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Sustainable Development

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Words: 889 |

Published: Oct 22, 2018

Words: 889 | Pages: 2 | 5 min read

Works Cited

  • United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Retrieved from https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda
  • United Nations Development Programme. (2021). Sustainable Development Goals. Retrieved from https://www.undp.org/sustainable-development-goals
  • World Commission on Environment and Development. (1987). Our Common Future (Brundtland Report). Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/5987our-common-future.pdf
  • Speth, J. G. (2008). The bridge at the edge of the world: Capitalism, the environment, and crossing from crisis to sustainability. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
  • Sachs, J. D. (2015). The age of sustainable development. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.
  • Steffen, W., et al. (2015). Planetary boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet. Science, 347(6223), 1259855.
  • Rockström, J., et al. (2009). Planetary boundaries: Exploring the safe operating space for humanity. Ecology and Society, 14(2), 32.
  • Greenpeace. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.greenpeace.org/
  • Sierra Club. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.sierraclub.org/
  • UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment. (n.d.). UAE Green Growth Strategy. Retrieved from https://www.moccae.gov.ae/en/our-initiatives/sustainable-development/UAE-Green-Growth-Strategy

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essay on sustainable development in 250 words

Sustainable Development Essay

500+ words essay on sustainable development.

Sustainable development is a central concept. It is a way of understanding the world and a method for solving global problems. The world population continues to rise rapidly. This increasing population needs basic essential things for their survival such as food, safe water, health care and shelter. This is where the concept of sustainable development comes into play. Sustainable development means meeting the needs of people without compromising the ability of future generations. In this essay on sustainable development, students will understand what sustainable development means and how we can practise sustainable development. Students can also access the list of CBSE essay topics to practise more essays.

What Does Sustainable Development Means?

The term “Sustainable Development” is defined as the development that meets the needs of the present generation without excessive use or abuse of natural resources so that they can be preserved for the next generation. There are three aims of sustainable development; first, the “Economic” which will help to attain balanced growth, second, the “Environment”, to preserve the ecosystem, and third, “Society” which will guarantee equal access to resources to all human beings. The key principle of sustainable development is the integration of environmental, social, and economic concerns into all aspects of decision-making.

Need for Sustainable Development?

There are several challenges that need attention in the arena of economic development and environmental depletion. Hence the idea of sustainable development is essential to address these issues. The need for sustainable development arises to curb or prevent environmental degradation. It will check the overexploitation and wastage of natural resources. It will help in finding alternative sources to regenerate renewable energy resources. It ensures a safer human life and a safer future for the next generation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need to keep sustainable development at the very core of any development strategy. The pandemic has challenged the health infrastructure, adversely impacted livelihoods and exacerbated the inequality in the food and nutritional availability in the country. The immediate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic enabled the country to focus on sustainable development. In these difficult times, several reform measures have been taken by the Government. The State Governments also responded with several measures to support those affected by the pandemic through various initiatives and reliefs to fight against this pandemic.

How to Practise Sustainable Development?

The concept of sustainable development was born to address the growing and changing environmental challenges that our planet is facing. In order to do this, awareness must be spread among the people with the help of many campaigns and social activities. People can adopt a sustainable lifestyle by taking care of a few things such as switching off the lights when not in use; thus, they save electricity. People must use public transport as it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. They should save water and not waste food. They build a habit of using eco-friendly products. They should minimise waste generation by adapting to the principle of the 4 R’s which stands for refuse, reduce, reuse and recycle.

The concept of sustainable development must be included in the education system so that students get aware of it and start practising a sustainable lifestyle. With the help of empowered youth and local communities, many educational institutions should be opened to educate people about sustainable development. Thus, adapting to a sustainable lifestyle will help to save our Earth for future generations. Moreover, the Government of India has taken a number of initiatives on both mitigation and adaptation strategies with an emphasis on clean and efficient energy systems; resilient urban infrastructure; water conservation & preservation; safe, smart & sustainable green transportation networks; planned afforestation etc. The Government has also supported various sectors such as agriculture, forestry, coastal and low-lying systems and disaster management.

Students must have found this essay on sustainable development useful for practising their essay writing skills. They can get the study material and the latest updates on CBSE/ICSE/State Board/Competitive Exams, at BYJU’S.

Frequently Asked Questions on Sustainable development Essay

Why is sustainable development a hot topic for discussion.

Environment change and constant usage of renewable energy have become a concern for all of us around the globe. Sustainable development must be inculcated in young adults so that they make the Earth a better place.

What will happen if we do not practise sustainable development?

Landfills with waste products will increase and thereby there will be no space and land for humans and other species/organisms to thrive on.

What are the advantages of sustainable development?

Sustainable development helps secure a proper lifestyle for future generations. It reduces various kinds of pollution on Earth and ensures economic growth and development.

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What Are the UN Sustainable Development Goals?

Students attend a lesson at a school in the Tillabéri region of Niger.

  • In 2015, the UN General Assembly adopted seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), an ambitious roadmap to eradicate poverty, reduce inequality, and protect the planet against climate change by 2030.
  • Halfway to the deadline, only 15 percent of SDGs are on track. In recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic, worsening climate crisis, and war in Ukraine have further impeded progress.
  • At the UN SDG Summit in 2023, governments committed to redoubling their efforts, including by pledging more ambitious targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but this will require an estimated $4 trillion in financing.

Introduction

In 2015, the seventieth UN General Assembly adopted an ambitious set of development goals for improving economic, environmental, and social conditions worldwide by 2030. The seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) succeed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as the United Nation’s chief initiative for advancing basic living standards and addressing a range of global issues, including gender inequality, climate change, and a lack of universal, quality education.

Accelerating climate change, major global conflicts, and the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have jeopardized SDG progress in recent years. At the midway point to the 2030 deadline, only 15 percent of the goals are on track, while more than three-quarters are stagnating or regressing. During the UN SDG Summit in 2023, dozens of governments pledged to accelerate action toward achieving the goals. But experts say more work—including mobilizing trillions of dollars more in public and private financing for sustainable development—is needed.

What are the Sustainable Development Goals?

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Also known as the 2030 Agenda, the SDGs are a set of seventeen overarching goals comprising 169 specific targets for reducing poverty and improving environmental sustainability. Conceived of at the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, the SDGs received the unanimous commitment of all 193 members of the United Nations and an array of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Today, the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs’ Division for Sustainable Development Goals acts as the secretariat for the SDGs.

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Then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the SDGs are organized around six essential elements : dignity, people, prosperity, the planet, justice, and partnerships. Many development experts have noted the ambitious sweep of the goals, which include:

  • ending poverty in all forms everywhere;
  • ending hunger;
  • achieving gender equality;
  • ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages; and
  • ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.

