Module 5:

Environmental Crisis, Sustainable

Development, and Global Citizenship

Mr. JOVIC B. LIM, LPT, MAED

Mr. ARNOLD P. SANTOS, LPT.
MR. ADRIAN D. ESTUDILLO, LPT.
COURSE INSTRUCTORS
THIRD TRIMESTER
 MODULE 5: Environmental Crisis,
Sustainable Development, and Global
Citizenship

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
 Differentiate stability from sustainability
 Articulate models of global sustainable development
 Relate everyday encounters with pollution, global
warming, desertification, ozone depletion, and Covid-19
pandemic with a larger picture of environmental and
human degredation
 Articulate a personal definition of global citizenship
• Appreciate the ethical obligations/responsibilities of global
citizenship
 Introduction

• The first part of this module is the discussion

about the meaning of sustainability or sustainable
development, understanding of this term is
designed to enlighten everyone on their roles as
responsible members of global citizen, as I may
presume. Let us move on to the next slide.
 What is Sustainability?
• There is no universally agreed definition of
sustainability. In fact, there are many different
viewpoints on this concept and on how it can be
achieved.
• Etymologically, the word sustainability comes from
sustainable + ity. And sustainable is, for instance, a
composition of sustain + able. So if we start from the
beginning, to <sustain> means “give support to”, “to
hold up”, “to bear” or to “keep up”.
• What is sustainability, then? Sustainable is an
adjective for something that is able to be
sustained, i.e, something that is “bearable” and
“capable of being continued at a certain level”.
In the end, sustainability can perhaps be seen as
the process(es) by which something is kept at a
certain level.
• Nonetheless, nowadays, because of the environmental
and social problems society is facing, sustainability is
commonly used in a specific way. Therefore,
sustainability can be defined as the processes and
actions through which humankind avoids the depletion
of natural resources (which is influenced by the way
societies are organized) to keep an ecological balance so
that society’s quality of life doesn’t decrease.
• In this way, we can say that resources exploitation,
manufacturing operations, the direction of
investments, technological developments, wealth
distribution, institutional changes, among others, are
being sustainable if they don’t hurt the ecosystem
services and if they allow for society’s quality of life
not to decrease.
• Daniel Christian Wahl, the author of Designing
Regenerative Cultures, defends sustainability
refers to sustaining the underlying pattern of
health, resilience, and adaptability that
maintain this planet in a condition where life
as a whole can flourish.
 Summary
• The views on sustainability seem to have a stronger focus on the
present moment and on keeping things above a certain level. By
its turn, sustainable development focuses more on a long-term
vision. In fact, sustainable development has a universally agreed
definition that was first written in the Bruntland Report.
• By adding the concept of “development”, sustainable
development means not only that humankind should satisfy
its current needs without compromising the ability of future
generations doing the same. Along with it also comes an idea
of societal progress and an increase in quality of life.
• After understanding the concept of sustainable
development let us move on the discussion of the
pillars of sustainability that serve as a pivotal idea
where every actions and programs should be
based if we wanted to really generate policies that
are not only a sustainable but also towards
societal progress and the uplift of the quality of
life, as caretakers of the fate of future generations.
Principles Of Sustainability: The 3 Pillars Of
Sustainability

• The principles of sustainability are the foundations of

what this concept represents. Therefore, sustainability is
made up of three pillars: economy, society, and the
environment. These principles are also informally used
as profit, people and planet.
• John Elkington, author of Cannibals with forks and co-
founder of the sustainability consultancy firm
SustainAbilty, was one of the first people to integrate
these 3 principles. He argued companies needed to start
considering this triple bottom line so that they could the
world thrive in the long run.
• At the same time, consumers and citizens unsatisfied
with the long-term damage (both on wealth distribution
and the environment) caused by the corporate focus on
short-term profits, turned sustainability into a mainstream
concept able to ruin a company’s reputation and profits.
Today, sustainability is often spoken of with regard to
climate change, which threatens life as we know it as is
being largely caused by industrial practices. That’s one
of the reasons why today many companies have
corporate responsibility (CSR) strategies.
 A Company’s Strategy (CSR):
Where Is Its Sustainability?
• A company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR)
is a strategy that integrates the policies and
practices firms wanting to create value on their
triple bottom line (people, planet, profit). So
besides taking care of their workplaces and trying
to be eco-friendly along their value-chain,
companies with a sustainability mindset are also
concerned about social issues like gender equality,
happiness at the workplace or taking care of the
communities affected by their activities.
• As we move further in our discussion, achieving
sustainability is a collective effort not only of
private corporation but the involvement of each
citizen of a particular nation. Below are the
examples of how we can help on achieving
sustainability in the long term. This topic is
significant due to the fact that it promotes
awareness, but most of all it tends to send a
reflective message on how we should live in this
globalized world.
 Examples Of Sustainability: A Long-Term
Vision

