ACHIEVING THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS THROUGH GREEN GROWTH The year 2015 will be the peak and turning point in global development trend. The Sustainable Development Goals will replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) after their expiry this September 2015. Sustainable development (SD) has been discussed extensively in the theoretical literature since the concept was adopted as an overarching goal of economic and social development by UN agencies, by the Agenda 21 nations, and by many local governments and private-sector actors. The SD largely emerged as a reaction to a growing interest in considering the interactions and potential conflicts between economic development and the environment. SD was defined by the World Commission on Environment and Development in the report Our Common Future as ‘development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The literature includes many alternative theoretical and applied definitions of sustainable development. The theoretical work spans hundreds of studies that are based on economic theory, complex systems approaches, ecological science and other approaches that derive conditions for how development paths can meet SD criteria. Furthermore, the SD emphasizes a number of key social justice issues
including inter- and intra-generational equity. In realization that the millennium development goals (MDGs) did not take into account these issues, it is now been replaced by the SDGs.Countries will have the opportunity to adopt a set of global goals to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all as part of a new sustainable development agenda. Each goal has specific targets to be achieved over the next 15 years. For the goals to be reached, everyone needs to do their part: governments, the private sector, civil society and people like you reading this piece. However, debate on sustainability has generated a great deal of research and policy discussion on the meaning, measurability and feasibility of sustainable development. Despite the intrinsic ambiguity in the concept of sustainability, it is now perceived as an irreducible holistic concept where economic, social, and environmental issues are interdependent dimensions that must be approached within a unified framework,. Consequently, the interpretation and valuation of these dimensions have given rise to a diversity of approaches. Among these is the term green growth or green economy. Green economy is one of the important instruments to achieve sustainable development. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) defined green economy as “one that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities.� To
achieve that type of economy, growth in income and employment should come from public and private investments which are low emitting, efficient in use of resources, and able to conserve biodiversity and environmental services. Nigeria therefore needs transformation to the green economy model that is more socially equitable and environmentally reasonable. This transition is necessary to reduce poverty and enable the development of the livelihood of the people who depends preliminary on natural resources. For Nigerian economy that is heavily dependent on oil, green growth would de-emphasize reliance on oil and chart a course for a paradigm shifts to renewable energy sourcesThus, Nigeria, for a successful transition to green economy, may need capacity building in technologies, financing and suitable policies. For any country that aim to become an advance economy, it has to begin to put in place green growth policies and measures as this can only be achieved in a resilient, low-carbon, resource-efficient, and socially-inclusive manner. The intention is to shift from the conventional and costly ‘grow first, clean-up later’ path to a more greener trajectory – Green Growth – which will ensure that socioeconomic development is pursued more sustainably, beginning at the planning stage, and continuing throughout the implementation and evaluation stages. Socioeconomic development is vital in raising the quality of lives, but if limited natural resources are not used efficiently, it will result in irreversible
damage and put the nation’s development at risk. Green growth is therefore a game changer because it is not just a stand-alone strategic thrust, but a development trajectory that considers all three pillars of sustainable development – economic, social, and environment, and better prepares the nation for future challenges. If carried out successfully, it will increase economic growth, change mindsets and behavior at all levels of the society, as well as influence policy decisions in government, production decisions in industries, and consumption decisions by individuals. This in turn will correct the perception of green growth- from a high cost to a long-term investment. Most Countries of the World are facing unprecedented financial and environmental challenges in their pursuit of achieving rapid growth and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The combined effect of the business model of “growing at any cost” adopted by them and the erratic price fluctuations of natural resources during the last decade have resulted in deterioration of their economic security as well as the environment, manifested in the forms of depleting ecosystems and increasing climate vulnerability. There is growing realization of the urgency to move away from the current economic paradigm of maximizing the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) towards a new development paradigm of maximizing the economic, social and ecological quality of growth that focuses on employment generation, economic resilience, improved quality of life, and
ecological sustainability. The lower and middle income countries in Asia and the Pacific may be in different stages of development but they are all urbanizing rapidly and feel the pressure to create adequate infrastructure in order to cope with the growing demand for housing, industries, transportation and other services. The traditional approach to infrastructure development locks into patterns of production and consumption for decades. Choices made in infrastructure development today will determine the competitiveness, quality of life and sustainability of countries for decades to come. A well-conceived infrastructure development strategy is more likely to meet the set goals of improved standard of living and quality of life without depriving the future generations of their due share of natural resources and ecological space.
Why is green growth important for Nigeria? Nigeria, like many countries across the world, is grappling with the challenge of balancing a growing population and demand, with a natural environment that is increasingly under stress. In a global context of increasing intensity and frequency of extreme weather events, adopting green growth has now become an imperative for Nigeria. It will represents Nigeria’s commitment to renew and, indeed, increase its commitment to the environment and long-term sustainability.
Economy growth is mostly accompanied with environmental degradation. This degradation generates unsustainability and poverty trap. Hence, transition to the green economy which is more socially equitable and environmentally reasonable is needed. Green growth/economy could have different impacts on human well-being such as improved access to clean energy and water, improved nutrition, increased employment, and reduced poverty. A key feature of a green economy is that it attempts to provide various opportunities for economic development and poverty alleviation without eroding a country’s natural assets. Thus, for shifting to a green economy, attempting to obtain growth from environmental investment targeting poor communities should be the key component. This paper proposes that for the inclusive green growth for socio-economic development shifting in investment towards green activities should be considered as the main policy instrument. Green investment would help to improve the environment which this environmental improvement is also consistent with GDP growth and wealth creation. A successful green growth trajectory will ensure that detrimental impact of socioeconomic activity on environmental systems is reduced. Natural capital, including forested areas, biodiversity, and water resources as well as its ecosystems, is valued and sustainably managed. It will also ensure that development gains are protected, thus ensuring wellbeing of people across generations; and Energy use is efficient and renewable energy is widely used. Energy and resources efficiency need to be
drastically reduced if growth is to be sustained and sustainable. The new economic reality-characterized by growing resource constraints and ecological threatsrequires a re-examination of the country’s growth strategies. Sustainable development is still very far away. This was emphasized in the 2012 report of the United Nations Secretary General’s High-level panel on global sustainability declaring that although progress has been made, it has been neither fast nor deep enough, and there is an urgent need for further-reaching actions. The report also warned that by 2030, the world will need at least 50 per cent more food, 45 per cent more energy and 30 per cent more water.
CONCLUSION To achieve a successful transition, government has to enable conditions that would create rights and initiatives related to green growth/ economy activities, remove barriers to green investments, and regulate the most damaging forms of unsustainable behavior. Furthermore, education and training for new green employees and more sustainable future should be the main focus. The effort of Nigerian Government is commendable with her participation in Great Green Wall project and further establishment of the Great Green wall commission, what is needed at this point in time is a country and sector specific green growth policies and programs to kick-start the transition to sustainable development.
By: Abubakar Alkali, an environmental consultant and the National Coordinator, Green Earth Network ( Environmental and sustainable development NGO