Environment and development, a difficult arbitration

In 2024, the Earth Overshoot Day (EOD) was August 1st (Global Footprint Network), illustrating the overconsumption of available natural resources, thus calling into question the principle of sustainability. The United Nations defines sustainable development as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. However, this definition dates back to the 1987 Brundtland Report and could be out of date. Indeed, how can we define when the future ends?

The overconsumption of resources in 2024 doesn’t challenge the consumption, and therefore the principle of sustainability, in 2030, but what will it be in 2070? The representativeness of countries at the negotiating table is also in question with OECD countries accounting for 28% of greenhouse gas emissions in 2022 (EDGAR, 2023) but only partially affected by them, unlike the countries of the Global South which are more severely affected by extreme climatic events, but weight less in international discussions. How can we improve the representation of the countries affected by climate change in international negotiations? How can we cooperate?

Does a just transition necessarily involve degrowth or strong techno-optimism? Or is there a dividing line between economic and ecological issues?