Sustainable Development Project aims to have a state of society where living conditions and resources are utilized to continue to meet human needs without disturbing the ecology and stability of the natural system. It is a methodological process that organizes human development along with sustaining the ability of natural resources and eco system services on which the economy and society depend. United Nations adopted 17 important Sustainable Development goals in UN General Assembly in September 2015 as a part of Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development Project which can be achieved with six capacities.
A regular Sustainable Development Report or Sustainable Development Index is published to check the progress made by the countries across the globe. The Index measures the country’s total progress towards achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The Sustainable Development Report 2021 has ranked Finland #1 among all the countries which are trying to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals
Sustainable Development in India
The Sustainable Development in India, which is one of the important countries participating in achieving the goals of Sustainable Development and Climate Change, has slipped Down by 3 Places in the Sustainable Development Report 2021 or Sustainable Development Index 2021. The report has ranked India # 120 in 2021 as against #117 in 2020. It requires greater efforts to achieve India Sustainable Development Goals. In this Index, countries are ranked by a score out of 100. India has scored 60.07.
Sustainable Development Index 2021: Top Countries
Following are the top 5 countries in the Sustainable Development Report 2021
1. Finland
2. Sweden;
3. Denmark;
4. Germany;
5. Belgium
Sustainable Development & Industrial Growth
Sustainable development can be defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs It is a general perception that Sustainable Development may hamper economic and industrial growth of a country. However, with a planned process and strategy, this perception may not be correct as the sustainable development is a long term and consistent path of progress instead of achieving industrial growth at the cost of destruction of natural system, giving little or no room for healthy living of future generation.
What is Sustainable Development? The Concept & Goals
Response to the query what is Sustainable Development, as given by United Nations is that the Sustainable development is termed as the practice of maintaining productivity by replacing used resources with resources of equal or greater value without degrading or endangering natural biotic systems.
Sustainable development binds together concern for the carrying capacity of natural systems with the social, political and economic challenges faced by humanity. The Science of Sustainability combines the study of sustainable development and environmental science. There is an emphasis on the present generations' responsibility to regenerate, maintain and improve planetary resources for use by future generations
The modern concept of sustainable development is derived mostly from the 1987 Brundtland Report. It is also rooted in earlier ideas about sustainable forest management and 20th-century environmental concerns. As the concept developed, it has shifted its focus more towards the economic development, social development and environmental protection for future generations.
The UN-level Sustainable Development Goals 2030 address the global challenges, including poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace, and justice.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030
The Sustainable Development Goals list (SDGs) or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked global goals, designed to be a "blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. The SDGs were set up in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly (UN-GA) and are intended to be achieved by the year 2030. They are included in a UN-GA Resolution called the 2030 Agenda or what is colloquially known as Agenda 2030. The SDGs were developed in the Post-2015 Development Agenda as the future global development framework to succeed the Millennium Development Goals which ended in 2015.
Sustainable Development Goals list
The 17 sustainable development goals list (SDGs) Set by UNGA to transform the world are:
- GOAL 1: No Poverty
- GOAL 2: Zero Hunger
- GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being
- GOAL 4: Quality Education
- GOAL 5: Gender Equality
- GOAL 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
- GOAL 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
- GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
- GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality
- GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
- GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
- GOAL 13: Climate Action
- GOAL 14: Life Below Water
- GOAL 15: Life on Land
- GOAL 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions
- GOAL 17: Partnerships to Achieve the Goal
The campaign launch took place on 25 September 2019, on the sidelines of the SDG Summit at UN headquarters in New York, US. Project Everyone Co-Founder, Richard Curtis, explained that the world has made “nowhere near enough” progress to deliver on the promises made in 2015, in his remarks at the launch. He stressed the need for campaigns such as the Business Avengers to re-energize action “to fight poverty, inequality and the climate crisis.”
The campaign brings together 17 companies, each chosen to represent one of the 17 SDGs, to promote the ‘Decade of Delivery’ between 2020 and 2030, the deadline for achieving the SDGs. Each company will communicate the overall importance of the Goals, the opportunities the Goals represent and their efforts to help achieve them. The Business Avengers include: Arm, Avanti, the Coca-Cola Company, Commvault, Diageo, Google.org, Mars, Mastercard, Microsoft, Nike, rb, SAP, salesforce, salesforce.org and Unilever. Together, these companies represent over USD500 billion in revenue and have 900,000 employees.
The campaign website shares tools and actions for companies to use in engaging their organization and employees in raising awareness on the SDGs. A letter from SDG leaders to businesses outlines five things that companies can do to advance the SDGs, from assessing the company’s impact against the SDGs and identifying related opportunities and risks across the company’s entire value chain, to sharing company goals to contribute to the SDGs with shareholders and other stakeholders.
The website describes why the Goals matter to everyone, and highlights the importance of the SDGs for businesses’ future success around the world.
In a press release about joining the Business Avengers campaign, Diageo expressed its support for 2020 “as a year of activism to help shift the world onto a path to deliver the Goals by 2030.” The company reported that its 2020 Sustainability and Responsibility targets provided a framework to measure and track its progress and ensure it is actively contributing to achieving the SDGs. Diageo emphasizes that “one of the best ways we can contribute to communities is by engaging others” to become advocates for causes important to them and their stakeholders, and calls for increased collaboration to help shift the world onto a path to deliver the SDGs by 2030.
How to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals 2030?
Six interdependent capacities are deemed to be necessary for the successful pursuit of sustainable development. These are the capacities to measure progress towards sustainable development; promote equity within and between generations; adapt to shocks and surprises; transform the system onto more sustainable development pathways; link knowledge with action for sustainability; and to devise governance arrangements that allow people to work together in the exercising of the other capacities.
Since natural resources are derived from the environment, the state of air, water, and the climate is of particular concern. The IPCC Fifth Assessment Report outlines current knowledge about scientific, technical and socio-economic information concerning climate change, and lists options for adaptation and mitigation. Environmental sustainability requires society to design activities to meet human needs while preserving the life support systems of the planet. This entails using water sustainably, using renewable energy and sustainable material supplies (e.g. harvesting wood from forests at a rate that maintains the biomass and biodiversity).