• Technology: Examples Of What Is Sustainability In

Technology
• Sustainable in the tech field has a lot to do with using your
devices for a long period despite having new ones coming out all
the time. It is also about making sure you get disposed of them in
a responsible way as can be very polluting if not handled
properly.
• Soon, sustainability in technology will also be about how the
(mostly) lithium-ion batteries of electric cars and solar panels
will be disposed of. Companies focusing on recycling these
batteries and building products whose core car be maintained
and replaced for a new battery will also be the ones on the
forefront.
Fashion: Examples Of Sustainability In Fashion
• the problem with this industry its negative environmental impact.
On one hand, it uses toxic chemicals that cause water pollution
which may contaminate the soils too if wrongly disposed of.
• On the other hand, there’s a lot of textile waste and many clothes
are made of synthetic fibers which, while being washed, escape
to the sea in the shape of microplastics.
• In this way, if a company makes clothes with resistant materials,
uses sustainably produced cotton, applies principles of circular
economy in its value chain and uses less toxic chemicals, it is
responsible with the environment.
 
• Transportation: What Is Sustainability In Transportation?
• A report from the IPPC says 14% of all greenhouse gas emissions
come from transport and most are mostly due to passenger cars.
Yes, contrary to what many believe, planes, cargo ships or even
trucks aren’t the main contributors to CO2 emissions and are cars
can assume much of the blame. So unless someone is driving a car
with 4 or 5 passengers, taking public transportation, especially
trains but also buses are more sustainable choices. And if one can
simply walk or cycle it’d be even better.
Zero Waste as an Example of Sustainability

• The zero-waste movement is a lifestyle that

encourages people to use all types of resources in a
circular way, just like the natural world does.
Therefore, the ultimate goal of this philosophy is to
avoid resources to follow a linear route and end up
as trash in the oceans or landfills. For this, people
must refuse what they don’t need, reduce what
they’re getting, reuse it and recycle or compost it.
 The Food industry: Examples of
Sustainability in this Area

• Company that tries to grow its crops by not using

(or using few) toxic pesticides and focuses on
organic farming and biomimicry practices is
certainly a less polluting one. If it pays fair wages
to its employees and manages to still be
competitive on the market, it is then being
responsible when it comes to profit, people and
planet.
Workplace: Examples of what sustainability in the
workplace is

• The workplace can also be organized in a sustainable way.

For instance, companies betting on new technologies and
becoming paperless or that provide conditions and training
for employees to recycle are being careful about waste
management.
• At the same time, not asking air-conditioners for very
extreme temperatures (that waste much energy waste and
emit GHG), opening the blinds when there’s sunlight and
avoiding plastic cutlery are also good ways to have a
sustainable workplace.
 Waste Management: Is There
Sustainability In Waste Management?

• A factory that takes proper care of its industrial waste and doesn’t
drop it in a nearby river or land is acting in a sustainable way. In fact,
this factory is being responsible for avoiding the short-term costs of
damaging disposal that could have expensive and impactful long-
term environmental damage.
• At the same time, companies looking for less polluting packaging
alternatives are also good sustainability models to follow. Since
plastics are polluting land and seas and harming ecosystems and
biodiversity, it’s a good idea that businesses invest in new designs
that allow products to be more resistant and even re-manufactured.
On top of this, if biodegradable materials are being used, even better.
• So those are some of the examples on how we
can contribute in our drive to a more
sustainable society, but how do we really know if
we are achieving our goals? What is the
characteristics of a sustainable society or city to
be specific. The next topic will gives as the basic
indicators of a sustainable city.
Sustainable Cities: What Does It Mean To Be
A Sustainable City?

• Sustainable cities can be considered as cities that

have strong social, economic and environmental
performances. They have good scores when it
comes to air pollution, availability of public
transportation, the number of educated and
employed people, the percentage of green spaces,
energy consumption or access to drinking water.
• Having now the grasp of what to be achieved in
a sustainable society, let us relate the topic to of
sustainability to a more pressing issue and that
is none other than the pandemic that we are all
experiencing, Is this coronavirus good to our
ecological system? Or it will just worsen our
previous problems in our environment? Let us
look into the next slides.
 Coronavirus and Sustainability: Bad for
Climate and the Environment?

