What Is It?
The goal was to end all poverty by 2030, in all of its manifestations. Sound ambitious? It is! But it was recognized as one of the most important pillars to the UN’s strategy, because everything else - sustainability, education, relies on people being able to afford it.
When we think of poverty, we may think about the occasional homeless person, or Google images of those struggling to find food. While those are shocking, they can also feel far away. But the truth is, 1 in 10 people are in poverty. It’s hard to imagine, because of the inequality - in more affluent areas, the number will be much less than that, but in poorer areas, it will be much more. These 1 in 10 people survive on less than $1.90 a day, less than the price of one large McDonalds fries, something many of us order without question, amongst our many other purchases of the day.
And this is before Covid and the Russia-Ukraine war. Solely due to Covid, 4 years of the UN’s progress - through the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) - was wiped away, with the war contributing even more to that. The poverty line has been pushed to $2.15 per person per day. This increase means that the minimum acceptable income has increased. In short, poverty has increased.
How Does It Relate to Sustainability?
You might be thinking that “this is important, but how does this relate to what I’m interested in?”. It’s no secret that sustainable goods are more expensive. Think about the last time you were at Starbucks. Starbucks is considered a sustainability haven - why? They can afford to be. Their prices are high, their consumers are affluent and willing to pay more for oat milk, or can bring their own cup. If you go to your local hole-in-the-wall coffee shop, they may struggle to provide the same service. Does this mean a Starbucks employee cares about sustainability and your local coffee shops’ don’t? No! It boils down to: sustainable is not affordable. There are many things - like the UNSDGs - that are trying to change that by normalizing sustainability to the point of affordability, but for now, sustainability comes with a price.
Reducing poverty increases the number of people who can afford these pricier items, and afford to care about sustainability. It’s a ridiculous thought that people whoa re struggling to survive would care about being sustainable, so reducing poverty provmotes sustainability in a large way.
What Can You Do?
Admittedly, poverty can feel like an even larger, and less accessible problem that sustainability. This is especially true when we don’t see the effects of poverty firsthand, a lot of times - because those who live above the poverty line are surrounded by others who live above the poverty line. But there are always things we can do within our own communities to help out.
Food drives
There is nothing more important to someone struggling than food. Though we might not realize it, the idea of gluttony has been normalized for those who can afford it, creating bulk-buying without necessity. Organizing (within your school) or taking part in a food drive or donation system, both of which will be available in your community, will help to mitigate both the issue of poverty in your own community, and the lack of sustainability in wasting food.
Clothing drives
Education
None of these suggestions are new. This is because the issues that plague the poverty-stricken now are the same as the issues before. The fact is, those issues have gotten worse. And while this may seen like an issue not fit for the youth to handle, there is a lot we can do in our communities. There are more people in poverty than we can see, especially in more affluent communities, but we can help them. As children, we have the communities of our schools and parents, and on issues like this, they will be willing to contribute, given a path to follow. So create that path.
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