GENEVA Given the world’s failure to eradicate poverty and hunger by 2015, governments and development specialists are seeking a new continuum with a greater emphasis on sustainability. According to a 23 May Geneva Environment Network roundtable, the new Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, should fully integrate environmental concerns since health, food security and other crucial issues are all linked.
“The scalability and success of these goals remain to be seen,†noted Hans Herren of the Millennium Institute. Much will depend on longer-term thinking and whether the world is willing to develop more efficient “green economiesâ€, including effective use of tools to design more sustainable strategies. “The vehicle is almost ready, but there has to be greater emphasis on using this toolbox for when things break down,†he said.
Participants, who included both government and environmental representatives, maintained that “time is running out†as more irregularities emerge in weather patterns and heat levels. Change can only happen with broader mainstream appeal combined with more integrated approaches and a renewal of national commitments. UNEP’s Sheng Fulai argued that the green economy is the only effective vehicle for moving forward, but needs four wheels: clean technology, natural capital, human resources and social institutions.The public, too, must become more aware with the media playing a critical role. For IUCN’s Connie Martinez, grassroots movements are “popping upâ€, but their voices need to be heard.
