I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want to do next, as regular readers may have noticed. I am and want to keep working for companies or organisations that leave a positive mark on the world, but as an old man I mentioned in a previous post pointed out, there’s more to that than just Climate Change. The easiest way to categorise what more means, is with SDGs, so while I’m doing more research into themI figured I’d do a quick explainer here.

In 2015 the United Nation adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), an agenda for a better and more sustainable global future. It is as dramatic as it sounds, but also very real. This article should serve as a beginner's guide to what SDGs are.

What are the SDGs?

The SDGs are a set of 17 interconnected goals designed to address the biggest and most pressing issues. They are intended to be a call to action for countries and global organisations to work together to achieve a more sustainable and equitable world by 2030.

The 17 SDGs are:

1. No Poverty: End poverty in all its forms. Everywhere.
2. Zero Hunger: End world hunger. Achieve food security, improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture across the world.
3. Good Health and Well-being: Ensure people of all ages all over the world live healthy lives and promote well-being for all ages.
4. Quality Education: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
5. Gender Equality: Achieve gender equality.
6. Clean Water and Sanitation: Ensure available and sustainable management of water and sanitation across the globe.
7. Affordable and Clean Energy: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for every person.
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth: Promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all.
9. Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, and foster innovation.
10. Reduced Inequality: Reduce inequality within and among countries.
11. Sustainable Cities and Communities: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
12. Responsible Consumption and Production: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.
13. Climate Action: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
14. Life Below Water: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development.
15. Life on Land: Protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
16. Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels.
17. Partnerships for the Goals: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development.

Why Are the SDGs Important?

All of the SDGs, all of the world’s most pressing problems, are bigger than single countries. They don’t pay attention to borders, they affect people globally. These problems are massive, and complex. To such  an extent that action even on the scale of an individual country, is likely to be insufficient, and more likely than not, counterproductive.

The SDGs work as a way to bring focus and create common goals for global entities to coordinate action, maximise impact, and share knowledge in the name of something more than just a single country. You’ll notice for example ‘meer’ climate action is 13th on the list.  

Achieving the SDGs will result in a world that is more equitable, just, and sustainable. In theory. 

Getting Involved

Like when I wrote about what you can do for Climate Change, I think a 101 should include ‘what you can do to contribute’ to SDGs. However, these suggestions are very generic. The problems the SDGs address are so big and complex that you can address each of them in hundreds of ways. But that said, you don't have to be a world leader to contribute (though it would help if you are one). Individuals, businesses, governments, and organisations can get involved too by …

• Learning and advocating. Educating yourself and others about the SDGs and then advocating and working for their  implementation is probably the easiest thing to do.
• Take Action. The SDGs are about sustainable and equitable living. You can make choices in your daily life, such as reducing waste, conserving energy, and supporting ethical businesses to contribute to this. .
• Support Organisations. Donations, volunteering, or actually paid work with the right organisations that work  towards the SDGs is maybe one of the most effective ways to contribute.
• Hold Leaders Accountable. Like most big issues you can encourage governments and businesses to prioritise the SDGs and hold them accountable for their commitments by reaching out, sending emails, creating targeted tiktoks, etc.

Conclusion

The Sustainable Development Goals are a roadmap for solving some of the biggest problems we face as a species. Understanding and supporting these goals means stepping toward positive change on a global scale. Like anything else progress starts with education and awareness, but there are so many issues, and they’re so big and complex, that ‘what you can do to help’ could, and does, take thousands of pages to explain. I’m not going to do that here.