable development is "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." This definition is found in the "Bruntland Report," officially called Our Common Future, issued by the World Commission on Environment and Development in 1987. This report was important in making government leaders aware of the issue of sustainable development.
The course will not attempt to make students experts in all the areas described below. Rather, the objective is to teach students about the concepts and complexities of sustainability, and to expose them to key issues so that they have a basic understanding and appreciation of the range of policy options and tradeoffs that face decision-makers. The course also will acquaint students with a variety of experts in different fields and give them some experience with critical thinking, writing, and leading discussions.
Each week’s session will address one aspect of sustainable development, and try to explore the following questions:
How does this subject relate to sustainable development?
What policy questions in this area arise from attempts to achieve sustainable development?
Who are the main actors and how are they affected by sustainable development efforts?
What are the significant linkages between this subject and other topics covered in this course? (e.g., population and land use; agriculture and energy; trade and foreign policy)
Where do things stand now on different scales (local, regional, national, global) in addressing sustainability issues in this area? What changes have happened in the last 5-10 years? What is the outlook for the future?
Class 2. April 16 : Foreign Policy and Sustainable Development
Guest speaker: Dr. Kerri-Ann Jones, Associate Director for National Security
and International Affairs, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
Contact: Dr. Greg Cramer, 202-456-2894 (phone); 202-456-6028 (fax); email gcramer@ostp.eop.gov
Guest speaker: Mr. Robert Engelman, Population Action International
Guest speaker: Dr. Allen Hammond, Director, Strategic Analysis, World Resources Institute.
Contact: Allen Hammond, 202-662-2574 phone; 628-0878 fax; allen@wri.org
MAY 7: PAPER TOPICS DUE. One paragraph, stating the issue and the person/position to whom the paper will be addressed.
6. May 14: Water and Sustainable Development
Guest speaker: Dr. Mark Schaefer, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior for Water and Science
7. May 21: Biodiversity and Sustainable Development
Guest speaker: Ian Bowles
Contact: Ian Bowles, 973-2251 phone, 887-5188 fax
8. May 28: Climate, Energy, and Sustainable Development
9. June 4: Public Health and Sustainable Development:
Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health
Wrap-up. Dr. Lisa Shaffer
PRELIMINARY READING LIST
REQUIRED: (read BEFORE the first class!)
* Sample homework assignments
Guest speaker: Dr. Kerri-Ann Jones, White House Office of Science & Technology Policy
*U.S. Department of State, "Environmental Diplomacy, The Environment and U.S. Foreign Policy,"Department of State Publications, Washington, DC, April 1997 (www.state.gov/www/global/oes)
* Talbott, Strobe, "Our Mission and the Global Environment," in State Magazine, Department of State Publications, Washington, DC, November/December 1996
Guest speaker: Mr. Robert Engelman, Population Action International
* Engelman, Robert, "Human Population Prospects," in Environmental Change and Security Project Report, The Woodrow Wilson Center, Issue 3, Spring 1997.
* WCED, Chapter 4, pp. 95 - 116
Hughes, Barry B., International Futures: Choices in the Creation of a New World Order, Westview Press, Boulder, 1996. Pages 9 - 38
Daly, Herman E., and John B. Cobb, Jr., For the Common Good, Beacon Press, Boston, 1994. Chapter 12, pages 236-251
Meadows, Donella H., Dennis L. Meadows, Jorgen Randers, Beyond the Limits: Confronting Global Collapse, Envisioning a Sustainable Future, Chelsea Green Publishing Company, White River Junction, Vermont, 1992. Chapter 2, pages 14 - 43.
Malthus, T.R., An Essay on the Principle of Population, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1993.
Brown, Lester R., and Hal Kane, Full House: Reassessing the Earth’s Population Carrying Capacity, W. W. Norton & Co., New York, 1994.
Guest speaker: Mr. Paul Faeth, WRI
REQUIRED:
Guest speaker: Allen Hammond, World Resources Institute
REQUIRED:
*Hughes, Barry B., International Futures: Choices in the Creation of a New World Order, pp. 9-44, 75-106.
Guest speaker: Dr. Mark Schaefer, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Interior for Water and Science
* Clean Water Action Plan, White House (copies to be provided)
REQUIRED:
* Mittermeier, Russell A., and Ian A. Bowles, "The Global Environment Facility and Biodiversity Conservation: Lessons To Date And Suggestions For Future Action," Biodiversity and Conservation 2, 1993.
* Bowles, Ian A. and Cyril F. Kormos, "Environmental Reform at the World Bank: The Role of the U.S. Congress," Virginia Journal of International Law, Volume 35, Number 4, Summer 1995.
REQUIRED:
* Climate Change: State of Knowledge, Office of Science and Technology Policy, (undated)
* Barron, Eric J., "Climate Models: How Reliable are their Predictions?" in Consequences, Autumn 1995, Vol. 1, No. 3, Saginaw Valley State University, Saginaw Michigan
* Cooper, Kenneth, "Coal vs. Goals: India’s Dilemma," Washington Post, October 16, 1997.
Barry, Dave, "Weather or Not," Washington Post Magazine
Clinton, William J., and Al Gore, Jr., The Climate Action Plan, Oct. 1993.
Lee, Kai N., Compass and Gyroscope: Integrating Science and Politics for the Environment, Island Press, Washington, DC, 1993.
Silver, Cheryl Simon, with Ruth S. DeFries, One Earth, One Future: Our Changing Global Environment, National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 1990.
Benedick, Richard Elliot, Ozone Diplomacy, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass, 1991.
Washington Post, "Linking Business’s Climate and Earth’s," January 12, 1997.
Roleff, Tamara L., (ed.), Global Warming: Opposing Viewpoints, Greenhaven Press, San Diego, 1997.
Readings TBD