INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT:ISSUES,PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES (SCSH 1201)
SECTION 22
TOPIC
The interests and needs for economic growth as a challenges in maintaining and practising
sustainability
PREPARED BY
NUR ATIQAH BINTI SAHRIN (2310344)
DATE OF SUBMISSION
20thNOVEMBER 2024
NUR ATIQAH BINTI SAHRIN 2310344
1.0 Introduction
Sustainable development is widely regarded to be development that is
environmentally,socially,andeconomicallysustainable,butthereissomedebateintheterm
(Goodland, R., 1995). Sustainable development defined by Meschede, Christine as
"development that meets the needs of the present without making it harder for future
generations to meet their own needs" That is how people commonly captured it from her
pointofview.ItisclosetotheconceptthatwasintroducedbytheBrundtlandCommissionin
1987 (Dr.ShaliniChaturvedi,2024).Sustainabledevelopmentgoals(SDG-8),DecentWork
andEconomicGrowth,aimsforfullandproductiveemploymentforallby2030(Kufeoglu,
Sinan., 2022). The initiative promotes all forms related to the economy such as long-term
economic growth, productivity, and innovation without putting aside the targets which
include sustainable economic growth, diversification, and support for small businesses and
entrepreneurship.SDG-8alsofocusesonachievingefficientemploymentandfairpayforall
byreducingyouthunemploymentandpromotingsustainabletourism.However,theimpactof
COVID-19 on economic growth and employment opportunities is evident as many
companieshavedownsized.Thisemphasisestheimportanceofgovernmentandinstitutional
policies in promoting economic growth and decent work for all (Kufeoglu Sinan., 2022).
SDG-8whichisDecentWorkandEconomicGrowth(2016)targetisdividedintoten
plus two. Anyhow, this paper will examine the first target which is Sustainable Economic
Growth (Target 8.1). It is stated “Sustain per capita economic growth in accordance with
national circumstances and, in particular, at least 7 percentgrossdomesticproductgrowth
per annumintheleastdevelopedcountries”.Aswecansee,ChinaandIndiaareamongthe
countriesthatareshowinggoodeconomicperformanceinthesedecades.Butlookingintothe
sustainable development issues within these countries, they were slightly different which
somehow it is concerning. For instance,illegalgoldmininginGhana,India,asreportedby
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The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), has led toenvironmentaldisaster.Theuseof
chemicals existed which has polluted rivers and destroyed vast areas of land. Although
government efforts are taken to address the issue, illegal mining continues to affect the
environment. Instead, different cases are found in China where they have madesignificant
improvements regarding sustainable development over the last few years (Xing, J., 2024).
Thesignificanceofeconomicstabilityisundeniable,however,Chinahastakenboldstepsin
addressing the issue related to the sustainability of the environment. Through research
conducted,Liuetal.analyseddatafrom30provincesinChinafrom2004to2015usingthe
dynamic spatial Dubin model (DSDM) to study the impact of environmental laws on
high-quality development and regional heterogeneity. According to their findings,
environmental regulations significantly influenced economic growth in the central and
eastern regionsbutnotasmuchinthewesternones.However,thisdoesn'tmeantherewere
no challenges behind it.
2.0 Economic growth as barriers in balancing sustainable development
Economic growth can be defined as the ability of an economy to generate more
commodities and services over a certain time period (Raisova, Manuela & Ďurčová, Júlia,
2014).EconomicgrowthisdefinedbyKufeogluSinanasrisingconsumptionbroughtonby
populationexpansionandoutputlevelsthataremetbygovernmentincentivesandtechnology
advancements. Economic growth is specifically measured by the changeintotalGDPover
time.GDPrefersto‘GrossDomesticProduct’(CohenKaminitz,S.,2023).Thatmeans,even
if a country has the highest GDP per capita, it doesn't mean they are achieving economic
growthsinceitisnotmeasuredbylookingatchangesintheoverallGDP.Astheworldfaces
globalisation, we witnessed the importance of economic growth for the betterment of the
countries. According to Luo, Jiahao, economic growth is more crucial for developing
countries than developed countries as it can rapidly change infrastructure and lay the
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groundwork for future development. Hence, developed countries remain as economically
stable nations rather than economic growth nations. Most of the developed countries have
high GDP per capita but relatively slow economic growth. Infact,developedcountriesare
alreadydeveloped,thustheydonotneedtopursue.However,thereisinterconnectionwhere
the economic process gives an impact to the environment as a whole.