• Some news channels are sharing the positive

effects the new coronavirus outbreak is having
on the environment and climate. However,
unfortunately, coronavirus is likely bad news for
ecology in the long-term because it is tied to a
dysfunctional economic system.
•Unfortunately,
Coronavirus Is Bad
News For Ecology In
The Long Term
• The temporary ecological outcomes caused by
new coronavirus have been advertised as good
news. However, in the long term, this is bad
news for ecology and climate change-related
problems which will most likely be left to a
second level.
 Why Corona Virus is not good
to Ecology?
• Here are the reasons according to Clement Fournier,editor-in-
chief of YOUMATTER in his article published on March 2020.
• With The Coronavirus Crisis, We Are No Longer Speaking About
Ecology
• The reality is that in the face of a crisis we are experiencing in the
present, the crises of the future immediately seem less significant.
There are other things to worry about. However, we must not
believe that once the pandemic is gone and governments subsidize
businesses things will return to how they were before and ecology
will get momentum again. Quite the opposite, probably.
 Economic Crisis And Ecology:
Distinguishing Short Term And Long Term

• After the health crisis, the economic and social

crisis will have to be managed. We already know
the economic consequences of the coronavirus will
be tremendous. It is hard to give precise figures at
this stage without speculating but some economists
are talking about a crisis more serious than that of
2008-2009. For the ecological movement, this is
also bad news.
• In a society facing an economic crisis, the trend is
almost always the same: all efforts are concentrated
on “recovery”. The state injects lots of money into the
banking system to encourage consumption, costs in
“non-essential” sectors are cut to improve productivity,
public budgets are redirected to towards stimulus
policies … In short, a robust financial package will be
put in place to stem the crisis. And what about
ecology? It is left to the second level.
• Society will certainly do what it does all the time: manage
concerns in chronological order. The most urgent issues are
dealt with first. And if the economic crisis is deep, then the
urgency will be to restore employment, purchasing power and
competitiveness.
• Similarly, the speeches of environmental activists may find it
much more difficult to pass through a political landscape in
an economic crisis. Advocating the idea of ​putting ecology
before the economy will most likely only work when the
economy is doing well…
• The most likely scenario is that things happen as
they always did during the economic and financial
crises of the 20th century: recovery, austerity,
recovery… until the next time. Ecology will wait.
And probably be responsible for the next economic
crises.
• Read more to view full article in this link:
https://youmatter.world/en/coronavirus-bad-ecology-long-term/
 Summary
• Sustainability is a social responsibility of every
person to safeguard the future of the next
generation. Maintaining the level of productivity of
our natural resources by avoiding actions that may
deplete, destroy or exploit our natural resources
should be taken into consideration. Furthermore
sustainability is not enough, creativity and
innovations to think of new ways to increase the
quality of life is another thing to work out by the
present generation.
• The pandemic is actually a bad news for the
ecology due to the linear way of society in dealing
with crisis. Historically speaking, society follow a
chronological pattern; that is “recovery”, austerity
and then recovery. Immediate priority is given to
what is essentials until then ecology could wait
until the condition will subsidized or hopefully
may come back to its “ normal” state.
• After the discussion is now time for you to act
the role of a planner, so imagine yourself
confronted with myriads of problems in your
society, your task is to proposed a project for the
benefit of your local community. This will test
your leadership, cognitive and critical thinking
skills in creating a worthwhile project that could
contribute to a sustainable society.
 Module 5 Assessment 1: Planning a
Community- Based Sustainability Scheme

 Propose a simple Sustainable

Development Program Plan on
how to help conserve
individual locality’s resources.
 After being aware of the various effects of globalization to
human race and have realized by now how crucial your role is
in the sustainability of world’s resources. YOU should not only
be conscious of your country’s welfare but more importantly
be responsible and pro-active citizen of the world.

This last topic will take you to your identity as a global citizen.
What does it mean to become a global citizen?
You will find the answer as you move on to the next slides.
 What is a Global Citizen?

• A global citizen is someone who is aware of

and understands the wider world - and their
place in it. They take an active role in their
community, and work with others to make our
planet more equal, fair and sustainable.
 What is a Global Citizen?

