MDG vs SDG · 2015 Pivotal Year · Full Case Studies · Sustainable Cities · Sus-QI · ESD Pedagogy · Exam Tips
From Week 2 Lecture · The most important factual comparison in the entire course
MDGs told developing countries: "You need to fix your problems." SDGs tell EVERYONE: "We ALL have sustainability work to do." The shift is from charity-thinking to universal shared responsibility.
| Feature | MDGs | SDGs |
|---|---|---|
| Period | 2000 – 2015 | 2015 – 2030 |
| Number | 8 Goals | 17 Goals + 167 Targets |
| Who applies | Developing countries ONLY | ALL countries — UNIVERSAL |
| Focus | Narrow — poverty, disease, basic education | Comprehensive — economic + social + environmental |
| Framework | North helping South (donor model) | Global shared responsibility |
| Adopted | Millennium Summit, NY, Sept 2000 | UN SD Summit, NY, Sept 2015 |
| Process | Top-down, experts and governments | Open Working Group — 30 members, more participatory |
From Week 1 Lecture · Four landmark global agreements signed in just one year
In a single year, humanity signed four major international agreements covering disasters, development finance, the SDGs, and climate. Think of it as the year the world finally created a complete action plan — covering everything from disaster preparedness to clean energy.
From Week 1 Lecture 5 (3 SDG case studies) + Week 8 (Okayama) · All numbers verified from lecture PDFs
Programme: "Promoting Sustainable Food and Nutrition Security in Timor-Leste" | Started: Late 2009
SDGs addressed: SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) + SDG 3 (Good Health)
58% stunting rate when programme began. 49.1% of women and 38.7% of men illiterate. Micro-enterprises dominated by women — unpaid or in non-monetary forms. Fragile young republic, no effective legal framework.
WFP: Technical assistance, managed food plant conversion, trained staff, contributed generator
Ministry of Health: Bought processing and packing equipment
Timor Global: Local production partner
Government: Invested US$2 million (2012)
Programme: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy | SDG: SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy)
Environmental sector critically stagnant — lack of environmental policy, poorly developed management capacities, little public participation in environmental decision-making, lack of reliable data.
1) Developing Local Environmental Action Plans (LEAP); 2) Seed funding for service delivery; 3) Environmental innovation fund; 4) Systems for capturing environmental data
Programme: "Better Water and Sanitation Services through Consumer Rights Based Contract" | Period: 2009–2012
SDGs: SDG 5 (Gender Equality) + SDG 8 (Decent Work) + SDG 16 (Peace, Justice & Institutions)
Partners: UNDP + World Bank
Old water pipes, low quality, frequent cuts. Prices went up due to decentralization but services didn't improve. Need to strengthen consumer rights and voice in utility management.
Built capacities of Government + utility regulators + consumer associations to manage, regulate and monitor electricity and water. Strengthened consumer voice. Helped Albania meet MDG targets and prepare for EU accession.
Context: After 2011 earthquake + tsunami + nuclear disaster (Fukushima) | SDGs: SDG 7 + SDG 13 + SDG 4
Okayama City set target: Zero Net Energy (ZNE) by 2022. Policy mechanism: content development. Shows ESD operating at city level — not just in classrooms.
1) Environmental conservation; 2) Disaster risk reduction (DRR); 3) Income generation, entrepreneurship, community development; 4) Cultural diversity and dialogue, intergenerational exchange; 5) Literacy; 6) Empowerment
From Week 11 Lecture · This entire topic was absent from the main notes
A sustainable city incorporates eco-friendly practices, green spaces and supporting technology to reduce air pollution and CO2 emissions, enhance air quality, and protect natural resources. It is an urban center engineered to improve its environmental impact through urban planning and management. Green technology is a key factor — covering transportation, infrastructure, telecommunications and energy.
From Week 5 Lecture · Two real assignment questions — completely absent from the main notes
Regular Quality Improvement asks: "Did patient outcomes improve?" Sus-QI adds: "Did we reduce ecological harm? Did we add social value? Will this last long-term?" It's healthcare QI with a sustainability triple bottom line.
Ongoing, systematic effort to improve patient outcomes and system performance. Focuses on clinical outcomes and financial costs only.
Extends QI scope to include:
1) Ecological sustainability
2) Adding social value
3) A long-term perspective
From Week 8 & 9 Lectures · More depth than the main notes had
ESD cannot be taught through passive lectures alone. Participatory, action-oriented, and transformative methods don't just teach ABOUT sustainability — they BUILD the mindset, agency, and competencies needed to ACT sustainably.
Students as autonomous learners. Emphasizes active knowledge development, NOT passive transfer. Educator changes from "expert who transfers knowledge" to "facilitator of learning processes." Prior knowledge + social context = starting points.
Links abstract concepts to personal experience. Draws on Kolb's experiential learning cycle: (i) concrete experience → (ii) observation/reflection → (iii) abstract concepts → (iv) application. Assignment 8 Q10: Action-oriented learning draws on Kolb's concept of experiential learning.
Empowers learners to question and change their worldviews. Started in 1978. Learners question ALL prior knowledge to make room for new insights. Two focuses: Instrumental learning + Communicative learning. A9 Q7: "In ___ learning, learners question all they knew" = Transformative.
Goes beyond transformative learning — ESD must overcome the status quo and prepare the learner for disruptive thinking and co-creation of new knowledge. The most radical form of ESD pedagogy.
| # | Method | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Collaborative real-world projects | Service-learning, campaigns on sustainability topics |
| 2 | Vision-building exercises | Future workshops, scenario analyses, utopian/dystopian storytelling, science-fiction thinking, fore/back-casting ⚠️ Classroom teaching is NOT here! |
| 3 | Analysis of complex systems | Community-based research, case studies, stakeholder analysis, systems games |
| 4 | Critical and reflective thinking | Fish-bowl discussions, reflective journals → A9 Q1 answer |
From online research, SWAYAM assignment patterns, and previous student notes