The SDGs build on the progress of the eight MDGs that launched in 2000 and expired in 2015. While the MDGs focused primarily on directing wealthy countries’ resources toward eradicating poverty and improving global health in poor countries, the SDGs are meant to apply equally to all countries and thus cover a broader swath of issues. Additionally, while the MDGs were drafted by a small team of technical experts at the UN headquarters, the SDGs were created over three years by an intergovernmental open working group that comprised representatives from seventy countries.

“The SDGs are a shift in the paradigm for international development,” said Sarah Hearn, an adjunct professor and fellow at New York University’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, after the goals were announced. “The MDGs were about resource transfer from rich countries. The SDGs are universal—they’re supposed to apply to all countries and try to overcome the ‘West lecturing the rest’ dynamic.”

How are they financed?

Funding for the SDGs comes from a vast array of public and private sources. These include national governments, the private sector, and international development banks, as well as the gains from international trade. In 2015, countries established a framework [PDF] for global financial practices aimed at generating more private investment in sustainable development.

Most SDG funding is mobilized through the Joint SDG Fund , the United Nations’ flagship global fund that issues grants for sustainable development projects. These include initiatives on vaccination, student scholarships, and expanded social protections. The fund’s capital comes from UN member states; international organizations, such as the International Monetary Fund ; the private sector; and philanthropic contributions. It has so far allocated $258 million [PDF] to 119 UN country teams and multicountry offices, and catalyzed more than $2 billion in additional outside investment. Country teams are overseen by UN-appointed “resident coordinators,” of whom twenty-seven are currently active globally. The coordinators also direct country-level funds. 

How are the SDGs measured and monitored?

Progress on the SDGs is monitored using a set of 231 indicators under the purview of the UN Statistical Commission. The UN Statistics Division (UNSD), in partnership with individual UN agencies, collects information provided by member countries and organizes it thematically in its database. This database includes basic demographics such as age, ethnicity, income, and race, as well as guidelines for  tracking progress [PDF] on each specific target. Some examples include the percentage of children whose height and weight are below average (to measure for child malnutrition) and the existence of legal frameworks protecting against sex discrimination (to gauge gender equality). Some countries also adopt specific national or regional indicators that measure SDG progress relevant to their unique concerns.

Ultimately, data collection is voluntary and countries are responsible for their own progress toward meeting the SDGs. The UNSD produces the annual progress reports that make cross-country comparisons, but countries are additionally encouraged to submit voluntary national reviews. These reviews are “ country-led and country-driven ”—with the United Nations providing some guidelines for conduct—and are meant to share successes, challenges, and next steps. Since the process began in 2016, only five countries—the United States, Haiti, Myanmar, South Sudan, and Yemen—have yet to conduct and present a voluntary national review. 

What progress has been made toward meeting them?

At the midway point to the 2030 deadline, UN officials say the SDGs are “woefully off-track,” with only 15 percent of the goals expected to be achieved. (Other estimates suggest a slightly higher figure .) According to a UN review [PDF] of thirty-six targets with sufficient data for analysis, only two were on track to be completed by 2030: increased access to mobile networks and increased internet usage. Fourteen targets showed “fair” progress, meaning they are attainable if global efforts ramp up. Twelve showed limited or no progress, including those on ending poverty and conserving ecosystems, and eight were evaluated as still deteriorating, including the target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Finland ranks first on the SDG Index —which compares countries on their overall progress toward achieving all seventeen goals—followed by Sweden and Denmark. These three countries have all achieved or are on track to achieve the following SDG goals: ending poverty, promoting gender equality, building affordable and clean energy, ensuring quality education, and reducing inequality. France and Germany, meanwhile, rank sixth and fourth on the index, respectively, with none of the goals completed or on track to completion. The United States and China—the world’s two largest economies—rank thirty-ninth and sixty-third, respectively, though the United States has not fully achieved any goals, while China is on track to eliminate poverty and provide universal quality education. 

But the index does not tell the whole story , some experts say, because there is so much variation among the targets. Wealthier countries, many of which can easily achieve or have already achieved social development goals, score high on SDG rankings even if they are consuming natural resources at an unsustainable pace. This is because there are more goals addressing development than there are on ecological sustainability. Sweden, for example, ranks second on the index but has one of the largest consumption footprints in the world, at almost triple the global average. It also scores poorly (139th) on “ spillovers ,” or areas that negatively affect other countries’ abilities to achieve the SDGs. 

In comparison, Cambodia ranks 103rd on the SDG Index but only 57th for spillovers. The country has made rapid progress [PDF] on eliminating extreme poverty over the past two decades, including by tripling funding for education. But Cambodia and other developing countries face major funding shortfalls in their efforts to further reduce disease-related mortality rates, improve clean water and sanitation, and find solutions to climate change .

What are the main critiques of the SDGs?

Development experts have raised several criticisms of the SDGs, calling them too broad, too numerous, and overly ambitious. “It is hard to imagine what the time-bound and quantified target is for harmony with nature,” New York University’s William Easterly wrote for Foreign Policy in 2015. “Unlike the MDGs, the SDGs are so encyclopedic that everything is top priority, which means nothing is a priority.” Some experts have instead called for a more focused approach, such as identifying and investing in a smaller selection of the most cost-effective targets . Proponents of the far-reaching global goals counter that they help to mobilize support and resources and that they galvanize leaders to act by creating peer pressure.

Other critics point out the lack of accountability inherent in voluntary programs such as the SDGs. Because the goals are not legally binding, there is little that the United Nations can do if a country chooses not to apply them. The United Nations itself notes the difficulties of this arrangement [PDF], calling it a “basic failure” of the program and highlighting a dearth of coordination between national and local governments and a global financial system that is not geared toward sustainability.

Financing is another major challenge. According to a 2023 UN report [PDF], there is currently an estimated $4.2 trillion gap between current development financing and SDG needs. Some experts claim that blended financing , which combines private sources with grants or public funding, could help close the gap. Others say that result would be unlikely , especially as overall global investment has fallen sharply amid rising debt and increased food and energy prices.

How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected SDG implementation?

Though progress toward the SDGs was already slow prior to 2020, the onset of the pandemic challenged decades of global development efforts, the United Nations reported [PDF]. Lockdowns, border closures, and trade disruptions upended basic services even as the pandemic unveiled the very disparities that the SDGs aim to tackle. “The pandemic put full focus on the SDGs because it brought home the need to care for the basic needs of people,” says Alice C. Hill, CFR’s senior fellow for energy and the environment.

The ensuing global recession meant that developing economies lost an estimated $220 billion in economic output, reducing their ability to invest in the SDGs. It also ballooned the financing gap in developing countries, which in 2020 increased by more than $2 trillion , while their debt burden hit a record $860 billion , a 12 percent rise compared to 2019. However, while the concurrent crises of the pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine have reversed some SDG progress, UN members have since reaffirmed their commitments to the SDGs.

