ASSIGNMENT NO: 1

CLIMATE RESPONSIVE
ARCHITECTURE IN TROPICS
MARC-607

RUBY MATHEW
M.ARCH (SUSTAINABLE
ARCHITECTURE) 1ST SEM
16TH AUGUST 2016
CONTENT:
1 INTRODUCTION
2 WHAT IS DEVELOPMENT
3 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
4 VIEWS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
5 CONCEPT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
6 EVOLUTION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT
7 THE PILLARS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
8 CHANGING PERSPECTIVE OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
9 APPROACHES OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
10 SUSTAINABILITY PRINCIPLES
11 MULTIPLE CRISES AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
12 CONCLUSION
1. INTRODUCTION

The term “sustainable development” first came to prominence in the world Conservation
Strategy (WCS) in 1980. It achieved a new status with the publication of two significant reports
by Brundtalnd on: North and South: a programme for survival and common crisis (1985) and
Our Common Future (1983) and has gained even greater attention since the United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Jenerio in June 1992.

2. WHAT IS DEVELOPMENT

Generally, Development is the gradual growth of a situation that becomes more advanced and
strong than previous one. Development is intended to bring a positive change for human being and its
surroundings. Development may take place by bringing about a change in policy, projects and
legislation.

Development is an unfolding of human potentials for meaningful participation in economic, social,

political and cultural process and institutions, so that people can improve their conditions.

3. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Sustainable development can be defined as: -
 The roadmap, the action plan, for achieving sustainability in any activity that uses resources and
where immediate and intergenerational replication is demanded.
 Sustainable Development is the organizing principle for sustaining finite
resources necessary to sustain future generations of life on the planet.
 It is a process that envisions a desirable future state for human societies in
which living conditions and resource-use provide for human needs without
undermining the "integrity, stability, and beauty" of natural biotic
systems so that future generations also may have their needs met.
 The term “sustainable development” is defined as development to achieve the
needs of present generation without compromising future generation’s
needs, while we are misusing the resources in a very vital manner, which is
not good for the present generation and as well as to the future generation.
Future Generations‟ is mainly related to the environmental problems of
resource consumption and pollution and their distribution over long time
horizons.
 Sustainable development ties together concern for the carrying capacity of natural systems with
the social challenges facing humanity.
4. CONCEPTS: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Development is too closely associated in our minds with what has occurred in western capitalist societies
in the past, and a handful of peripheral capitalist societies today.

Brundtland’s concept of sustainable development emphasize the links between development and
environmental problems, and to promote political and economic change locally, nationally and
globally to tackle the problems.

Brundtland’s report contains serious implications:

i) a concern about the relationship between resource use, population growth and technological
development and advancement:
ii) a concern about production and distribution of resources of food, energy and industry amongst the
developed, developing and underdeveloped nations of the world;
ii) a concern about uneven development about the gross imbalance between the rich and poor nations,
about economic dominance and ideological differences and a concern about environmental
degradation and ecological disaster.

5. EVOLUTION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT: RIO TO JOHANNESBURG

1 The landmark event in the evolution of the concept

of sustainable development had been the 1972
Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment
convened by the United Nations, the report of the
World Commission on Environment and
Development (WCED),
1. Our Common Future and the 1992 United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development
(UNCED) or Rio Earth Summit as it is commonly
referred to. The many activities between successive
landmark events sought to build on the outcome of
the previous event, to clarify issues, and to provide
inputs into the preparatory process of the following
events.
2. The UN established the Commission on Sustainable
Development (CSD) in December 1992 to ensure an
effective follow-up of UNCED and to monitor and report on the implementation of the Earth Summit
agreements at the local, national, regional, and international levels.
3. A (Rio+5) Special Session of the General Assembly, held ion June 1997, adopted a comprehensive
programme for further implementation of Agenda 21 as well as the work programme of the CSD for
1997-2002.
4. The Kyoto Protocol adopted in December 1997 and the Conferences of the Parties (COPs), held over
the years, have made some advances relating to clarification of various aspects of financing and
implementing sustainable development globally.
5. Johannesburg World Summit held on 26th august 2002 Ten years after the first Earth Summit in Rio,
a conference in Johannesburg met to review progress towards sustainable development. This
conference looked at social issues such as poverty and poor sanitation that affect an estimated 1.1
billion people worldwide. It also considered global warming and climate change.

6. THE PILLARS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

1 Also known as the “triple bottom line.” Three interrelated dimensions of sustainability: ecology,
society, and economics. The three are conceived of and labeled in various ways:
• Economy, equity, ecology
• Profit, people, planet
• Economic security, social justice, ecological health
• Economic well-being, social harmony, ecological integrity

These pillars are Interdependent and mutually reinforcing.

(The United Nations, 2005 World Summit)
So to achieve true sustainability we need to balance economic, social and environmental sustainability
factors in equal harmony. These may be defined as:

 Environmental Sustainability: Environmental sustainability means that we are living within the
means of our natural resources. To live in true environmental sustainability, we need to ensure
that we are consuming our natural resources, such as materials, energy fuels, land, water...etc., at
a sustainable rate. Some resources are more abundant than others and therefore we need to
consider material scarcity, the damage to environment from extraction of these materials and if
the resource can be kept within Economy principles. Environmental sustainability should not be
confused with full sustainability, which also need to balance economic and social factors.
 Economic Sustainability: Economic sustainability requires that a business or country uses its
resources efficiently and responsibly so that it can operate in a sustainable manner to consistently
 produce an operational profit. Without an operational profit a business cannot sustain its
activities. Without acting responsibly and using its resources efficiently a company will not be
able to sustain its activities in the long term.
 Social Sustainability: Social sustainability is the ability of society, or any social system, to
persistently achieve a good social well-being. Achieving social sustainability ensures that the
social well-being of a country, an organisation, or a community can be maintained in the long
term.

