Thursday, October 16, 2:00 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. EST
Presenters:
Moderator: Christine Casson, Assistant Professor, Writing, Literature & Publishing
Description:
This course (PL 250) is designed to provide students with an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of sustainable development and the intricate interaction between politics, economics, global institutions, and the pursuit of sustainable development goals. It describes the challenges of the world economy and the Earth's physical environment to address issues of environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive development.
Little Building, Room 226
Sustainable Development Goal 2: Waste less food and support local farmers
Sustainable Development Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
Sustainable Development Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
Sustainable Development Goal 5: Empower women and girls and ensure their equal rights.
Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries.
Sustainable Development Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserving and sustainably using the oceans, seas and marine resources.
Sustainable Development Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Sustainable Development Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
The United Nations explains the purpose of this goal is " creating a world free of hunger by 2030. In 2020, between 720 million and 811 million persons worldwide were suffering from hunger, roughly 161 million more than in 2019. Also in 2020, a staggering 2.4 billion people, or above 30 per cent of the world’s population, were moderately or severely food-insecure, lacking regular access to adequate food. The figure increased by nearly 320 million people in just one year. Globally, 149.2 million children under 5 years of age, or 22.0 per cent, were suffering from stunting (low height for their age) in 2020, a decrease from 24.4 per cent in 2015."
The United Nations describes the importance of this goal stating "Ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being at all ages is essential to sustainable development. Urgent and concerted action is needed to set the world back on a trajectory towards achieving Goal 3."
The United Nations explains the purpose of this goal, stating "Providing quality education for all is fundamental to creating a peaceful and prosperous world. Education gives people the knowledge and skills they need to stay healthy, get jobs and foster tolerance. It is estimated that 147 million children missed more than half of their in-class instruction over the past two years. This generation of children could lose a combined total of $17 trillion in lifetime earnings in present value."
The United Nations states: "Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. There has been progress over the last decades, but the world is not on track to achieve gender equality by 2030. [...] Political leadership, investments and comprehensive policy reforms are needed to dismantle systemic barriers to achieving Goal 5 Gender equality is a cross-cutting objective and must be a key focus of national policies, budgets and institutions."
The United Nations created this goal to address inequalities existing in the world, explaining "Reducing inequalities and ensuring no one is left behind are integral to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Inequality within and among countries is a persistent cause for concern. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic appear to be reversing any positive trends of narrowing income inequality. The pandemic has also intensified structural and systemic discrimination. Emerging markets and developing economies are experiencing slow recoveries, widening disparities in income between countries. The number of refugees and migrant deaths worldwide reached the highest absolute number on record in 2021."
The United Nations highlights the importance of this goal, stating "The global temperature has already risen 1.1ºC above the pre-industrial level, with glaciers melting and the sea level rising. Impacts of climate change also includes flooding and drought, displacing millions of people, sinking them into poverty and hunger, denying them access to basic services, such as health and education, expanding inequalities, stifling economic growth and even causing conflict. By 2030, an estimated 700 million people will be at risk of displacement by drought alone."
The United Nations describes the purpose of this goal is "conserving and sustainably using the oceans, seas and marine resources. Healthy oceans and seas are essential to human existence and life on Earth. [...] Careful management of this essential global resource is a key feature of a sustainable future. This includes increasing funding for ocean science, intensifying conservation efforts, and urgently turning the tide on climate change to safeguard the planet’s largest ecosystem. Current efforts to protect are not yet meeting the urgent need to safeguard this vast, yet fragile, resource."
The United Nations describes this goal as "conserving life on land. It is to protect and restore terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and stop biodiversity loss. Healthy ecosystems and the biological diversity they support are a source of food, water, medicine, shelter and other material goods. They also provide ecosystem services – the cleaning of air and water – which sustain life and increase resiliency in the face of mounting pressures."
The United Nations explains the purpose of this goal is "promoting peaceful and inclusive societies, providing access to justice for all and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. People everywhere should be free of fear from all forms of violence and feel safe as they go about their lives whatever their ethnicity, faith or sexual orientation. High levels of armed violence and insecurity have a destructive impact on a country’s development. Sexual violence, crime, exploitation and torture are prevalent where there is conflict or no rule of law. Governments, civil society and communities need to work together to find lasting solutions to conflict and insecurity. Strengthening the rule of law and promoting human rights is key to this process, as is reducing the flow of illicit arms, combating corruption, and ensuring inclusive participation at all times."