What does the future hold?

Not achieving the SDGs could have significant consequences, experts warn. Already, the number of people living in extreme poverty is higher than it was four years ago , while global hunger has returned to levels not seen since 2005. And at current rates of change, gender equality is some three hundred years away.

Global leaders have put most of their focus on climate. Speaking at the quadrennial UN SDG Summit in September 2023—the second of its kind since the goals were adopted—UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that humanity has “ opened the gates of hell ” by failing to take strong action against climate change. Earth’s average temperature has now risen 1.1°C (1.98°F) above preindustrial levels, according to a 2023 assessment [PDF] by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the United Nations’ leading scientific body. The global temperature increase is contributing to more frequent weather extremes , including historic heat, wildfires, and storms.

Still, efforts continue. The UN member states in attendance at September’s SDG Summit adopted a declaration [PDF] committing to accelerating action so they can achieve the SDGs by the end of the decade. (The United States, China, and India, the world’s three biggest polluters, were not invited to speak.) The declaration also urged countries to scale up action to deliver on a UN initiative [PDF] that calls for an increase of at least $500 billion in sustainable development financing each year. Meanwhile, some conference participants, such as Brazil and Thailand, unveiled more ambitious emissions-reduction targets under the 2015 Paris Agreement , while others, such as Nepal, called for more climate adaptation financing for developing countries.

Recommended Resources

The Sustainable Development Report tracks countries’ progress toward achieving the SDGs.

This UN report [PDF] examines global implementation of the SDGs as of 2023.

At this CFR meeting, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield discusses the SDGs and how to avoid the cynicism trap .

CFR’s World101 library explains everything to know about climate change .

In this In Brief, CFR expert Linda Robinson unpacks the lack of global progress toward SDG 5, achieving gender equality.

This Backgrounder by Lindsay Maizland discusses the successes and failures of global climate agreements .

Danielle Renwick contributed to this Backgrounder. Will Merrow created the graphics.

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Sustainable Development Goals: 17 Goals to Transform our World​

  • Introduction

The Sustainable Development Goals are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere.

The Goals were adopted by all United Nations Member States in September 2015 as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which sets out a 15-year plan to achieve the Goals and their related targets. Never before had world leaders pledged common action across such a broad and universal policy agenda.

The 17 Goals are interconnected, apply to all countries, and need to be carried out by all stakeholders – governments, the private sector, civil society, the United Nations system and others – in a collaborative partnership.

This year marks the midpoint of SDG implementation. However, on its current course, the world may miss many Sustainable Development Goals targets by 2030. For the first time in decades, development progress has stalled and even reversed under the combined weight of climate disasters, conflict, economic downturn and the lingering aftermath of COVID-19. The SDG Summit, held on 18 to 19 September 2023 at the UN Headquarters in New York is a unique opportunity for the world to pivot from crisis to development and deliver the breakthroughs needed to achieve the Goals.

This exhibit illustrates the Sustainable Development Goals through photos from around the world, bringing to life what the 17 Goals mean for people on the planet.

This exhibit was produced by the UN Department of Global Communications.

essay on sustainable development in 250 words

End poverty in all its forms everywhere

In 2020, the number of people living in extreme poverty  (living on less than USD 2.15 a day) rose to 724 million. Those living in extreme poverty struggle to fulfill the most basic needs (health, education, access to water and sanitation).

Recovery from the pandemic has been slow and uneven, with extreme poverty dropping from 9.3 per cent in 2020 to 8.8 per cent in 2021. The conflict in Ukraine has disrupted global trade, leading to increased living costs that are disproportionately impacting the poor. Furthermore, climate change poses substantial threats to poverty reduction. 

By the end of 2022, nowcasting suggests that 8.4 per cent of the world’s population, or as many as 670 million people, could still be living in extreme poverty.

Poverty affects developed countries as well. Right now, 30 million children are growing up poor in the world's richest countries.

Eradicating poverty in all its forms remains one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. While the number of people living in extreme poverty dropped by more than half between 1990 and 2015 – from 1.9 billion to 731 million – too many are still struggling for the most basic human needs.

A surge in action and investment to enhance economic opportunities, improve education and extend social protection to all, particularly the most excluded, is crucial to delivering on the central commitment to end poverty and leave no one behind.

essay on sustainable development in 250 words

End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

In 2022, about 9.2 per cent of the world population was facing chronic hunger, equivalent to about 735 million people - 122 million more than in 2019. Hunger and malnutrition are barriers to sustainable development because hungry people are less productive, more prone to disease, and less able to improve their livelihoods.

To nourish today’s 735 million hungry people and the additional 2 billion people expected by 2050, a profound change of the global food and agriculture system is needed.

To achieve zero hunger by 2030, urgent coordinated action and policy solutions are imperative to address entrenched inequalities, transform food systems, invest in sustainable agricultural practices, and reduce and mitigate the impact of conflict and the pandemic on global nutrition and food security.

essay on sustainable development in 250 words

Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

Great strides have been made in improving people’s health in recent years. 146 out of 200 countries or areas have already met or are on track to meet the SDG target on under-5 mortality. Effective HIV treatment has cut global AIDS-related deaths by 52 per cent since 2010 and at least one neglected tropical disease has been eliminated in 47 countries.

However, inequalities in health care access still persist. The COVID-19 pandemic and other ongoing crises have impeded progress towards Goal 3. Childhood vaccinations have experienced the largest decline in three decades, and tuberculosis and malaria deaths have increased compared with pre-pandemic levels.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) make a bold commitment to end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other communicable diseases by 2030. The aim is to achieve universal health coverage, and provide access to safe and affordable medicines and vaccines for all.

To overcome these setbacks and address long-standing health care shortcomings, increased investment in health systems is needed to support countries in their recovery and build resilience against future health threats.

essay on sustainable development in 250 words

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

Progress towards quality education was already slower than required before the pandemic, but COVID-19 has had devastating impacts on education, causing learning losses in four out of five of the 104 countries studied.

Without additional measures, an estimated 84 million children and young people will stay out of school and approximately 300 million students will lack the basic numeracy and literacy skills necessary for success in life.

In addition to free primary and secondary schooling for all boys and girls by 2030, the aim is to provide equal access to affordable vocational training, eliminate gender and wealth disparities, and achieve universal access to quality higher education.

Education is the key that will allow many other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be achieved. When people are able to get quality education they can break from the cycle of poverty.

Education helps to reduce inequalities and to reach gender equality. It also empowers people everywhere to live more healthy and sustainable lives. Education is also crucial to fostering tolerance between people and contributes to more peaceful societies.

essay on sustainable development in 250 words

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Women and girls represent half of the world’s population and therefore also half of its potential. But gender inequality persists everywhere and stagnates social progress.

