Do governments have a role in promoting the goal of sustainability?
What role do communities play?

In Part 4 of the series, Jim Clarke looks at the goals which seek to address the environment. His starting point is Lagos, in Nigeria, where lack of a water supply can cost communities dearly and where time spent collecting water interferes with education, work and family life.

In a slum area, quality and access to water are an issue. When public water is of poor quality, people depend on private tankers to deliver it.

The programme highlights how water supply is as much about politics as it is about access.

Jim Clarke also looks at a forest cooperative in San Juan Nuevo, in central Mexico, that thrives on sustainability. The people of San Juan Nuevo own and protect their forest by selling oak, pine lumber and furniture to North American markets. This community has achieved sustainability by replanting trees, and providing jobs and education.

Why have sustainable efforts not been successful elsewhere?
What challenges does the larger global market economy pose to developing countries?

The Free Trade Lobby Group and Dr. Vandana Shiva, among others, offer varying views.

Programme 4
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