• Global citizenship is all about encouraging young

people to develop the knowledge, skills and values
they need to engage with the world. And it's about the
belief that we can all make a difference.
• It is a way of living that recognizes our world is an
increasingly complex web of connections and
interdependencies. One in which our choices and
actions may have repercussions for people and
communities locally, nationally or internationally.
Benefits of Becoming a Global Citizen

• Build their own understanding of world events.

• Think about their values and what's important to them.
• Take learning into the real world.
• Challenge ignorance and intolerance.
• Get involved in their local, national and global
communities.
• Develop an argument and voice their opinions.
• See that they have power to act and influence the world
around them.
 Rise of Global Citizens
• Today the forces of global engagement are helping some people
identify themselves as global citizens, meaning that they have a
sense of belonging to a world community. This growing global
identity in large part is made possible by the forces of modern
information, communication, and transportation technologies.  In
increasing ways these technologies are strengthening our ability to
connect to the rest of the world: through the internet; through
participation in the global economy; through the ways in which
world-wide environmental factors play havoc with our lives; through
the empathy we feel when we see pictures of humanitarian
disasters, civil conflicts and wars in other countries; or through the
ease with which we can travel and visit other parts of the world.
 Features of Global Citizenship,
Schattle (2007)

• Global citizenship as a choice and a way of

thinking. National citizenship is an accident of
birth; global citizenship is different. It is a
voluntary association with a concept that
signifies "ways of thinking and living within
multiple cross-cutting communities—cities,
regions, states, nations, and international
collectives…" (Schattle 2007, 9).
• Global citizenship as self-awareness and awareness of
others. As one international educator put it, it is difficult to
teach intercultural understanding to students who are
unaware they, too, live in a culture that colors their
perceptions. Thus, awareness of the world around each
student begins with self-awareness. Self-awareness also
enables students to identify with the universalities of the
human experience, thus increasing their identification with
fellow human beings and their sense of responsibility toward
them.
• Global citizenship as they practice cultural empathy.
Cultural empathy or intercultural competence is commonly
articulated as a goal of global education, and there is
significant literature on these topics. Intercultural competence
occupies a central position in higher education's thinking about
global citizenship and is seen as an important skill in the
workplace.
• Global citizenship as the cultivation of principled decision
making. Global citizenship entails an awareness of the
interdependence of individuals and systems and a sense of
responsibility that follows from it. Navigating "the treacherous
waters of our epic interdependence (Altinay 2010, 4) requires a
set of guiding principles that will shape ethical and fair
responses.
• Global citizenship as participation in the social and political
life of one's community. There are many different types of
communities, from the local to the global, from religious to
political groups. Global citizens feel a connection to their
communities (however they define them) and translate that
sense of connection into participation. Participation can take the
form of making responsible personal choices (such as limiting
fossil fuel consumption), voting, volunteering, advocacy, and
political activism. The issues may include the environment,
poverty, trade, health, and human rights. Participation is the
action dimension of global citizenship.
What is the rationale of global
citizenship?
Move on to the slides..
 Why Does Global
Citizenship Matter?
• First, a focus on global citizenship puts the spotlight
on why internationalization is central to a quality
education and emphasizes that internationalization is
a means, not an end. Serious consideration of the
goals of internationalization makes student learning
the key concern rather than counting inputs.
• Second, the benefits of encouraging students to consider
their responsibilities to their communities and to the world
redound to them, institutions, and society. As Altinay (2010,
1) put it, "a university education which does not provide
effective tools and forums for students to think through their
responsibilities and rights as one of the several billions on
planet Earth, and along the way develop their moral
compass, would be a failure." Strengthening institutional
commitment to serving society enriches the institution,
affirms its relevance and contributions to society, and
benefits communities (however expansive the definition)
and the lives of their members.
• Third, the concept of global citizenship creates conceptual
and practical connections rather than cleavages. The
commonalities between what happens at home and "over
there" become visible. The characteristics that human
beings share are balanced against the differences that are
so conspicuous. On a practical level, global citizenship
provides a concept that can create bridges between the
work of internationalization and multicultural education.
Although these efforts have different histories and
trajectories, they also share important goals of cultural
empathy and intercultural competence (Olson et al. 2007).
• Being a global citizens does not mean one’s abandoning
his/her identities; such as allegiances to our countries,
ethnicities, and political beliefs. These traditional identities
give meaning to our lives and will continue to help shape
who we are. However, as a result of living in a globalized
world, we find we have an added layer of responsibility. We
have concern and a share of responsibility for what is
happening to the planet as a whole, and we are members of
a world-wide community of people who share this concern.
What are expected of you for being
a citizen of the world? This
question will lead you to the answer
as you browse and reflect on the
content of the next slides.
 GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES

