Abstract
Sustainable development is a relatively new concept, nurtured by both public and private international organizations. It remains to be seen whether the concept has become rooted within societies, or if it is mainly a tool of public policy and the political elites. This contribution looks at the various dimensions of the beliefs and values regarding the concept of sustainable development, by collecting data and reviewing the relevant literature on the issue. The pandemic of Covid-19, that started in early 2020, in China, may have been a turning point, and we question if this has increased the societal dimension of sustainable development, by forcing a change of lifestyles. However, the obligation to reduce consumption and pollution is not the same as sharing values on sustainable development or, more generally, being concerned about the impact of human activities on the environment. In order to assess the changes of paradigms in the beliefs and values towards sustainable development, the article looks at the way the states, and the civil societies, including the business sector, have changed and adapted their positions on this issue before and following the pandemic.
And while this is a training,
In sustaining the future of our planet,
There is no rehearsal. The time is
Now
Now
Now,
Because the reversal of harm,
And protection of a future so universal
Should be anything but controversial.
Earthrise poem by
Amanda Gorman about the photo
taken on Christmas Eve, 1968, by astronaut Bill Anders
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Notes
- 1.
Article 77 of the Constitution of Cape Verde (on the Right to Education), referring that: “3. In order to guarantee the right to education, the State shall have the responsibility, namely: (…) l) To foment fundamental scientific research as well as applied research, preferably in domains with interest in sustained and sustainable human development of the country” (our underlining).
- 2.
Translated into English by the authors, on the basis of: https://constitutions.unwomen.org/en/countries/africa/~/media/983cd3b8346a4d53b9e116676bff7363.ashx.
- 3.
- 4.
The remaining paragraph reads: “As a first priority, environmental damage shall bring about the obligation to repair it according to law. The authorities shall provide for the protection of this right, the rational use of natural resources, the preservation of the natural and cultural heritage and of the biological diversity, and shall also provide for environmental information and education”. The last paragraphs of this section also contain a reference to the way this regulation of the use of resources shall be done between the central and the local powers (“The Nation shall regulate the minimum protection standards, and the provinces those necessary to reinforce them, without altering their local jurisdictions”). A last paragraph of the article also contains a reference to the prohibition of the “entry into the national territory of present or potential dangerous wastes, and of radioactive ones”.
- 5.
Section 75 § 17: “To recognize the ethnic and cultural pre-existence of indigenous peoples of Argentina. To guarantee respect for the identity and the right to bilingual and intercultural education; to recognize the legal capacity of their communities, and the community possession and ownership of the lands they traditionally occupy; and to regulate the granting of other lands adequate and sufficient for human development; none of them shall be sold, transmitted or subject to liens or attachments. To guarantee their participation in issues related to their natural resources and in other interests affecting them. The provinces may jointly exercise these powers”.
- 6.
The survey used the instrument SurveyMonkey, and was applied in March 2021, following a process of submission to the Ethics Committee of the University Fernando Pessoa. Only adults could reply to the survey.
- 7.
- 8.
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Cardoso, J.C., Pelamo, N., Harding, O., Ndibo, T.M. (2022). Beliefs and Values Towards Sustainable Development in the Age of Covid-19. In: Leal Filho, W., Vidal, D.G., Dinis, M.A.P., Dias, R.C. (eds) Sustainable Policies and Practices in Energy, Environment and Health Research. World Sustainability Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-86304-3_5
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