The expiration of The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) has made the post 2015 landscape an intergovernmental priority. The revised Sustainable Development Goals, (SDGs) propose seventeen global initiatives that focus on the eradication of extreme poverty whilst also considering economic development and environmental protection (Veit & Hazlewood, 2014). Whilst Matuschke (2015) agrees that this is a “pivotal year for sustainable development”, she also questions the validity of these global directives, as there remains a disjuncture between their “conflicting aims.” This essay will consider the extent to which the SDGs address three global imperatives for development; global economic power, climate change and inequality.
“Inter-linked and
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They represent a shift towards a ‘post 2015 agenda’ (Sachs, 2014, p. 2206), a “universal agenda for all countries” which better relates development practise to “domestic, social, and economic structures and international power relations”, (Polanyi Levitt 2003, p. 558). The SDGs build on the MDGs, not by taking on their mandate but reinventing the development discourse to address three global change processes; shifts in global economic power, climate change and inequality within countries. The “triple bottom line”, as described by Sachs (2012), acknowledges classic development practice of the economy and inequality, but also highlights the role of the environment as an integral part of the goals …show more content…
2028). This is a recognition of a distinct shift in the geography of those living in poverty, highlighted by the growing urban poor living in middle income nations. Furthermore, this redistributes development assistance programming to include Brasil, Russia, india and Russia (BRICS) and disrupts the traditional hegemonic donor norms dominated by wealthier nations, as discussed by Rowlands, (2012) . In this way, the SDGs addresses the global change process of global power relations which differentiates these goals from their
The following case study critiques Upton’s vision to establish a sustainable community through implementing comprehensive sustainable strategy. The urban periphery development is thought to demonstrate superior execution of sustainable principles in development (Jackson 2007). As a parallel, the report focuses on the development of Upton’s design code and demonstrates how large -scale mix-use developments can incorporate sustainable practice and principles of urban growth.
Unlike the North – a term in vogue today, among others, for highlighting the difference between the rich, industrialised nations of mostly Western Europe, North America, Australasia, and the rudimentary economies of Latin America, Asia and Africa – underdevelopment, characterised by low income levels, poverty, low living standards and other socio-economic ills seem to be a defining feature of countries in these regions, collectively described as the Global South. Thomas (2003), Hershberg and Moreno-Brid(2003), and, Solimano(2005) suggest, for instance, that the socio - economic structure of most Latin American countries remains defined by vast inequalities in income and wealth distribution, poverty, volatile growth, high mortality rate and a high level of economic vulnerability. In Asia, a number of countries including the large economies of India and China have made improvements in the 21st century in terms of reducing poverty. Yet, 22% of the developing countries in Asia live on a dollar a day . The situation is bleaker in the South and Southeast Asia region where 38% leave on less than a dollar a day and over 48% of the population living below the regions individual country poverty line . Likewise, absolute poverty is on the rise in Africa - generally recognised as the world’s richest continent in terms of natural resources - despite a recorded decline in global poverty rates (Bhattacharyya: 2005).
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), otherwise known as the Global Goals, are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. Among the 17 goals the third goal is to achieve good health and well-being (UNDP). To achieve this goal, it is definitely known that passing the obstacles available in the overall activities performed to bring about health and well-being. The third goal in its sub goal gives attention on achieving universal health coverage which is an ongoing process for every country as they work to ensure that all people receive the health services they need without experiencing financial hardship. How these financial hardships can be minimized?
The concept of ‘Just Sustainability’ incorporates not only environmental sustainability but also a need to strive towards social justice and equity. According to Agyeman sustainability is “the need to ensure a better quality of life for all, now and into the future, in a just and equitable manner, while living within the limits of supporting ecosystems.” (Agyeman et al. 2003 as cited in Agyeman 2005: 43) Both the desire for sustainability and development can be cause for many social justice and human equity issues, but in order to fulfil the idea of ‘Just Sustainability,’ all of these things need to be taken into account. (Agyeman 2005: 43) An example of how social justice and equity needs to be addressed alongside a sustainability plan for the environment is the deforestation of rainforests in Indonesia.
The United Nations Agenda 2030 is emerging as the slam dunk, in yo face blueprint for global government. Noble and lofty goals provide much mind boggling substantiated dialogue. Attempting to rid the world of poverty, and other noble feats by redistributing the wealth of the developed nations and their wage earners - which in turn, turns out to be not so noble of a feat. The U.N. is attempting to create a world where human habitats are safe, resilient and sustainable, as well as making cities safe! They actually believe they can do this in New Orleans, Chicago, St. Louis. Detroit, etc. within 15 years? This is where my mind was boggled. Unless all of the citizens (of the world) are implanted with auto-taze microchip implants (or some kind of implant/device that has the capability to turn the bad behavior into good), I don 't see this goal happening. Perhaps maybe a police officer installed in every household/dwelling in the world will make these cities safe. If the United Nations can go
World Development Report 2013. Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World. Trnasforming institutions, growth, and quality of life. A copublication of the World Bank and Oxford University Press. New York, NY 2013.