On average, women in the labor market still earn 23 percent less than men globally. On average, women spend about three times as many hours in unpaid domestic and care work as men.

Sexual violence and exploitation, the unequal division of unpaid care and domestic work, and discrimination in public office, all remain huge barriers. All these areas of inequality have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic: there has been a surge in reports of sexual violence, women have taken on more care work due to school closures, and 70% of health and social workers globally are women.

At the current rate, it will take an estimated 300 years to end child marriage, 286 years to close gaps in legal protection and remove discriminatory laws, 140 years for women to be represented equally in positions of power and leadership in the workplace, and 47 years to achieve equal representation in national parliaments.

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.

Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world.

A woman boxing

essay on sustainable development in 250 words

Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

Access to water, sanitation and hygiene is a human right. Yet billions are still faced with daily challenges accessing even the most basic of services.

Water scarcity is projected to increase with the rise of global temperatures as a result of climate change. In 2020, 2.4 billion people lived in water-stressed countries.

In 2022, 2.2 billion people still lacked safely managed drinking water, including 703 million without a basic water service; 3.5 billion people lacked safely managed sanitation, including 1.5 billion without basic sanitation services; and 2 billion lacked a basic handwashing facility, including 653 million with no handwashing facility at all.

There has been positive progress. Between 2015 and 2022, the proportion of the world's population with access to safely managed drinking water increased from 69 per cent to 73 per cent.

Investments in infrastructure and sanitation facilities; protection and restoration of water-related ecosystems; and hygiene education are among the steps necessary to ensure universal access to safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030.

But we are still not on track to reach Goal 6 by 2030. To get back on track, key strategies include increasing sector-wide investment and capacity-building, promoting innovation and evidence-based action, enhancing cross-sectoral coordination and cooperation among all stakeholders, and adopting a more integrated and holistic approach to water management.

essay on sustainable development in 250 words

Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

Our everyday life depends on reliable and affordable energy. And yet the consumption of energy is the dominant contributor to climate change, accounting for around 60 percent of total global greenhouse gas emissions.

From 2015 to 2021, the proportion of the global population with access to electricity has increased from 87 per cent to 91 per cent. In 2021, developing countries installed a record-breaking 268 watts per capita of renewable energy-generating capacity. And yet, in 2021 there were still 675 million people around the world with no access to electricity.

Ensuring universal access to affordable electricity by 2030 means investing in clean energy sources such as solar, wind and thermal. Expanding infrastructure and upgrading technology to provide clean energy in all developing countries is a crucial goal that can both encourage growth and help the environment.

To ensure access to energy for all by 2030, we must accelerate electrification, increase investments in renewable energy, improve energy efficiency and develop enabling policies and regulatory frameworks.

essay on sustainable development in 250 words

Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

Multiple crises are placing the global economy under serious threat. Global real GDP per capita growth is forecast to slow down in 2023 and with ever increasing challenging economic conditions, more workers are turning to informal employment.

Globally, labour productivity has increased and the unemployment rate has decreased. However, more progress is needed to increase employment opportunities, especially for young people, reduce informal employment and labour market inequality (particularly in terms of the gender pay gap), promote safe and secure working environments, and improve access to financial services to ensure sustained and inclusive economic growth.

The global unemployment rate declined significantly in 2022, falling to 5.4 per cent from a peak of 6.6 per cent in 2020 as economies began recovering from the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic. This rate was lower than the pre-pandemic level of 5.5 per cent in 2019.

A persistent lack of decent work opportunities, insufficient investments and under-consumption contribute to the erosion of the basic social contract: that all must share in progress. The creation of quality jobs remain a major challenge for almost all economies.

Achieving Goal 8 will require a wholesale reform of the financial system to tackle rising debts, economic uncertainty and trade tensions, while promoting equitable pay and decent work for young people.

essay on sustainable development in 250 words

Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

The manufacturing industry's recovery from COVID-19 is incomplete and uneven. Global manufacturing growth slowed down to 3.3 per cent in 2022, from 7.4 per cent in 2021.

The share of manufacturing in Least Developed Countries (LDCs) remains low, posing a serious challenge to the target of doubling industry’s share of GDP by 2030. However, medium-high and high-technology industries demonstrated robust growth rates.

As of 2022, 95 per cent of the world’s population was within reach of a mobile broadband network, but some areas remain underserved.

Investments in infrastructure – transport, irrigation, energy and information and communication technology – are crucial to achieving sustainable development and empowering communities in many countries.

To achieve Goal 9 by 2030, it is also essential to support LDCs, invest in advanced technologies, lower carbon emissions and increase mobile broadband access.

essay on sustainable development in 250 words

Reduce inequality within and among countries

Inequality threatens long-term social and economic development, harms poverty reduction and destroys people’s sense of fulfillment and self-worth.

The incomes of the poorest 40 per cent of the population had been growing faster than the national average in most countries. But emerging yet inconclusive evidence suggests that COVID-19 may have put a dent in this positive trend of falling within-country inequality.

The pandemic has caused the largest rise in between-country inequality in three decades.

Reducing both within- and between-country inequality requires equitable resource distribution, investing in education and skills development, implementing social protection measures, combating discrimination, supporting marginalized groups and fostering international cooperation for fair trade and financial systems.

essay on sustainable development in 250 words

Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Half of the world’s population live in cities. This is projected to reach 70 per cent by 2050.

In the developing world, the rapid growth of cities, along with the increasing rural to urban migration, has led to a boom in mega-cities. In 1990, there were ten mega-cities with 10 million inhabitants or more. In 2014, there are 28 mega-cities, home to a total of 453 million people.

This rapid urbanization outpaces the development of housing, infrastructure and services, which led to a rise in slums or slum-like conditions.  In 2020, an estimated 1.1 billion urban residents lived in slums or slum-like conditions. Over the next 30 years, an additional 2 billion people are expected to live in such settlements.

Sustainable development cannot be achieved without significantly transforming the way urban spaces are built and managed.

Making cities safe and sustainable means ensuring access to safe and affordable housing, upgrading slum settlements, investing in public transport, creating green spaces, and improving urban planning and management in a way that is both participatory and inclusive.

essay on sustainable development in 250 words

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

If the global population reaches 9.8 billion by 2050, the equivalent of almost three planets will be required to provide the natural resources needed to sustain current lifestyles.

Global crises triggered a resurgence in fossil fuel subsidies, nearly doubling from 2020 to 2021.

In 2021, governments spent an estimated $732 billion on subsidies for coal, oil and gas, nearly doubling the $375 billion spent in 2020.