• #1 Responsibility to understand one’s own perspective

and the perspectives of others on global issues. Almost
every global issue has multiple ethnic, social, political, and
economic perspectives attached to it. It is the responsibility
of global citizens to understand these different perspectives
and promote problem-solving consensus among the
different perspectives and the building of common ground
solutions. A global citizen should avoid taking sides with
one particular point of view, and instead search for ways to
bring all sides together.
• # 2 Responsibility to respect the principle of cultural
diversity: The multiple perspectives that exist with most
global issues often are a reflection of different cultural belief
systems. Each of our major cultural belief systems brings
value-added to our search for solutions to the global issues
we face. In building a sustainable values-based world
community it is important to maintain respect for the world’s
different cultural traditions; to make an effort to bring
together the leaders of these different cultural traditions
who often have much in common with one another; and to
help leaders bring the best elements of their cultures to the
task of solving global issues and building world community.
• # 3 Responsibility to make connections and build
relationships with people from other countries and cultures.
Global citizens need to reach out and build relationships with
people from other countries and cultures. Otherwise we will
continue to live in isolated communities with narrow conflict-
prone points of view on global issues. It is quite easy to build
global relationships. Most countries, cities, and towns are now
populated with immigrants and people from different ethnic
traditions. The Internet offers a range of opportunities to connect
with people on different issues. So even without traveling abroad
(which is a useful thing to do), it is possible to build a network of
personal and group cross-country and cultural relationships.
• #4 Responsibility to understand the ways in which the
peoples and countries of the world are inter-connected and
inter-dependent: Global citizens have the responsibility to
understand the many ways in which their lives are inter-
connected with people and countries in different parts of the
world. They need for example to understand they ways in which
the global environment affects them where they live, and how
the environmental lifestyles they choose affect the environment
in other parts of the world.
• #5 Responsibility to understand global issues:
Global citizens have the responsibility to
understand the major global issues that affect
their lives. For example, they need to understand
the impact of the scarcity of resources on
societies; the challenges presented by the current
distribution of wealth and power in the world; the
roots of conflict and dimensions of peace-
building; the challenges posed by a growing
global populations.
• #6 Responsibility to advocate for greater
international cooperation with other nations:
Global citizens need to play activist roles in
urging greater international cooperation between
their nation and others. When a global issue
arises, it is important for global citizens to provide
advice on how their countries can work with other
nations to address this issue.
• #7 Responsibility for advocating for the
implementation of international agreements,
conventions, treaties related to global issues:
Global citizens have the responsibility to advocate
for having their countries ratify and implement the
global agreements, conventions, and treaties that
they have signed.
• #8 Responsibility for advocating for more effective
global equity and justice in each of the value domains
of the world community. There are a growing number of
cross-sector issues that require the implementation of global
standards of justice and equity; for example the global rise
in military spending, the unequal access by different
countries to technology, the lack of consistent national
policies on immigration. Global citizens have the
responsibility to work with one another and advocate for
global equality and justice solutions to these issues.
 Now that you are enlightened by your knowledge of globalization’s
nature of impact to human civilization in your generation, the next
question is on HOW you will make yourself equipped with skill to
withstand its challenges. One challenge is on the issue of restoring
your identity as a FILIPINO youth.
The last activity will encourage you to advocate for the preservation of
your original identity since you are considered a ”pillar” of our nation.
Module 5 Assessment 2: Poster-
Slogan on Global Citizenship

• Create a poster-slogan showing ways how to

maintain the genuine Filipino identity among
the Filipinos today in the midst of global trends
inundating the nation.
 SUMMARY
Perhaps no issue forces people to think about their role as
citizens of the world than environmental degradation.
Every person, regardless of his/her race, nation, or creed,
belongs to the same world. When one looks at an image of
the earth, he/she will realize that, he/she belongs to one
world – a world that is increasingly vulnerable. In the fight
against covid-19 pandemic crisis, we now realize the
supreme duty of claiming to be a responsible citizen to
world. The fight to this covid-19 crisis is a clear challenge
to each one of us and that is on how we will act out our
care today to secure the world for next generation.
END OF COURSE