As the world population increases, it is becoming increasingly important to develop more sustainable methods of food production.
Without the ability to feed everyone, there will be numerous social and political consequences, including civil unrest, crime, depopulation and even starvation.
There are three main problems with growing food today.
First, current farming techniques rely heavily on fossil fuels, including the use of tractors and other machines, which consume large amounts of oil that we are depleting at an alarming rate.
Second, the increase of the human population has increased the demand for food.
Finally, the land we use to grow food is becoming increasingly unproductive, as we have over farmed the land.
Achieving Sustainable Development
Sustainable development means that we use our natural resources in such a way that future generations have the same potential to benefit from them.
That means we have to think about climate change, and how we deal with it. There are many reasons why we should act now, rather than waiting for more information.
Sustainable development is the process of meeting our present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
This poses the question: For us to meet our present needs, what do we need to do for future generations? In other words, what do we want the next generation to have?
Reasons to Keep Pushing on the Sustainable Development Goals
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by all United Nations member states in September 2015, following the Millennium Development Goals.
The SDGs are a list of 17 specific goals that all UN member states are supposed to focus on in order to reduce poverty and inequality, and improve lives, in the years to come.
The goals range from ending extreme poverty to reducing the impact of climate change, and they all rely on the concerted action of many nations to make them a reality.
Growing support for valuing ecosystems will help conserve the planet
In order to avoid a climate catastrophe, the world needs to drastically reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. In order to do that, we’ll need to protect ecosystems. Yet, at the same time, we need to destroy ecosystems in order to keep our growing population fed.
If we don’t change our environmental policies soon, we may lose the ability to protect habitat. A transition towards a low carbon economy is an important step to protect the environment.
Expecting that the public will see the value in changing our lifestyles in order to reduce our carbon footprint is starting to be proven false.
Although people may be willing to change their personal habits , they are not willing to change the governmental policies that will create the necessary change.
When you think about how we interact with nature, we often focus on the big things. We see pictures of large animals such as elephants, whales and rhinos on conservation posters, and think about how we can protect their habitats to help them thrive. But there are countless other species whose fates are also intimately linked with the health of the ecosystems in which they live.
In fact, according to the United Nations, about 99 percent of all species on Earth are completely unknown to us. These species, known as the microfauna, include bacteria, fungi, insects and tiny invertebrates such as snails and worms.
Net-zero carbon pledges must be meaningful to avert climate disaster
In 2018, a coalition of US states, cities, and companies announced plans to cut their greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2050 at the latest.
“Net zero” means that any greenhouse gas emissions would be balanced by an equivalent amount of emissions cuts.
It’s a lofty goal, but one that’s not impossible—at least, not if we start now. It’s important to note there is no single definition of net-zero. Some people have the impression that it means no carbon emissions at all, but that’s not the case.
The UN Secretary General has urged countries to step up their efforts to reduce their climate-harming carbon emissions to zero, with a new report showing just 17 countries are on track to meet the emissions-cutting goals they set for 2025.
Although the report showed the number of countries with strong policies to reduce emissions had increased, policy commitments must be strengthened and accelerated to avoid the most devastating effects of climate change.
The scale of the required low-carbon transition is unprecedented
Although a number of countries have adopted policies to reduce carbon emissions, the scale of the required low-carbon transition is unprecedented.
According to the International Energy Agency, it will require $53 trillion in investment in clean technology by 2035. What will happen if there is no sustainable development? The world will need to continue to depend on fossil fuels, which would continue catastrophic climate change.
Of course, this is not to say that the world is right to be concerned about the low-carbon transition. On the contrary, the scale of the required low-carbon transition is unprecedented.
If we don’t make the changes required, there will be devastating effects, including the collapse of the economy and the breakdown of society.
The good news is that the tools to make this low-carbon transition are at hand, and the technologies we need are already in production.
The issue is not a lack of technology, but rather a lack of political will and a lack of funding.
Get the Sustainable Development Goals back on track
Why is the world so slow to embrace sustainable development? As the wheel of time gradually rolls by, the need to change and reform the present economic, social and political systems and institutions becomes even more apparent.
It is imperative to address the gap between the developed and developing countries.
If we do not get the Sustainable Development Goals back on track the world will face an irreversible damage to people and it will only be possible to deal with the consequences of this damage.
Since the end of the 2015 there have been many initiatives made in order to try to create a better future but many of them have failed because of the major gaps that exist in our society.
The main goal of achieving the sustainable development goals could be achieved if it was not for the major gaps and the conflict in politics, ethnicity and religion, trade and competition, global security and financial markets. All of these are the major gaps that are affecting the world.
Last Words
We always hear the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs that we must achieve to reach our destination of sustainable development. The Sustainable Development Goals are a combination of 17 goals that every country should work to achieve. The Sustainable Development Goals include the eradication of poverty, hunger and unequal access to education and healthcare.
