Sustainable Development is the development that meets the necessities of present generations without compromising with the development ability of future generations. In particular, sustainable development is an approach to coordinating society so it can exist in the long haul. This implies considering both the objectives present and those representing things in future, like the conservation of the climate and natural assets or social and financial value.
Sustainable development practices assist nations with filling in manners that adjust to the difficulties presented by environmental change, which will thus assist with safeguarding significant natural resources for our own and people in the future.
By 2050, it is assessed that our worldwide populace will probably touch 9 billion individuals. The challenge of sustainable development is to push ahead so that each and every one of these individuals will actually want to partake in significant personal satisfaction without impeding our natural resources.
UN Sustainable Development Goals
United Nations Member States adopted 2030 Agenda for sustainable development in 2015 that serves as a blueprint for peace, prosperity, growth and overall development for the planet. The UN announces 17 SDGs for ending poverty, ensuring sufficient nutritions, equality, quality education and promoting peace globally.
End of Poverty from everywhere
This 2030 agenda mainly aims to get rid of poverty from every region of the world. In the last few years (between 2015 to 2019) we’ve seen a historical decline in poverty but due to covid pandemic, again we are witnessing a hike in it.
End Hunger, ensure food security with sufficient nutritions and promote sustainable agriculture
In 2020, 2.4 billion people were moderately insecure from the proper food availability to them and these figures are increasing in millions every year, which is not a good sign for us. To tackle this problem, the UN announced a goal to end hunger worldwide.
Achieve Healthy Living for everyone at all ages
If we really want sustainable development, then our focus needs to ensure healthy living for everyone that is also aimed by the UN as their goal. For ensuring healthy living, malaria vaccines, infant immunization programmes, health & wellbeing awareness campaigns are prevailing globally.
Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for everyone and creating lifelong opportunities
Quality education is essential for having educated people who can stay healthy and contribute to the progress of the world. It’s observed that 147 million people do not get proper education due to which we incurred a loss of $17 trillion globally.
Gender equality and girl empowering
Gender equality is a fundamental human right that helps in prospering the nation and create a big impact. But it is estimated that the world is not on the right track to achieve gender equality by 2030.
Ensure Water availability, it’s sustainable management and sanitation for everyone
The UN sets water availability as its sixth SDG to achieve sustainable development. Access to clean water and sanitation is a basic need for humans to maintain their health and well being. But still two billion people live without having safe water and improper sanitation.
Ensure access to sustainable, affordable and reliable modern energy for all
Now we have a seventh goal to ensure affordable and reliable modern energy that will help our sectors to grow like agriculture, communication, business, health care and transportation. Lack of energy hinders our development and we need to find new ways.
Promote sustainable economic development and productive employment and decent work for all
The UN listed promoting sustainable economic development and productive employment as its eighth SDG. Although our global conditions are recovering in 2021, that gets fragile due to covid pandemic.
Building infrastructure, sustainable industrialization and developing innovation
The UN ninth SDG is to build resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization for sustainable development globally. Now countries are recovering damages to industrial sectors that happened in the pandemic period.
Reduce inequality within and among countries
Inequality within countries is a big concern from the point of overall development and peace. Therefore reducing inequality among countries plays a pivotal role in maximizing sustainable development in the world.
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Cities are very important for overall GDP growth in the world and it is aimed that around 7 out of 10 people will live in urban areas by 2050 as urban areas contribute to more than 80 percent of global GDP. So, making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable is Goal number 11.
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Ensuring sustainable consumption is considered as the 12th goal because of the importance of sustainable consumption from a future generation point of view. Unsustainable patterns of consumption will lead to climate change, loss of biodiversity and pollution that will threaten achievement of SDGs.
Taking actions to combat climate changes
Climate change is what we’re witnessed over the past few years in the form of melting glaciers, rising sea levels, intense heat temperatures, drought etc, that are like hurdles in sustainable development. Taking immediate actions to combat these changes is the need of the hour and considered as thirteenth SDGs.
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
Conserving oceans, seas and marine resources is very essential as it’s crucial for human existence and life on Earth. Water bodies consist of 70 percent of the planet and provide food, absorb harmful gasses and water to us. So, conserve and sustainable use of water bodies is Goal number fourteen.
Protecting, restoring and promoting sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems
Human actions lead to over 40,000 species extinction over a few decades and it’s estimated that around 10 million hectares of forest are destroyed every year. Goal fifteen is all about protecting, restoring and promoting sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems as we are so much dependent on it for food, medicines, shelters, water and other material goods.
Promote peace for sustainable development, access to justice at all levels
Promoting peace is sixteenth goal to counter violence activities, eradicate fear of unsafe living, exploitation, torture and access to justice for all that will help in achieving the goal of sustainable development. Strengthening the law will play a vital role in protecting human rights and combating all these issues.
Strengthen the execution of Global Partnership for Sustainable Development
Goal seventeen is to strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development. Achievement of SDGs is possible after a strong commitment to global partnership and developing partnerships between government, private sector and civil society.