‘What in the World?’ features compelling and profoundly moving stories of people whose lives have been framed by poverty and injustice.

In doing so it challenges the sense of fatalism and inevitability that nothing can be done to alleviate that suffering and injustice.

http://www.kmfproductions.net/

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Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) extends the perspective of Development Education beyond the economic and social views to include the environmental and the importance of maintaining and protecting the planet while meeting our development needs. ESD enables individuals to make personal and collective decisions and to partake in actions that improve or sustain quality of life without potentially compromising the earth and its resources for future generations.

Figure 1 – Education for Sustainable Development

The UN General Assembly has proclaimed the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development for the period 2005 – 2014.

Sustainable Development

The concept of sustainable development emerged in the 1980s to address the growing concern about the negative impact of human activity on the earth and its ability to support a growing human population.

It gained wider recognition with the publication of ‘Our Common Future’ by the World Commission on Environment and Development (Brundtland Commission) in 1987, and provided the main agenda item for the UN Conference on Environment and Development or ‘Earth Summit’ held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992. While recognising that increased development was necessary to meet the basic needs of much of the world’s population, particularly in the developing world, the Brundtland Commission suggested that development should occur in a way that the capacity of the natural environment to meet present and future needs was not compromised.

It also suggested that economic, social and environmental considerations had to be integrated to address issues of poverty, equity, quality of life, and global environmental protection. At the ‘Earth Summit’ (Johannesburg, 1992) these principles were adopted and incorporated into ‘Agenda 21′, a comprehensive set of principles to assist governments and other institutions to implement sustainable development policies and programmes in the twenty first century. Agenda 21 was agreed by over 170 countries.

We need artists of every discipline to use their skills to cast light on our failure of perception and bring the uncertain future alive in our imaginations (2006, p. 11).

Image upon image unfold to create a visual narrative that demonstrated the global impact of climate change in terms of environmental sustainability and human development in the world’s poorest nations (Illustration 5). The exhibition of work is presented in contexts outside the restrictive gallery space, exhibited in parks, music festivals and public spaces, to capture and inform its audience and engage them in a collective dialogue to re imagine and act for a sustainable earth to provide for future generation.

For further information on this project, visit http://www.hardrainproject.com/

DE and ESD are concerned with building a greater understanding of local and global development – the impact, the issues and the interdependencies, so that we as consumers and global citizens take responsibility for our day-to-day actions.

Sustainable development can be seen as either:

The areas of interest that are associated with DE/ESD are numerous.

• UNESCO describes ESD as promoting ideals and principles that seek to achieve sustainability – they describe areas such as intergenerational equity, gender equity, social tolerance, poverty alleviation, environmental preservation and restoration, natural resource conservation, and just and peaceable societies (UN Report on the Decade of ESD).
• The UNECE also includes as relevant poverty alleviation, citizenship, peace, ethics, responsibility in local and global contexts, democracy and governance, justice, security, human rights, health, gender equity, cultural diversity, rural and urban development, economy, production and consumption patterns, corporate responsibility, environmental protection, natural resource management and biological and landscape diversity (UNECE Strategy for ESD).

The Ubuntu Network has selected six themes which underpin its approach to DE/ESD. The themes are closely related and overlap significantly. All of the areas listed above can be categorised into one or more theme.

1. Development and Underdevelopment

2. Environmental Sustainability

3. Human Rights and Responsibilities

4. Equality and Inequality

5. Similarity and Difference

6. Peace and Conflict

The term ‘development’ is difficult to define. It is a concept that has evolved over many years – most people agree with it and governments aspire to it. Theories have been derived, yet many approaches have been criticised.

In simple terms, development can be defined as change for the better within collectives of people, communities or at international level. The debate arises then in determining what ‘change for the better’ means. Until very recently, it was associated with economic growth…rising GDP indicated a better life for all. However, it became clear that in many cases a growing economy resulted in serious social and environmental problems for example, growing marginalisation between the rich and the poor, regional and social inequality and increasing environmental damage to name but a few.

Today development is best considered across three main axes: 1. Economic 2. Social 3. Environmental. Development in any one area must take place in cognisance of the other two.

*Percentage aged 15 years and over; **Purchasing Power Parity US$

While such statistics provide a comparable measure between countries, because they work on averages they may also hide great inequalities e.g. between rich and poor and between men and women. The adult literacy rate in South Africa is 82.5% but this is not equally distributed between different communities.