“Sustainable Development: At its heart, sustainable development is the simple idea of ensuring a good quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come. It is about living within the carrying capacity of the environment so that how we live, work and enjoy leisure activities, which do not harm or put undue pressures on the environment. It is about ensuring everyone has the opportunity to have a decent education, a quality environment that they take pride in, good health and a decent job (n.p, 2014)”
Over the past few decades there have been discourses both in favor and against Globalization’s capacity to guarantee a sustainable future. Authors attest societies and businesses’ inability to account for ecological and environmental limits when dealing with economic growth, examples of this are some of the traditional business metrics used by most global companies, and nations’ measure of wealth (GDP); both sides heavily resting on economic factors, fail to account for societal and environmental concerns (Byrnea & Gloverb, 2002). Other researchers point at the intensive use of resources, especially by global corporations; such as the increasing and careless consumption of fossil fuels, water, precious metals, etc. leading to a rise in GHG (Starke, 2002) (United Nations Development Program (UNDP), 2000). Most fervent opponents go as far as to call ‘sustainable development’ an oxymoron (Ayres, 1995).
In the year 2000 the United Nations set out a goal to stop hunger poverty and unfair living to people of the world not just the United States. This idea was called the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). Upon taking on a task such as this the UN wanted to break down goals in sections of eight to better categorize them to use every resource they had to make this plan possible. Not every catgeroy had the same plan put in place and for that exact reason these goals where not something to be done over night, hence how the name of the idea started with millennium. The UN has also been known for their work to gather its members and countries as one to work to accomplish its goals of maintaining peace and security, they wanted to protect human rights by providing humanitarian assistance, and assisting economic and social development throught the world. This gives us a better idea of what MDG project is for and how it was created.
This conference triggered the creation of a new resolution titled, “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. This resolution incorporated “far-reaching” goals concerning poverty, cooperation, and protection issues, intending for these goals to be resolved by 2030. As asserted in A/RES/70/1, the United Nations seeks “to strengthen universal peace in larger freedom” by primarily creating partnership between countries. Following this, Agenda 21, a finalized plan of action, was created by a conference run by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) and adopted by 178 governments. The Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) was created in the following conference to assure that the goals addressed in Agenda 21 were properly executed. This agenda was a commitment to maintain diverse aspects of sustainability such as combating climate change, improving sanitation, and helping human settlements. A/RES/70/210 recalls that the United Nations “acknowledges the importance of making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and
In class we discussed what sustainable development meant to us; each group had its own definition. Our group’s definition was that sustainable development is for the long term for future generations, for the basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter, and job. The basic will increase over time and our resources will diminish, which why sustainable development is important. Sustainable development is important for future generations so that they end up with a world better than ours. Sustainable development is achievable if society works together to meet everyone’s basic needs and create a better world.
‘Development that meets the needs of the present with the ability for the future generation to meet their own needs.’ (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987) Sustainable development requires three key components: economy, society and environment, sustainable development can be success through striking balance in those factors. These three components are indispensible, they compel to depend on each other. On the other words, we can only gain a decent and energetic environment and society if the economy is strong with a healthy a stable growth rate.
The Globalization of Poverty: Impacts of IMF and World Bank Reforms, Michel Chossudovsky, (Penang: Third World Network, 1997)
The North-South divide is a social, economic, and political separation between the highly developed nations and the rest of the world. The global North encompasses the world's richest countries, including Canada, the United States, western and central European Union members, Israel, Japan, the Asian Tigers, Australia, and New Zealand.1 These countries all currently operate under functional democratic governments and have over $20,000 GDP per capita. The rest of the world's countries belong with the global South; and although they make up the vast majority of the world's population, these states collectively hold less economic and political power. Global problems harm the poorer ...
The United Nations recently published a list of goals they hope to accomplish by 2030 called the Sustainable Development Goals. These goals will replace the Millennium Development Goals, which were set in 2000, when they expire at the end of 2015. Some of these goals include ending poverty, promoting gender equality, and improving water and sanitation conditions. Arguably, the most important goal is to “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture” (in text citation- NY Times Article). Hunger was also an important goal on the MDG list, yet it was not fully accomplished (in text citation- Progress chart). The goals was to reduce hunger by half, and yet, the number of people who go to bed hungry