Geopolitics, Power, Space and Resources in the Quest for Sustainable Development

The purpose of this paper is to examine the interrelationship between intensifying geopolitical competition and the global pursuit of sustainable development in the twenty-first century. The key objectives are to analyse how geopolitical dynamics shape and constrain sustainable development, to explore the interaction between power, spatial contestation, and resource competition, and to assess their implications for achieving global development goals. The study adopts an interdisciplinary methodology, drawing on critical geopolitics, political ecology, international relations theory, and development studies, supported by comparative case studies and the use of statistical and environmental performance data. The findings demonstrate that geopolitical competition significantly influences development outcomes through three main dimensions: the distribution of power in the international system, the governance and contestation of geographic space, and competition over natural resources such as fossil fuels, critical minerals, and freshwater. Case studies reveal stark inequalities between developed and developing countries, showing how structural power imbalances hinder equitable progress toward sustainable development. The study also finds that traditional geopolitical approaches often undermine cooperative frameworks necessary for sustainability, while alternative perspectives rooted in critical and environmental geopolitics provide pathways for more collaborative and inclusive governance. The paper concludes that sustainable development and geopolitics are fundamentally interconnected and must be analysed within a unified framework. It proposes a reconceptualised “green geopolitics” that integrates power, ecological sustainability, and global cooperation, offering important implications for policy, theory, and the future of global governance.