The Bath Centre for Earth Systems Governance (BCESG) and Bath Institute of Sustainability and Climate Change (ISCC) are delighted to be co-hosting this talk by Professor Poppy S. Winanti, from Universitas Gadjah Mada.

Sustainable Development and Climate Policy in the Global South

Sustainable development has long been a debated concept across both the Global North and the Global South. In the Global North, it is often criticised as enabling ongoing environmental exploitation and treating nature as merely an economic externality. In the Global South, it is frequently associated with a Northern narrative that dictates development paths, despite the South’s assertion of its right to pursue its own industrialisation. The issue becomes even more complex when linked to climate policies, which are shaped by unequal historical responsibilities, varying economic capacities, and differing development goals between the Global North and the Global South.

This connection raises a key debate: whether climate actions can promote development or simply reinforce global inequalities. This discussion focuses on the intersection of sustainable development and climate policy, especially from the Global South’s perspective. Using Indonesia as a case study, the talk explores how the country manages its climate commitments under the Paris Agreement while striving to boost economic growth through industrialisation. Key policy areas include developing Indonesia’s battery industry as part of its energy transition plan and its goal to establish a net sink in Forestry and Other Land Use (FOLU) by 2030. These examples illustrate Indonesia’s struggle to harmonise environmental responsibility with economic development.

About the speaker

Poppy S. Winanti is a Professor of International Relations at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Indonesia. She is currently a Leverhulme Visiting Professor in Politics and International Studies (PAIS) at the University of Warwick.

Her research covers global and regional trade within the global political economy; conflicts and the political economy of natural resources and extractive industries; the global green agenda and political ecology; and South-South Cooperation. Her recent work includes topics such as: