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IB DP Economics — Unit 4: The Global Economy | SL | 4.7 Sustainable Development
📋 What You Will Learn
- Define sustainable development and distinguish it from conventional economic growth
- Explain the three pillars of sustainable development: economic, social, and environmental
- Identify the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their significance
- Analyse the tensions and trade-offs between economic growth, equity, and environmental sustainability
- Evaluate the effectiveness of the SDG framework as a strategy for achieving sustainable development
- Apply the concept of sustainable development to real-world policy contexts and Paper 1 evaluation questions
🔍 Guiding Question Can economic growth and environmental sustainability be achieved simultaneously, or are they fundamentally in conflict — and what role do the SDGs play in resolving this tension?
🌍 Why This Matters In 2023, the UN's Sustainable Development Goals Progress Report declared that only 15% of the 169 SDG targets were on track — with many going into reverse following COVID-19, the Ukraine war, and accelerating climate change. At the same time, global GDP grew by approximately 3.5%. The central question of our era is whether this growth is making the world more or less sustainable — and whether the SDG framework can actually change the answer.
What Is Sustainable Development?
Economic growth — rising real GDP — has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty. But growth that depletes natural resources, widens inequality, or undermines social cohesion may leave future generations worse off. Sustainable development asks a harder question: not just "how much are we producing?" but "can we keep producing it — and for whom?"
📖 Definition — Sustainable Development Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. (Brundtland Commission, 1987)
💡 The Brundtland Definition — Why It Matters for Exams The Brundtland definition is the IB-required definition. It has two key components: (1) meeting present needs — addressing poverty, inequality, and development today; and (2) intergenerational equity — not depleting the resource base that future generations will need. Both components must appear in a full exam definition.
The Three Pillars of Sustainable Development
Sustainable development is not only about the environment. It rests on three interconnected pillars — economic, social, and environmental — which must be balanced simultaneously. Overemphasis on any one pillar at the expense of the others undermines long-run sustainability.
1. Economic Sustainability
- Maintaining productive capacity over time — ensuring capital stock (physical, human, natural) is not depleted faster than it can be replenished
- Requires investment in infrastructure, education, and technology to sustain future output
- Avoiding debt-financed growth that burdens future generations with repayment obligations
- Promoting diversified economies that are resilient to commodity price shocks
2. Social Sustainability
- Ensuring equitable distribution of the benefits of development — reducing poverty and inequality within and between generations
- Providing access to healthcare, education, and social protection systems that persist over time
- Protecting human rights and promoting inclusive institutions
- Addressing gender inequality, which limits the productive potential of half the population
3. Environmental Sustainability
- Using renewable resources at a rate no faster than they can regenerate (e.g. fish stocks, forests)
- Using non-renewable resources (e.g. fossil fuels) at a rate that allows substitutes to be developed before depletion
- Keeping