Abstract
This chapter addresses the main challenges for sub-Saharan Africa in pursuing the Sustainable Development Goals, and discusses the current situation regarding energy, water, food and climate change. It argues that the combined perspective of human capabilities and environmental justice can offer a fruitful contribution for analysing social vulnerabilities across these four critical areas.
Keywords
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsNotes
- 1.
Five priority areas were included in the AfDB 10-year strategy (2013–2022): Light Up and Power Africa, Feed Africa, Industrialize Africa, Integrate Africa and Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa.
References
AGMIP. (2018). Agricultural model intercomparison and improvement project [Online]. Available: http://www.agmip.org/. Accessed 20 Aug 2019.
AGRA. (2018). Alliance for a green revolution in Africa [Online]. Available: https://agra.org/who-we-are/. Accessed 29 Aug 2019.
Bazilian, M., Rogner, H., Howells, M., Hermann, S., Arent, D., Gielen, D., Steduto, P., Mueller, A., Komor, P., Tol, R. S. J., & Yumkella, K. K. (2011). Considering the energy, water and food nexus: Towards an integrated modelling approach. Energy Policy, 39, 7896–7906.
Burney, J. A., Naylor, R. L., & Postel, S. L. (2013). The case for distributed irrigation as a development priority in sub-Saharan Africa. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 110, 12513–12517.
Diao, X. S., Headey, D., & Johnson, M. (2008). Toward a green revolution in Africa: What would it achieve, and what would it require? Agricultural Economics, 39, 539–550.
Dworkin, R. (2011). What is a good life? In The New York review of books. New York: Rea S. Hederman.
ECOSOC-UN. (2018). Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.
Edwards, G. A. S., Reid, L., & Hunter, C. (2016). Environmental justice, capabilities, and the theorization of well-being. Progress in Human Geography, 40, 754–769.
Falck-Zepeda, J. B. G., Guillaume, P., & Sithole-Niang, I. D. A. H. (Eds.). (2013). Genetically modified crops in Africa: Economic and policy lessons from countries south of the Sahara. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
FAO. (2017). The state of food and agriculture 2017: Leveraging food systems for inclusive rural transformation. Rome: FAO – Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations.
Gomes, C. (2010). Alterações Climáticas e Desenvolvimento Limpo: Cooperação entre Portugal e os PALOP. Lisbon: Esfera do Caos.
Gomes, C. (2017). A justice approach to the African ‘land rush’: investigating the social dynamics around agricultural investments in Mozambique. Doctor of Philosophy, University of East Anglia.
Haberl, H., Fischer-Kowalski, M., Krausmann, F., Martinez-Alier, J., & Winiwarter, V. (2011). A socio-metabolic transition towards sustainability? Challenges for another great transformation. Sustainable Development, 19, 1–14.
Hall, R., Edelman, M., Borras, S. M., Scoones, I., White, B., & Wolford, W. (2015). Resistance, acquiescence or incorporation? An introduction to land grabbing and political reactions ‘from below’. Journal of Peasant Studies, 42, 467–489.
Hillerbrand, R. (2018). Why affordable clean energy is not enough. A capability perspective on the sustainable development goals. Sustainability, 10, 2485.
Holden, E., Linnerud, K., & Banister, D. (2014). Sustainable development: Our Common Future revisited. Global Environmental Change, 26, 130–139.
International Energy Agency (IEA) (2014). Africa energy outlook: A focus on energy prospects in Sub-Saharan Africa. Paris: IEA.
International Energy Agency. (2017). Energy access outlook: From poverty to prosperity. Paris: International Energy Agency.
International Food Policy Research Institute. (2012). 2012 global hunger index [Online]. Available: http://www.ifpri.org/ghi/2012.
Kerr, R. B. (2012). Lessons from the old green revolution for the new: Social, environmental and nutritional issues for agricultural change in Africa. Progress in Development Studies, 12, 213–229.
Li, T. M. (2009). Exit from agriculture: A step forward or a step backward for the rural poor? Journal of Peasant Studies, 36, 629–636.
Martin, A. (2017). Just conservation: Biodiversity, well-being and sustainability. London: Routledge.
Meadows, D. H., & Club of Rome. (1972). The limits to growth; a report for the Club of Rome’s project on the predicament of mankind. New York: Universe Books.
NAP-GSP. (2017). Regional briefing on national adaptation plans: Africa in focus. UNDP-UN Environment National Adaptation Plan Global Support Programme (NAP-GSP).
Niang, I., Ruppel, O. C., Abdrabo, M. A., Essel, A., Lennard, C., Padgham, J., & Urquhart, P. (2014). Africa. In Climate change 2014: Impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability. Part B: Regional aspects (Contribution of Working Group II to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Nussbaum, M. C. (2011). Creating capabilities: The human development approach. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
Ribot, J. C., & Peluso, N. L. (2003). A theory of access. Rural Sociology, 68(2), 153–181.
Ringler, C., Bhaduri, A., & Lawford, R. (2013). The nexus across water, energy, land and food (WELF): Potential for improved resource use efficiency? Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 5, 617–624.
Rockström, J., Steffen, W., Noone, K., Persson, Å., Chapin, F. S., Lambin, E., III, Lenton, T. M., Scheffer, M., Folke, C., Schellnhuber, H., Nykvist, B., De Wit, C. A., Hughes, T., Van Der Leeuw, S., Rodhie, H., Sörlin, S., Snyder, P. K., Costanza, R., Svendin, U., Falkenmark, M., Karlberg, L., Corell, R. W., Fabry, V. J., Hansen, J., Walker, B., Liverman, D., Richardson, K., Crutzen, P., & Foley, J. (2009). Planetary boundaries: Exploring the safe operating space for humanity. Ecology and Society, 14(2), 32. [Online].
Sanchez-Lopez, M. D. (2017). Mineral extraction in a plurinational state: Commodification and resource governance in the Uyuni salt flat in Bolivia (Doctoral dissertation, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK).
Schlosberg, D. (2012). Climate justice and capabilities: A framework for adaptation policy. Ethics & International Affairs, 26, 445–461.
Sen, A. (2013). The ends and means of sustainability. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 14, 6–20.
United Nations Development Programme. (2016). Human development report 2016: Human development for everyone. New York: UNDP.
Venot, J. P., & Clement, F. (2013). Justice in development? An analysis of water interventions in the rural south. Natural Resources Forum, 37, 19–30.
WHO/UNICEF. (2018). Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for water supply, sanitation and hygiene [Online]. Available: washdata.org.
You, L., Ringler, C., Wood-Sichra, U., Robertson, R., Wood, S., Zhu, T., Nelson, G., Guo, Z., & Sun, Y. (2011). What is the irrigation potential for Africa? A combined biophysical and socioeconomic approach. Food Policy, 36, 770–782.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Gomes, C. (2019). Sustainability Challenges for Sub-Saharan Africa: Vulnerability, Justice and Human Capabilities. In: Guedes, M., Cantuaria, G. (eds) Bioclimatic Architecture in Warm Climates. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12036-8_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-12036-8_9
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-12035-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-12036-8
eBook Packages: EnergyEnergy (R0)