In 2021, although 828 million people were facing hunger, 13.2 per cent of the world's food was lost after harvest along the supply chain from farm to consumer.

The trend towards sustainability reporting is on the rise, with around 70 per cent of monitored companies publishing sustainability reports in 2021.

In 2022, 67 national governments reported to the United Nations Environment Programme on the implementation of sustainable public procurement policies and action plans, a 50 per cent increase from 2020.

Support should be provided to developing countries to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption by 2030.

essay on sustainable development in 250 words

essay on sustainable development in 250 words

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Climate change affects every country on every continent. It is caused by human activities and threatens the future of our planet. With rising greenhouse gas emissions, climate change is occurring at rates much faster than anticipated and its effects are clearly felt world-wide.

The impacts include changing weather patterns, rising sea level, and more extreme weather events. If left unchecked, climate change will undo a lot of the progress made over the past years in development. It will also provoke mass migrations that will lead to instability and wars.

Between 2010 and 2020, highly vulnerable regions, home to approximately 3.3–3.6 billion people, experienced 15 times higher human mortality rates from floods, droughts and storms compared to regions with very low vulnerability.

Sea levels continued to rise in 2022, reaching a new record since satellite measurements in 1993.

Affordable, scalable solutions are now available to enable countries to leapfrog to cleaner, more resilient, and low-carbon economies.

Climate change is a global challenge that requires coordinated international cooperation.

essay on sustainable development in 250 words

Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

Oceans cover three-quarters of the Earth’s surface, contain 97 percent of the Earth’s water, and represent 99 percent of the living space on the planet by volume.

The world’s oceans provide key natural resources including food, medicines, biofuels and other products; help with the breakdown and removal of waste and pollution; and their coastal ecosystems act as buffers to reduce damage from storms.

However, marine pollution is reaching alarming levels, with over 17 million metric tons clogging the ocean in 2021, a figure set to double or triple by 2040.

Currently, the ocean’s average pH is 8.1, about 30 per cent more acidic than in pre-industrial times. Ocean acidification threatens the survival of marine life, disrupts the food web, and undermines vital services provided by the ocean and our own food security.

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.

essay on sustainable development in 250 words

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss

Terrestrial ecosystems are vital for sustaining human life, contributing to over half of global GDP and encompassing diverse cultural, spiritual, and economic values.

Global forest coverage decreased from 31.9 per cent in 2000 (4.2 billion hectares) to 31.2 per cent (4.1 billion hectares) in 2020.

In 2021, Official Development Assistance (ODA) in support of biodiversity increased by 26.2 per cent from $7.7 billion  in 2020 to $9.8 billion.

In 2022,  21 per cent of reptile species are threatened.

Between 2015 and 2019, at least 100 million hectares of healthy and productive land were degraded every year, impacting the lives of 1.3 billion people.

Halting deforestation and restoring the use of terrestrial ecosystems is necessary to reduce the loss of natural habitats and biodiversity which are part of our common heritage.

essay on sustainable development in 250 words

essay on sustainable development in 250 words

Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build 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.

Civilian deaths directly related to 12 of the world’s deadliest conflicts increased by 53 per cent between 2021 and 2022, marking the first rise since the adoption of the 2030 Agenda in 2015.  The year 2022 witnessed a more than 50 per cent increase in conflict-related civilian deaths.

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, and countries must take measures to protect those who are most at risk.

As of the end of 2022, 108.4 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide – an increase of 19 million compared with the end of 2021 and two and a half times the number of a decade ago.

In 2021, there were approximately 458,000 intentional homicides – the highest number in the past two decades.

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.

essay on sustainable development in 250 words

Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is universal and calls for action by all countries – developed and developing – to ensure no one is left behind. It requires partnerships between governments, the private sector, and civil society.

The Sustainable Development Goals can only be realized with a strong commitment to global partnership and cooperation.

The total external debt of low- and middle-income countries reached $9 trillion in 2021, recording a 5.6 per cent increase from 2020.

In 2022, global exports increased sharply by 12.3 per cent, and global trade reached a record $32 trillion.

In 2022, net ODA flows by member countries of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) reached $206 billion.

To be successful, everyone will need to mobilize both existing and additional resources, and developed countries will need to fulfill their official development assistance commitments.

essay on sustainable development in 250 words

essay on sustainable development in 250 words

Now is the time for change. A confluence of multiple global crises have upended our lives. The way we work, the way we interact, the way we move about. This can be a turning point. Let's seize the moment and change course - toward more sustainable lifestyles. Small changes in your daily life can save you money, improve your health and help cut harmful pollution.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and is grounded in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

As such, the Agenda's Sustainable Development Goals aim not only to achieve sustainable development in its three dimensions – economic, social and environmental – but also to foster peaceful, just and inclusive societies, realizing the human rights of all.

They offer a blueprint for tackling the defining issues of our time, such as climate change, which requires urgent and transformative action that leaves no one behind.

The United Nations and its agencies, funds and programmes are working with Member States, civil society, the private sector and other stakeholders to accelerate progress toward the Goals, in a spirit of global solidarity, focused in particular on the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable.

  • Sustainable Development Goals
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This exhibit was launched in September 2020 and updated in August 2023

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Sustainable Development

  • 20 Jan 2020
  • 17 min read
  • GS Paper - 3
  • Inclusive Growth
  • Environmental Pollution & Degradation
  • Conservation
  • International Treaties & Agreements

Why in News

  • NITI Aayog has released the second edition of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) India Index (SDG Index 2.0) .
  • The index documents the progress made by India’s States and UTs towards achieving the 2030 SDG targets.
  • 2020 will be the 5th anniversary of the adoption of SDGs by the United Nations (UN).

What is Sustainable Development?

  • ‘Development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’.
  • This most widely accepted definition of Sustainable Development was given by the Brundtland Commission in its report Our Common Future (1987).
  • Sustainable development (SD) calls for concerted efforts towards building an inclusive, sustainable and resilient future for people and planet.

essay on sustainable development in 250 words

Core Elements of Sustainable Development

  • Three core elements of sustainable development are economic growth, social inclusion and environmental protection. It is crucial to harmonize them.
  • Sustainable economic growth, achieving sustainable livelihood, living in harmony with nature and appropriate technology are important for sustainable development.
  • It prevents nature from being used as an inexhaustible source of resources and ensures its protection and rational use.
  • Aspects such as environmental conservation, investment in renewable energy, saving water, supporting sustainable mobility, and innovation in sustainable construction and architecture, contribute to achieving environmental sustainability on several fronts.
  • It can foster gender equality, development of people, communities and cultures to help achieve a reasonable and fairly-distributed quality of life, healthcare and education across the Globe.
  • Focuses on equal economic growth that generates wealth for all, without harming the environment.
  • Investment and equal distribution of economic resources.
  • Eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions.

