World Commission on Protected Areas

Is it possible to measure sustainable development?

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, June 21, 2023

Is it possible to measure sustainable development?

Key Points: 
  • Is it possible to measure sustainable development?
  • Can we go beyond just embracing virtuous principles and actually apply the concept in a concrete manner?
  • We will try to shed some light on these issues in our work as researchers in the Chair in eco-advising (Chaire en éco-conseil).

SD: yesterday, today and tomorrow

    • Finding a balance between meeting human needs and respecting the limits of the environment has been a perennial challenge in the history of humanity.
    • Development that meets the needs of the present generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
    • This led to the adoption in 2015 of the 2030 Agenda, a global reference framework for SD.
    • It is a universal call to eradicate poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives of all people everywhere.

Tools for implementing SD

    • Implementing SD cannot be done without applying a systemic approach.
    • The Systemic Sustainability Analysis (SSA) puts into perspective the multiple dimensions of SD, the synergies and antagonisms and the means used to achieve them.
    • The Sustainable Development Analysis Grid (SDAG) and the SDG Target Prioritization Grid (SDGT-PG) are the two main tools of the SSA.
    • Since 2017, SDAG is among the tools available at the United Nations for mainstreaming the 2030 Agenda’s SDGs.
    • It aims to guide SD policies, strategies, programs or projects (PSPPs) in order to improve their gaps and/or characterize their progress.

So…can SD be measured?


    …Yes, it is possible, but in a framework where SD is applied dynamically over time and using a pragmatic and systemic approach with measurable indicators, as do the SDAG and SDGT-PG. Patrick Faubert has received funding from Mitacs, MAPAQ, MFFP, etc.

CLIMATE EDUCATION: South Africa's Tshilidzi Marwala Says Big Big Challenge Is How His Nation Moves Away from Coal

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, January 10, 2023

NEW YORK, Jan. 10, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- South Africa ranks 7th in the world for coal consumption. About 80% of the country's electricity comes from coal. South Africa has pledged to phase coal out. In a new episode of the acclaimed Net Zero series, Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Johannesburg and former Deputy Chairperson of the Presidential Commission on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, discusses with youth Climate Activist Mphathesithe Mkhize the challenges South Africa is facing in reaching its Net Zero commitments and the solutions being explored. "We are considered the continent's worst polluters," says Marwala. "We must make the changes needed to keep our planet safe. The big big challenge is HOW do we move away from coal?"

Key Points: 
  • NEW YORK, Jan. 10, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- South Africa ranks 7th in the world for coal consumption.
  • About 80% of the country's electricity comes from coal.
  • South Africa has pledged to phase coal out.
  • The big big challenge is HOW do we move away from coal?"