Sustainable Development: The UN Goals
- Meera Naveen
- Mar 24, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 24, 2024
You've probably heard of the United Nations's 17 sustainable development goals.
But what exactly are they?
As seen above, they are . . .
No Poverty
Zero Hunger
Good Health & Well-Being
Quality Education
Gender Equality
Clean Water and Sanitation
Affordable and Clean Energy
Decent Work and Economic Growth
(Resilient and Sustainable) Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
Reduced Inequalities
Sustainable Cities and Communities
Responsible Consumption and Production
Climate Action
(Conserve) Life Below Water
(Conserve) Life on Land
Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
Partnership for the Goals
What do you notice about these goals?
Some of them don't seem to do with sustainability, like health, education, economic growth, reduced inequality, and peace/justice.
So why are they under the 'sustainable development' goals?
Truth be told, this is what I had been wondering.
But when we redefine what "sustainable" means, it would make more sense.
Usually, when we think about this word, we think of not wasting Earth's resources, like coal, to create energy and instead using alternative, renewable resources. We think of recycling and reusing.
But what is the purpose of doing these activities? It's to build a resilient, enduring community, and a healthy, long-lasting planet.
And that's where health, education, etc., come into play. Keeping humans, plants and animals healthy with better treatment can increase life expectancy and in turn promote happiness, a sense of togetherness and endurance as a whole.
Educating the people can keep them informed, helping and preparing them to act for what is right; better education = more positive, sustainable change for the world.
Reducing inequalities can really help people break down barriers and learn to love each other. Anyways, if we want a sustainable future for all, we first have to know how to accept and embrace each other for who we are.
So, as you can see, all these goals, even those that don't seem connected to specifically the environment or climate change, are interconnected in some way.
Adopting at least five of these goals as guidelines for life or as purposes/causes to help promote/solve is the first step to creating a dream, sustainable future with a healthy, enduring community and Earth.
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