The role of Earth and environmental science in addressing sustainable development priorities in Eastern Africa

Keely Mills,Joel C. Gill,Joseph Mankelow

doi:10.1016/j.envdev.2019.03.003

Keely Mills, Joel C. Gill + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2019.03.003

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Abstract

Here we synthesise the results of three participatory workshops to explore sustainable development priorities in eastern Africa, and discuss these in the context of Earth and environmental science. The planet is a core pillar of sustainable development, and the engagement of Earth and environmental scientists is vital to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In 2017, the British Geological Survey gathered 76 delegates from 48 organisations at three workshops in Nairobi (Kenya), Lusaka (Zambia), and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania). Using the SDGs as a reference tool, participants (i) identified development priorities at regional (eastern Africa) and national scales, (ii) explored the Earth and environmental science research and data needs to help address these, and (iii) co-designed relevant science-for-development projects. Participants identified sustainable development priorities to be basic (or immediate) needs, including zero hunger (SDG 2), education (SDG 4), ending poverty (SDG 1), and water and sanitation (SDG 6). Participants also described examples of Earth and environmental science research, training, technologies, monitoring and management to support sustainable development. Emerging themes included environmental data (collection, management, integration, access), policy and regulations (integrating environmental science, and policy coherence), resource management (degradation, pollution and environmental protection), and scientific education and understanding (training, knowledge exchange, public understanding of science). A comparative synthesis of existing regional and national development strategies indicates that current narratives of development interventions do not fully capture the opportunities from environmental data integration and policy coherence. Greater engagement with and by the Earth and environmental science community could help to advance these themes to support sustainable development in eastern Africa. This would support efforts to reduce environmental degradation, improve natural resource management, and inform the utilisation of natural resources to improve economic growth and social wellbeing.

Highlights

We use a participatory workshop methodology to identify sustainable development priorities in eastern Africa, and analyse the role of Earth and environmental science in achieving these
While profiling and analysing sustainable development priorities in eastern Africa, we suggest that replicating our approach in other settings, and comparing these, would prove insightful
Earth and environmental science is a critical pillar of sustainable development (Lubchenco et al, 2015; Gill and Bullough, 2017; Omisore, 2018), meaning Earth and environmental scientists have a strong role to play in discussions on this theme

Summary

Introduction

We use a participatory workshop methodology to identify sustainable development priorities in eastern Africa, and analyse the role of Earth and environmental science in achieving these. We synthesise and compare the results from these workshops, contrasting them with existing global, regional and national expressions of sustainable development priorities. Description ‘Recurrence of financial crises needs to be prevented and the financial system has to be redirected towards promoting access to long-term financing for investments required to achieve sustainable development.’. ‘Rapid urbanisation, especially in developing countries, calls for major changes in the way in which urban development is designed and managed, as well as substantial increases of public and private investments in urban infrastructure and services.’. ‘Energy needs are likely to remain unmet for hundreds of millions of households, unless significant progress in ensuring access to modern energy services is achieved.’ Description ‘Recurrence of financial crises needs to be prevented and the financial system has to be redirected towards promoting access to long-term financing for investments required to achieve sustainable development.’ ‘The impact of climate change threatens to escalate in the absence of adequate safeguards and there is a need to promote the integrated and sustainable management of natural resources and ecosystems and take mitigation and adaptation action in keeping with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.’ ‘Hunger and malnourishment, while decreasing in many developing countries, remain persistent in other countries, and food and nutrition security continues to be an elusive goal for too many.’ ‘Rapid urbanisation, especially in developing countries, calls for major changes in the way in which urban development is designed and managed, as well as substantial increases of public and private investments in urban infrastructure and services.’ ‘Income inequality within and among many countries has been rising and has reached an extremely high level, invoking the spectre of heightened tension and social conflict.’ ‘Energy needs are likely to remain unmet for hundreds of millions of households, unless significant progress in ensuring access to modern energy services is achieved.’

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