Topic 1 - Introduction to Sustainable Development (Part 1)

Main Ideas and Concepts

Course welcome & purpose

• This course is a micro-credential on Sustainable Development Issues, Principles, and Practices offered by the International Islamic University in Malaysia (IIUM).
• The course aims to help learners:
  • Increase their knowledge of sustainable development
  • Build appropriate attitudes, values, and skills
  • Respond to global sustainability challenges in a globalized work context
• Later sessions will include:
  • Case studies
  • Islamic perspectives on sustainable development

Learning approach (how students should engage)

Learners are encouraged to:

• Take notes during 15–20 minute sessions
• Pause and reflect
• Discuss ideas with friends, colleagues, or family
• Make learning memorable and relevant to their own:
  • Workplace
  • Community
• What learners take away depends on them, and should be adapted to their geographic and social context.

Presenter background / interdisciplinary stance

• Sustainability is presented through a systems perspective (holistic rather than isolated issues).
• The instructor emphasizes:
  • Interdisciplinary viewpoints
  • Cross-cultural perspectives
  • Critical thinking that challenges assumptions and perspectives

Week 1 session plan (what will be covered)

The session introduces sustainable development through:

• Definitions and fundamental concepts
• A systems/holistic view
• International frameworks, especially:
  • The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the broader UN approach

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Case Example: Lake Chad as a Sustainability Challenge

• Lake Chad is described as a critical freshwater resource for four surrounding countries:
  • Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Chad
• Key points:
  • The lake has shrunk considerably from 1972 to 2018, with further risk implied toward 2026
  • Drivers include:
    • Drought
    • Increasing temperatures (climate change impacts)

Impacts beyond the environment

• Livelihoods are affected, including:
  • Farming
  • Fishing
  • Herding
• Competing land and water priorities create tensions:
  • Niger and parts of Nigeria: nomadic herders vs farmers
    • Herders depend on movement and access to pasture/water
    • Farmers depend on land for crops
  • Chad and Cameroon: more settled farming and fishing communities
    • High dependence on diminishing water and fish resources

Core lessons from the example

• Sustainability problems do not respect political borders
• Sustainability challenges integrate environmental + economic + social dimensions at the same time
• Climate change can reshape community structure and create conflicts through differing needs and interests

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Climate Change and Migration

Estimates and projections mentioned

• By 2050, up to one billion people may be forced to migrate across borders and become climate refugees
• Sub-Saharan Africa: up to 86 million internal climate migrants
• Other referenced regions:
  • East Asia & Pacific: almost 50 million
  • South Asia: 40 million

Expected consequences

• Increased pressure on:
  • Infrastructure
  • Social systems
• Challenges integrating newcomers into mainstream:
  • Cultural life
  • Religious/spiritual life
• Need for:
  • New livelihoods
  • Community participation in receiving areas

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Other Climate-Related Challenges

Heat waves and droughts

• Example: an unprecedented European heat wave with records beyond a century of temperature tracking
• Impacts include:
  • Health risks
  • Infrastructure strain
  • Long-term adaptation needs (healthcare, housing, agriculture)
• Regions cited with increasing extreme heat include:
  • Parts of Central Asia, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan
  • Parts of Africa (e.g., Angola, Republic of the Congo)

Sea level rise

• Examples of places “sinking” due to built environments and groundwater extraction, alongside rising seas:
  • Miami
  • Mexico City
• Jakarta is used as a vivid example:
  • At low tide, port areas are described as underwater/working conditions with no dry access
  • Higher tides and storms would worsen impacts over time

Internal displacement (within countries)

• Canada: wildfire-driven movement from west to east (internal displacement)
• China and Morocco: people displaced within national borders and required to build new livelihoods and integrate into new settlements/services

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Why Sustainability Matters Now: Ongoing Global Inequities

Learners are reminded that sustainability efforts must address:

• Biodiversity loss
• Persistent poverty and hunger (noted as still needing eradication)
• Social justice and avoiding exclusion
• Resource constraints, including:
  • Less water/land
  • Reduced ocean fish availability unless artificially farmed

The course also calls for:

• Changing consumption and lifestyle patterns

It links climate pressures to:

• Energy systems
• “Modern” high-footprint living (homes, cars, infrastructure)
• The need for livelihoods that support a decent life

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Sustainability as Both Challenge and Opportunity

Sustainability issues are framed as opportunities to:

• Integrate sustainability into quality of life and global economies
• Enable people to live with dignity:
  • Without hunger
  • Without poverty
  • With sufficient resources and decent housing

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Global Risks and Interconnections (Systems View Applied)

• The World Economic Forum’s Global Risk Report is referenced.
• Near-term focus (about 2 years) may emphasize:
  • Geopolitical unrest
  • Societal
  • Technological issues
• Long-term projections (about 10 years) emphasize:
  • Environmental challenges
  • Technological issues (described as dominating alongside environmental)
• A key method emphasized:
  • Risks are interconnected
  • Example: inequality links with:
    • Societal polarization
    • Misinformation
    • Economic potential
• Therefore, strategic decisions and community planning should use a:
  • Systemic, interconnected risk approach

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Reflective Prompts (Mental/Model-Building Exercises)

Two timed reflection moments are suggested:

• After the Lake Chad example: a 30-second prompt
  • “What does sustainable development mean to you?”
• After reviewing key meanings/definition: another 30-second prompt
  • “What is your main takeaway for today?”

Note-taking or drawing a sketch is recommended to strengthen memory.

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Core Definition of Sustainable Development (Brundtland)

• The course uses a widely cited definition from the Brundtland Commission report, “Our Common Future” (1987):

  Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

• The session also emphasizes localization:

  • Sustainable development must be localized and contextualized
  • Even though the Brundtland definition supports international UN framing

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Transition to the Next Session

The next session will focus more on:

• The 17 SDGs under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

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Instructional / Methodology Elements (as Presented)

Engagement method during sessions

Learners should:

• Take notes during short lectures (15–20 minutes)
• Pause and reflect at intervals
• Share and discuss course ideas with others (friend, colleague, family)
• Adapt takeaways to:
  • Their workplace
  • Their community
  • Their geographic and cultural context

Systems perspective for analyzing sustainability

When examining problems, learners should avoid viewing issues in isolation and instead evaluate them as simultaneously involving:

• Environmental factors
• Economic factors
• Social factors

The course also uses a “borders don’t matter” lens:

• Consider cross-border impacts instead of limiting analysis to political boundaries

Risk/strategy approach

For planning and decision-making:

• Treat global risks as interconnected systems

• Analyze how risks amplify or link to each other (example: inequality ↔ polarization ↔ misinformation ↔ economic disparities)

• Use longer time horizons (e.g., 10-year thinking) when possible

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Speakers / Sources Featured

Speaker / Instructor

• Katherine Cole
  • Co-chair at York University
  • Co-chair of the UNESCO Chair in Reorienting Education towards Sustainability
  • Background mentioned:
    • PhD on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
    • Trained lawyer
    • Master’s in general management

Course provider / Institution

• International Islamic University in Malaysia (IIUM)

Concepts / frameworks / documents referenced

• UNESCO (Education for Sustainable Development; concept since 1992)
• United Nations (UN) concept of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
• Brundtland Commission report: “Our Common Future” (1987)
• 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
• World Economic Forum: Global Risk Report

Locations / examples referenced (case content)

• Lake Chad region: Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad
• Europe (heat wave example)
• Central Asia (e.g., Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan)
• Africa (e.g., Angola, Republic of the Congo)
• Jakarta, Miami, Mexico City
• Canada (wildfires)
• China, Morocco (internal displacement examples)