Integration of Scientific and Traditional knowledge

  • If the people are able to contribute their local resources and practices into the process of change, the development becomes not only sustainable but also gets accelerated.
  • Combined traditional and scientific knowledge is called community knowledge. Moving towards SD in many areas will require community knowledge.
  • Indigenous knowledge is also a potential source for the conservation of biodiversity.
  • Significance of traditional knowledge has been recognised in India through initiatives such as National Ayush Mission (NAM) and the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL).

Global issues Related to Sustainable Development

  • Inequitable growth of national economies (North-South Divide)
  • Loss of Biodiversity: Despite mounting efforts over the past 20 years, the loss of the world’s biodiversity continues.
  • Climate Change : As a global problem, climate change requires a global solution. Within climate change, particular attention needs to be paid to the unique challenges facing developing countries.
  • Tackling climate change and fostering sustainable development are two mutually reinforcing issues.
  • Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs): There is a need for welfare for all rich and poor to have affordable access to the results of innovation that can lead to sustainable development.

Global Initiatives on Sustainable Development

  • The Stockholm Conference,1972: It was the first step towards putting environmental concerns on the global agenda.
  • It resulted in the Stockholm Declaration which contained principles and an Action Plan containing recommendations for environmental policy.
  • UNEP was set up in 1972 to serve as a catalyst in developing and coordinating an environmental focus in the programmes of other organisations.
  • The Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
  • The Convention on Biological Diversity
  • The Statement on Forest Principles
  • The Rio Declaration
  • Kyoto Protocol,1997
  • Rio +10, 2002: A 10-year assessment of the Rio outcomes (Rio +10) took the shape of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) held in Johannesburg.
  • Ramsar Convention, 1971
  • The World Heritage Convention, 1972 : It identifies and conserves the world’s cultural and natural heritage. It draws up a list of ‘ heritage sites’, which are cultural, natural or mixed areas of ‘outstanding universal value’ and therefore need to be preserved for all humanity.
  • Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), 1973
  • Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), 1979
  • Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, 1985
  • Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, 1987
  • Basel Convention, 1989
  • Convention on Biological Diversity,1992
  • United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification,1994
  • Rotterdam Convention,1998
  • Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants,2001
  • Global Tiger Forum,1993
  • International Whaling Commission,1946
  • Minamata Convention,2013
  • Climate change mitigation strategies: Carbon sequestration, Carbon sink, Carbon Credit, Carbon trading, Carbon offsetting, Carbon Tax, Geo-engineering.
  • United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
  • UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD)
  • United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
  • Climate Finance Architecture: Green Climate Fund (GCF), Adaptation Fund (AF) and Global Environment Facility (GEF)
  • Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) and REDD+
  • Paris Agreement 2015
  • The Clean Development Mechanism is a way to reduce greenhouse gases(GHGs ) emissions through efficient and sound technologies.
  • Global Alliance for Climate-Smart Agriculture (GACSA)
  • Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE)
  • To bring sustainable development in the mainstream United Nations (UN) launched the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and SDGs.
  • This universal, integrated and transformative agenda aims to spur actions that will end poverty and build a more sustainable world over the next 15 years.
  • There are 17 goals and 169 targets specific targets to be achieved by 2030. Reaching the goals requires action on all fronts – governments, businesses, civil society and people everywhere all have a role to play.
  • SDGs are not legally binding.

essay on sustainable development in 250 words

Roadblocks to Global Initiatives

  • For ex: Overcoming the North-South divide is one of the major hurdles facing the international environmental protection regime.
  • The ‘North’ world has just over 20% of the world population but consumes 80% of the world’s energy; on the other hand, the ‘South’, comprising of the developing nations of the world is still struggling to provide for the basic needs for its population.
  • Methods/ways to monitor and regulate global commons (Oceans, Space and Antarctica). Being nobody’s property may act as a disincentive for protection.

Regional Initiatives

Regional mechanisms are effective means for addressing trans-boundary issues such as atmospheric pollution and pollution of shared rivers and water bodies, which nations are unable to solve on their own. Regional mechanisms involve fewer transactional costs, are less time-taking and have higher chances of success.

  • The European Union (EU): It enforced certain environmental principles viz., preventive principle, subsidiarity principle, integrative principle, the polluter pays principle etc.
  • ASEAN has numerous environmental legal instruments.
  • Comprehensive Framework on Disaster Management 2006-2015 was adopted in 2006 to address the specific needs of disaster risk reduction and management in South Asia.
  • SAARC Convention on Cooperation on Environment has been ratified by all member states and entered into force in 2013.

Community Initiatives

A significant initiative towards sustainable development comes directly from the community level. NGOs create linkages between global and local needs and actors. They have played a role in negotiation, monitoring and implementation of environmental law and policy at all levels. 

  • IUCN, 1948 has helped draft or has provided a secretariat for several important international conventions.
  • National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Programme (IPCC-NGGIP)
  • The WWF has played a major role in the evolution of the international conservation movement.
  • TRAFFIC : The Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network,1976
  • Wetlands International
  • Greenpeace uses research, lobbying and diplomacy as well as high-profile, ‘on-the-streets’ events, to draw attention to the environmental problems and to raise the level and quality of public debate.
  • In India, Biodiversity Act, 2002 is almost completely built on inputs from a network of NGOs working across the country.
  • Similarly, the Chipko Movement and Save the Silent Valley Movement were results of community efforts.

Role of Cooperatives in sustainable development

  • Cooperative societies connect the people at the grassroots level to the highest level of the government.
  • Cooperatives and NGOs help considerably in the upliftment of the socio-economic conditions of the rural poor and also adopt environment-friendly technologies for their functioning and generate awareness among people regarding environmental issues.
  • Ex: In India, AMUL became the most successful cooperative movement for the sustainable development of rural poor by launching the Operation Flood.

Progress and Challenges Ahead

  • Extreme poverty has declined considerably.
  • The under-5 mortality rate fell by 49 % between 2000 and 2017.
  • Immunizations have saved millions of lives.
  • The vast majority of the world’s population now has access to electricity.
  • Countries are taking concrete actions to protect our planet: marine protected areas have doubled since 2010.
  • Countries are making concerted efforts to address illegal fishing.
  • 186 parties have ratified the Paris Agreement on climate change, and almost all have communicated their first nationally determined contributions.
  • About 150 countries have developed national policies to respond to the challenges of rapid urbanization, and more than 70 countries and the European Union now have more than 300 policies and instruments supporting sustainable consumption and production.
  • A wide range of other actors— international organizations, businesses, local authorities, the scientific community and civil society—have engaged with the SDGs in a manner that generates great hope for the coming decade.
  • Increasing inequality among and within countries requires urgent attention.
  • 3 out of every 4 stunted children live in Southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Young people are more likely to be unemployed than adults.
  • Barriers in achieving gender equality.
  • Global hunger has been on the rise after a prolonged decline.
  • Extreme poverty declined from 36% in 1990 to 8.6% in 2018, but the pace of poverty reduction is starting to decelerate as the world struggles to respond to entrenched deprivation, violent conflicts and vulnerabilities to natural disasters.
  • Extreme poverty is three times higher in rural areas than in urban areas.
  • 2018 was the fourth warmest year on record. Levels of CO2 concentrations continued to increase in 2018.
  • Natural environment is deteriorating at an alarming rate.
  • Sea levels are rising.
  • Ocean acidification is accelerating. Ocean acidity is 26% higher than in pre-industrial times.
  • 1 million plant and animal species are at risk of extinction.
  • Land degradation continues unchecked.

