17 SDGs: Important & Sustainable Development Goals -

Key Points:

There are 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
These goals were adopted in 2015 by the United Nations as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
These goals aim to make this planet a better place for the people and the generations to come.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

In 2015, the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs. The reason behind the creation of these goals was peace and prosperity in the world while also addressing climate change and its progression. They aim to make this planet a better place for the people and the generations to come. Now we explain each of these 17 goals in detail:

SDG 1: No Poverty

According to a 2022 report, almost 724 million people live in extreme poverty. They fail to fulfil their basic needs of food, clean water, education, and shelter. Poverty is not only a problem for third-world countries but according to the same report, there are almost 30 million children in developed countries that are growing up poor. The eradication of poverty is not easy and would require a joint effort from governments around the world to create more jobs and social services.

SDG 2: Zero Hunger

Hunger is the biggest barrier to progress and development as malnourished people will be more prone to diseases and will be less productive and prone to progress. Around 735 million in the world are facing chronic hunger and feeding them would take serious measures and rectification in the world’s food chain and agriculture system. As of now, it is estimated that around 2 billion more people will call this planet their home by 2050. Therefore, it is important now more than ever to bring institutional changes.

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being

The human civilization has made great progress in the field of health and well-being in the last decade. However, there exists a profound inequality in health care around the world. Third-world countries are far behind in eradicating and treating common diseases that are nowhere to be seen in progressed countries. By 2030, the Sustainable Development Goals are committed to eradicating AIDS, malaria, Tuberculosis and other communicable diseases. For this, there is a need for a global movement that will focus on the shortcomings in the global health systems.

SDG 4: Quality Education

Education is the right of every human on this planet. Unfortunately, being right does not mean that everyone receives equal or any sort of education. There is a great disparity between countries, cities, and even towns when it comes to education. Therefore, it is one of the goals of the SDGs. It aims to make quality education available to every child globally. Basic primary and secondary will help children and their parents to progressively understand and help in achieving the SDGs.

SDG 5: Gender Equality

In labour, women earn 23% less than men irrespective of their education and experience. Women make up half of the world’s population and yet there is a disparity in wages that they earn. Gender equality includes equal opportunities in workplaces, equal distribution of households, and equal admiration of experience and competency. Gender equality is important for a sustainable world that is on its way to prosperity.

SDG 6: Clean Water and Sustainability

Access to clean water, hygiene items, and sanitation is a human right. Unfortunately, not everyone in the world gets to experience them in their life. The scarcity of water leads to unthinkable problems in society. Lack of hygiene and sanitary items leads to many diseases in children, women, and men that lead to death. Therefore, working towards the supply of clean water and sanitary items to humans around the globe might be a way to ensure the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

World leaders are in a race to become bigger and bigger and for that, they need to access the planet’s resources. This will leave this planet dry and without any natural energy resources. This is why it is of utmost importance that the government of the world work towards affordable and clean energy and make it available for people around the world to use. Only then will the world truly move towards sustainability.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

We have talked about gender inequality and disparity in education around the world. These two and corruption in workplaces and hierarchy are the reasons that the people are suffering. Newly graduated people are struggling to get a job and the ones keeping a job are miserably underpaid. This leads to grossly stunted economic growth and people looking for indecent work and unsatisfying work to make ends meet. It is the job of the government to provide decent work to its citizens so they can contribute to economic growth.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

Since Covid hit, the progress in industry, innovation, and infrastructure has not been the same. It will take even more time to return to normal or surpass its former glory. The one thing that has maintained itself is that the contributions of manufacturing in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) remain low and inconsistent. This means that part of the world is not contributing to the civilization. It is therefore important that the world government invest in LDCs and help them manage their carbon emissions efficiently.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

By 2030, the SDG vows to reduce inequality and discrimination based on gender, race, culture, and religion. After Covid, the disparity between countries and races has grown even bigger. Unfortunately, it will take a little more than just time to reduce these inequalities. Bringing everyone together will be in the favor of the world and its humility.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

The rapid growth of cities and urbanization is not sustainable for the future. More than admissible people are living in buildings not built to withhold them, nutritious food, clean water, and hygiene are atrociously looked over. This is because people cannot afford better nor do they want to live in rural areas. Therefore Governments must ensure that the newly developing cities and communities are sustainable and can safely house citizens.

SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

To fulfil the demands of the world and stay ahead in the game, manufacturing companies are producing more than needed products, This means increased use of energy and materials, and consequently, more waste. All the while, new styles and inventions are coming to the market which makes the older product redundant. If the production line continues this way, we will not have any place to keep the waste products.

SDG 13: Climate Action

The world has no time to think about making changes for climate action because we are far beyond that point. We need to work on our sustainability development goals today if we want to keep living on this planet. Our practices have made the temperatures rise resulting in a wave of warming throughout the globe.

SDG 14: Life Below Water

Life below water is under threat because of our deeds. The rising temperatures in the oceans are killing marine life and disturbing the normal ecosystems under the water. The pH of the oceans is 8.1 on average. This is 30% more than what it was before the industrial revolution. Changes in pH are not welcomed well by the creatures in any form of life. Much of our rubbish is also thrown in the ocean to put it out of site. The world should work together to make oceans a safe place for marine animals where they do not die because of changing temperatures and asphyxiation from the of waste material.

SDG 15: Life on Land

This SDG refers to the sustainable and protective use of ecosystems on the land to preserve what is left. Due to commercialization and urbanization, global forest coverage has decreased by 31%. This means lower oxygen levels and higher carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. This also means an increased greenhouse effect. It is in favor of us all if we plant more trees and conserve the land that we live in.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

The world seems to be moving towards a big-scale nuclear war. In the thirst of expanding territories, many leaders are leading their troops in wars from where they might never return. The Sustainable Development Goals are set in place to make this world peaceful and prosperous and a part of this nuclear warheads must be secured and a world recognition of peace should be in place.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Lastly, these goals cannot be achieved by a single country or a government in the given time. If we need to fulfill our goals by 2030, the citizens of the world must come together and work hand in hand for each of the Sustainable Development Goals. For this, it is important more and more people familiarize themselves with these goals and spread the word as far and wide as they can.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Sustainable Development Goals are 17 goals that promise a better, progressive, and prosperous world by 2030 if worked towards rigorously. These goals are also designed to help us decrease global warming. For this world leaders should come together and talk about these SDGs openly. They will take time as they are set on a global stage but they are not achievable. Therefore, we must work together and we must work now to fulfil these goals.

17 SDGs: Important & Sustainable Development Goals