The ‘Environment’ can generally be described as the makeup of our physical surroundings. It includes land, water, air, atmosphere, organic and inorganic matter and living organisms. These elements are intricately interconnected through physical, chemical and biological systems and processes.

Throughout our history we have both affected and been affected by our environment. The power unleashed and the devestation resulting from natual occurances such as earthquakes and tornados constantly remind us that we inhabit a powerful and often unpredictable planet.

Environmental Sustainablilty is about maintaining the quality of our environment for future generations. It challengess us to alter our actions in a way that lessens the negative impact we may have on our surrounds.

Some of the key concerns and questions relating to Environmental Sustainability are outlined here:

…Climate Change – Are we to blame? How can we stop it?

Climate change (or global warming) refers to an increase in average global temperatures. It is caused primarily by increases in “greenhouse” gases such as Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Methane (CH4) which trap some of the sun’s energy, preventing it from being reflected back into space.

There can be no doubt that out climate is changing rapidly. The five warmest years on record to date are : 1. 2005, 2. 1998, 3. 2002, 4. 2003, 5. 2004 (NASA). Increasingly we are seeing the negative effects of such temperature increases,

• More Extreme Weather Patterns: More and stronger hurricanes, more severe droughts due to prolonged spells of intense heat resulting in poverty and hunger , more severe flooding due to increased intense rain, potentially huge drops in temperature in Northern Europe is melted glaciers restrict the flow of the Gluf Stream.
• Increase in Disease and Pests: Due to unusually warm or wet weather conditions.
• Decrease in Biodiversity: Extinction of plant and animal species due to adverse conditions.
• Ocean/Sea Changes: Rising of sea levels resulting in largescale costal flooding, permanent evacation of low lying islands and thus loss of ancient cultures e.g. Tuvalu (pictured below), Warmer sea conditions resulting in coral bleaching.

…Over reliance on non renewable resources – Are we over dependent on finite natural resources? How do we harness renewable energies?

Everyday we use energy to power our man made structures and devices – to drive our cars, to heat and light our homes, to watch television. Much of this energy comes from non renewable sources, i.e. a natural resource that cannot be reused or remade. A staggering 64% of the worlds energy comes from fossil fuels (e.g. oil, natural gas, coal and peat).

The demand for energy has risen relentlessly over the last 150 years in line with industrial development and population growth. And as economies of developing countries like China and India continue to grow, it is predicted demand will rise by a further 50% by 2030. However as oil is a finite resource – fewer new oil fields are being discovered (16 in 2000, 9 in 2001 and only 1 in 2005) and we are now facing ‘peak oil production’ (i.e.demand has overtaken supply) – the consequences will be astronomical increases in the price of oil.

So what will be our alternative? Renewable energies – Many present a strong case for nuclear energy, deemed to be safe and clean if correctly managed. More favour the use of our natural resources – wind, solar, wave and energy crops. Whatever the alternative, surely we must strive towards harnessing it sooner rather than later. Emphasis must also be put on becoming more aware of our dependency and learning to reducing our energy consumption.

…Maintaining our land, air and water – How is our land, air and water threatened by our actions?

Our land, our water, our air…without them we are unable to survive.

Some of the ways that are environment is under threat:

Land: Over use of fertilisers, dumping of waste, destroying of indigenous plants and forestry for agricultural use, excessive building or houses and roads.

Water: Inefficient treatment of effluent, excess use of nitrates on farms, accidents at sea, mismanagement of industrial waste.

Air: Emissions from traffic, industry, fires.

This text was adapted from “Fáilte”, Tormey, R and CDU (2003)

One group of which we are all members is the human group. As a consequence of our membership of that group we all share certain rights, as well as the responsibility to protect those rights for each other.

The Declaration of Universal Human Rights was issued by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. The declaration implies that a person has a set of rights because she or he is a human being. While someone may have extra rights because he or she is a citizen of a particular country (the right to vote in that country, for instance), human rights apply to everyone irrespective of their country. In the words of the Universal Declaration, we have human rights in

“recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family”.

The responsibility for enforcing these rights does not simply lie with the person’s own government, it lies with each of us, individually. The Universal Declaration’s Preamble states:

“.. every individual, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance”.

The United Nations and Human Rights lawyers emphasise that three key ideas apply to the concept of human rights:

• Firstly, rights are universal – they apply everywhere. Something that is a human right cannot be denied to a person simply because they are in one place or another.

• Secondly, rights are indivisible – all rights are to be equally recognised. This means that Universal social and economic rights (like the right to medical care and necessary social services) are not more or less important that Universal political rights (like the right to a fair trial).