Kufeoglu Sinan claims that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic epidemic has
further slowed down global economic growth, where numerous international commercial
activities have been impactedbyit,whichhadalreadysloweddowninpreviousyearsfora
variety of causes. Economic growth or at least, economic stability is needed. It is because
economic growth is a requirement for economic development where a nation's ability to
maintain development is largely determined by its rate of economic growth, while for
developed nations, it servesasabasisforintegratingtheunderlyingeconomy(Luo,Jiahao,
2024). As we all know, developing countriestriedtheirbesttocompeteandbeatthesame
levelasthecountrieswithfasteconomicgrowth.Somedevelopingcountries,suchasChina
andIndia,arefrequentlymentionedashaving"fast"growthrates(Kitov,Ivan.,2008).They
may have a small GDP per capita but can achieverapidgrowthastheireconomiesexpand
andmodernise.Chinaisthefocuscountrywhichcouldbearolemodelinthisstudybecause
they are among the countries with rapid economic growth as well as theonethatpractises
sustainable development within their economy.
Inthemodernworld,byconductingresearchregardingthefinancialconsequencesof
environmental damage, the difficulties with conventional theories ofeconomicgrowth,and
the challenges to sustainability, Dr. Shalini Chaturvedi highlights the significance of
sustainable development. According to her, economic systems frequently put short-term
profits ahead of long-term goals, which results in unsustainable behaviours that damage
ecosystemsanddepleteresources.Herstudyrevealedthattraditionaleconomicmodelsitself
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are themajorfactorsoftheseissues,whichderivedfrompoliticalandcommercialinterests.
Environmental preservation may less occasion be subordinated to society's emphasis on
economic growth, which can result in problems like pollution. KufeogluSinaneaddedthat
concerns existed regarding the utilisation of natural resources. In these cases, economic
growth and demographic changes in Asia have significantly increased energy demand,
puttingadditionalpressureonthesenaturalresources.Asia’srapidlygrowingpopulationalso
presents challenges such as environmental degradation, resource depletion, urban poverty,
and difficulties in providing adequate social and health services (Institute for Global
EnvironmentalStrategies(IGES),2005).Itismoredifficulttomaintainsustainablepractices
whenthereisrapideconomicexpansionsinceitfrequentlyresultsinincreasingresourceuse
and environmental degradation.
Last but not least, thefutureofthecountryseemstobethreatenedwhenprogressis
driven by destructive activities such as pollution and depletion of resources. Hence, to
achieve sustainable development, each country must shift towardsustainability,thoughthis
shift comes with challenges. According totheInstituteforGlobalEnvironmentalStrategies
(IGES),Asiainparticularneedstobalanceenvironmentalprotectionwitheconomicgrowth.
Sustainable development is essential for preserving natural capital, as overuse ofresources
today prevents the accumulation of wealth and resources for future generations. In other
words, the depletionofnaturalresourceswilleventuallylimiteconomicgrowth.Dr.Shalini
Chaturvedi callsoutallstakeholderstoplayarolethroughcollaborationinordertoachieve
sustainable development. However, it must be done by a comprehensive strategy that
incorporates social, environmental, and economic factors since decisions made now will
affectfuturegenerations.Byhighlightingtheimportanceoffurtherexplorationinsustainable
developmenteconomics,shestatedthatbusinessesarerealisingtheeconomicadvantagesof
sustainable practices, such as cost savings and enhanced brand reputation.
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3.0 Conclusion
To sum up, there were a lot of challenges in practising or maintaining sustainable
development. The challenge of balancing economic growth with sustainable development
were discussed, particularly inthecontextoftheAsianandPacificregions.Beginningwith
the definition of sustainable development as meeting present needs without compromising
future generations, touches on Sustainable Development Goal 8, which aims for long-term
economic growth while providing decent work for all without environmental degradation.
Thispaperalsoexploreshowrapideconomicgrowthindevelopingcountriescanlead
to environmental challenges like deforestation and pollution.TheCOVID-19pandemichas
further emphasised the need for sustainable practices to support long-term stability. As we
cansee,inMalaysiaitselftherearealotofsustainableissueswhichcreatemajordifferences
betweenusandSingaporeintheformofwastemanagement,whereSingaporeisconsidered
as a clean country compared to Malaysia. Thus, within a few decades, there was a lot of
unavoidednewsrelatedtothesustainabledevelopmentfailuresuchasairpollutionlikehaze,
and water pollution. One example is water pollution which happened in Sungai Kim Kim,
Pasir Gudang Johor due to illegal industrial waste disposal activities by irresponsible
companies or industries. It is difficult to trace who actually the offenders.
Overall,actionmustbetakenbyallofthecountriesaroundtheworld.Somecountries
mighteasilyblameotherseventhoughtheyarealsofacingtheseenvironmentalissuesbefore
theireconomyexpands,suchastheUnitedStatesduringtheGreatDepression(B
ritannica,T,
2020). Hence, all stakeholders must ensure economic growth without harming the
environment. To overcome the challenges that economic growth presents to sustainability,
various sustainable solutions can be implemented. For instance, transitioning to a green
economy, focusing on eco-friendly practices, renewable energy, and sustainable production.
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