One major, global step to make sustainability accessible and understandable to the masses the the UN Sustainable Development Goals. These 17 goals encompass all aspects of making the world a more sustainable and happy place.
The image above has been shared countless times, throughout the world, given the easy-to-digest proponents of the plan. The end goal of UNDP’s plan is that by 2030, all people enjoy peace and prosperity. This was adopted in 2015 as a call to action to mobilize all countries as a united front.
They key word in this plan is integration; Integration between countries, to gain the most knowledge, creativity, and resources to develop social, economic, and environmental sustainability; Integration between the goals - knowing that it takes all 17 to make a difference - and thus allocating resources to optimizing the goals having the most effect on the other goals, and on the world as a whole.
While this may seem too high of a level to be relatable and actionable in our daily lives, the truth is, each of these goals can be broken down into day-to-day actions. Each of these goals will have an individualized post on this website for you to learn more about what the goal entails, and how we can integrate it into our daily lives. However, the fact that there is a framework is already a step forward. It is much easier for individuals, businesses, and governments to discuss in specificity what they can and want to do, rather than address major issues like sustainability or poverty on their own.
While some of the goals may deviate from the “sustainability” umbrella, the truth is, these goals have a knock-on effect on one another. Focusing on the “no poverty” goal may seem unrelated to sustainability, but sustainability is expernsive, given the economy prioritizing profit and cost-cutting, neither of which sustainable products truly accommodate for, unless prices are increased. While policies have begun to reduce this market disequilibirum in sustainable products, those below the poverty line will be more focused on survival than sustainability. This is a problem we will always be faced with, unail we reach the ambitious goal of “no poverty”. So while this website focuses on sustainability, it is important to understand and appreciate the other aspects as they have an irrefutably important effect on sustainability.
This will be explored much more in the following posts under this section, as well as other interesting actions taken by the UN and other related word organizations.
To learn more, this short video made by the UN itself is informative and interesting!
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