Various methodologies have been evolved to monitor the progress of SDGs.

  • It is released by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).
  • The SDI seeks to help countries identify gaps that must be closed in order to achieve SDGs by 2030 and to identify priorities for early action.
  • India ranked 115 out of 162 countries.
  • It is the first GSDR prepared by the United Nations. It is entitled “The Future is Now: Science for Achieving Sustainable Development”.
  • It evaluated progress on the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
  • The report finds that the current development model is not sustainable, and the progress made is in danger of being reversed through worsening social inequalities and potentially irreversible declines in the natural environment that sustains us.
  • The amount of modern renewable energy in the total global energy supply has increased by an average of approx. 5% annually over the past decade. Meanwhile, since 2009 the price of renewable electricity (solar and wind) has dropped for five years in a row.

Way Forward

  • To make the process of sustainable development feasible and operational, it is important to establish a common focus that can integrate the outlook and efforts of various participants in development, worldwide, realising the diversity, in terms of geography, society, economics, level of science and technology capabilities and capacities and education standards/levels.
  • Developed countries need to change their production and consumption patterns, including by limiting the use of fossil fuels and plastics, and to encourage public and private investments that align with the SDGs.
  • Environmental commons— such as the atmosphere, rainforests and oceans—must be safeguarded as crucial sources of ecosystem services and natural resources. All stakeholders must work together to conserve, restore and sustainably use natural resources.
  • The food system must undergo widespread changes to the infrastructure, cultural and societal norms, and policies that are supporting the current, unsustainable, status quo.
  • The much deeper, faster and more ambitious response is needed to unleash the social and economic transformation needed to achieve our 2030 goals.
  • A far more optimistic future is still attainable only by drastically changing development policies, incentives and actions.

essay on sustainable development in 250 words

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THE 17 GOALS

Publications

End poverty in all its forms everywhere.

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End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.

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Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

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Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

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Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

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Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

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Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

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Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

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Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.

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Reduce inequality within and among countries.

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Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

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Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.

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Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

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Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

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Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

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Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

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Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.

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Do you know all 17 SDGs?

Implementation Progress

Sdgs icons. downloads and guidelines, the 17 goals.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,  adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.

The SDGs build on decades of work by countries and the UN, including the  UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs

  • In June 1992, at the  Earth Summit  in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, more than 178 countries adopted  Agenda 21 , a comprehensive plan of action to build a global partnership for sustainable development to improve human lives and protect the environment.
  • Member States unanimously adopted the Millennium Declaration at the  Millennium Summit  in September 2000 at UN Headquarters in New York. The Summit led to the elaboration of eight  Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)  to reduce extreme poverty by 2015.
  • The Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development and the Plan of Implementation, adopted at the  World Summit on Sustainable Development  in South Africa in 2002, reaffirmed the global community's commitments to poverty eradication and the environment, and built on Agenda 21 and the Millennium Declaration by including more emphasis on multilateral partnerships.
  • At the  United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20)  in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 2012, Member States adopted the outcome document  "The Future We Want"  in which they decided, inter alia, to launch a process to develop a set of SDGs to build upon the MDGs and to establish the  UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development . The Rio +20 outcome also contained other measures for implementing sustainable development, including mandates for future programmes of work in development financing, small island developing states and more.
  • In 2013, the General Assembly set up a 30-member  Open Working Group  to develop a proposal on the SDGs.
  • In January 2015, the General Assembly began the negotiation process on the  post-2015 development agenda . The process culminated in the subsequent adoption of the  2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development , with  17 SDGs  at its core, at the  UN Sustainable Development Summit  in September 2015.
  • Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction  (March 2015)
  • Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development  (July 2015)
  • Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development  with its 17 SDGs was adopted at the  UN Sustainable Development Summit  in New York in September 2015.
  • Paris Agreement on Climate Change  (December 2015)
  • Now, the annual  High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development  serves as the central UN platform for the follow-up and review of the SDGs.

Today, the  Division for Sustainable Development Goals (DSDG)  in the United Nations  Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA)  provides substantive support and capacity-building for the SDGs and their related thematic issues, including  water ,  energy ,  climate ,  oceans ,  urbanization ,  transport ,  science and technology , the  Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) ,  partnerships  and  Small Island Developing States . DSDG plays a key role in the evaluation of UN systemwide implementation of the 2030 Agenda and on advocacy and outreach activities relating to the SDGs. In order to make the 2030 Agenda a reality, broad ownership of the SDGs must translate into a strong commitment by all stakeholders to implement the global goals. DSDG aims to help facilitate this engagement.

Follow DSDG on Facebook at  www.facebook.com/sustdev  and on Twitter at  @SustDev .

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Every year, the UN Secretary General presents an annual SDG Progress report, which is developed in cooperation with the UN System, and based on the global indicator framework and data produced by national statistical systems and information collected at the regional level.

Please, check below information about the SDG Progress Report:

  • SDG Progress Report (2024)
  • SDG Progress Report (2023)
  • SDG Progress Report (2022)
  • SDG Progress Report (2021)
  • SDG Progress Report (2020)
  • SDG Progress Report (2019)
  • SDG Progress Report (2018)
  • SDG Progress Report (2017)
  • SDG Progress Report (2016)

Please, check here for information about SDG indicators and reports: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs#

Additionally, the Global Sustainable Development Report is produced once every four years to inform the quadrennial SDG review deliberations at the General Assembly. It is written by an Independent Group of Scientists appointed by the Secretary-General.

  • Global Sustainable Development Report (2019)
  • Global Sustainable Development Report (2023)

SDGs Icons. Downloads and guidelines.

  • Download SDGs icons according to guidelines at this link .
  • Please send inquiries to: United Nations Department of Global Communications

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Essay

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The Sustainable Development Goals are a kind of call to action emanating from all countries – poor, rich, and moderately developed. This call aims to improve the well-being of people and animals and protect our planet and nature. All countries admit that poverty liquidation measures must be taken at the same time with efforts to improve economic growth. Also, addressing a range of issues in the areas of education, health, social protection, and employment as well as combating climate change and protecting the environment should be done as soon as possible. The purpose of this paper is to list and discuss the United Nations’ seventeen Sustainable Development Goals.