Taking these three pillars of sustainability further if we only achieve two out of three pillars then we end
up with:

 Social + Economic Sustainability = Equitable

 Social + Environmental Sustainability = Bearable
 Economic + Environmental Sustainability = Viable

Only through balancing economic + social + environmental can we achieve true sustainability and
a truly circular economy.

2 Another representation of sustainability showing how both economy and society are constrained by
environmental limits.

3 Weak and Strong sustainability :

Weak sustainability is the main approach to sustainability in the

western industrialized world. It allows for the continuation of current
trends by placing growth ahead of development. The view is that any
problems that arise will be solved through technological development.
This can be a quite naive approach as you never know for sure how your
actions are going to affect the environment. It might be damaged to such
an extent that even the greatest technological advances won’t be able to
solve the problems.
 In contrast, the concept of strong sustainability is based on the fact that all
human life and activity occurs within the limitations of our planet, or the
biosphere (where living things inhabit), including things such as the
economy. Without a functioning biosphere it becomes difficult sustaining
our current way of living, which would greatly affect our economy. So it
goes without saying that in the long run if you want to look after the
economy you first have to look after the environment.
The best way to uphold strong sustainability is to follow the “Daly Rules”.
These are as follows:
 Renewable resources such as fish, soil, and groundwater must be used no
faster than the rate at which they regenerate.
 Non-renewable resources such as minerals and fossil fuels must be used no faster than renewable
substitutes for them can be put into place.
 Pollution and wastes must be emitted no faster than natural systems can absorb them, recycle them,
or render them harmless.

4 Sustainable Development is an integrative framework

– The recognition of ecological limits
– The urgency of overcoming the “survival problem”
– The social necessity of equity

7. CHANGING PERSPECTIVE OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

1 ‘Sustainable Development’ is used over a wide range of contexts

ranging from the world of commerce to the realms of social and
human welfare in both developed and developing countries.
2 Economic development
3 Development opportunities
4 Development funding
5 Development aid’ and
6 Development assistance
7 Overseas development
8 Regional development
9 Social development
10 Women and development
11 Community development, and even
12 Human development.
13 The term ‘sustainable development’ is by comparison a newcomer,
and yet to be acquired its own range of activities by overlapping
and sometimes conflicting associations.
14 In the North, sustainable developments has two main issues. Firstly,
there is a view that poverty alleviation is a more serious problem than environmental protection.
15 Secondly, there is the view that poverty is a cause not just a symptom of environmental degradation:
poor people are forced to degrade their environment because they have no other means to survive.
8. APPROACHES OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

1 Ecocentric approach aims at reducing human numbers because population growth is seen to ‘magnify
environmental degradation and therefore impair the overall quality of human life’ as well to have
negative impact on the ‘nonhuman community’
2 The technocentric perspective sees sustained growth and scientific and technological advancement as
the only way of dealing with global development and environmental issues.
3 The market-based approach to sustainable development and the environment was formulated in the
North and starts from the principle that growth and technical advancement in a free market economy
are the keys to sustainable development in the future for the South
4 The neo-Marxist approach indicates the inequality which exists between North and South. This
approach offers a fundamental structural analysis of the relationship of economic dependency
between developed and developing nations

9. SUSTAINABILITY PRINCIPLES

1 Living within environmental limits: respecting the limits of the planets environment, resources and
biodiversity- to improve our environment and ensure that the natural resources needed for the life are
unimpaired and remain so for future generations.
2 Achieving a sustainable economy: Building a strong, stable and sustainable economy which provides
prosperity and opportunities for all, and in which environmental and social costs fall on those who
impose them (polluter pays), and efficient resource use is incentivized.
3 Promoting good governance: Actively promoting effective, participative systems of governance in all
levels of society – engaging people’s creativity, energy and diversity.
4 Using sound science responsibly: Ensuring policy is developed and implicated on the basis of strong
scientific uncertainty (through the precautionary principle) as well as public attitudes and values.
5 Ensuring a strong, healthy and just society: Meeting the diverse needs of all the people in existing
and future communities, promoting personal wellbeing, social cohesion and inclusion, and creating
equal opportunity.
10. MULTIPLE CRISES AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

1. Pollution
2. Global Warming
3. Overpopulation
4. Natural Resource Depletion
5. Waste Disposal
6. Climate Change
7. Loss of Biodiversity
8. Deforestation
9. Ocean Acidification
10. Ozone Layer Depletion
11. Acid Rain
12. Water Pollution
13. Urban Sprawl
14. Public Health Issues
15. Genetic Engineering

11. CONCLUSION
Development is a changing Phenomenon with the change of human numbers. There is a sea
change in the use of both non-renewable and renewable resources. Sustainable Development
depends on the scientific and efficient use of the resources (natural and manufactured). Future
is on the hands of the people. More researches are needed for finding policy and tools of
Sustainable Development.
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