4.7 Sustainable Development
Sustainable development refers to development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
The sustainable development goals (SDGs) aim to tackle some of the most urgent challenges in the world today; they aim to provide a blueprint for achieving a better and more sustainable future by addressing poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace, and justice. The SDGs came into effect in January 2016, and will continue until 2030.
| Goal | Description |
|---|---|
| No Poverty | End poverty in all its forms everywhere |
| Zero Hunger | End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. |
| Good Health and Well-being | Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages |
| Quality Education | Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all |
| Gender Equality | Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls |
| Clean Water and Sanitation | Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all |
| Affordable and Clean Energy | Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all. |
| Decent Work and Economic Growth | Promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all |
| Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure | Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation |
| Reduced Inequalities | Reduce inequality within and among countries |
| Sustainable Cities and Communities | Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable |
| Responsible Consumption and Production | Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns |
| Climate Action | Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts |
| Life Below Water | Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development |
| Life on Land | Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss |
| Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions | Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels |
| Partnerships for the Goals | Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development |
Relationship between sustainability and poverty (HL)
There is a vicious cycle between poverty and damage to the environment. Poor people tend to rely more on the environment than rich people to meet their needs; for example they might use their environment for food.
Their use of the environment tends to result in environmental problems, which then in turn propagate poverty. For example, low-income people in rural areas use wood as cooking fuel; this leads to deforestation, and means that households need to travel further to be able to get enough wood for their needs. This leaves them with less time to work to earn income, leaving them trapped in poverty and in the cycle of overusing resources.
Poorer people are often forced to use common-pool land to grow food as they do not own their own land. This land is likely to be unfertile, and those using it are likely to have poor knowledge of agricultural best practices. This means that the yields from the land are likely to be low.
Poorer people are also more vulnerable to floods and other environmental catastrophes that result from climate change, despite being the group that has contributed the least to the global problem.