The impacts of inequality on sustainable development are many, and they are often negative. Inequality has been linked to a host of issues, from environmental degradation to the spread of dangerous diseases.
Economic inequality, for instance, can lead to environmental inequality, where those with money choose to live in areas with cleaner air and water, while those without must live in areas that have been polluted by industrial waste.
One important factor in sustainable development is ensuring that all people have the same access to services, and that all have a stake in how the environment is managed.
This is particularly important in terms of the environment, where the poorest communities are often the most vulnerable to environmental degradation, but it extends to other areas, such as access to education and health care.
The problem with inequality is that while it is an important issue that needs to be addressed, the impacts of inequality are often more nuanced than most people believe. The impact of poverty, for example, on sustainable development is clear.
While poverty doesn’t cause all of the problems that affect sustainable development, it does have a significant impact on many areas where sustainable development is important.
The same is true for the impact of inequality. While it is an important issue that needs to be addressed, the impacts of inequality are often more nuanced than most people believe.
Inequality and the Sustainable Development Goals
With the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) soon to be formally adopted by the UN, it’s important to consider the role that inequality plays within the context of the global environment.
While the SDGs’ aim to “end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all” are broad, a key aspect of achieving these goals is addressing the problem of inequality.
In the face of growing global demand for food, water, and energy, the world’s poorest countries are struggling to keep up.
In a world where over 500 million people lack access to clean water and 2.1 billion live without adequate sanitation, the SDGs promise to bring hope of a brighter future.
According to the the Organization for Cooperation and Development (OECD), “The difference between the richest and the poorest 10 percent of the population is 24 to 1.
This is actually an improvement from 2001, when the ratio was 30 to 1. In the United States, inequality is even worse. The wealthiest 10 percent earn about six times as much as the poorest 10 percent. “
Inequality is one of the defining features of our time.
The two most commonly cited measures of inequality, the Gini coefficient and the Palma ratio (the ratio of the share of the richest 10% to the poorest 40%), are both at or near record highs in the US and around the world.
In addition to being morally wrong, extreme inequality can be a drag on an economy, as the wealthy don’t spend as much of their income as the poor do.
Key references: Inequality
Inequality has been an ongoing theme in the United Nations since its inception in 1945. With the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals, the United Nations has promised to deliver by 2030 a world free from poverty, where everyone has the right to live in a safe and healthful environment, to enjoy a good education and access to information, and to have a decent job and decent living standards.
There is no doubt that the SDGs are a noble promise, but they will only be achieved if we tackle inequality head-on.
Inequality is present in society in many forms. For example, some people earn more than others, some people have more freedom than others, some people are smarter than others, some people have stronger personalities than others, and so on.
However, inequality in the context of this article refers to the inequality of access to energy resources. Energy is vital to sustain life and so it is also vital to end oppression.
However, this is not the case. In many places of the world, especially in developing countries, energy is not accessible to many people. Energy poverty leads to many negative effects on human health such as increased infant mortality.
Energy poverty leads to higher disease rates, lower educational attainment, higher unemployment rates, and lower economic growth.
The 2030 agenda can help reduce inequality
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the most all-encompassing global goals we’ve ever had. The SDGs are a global call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
One of the most important goals is SDG 10, which is to reduce inequality within and among countries. It’s a bit of a mouthful, but essentially it calls for countries to reduce income inequality.
Since it was launched in September 2015, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has been hailed as a transformative moment in human history.
Championed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as “a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity,” the agenda includes a broad range of goals and targets across a range of areas, from ending poverty to improving peace and health. ( It is intended to provide a framework for humanity to achieve a more prosperous and sustainable world by 2030.)
Last Words
We can blame inequality on many things: capitalism, globalization, the rich getting richer. But the truth is that income inequality is a reflection of the fact that there are more people who want and need to consume even more than there are resources to support that level of consumption. We can either live within the limits of the planet or we can try to maintain our high levels of consumption. But we can’t do both. And as long as we choose to live beyond our means, we will have to face the consequences of inequality.