• Thirdly, rights are inalienable – they cannot be denied or taken away from people.

Those who framed the Universal Declaration recognised that not all countries would protect these rights. Since they recognised that the responsibility to protect rights did not have borders, they identified that everyone would have the right to seek asylum should their own home country refuse to protect their rights.

Human rights are one of the things that bind us all together. As such they provide a basis for developing empathy between people. They provide a context within which immigration can be understood as well as a context in which various forms of discrimination can be understood.

This text was adapted from “Fáilte”, Tormey, R and CDU (2003)

In a literal sense, to discriminate simply means to recognise a difference or to make a judgement.

People discriminate all the time, in deciding what food to eat, or who to employ in a job. Where discrimination becomes a problem is when the choice or distinction is made unfairly. In Ireland, it is against the law to discriminate against a person on the basis of:

- gender

- marital status

- family status (having children being a carer)

- age (between the ages of 18 and 65)

- disability

- race

- sexual orientation

- religious belief

- membership of the Traveller Community

Two different types of discrimination are recognised; direct discrimination and indirect discrimination.

Direct discrimination is the most obvious and easiest to see. If someone is treated differently because they are a Traveller or because they are black (refused access to a pub, called names, treated with suspicion etc.) then they have been directly discriminated against. In a 2001 survey of ethnic minority attitudes in Ireland, 78 per cent of more than 600 respondents from a variety of ethnic minorities living all over Ireland highlighted that they had been a victim of such racism, most often in public places like the street or in shops or pubs.

Indirect discrimination means that applying the same policies or opportunities to different people may, on the surface of it, appear fair, but may not be fair if they give rise to different outcomes. For example, if the same subject is taught to both boys and girls, but all of the examples are chosen to interest the boys only, this may indirectly discriminate against the girls; if entry to a school is decided in part by whether or not a child has siblings there, this may inadvertently discriminate against new immigrants. Likewise, if accommodation provision does not cater for people who move from place to place, then this may indirectly discriminate against Travellers. Treating people the same is not the same as treating them equally.

Potential Development Education areas for development are:

Values/Attitudes: A sense of empathy and compassion for those who are discriminated against; Commitment to social justice, human rights, and equal provision for different people

Knowledge/Understanding: Understanding of direct and indirect discrimination

Skills/Capacities: Being able to challenge inequality; Being able to see things from someone else’s perspective; Being able to express one’s self, and to listen actively to others

This text was adapted from “Fáilte”, Tormey, R and CDU (2003)

As Monty Python has pointed out, ‘we are all individuals’, with our own personal history, experiences, wants and needs. At the same time, we are all members of particular social groups, which means that we share some experiences, wants and needs with other members of those groups. Women have experiences and needs that men do not share and vice versa. Young people have shared experiences and needs that older people do not share and vice versa. Members of the Traveller Community have experiences and needs that settled people do not share and vice versa.

Different cultural, language or ethnic groups often have diverse experiences and needs. A fair society is one that can cater for both people’s individuality and their shared identities.

A person is not simply defined by one aspect of their lives – knowing that someone is a woman does not tell you all that there is to know about them. People’s identities are complex and made up of many layers – a person is at the same time, a mother, a Traveller, a childcare worker, an artist, a sister, an Irish person, a fan of ‘Anyone But Manchester United’. We each usually have something in common with members of other groups and should therefore be able to relate to empathise with them.

Likewise, knowing that someone belongs to a particular group and that they are more likely to share certain experiences and needs does not mean that they you can easily predict the ways in which they will act in any given situation. Not all men are the same, nor are all Muslims, Catholics, culchies, jackeens, black people or Travellers. Looking at identity enables us to recognise both the individual and group identities in all of us and to see the similarities between ourselves and other people and consequently to empathise with them better. Such issues need to be explored in order to break down the stereotyping of people that often takes place.

Potential Development Education areas for development are:

Values/Attitudes: Valuing diversity as a good and necessary part of human life; Care and consideration for feelings of othersBeing willing to see things from someone else’s perspective; Healthy scepticism and a critical attitude toward representations of other people in various media

Knowledge/Understanding: Understanding that we do not simply have one identity – but a range of identities that make up the rounded person we are; Understanding stereotyping as an inability to see people as rounded beings; Understanding that we have similarities as well a differences with other people

Skills/Capacities: Being able to see things from someone else’s perspective;Being able to express one’s self, and to listen actively to others;Being able to search for information from a variety of sources