The United Nations or U.N. is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to keep international safety, peace, and security, develop healthy and friendly relationships between people from different countries, be the center for harmonizing the actions of nations, and achieve international cooperation. The Sustainable Development Goals are considered to be the foundation for a better future for everyone. These goals appeal to the global problems that are related to inequality, poverty, environmental degradation, climate change, justice, and peace (“About the Sustainable Development Goals”). All the seventeen goals are connected with each other, and the United Nations want to achieve all of them by 2030.

The first goal is to get rid of all kinds of poverty by ensuring that all people have equal rights and access to basic services, economic resources, ownership, natural resources, inherited property, financial services, and relevant new technologies. The second aim is to eliminate hunger by providing all people with permanent access to adequate, healthy, nutritious, and safe food. The third goal is to promote well-being and ensure healthy lives for all people of all ages. It may be achieved by reducing mortality rate, ending preventable deaths of children and newborns and premature mortality, increasing health financing.

Also, this goal’s steps are completing the epidemics of tuberculosis, AIDS, tropical diseases, and malaria and combating water-borne diseases, hepatitis, and other infectious sicknesses. The fourth aim is to establish quality education by providing all boys and girls with quality, free, and equitable early childhood development, care, preprimary, primary, and secondary education (“About the Sustainable Development Goals”). Also, it is necessary to make sure that all people have equal access to affordable and quality higher education and that all gender disparities in education are eliminated.

Goal number five is to achieve gender equality by ending discrimination, harmful practices, and violence against all girls and women all over the world. The sixth aim is to provide all people with clean and safe water by eliminating dumping, reducing pollution, and minimizing the release of dangerous materials and chemicals. Also, it is important to halve the amount of wasted water and increase reuse and recycling. The seventh aim is to provide people with access to reliable, affordable, modern, and sustainable energy.

It may be achieved by upgrading technology and expanding infrastructure for supplying sustainable and modern energy services for everyone in all developing countries. Goal number eight is to promote employment, sustainable and inclusive economic growth, and decent work for everyone (“About the Sustainable Development Goals”). The ninth goal is to foster innovation, build sustainable infrastructure, and promote stable industrialization by raising industry’s share of GDP and employment and increasing access to communications and information technology.

Aim number ten is to reduce inequality within and among countries by empowering the economic, political, and social inclusion of all people despite their race, age, religion, and other differences. Moreover, it is essential to provide equal opportunities and reduce outcome inequalities by destroying discriminatory policies, laws, and practices. The eleventh goal is to make towns and cities safe, inclusive, sustainable, and resilient by providing access to secure transportation, improving road safety, and protecting and safeguarding the world’s natural and cultural heritage. Aim number twelve is to ensure sustainable and responsible production patterns and consumption.

This may be done by halving global food waste per person and reducing food losses (“About the Sustainable Development Goals”). The thirteenth goal is to take action to fight climate change and its impacts by integrating necessary measures into national policies and strategies and improving people’s awareness of the problem.

The fourteenth aim is to conserve and sustainably use marine resources. People need to prevent or at least reduce all kinds of marine pollution, minimize the impacts of acidification of ocean, and prohibit some forms of fisheries subsidies. Goal number fifteen is to fight with desertification, manage forests, and stop and reverse land degradation. It may be achieved by ensuring the conservation of mountain ecosystems and restoring degraded soil and land.

Aim number sixteen is to promote equitable, inclusive, and peaceful societies by reducing violence and death rates that are related to it, ending exploitation, abuse, trafficking, and torture of children, and reducing bribery and corruption. Finally, the seventeenth goal is to achieve sustainable development by revitalizing the global partnership (“About the Sustainable Development Goals”). In other words, this goal is about strengthening domestic resource mobilization, mobilizing additional financial resources, and assisting developing countries.

To draw a conclusion, one may say that these goals are essential for achieving sustainable development, a safe society and atmosphere, the world’s proper condition, and the prosperity of all people. It is hard to disagree that most of these goals, like combating climate change or protecting the marine resources, are so crucial that they need to be achieved in the nearest future. Unfortunately, it is impossible until all people realize the problems and unite to change the world for the better together.

“About the Sustainable Development Goals.” Sustainable Development Goals . Web.

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Sustainable Development Essay

Read Sustainable Development essay in English for students of class 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. Know more about essay on Sustainable Development in English 300 words.

Sustainable Development Essay

Sustainable Development Essay 300 Words

Sustainable development refers to the use of natural and non-renewable resources in a way that it meets the human requirements while also preserving them at the same time so that it can also meet the demands of the future generations. It’s the need of an hour to promote sustainable development in order to help survive the present and future generations on the planet earth.

There are many other revolutions taking place since time immemorial such as industrial revolution or Green revolution, however, at present, there’s a need of sustainable revolution that must take place to bring a change in the environment that is on the verge of destruction. Sustainable revolution is the only way to protect our environment and make it a better place for the survival of mankind.

The primary objective of sustainable development is to bring stability in our economic, social and environmental requirements which further leads to prosperity and availability of resources for present and upcoming generations. The sole purpose of sustainable development is to achieve a healthy environment where people address environmental, social and economic issues jointly and concurrently avoiding overutilization of resources.

Sustainable development is a great way to conserve our natural resources by slowly changing our approach towards the use and development of technologies. Obviously, we must use the resources to meet the basic needs of life such as food, energy, water and employment. However, every resource we use must be used in a sustainable manner so that it never goes extinct and hence does not lead to the extinction of living beings.

There are four principal ways of sustainable development including environmental protection, a stable economic development, preservation of natural resources, and social development and evolution. Everyone living on this planet has the right to enjoy all the resources and live in a safe and healthy environment. For this, we need to focus on our environmental issues and help reduce them in order to live a healthy and happier life on this planet.

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✍️Essay on Natural Resources: Samples in 100, 150 and 200 Words 

essay on sustainable development in 250 words

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  • Nov 2, 2023

Essay on Natural Resources

Wondering about how the resources provided by our planet Earth are depleting? Well, that’s true. We have come to the stage where we should start working towards saving our planet. We humans have used our resources in a humongous quantity. Therefore, it’s time we start working towards saving our planet for our future generations. Today we will provide you with a few samples of essay on natural resources which will help you write on this topic easily. 

Table of Contents

  • 1 What are Natural Resources?
  • 2 Types of Natural Resources
  • 3 Essay on Natural Resources in 100 Words
  • 4 Essay on Natural Resources in 150 Words
  • 5 Essay on Natural Resources in 200 Words

What are Natural Resources?

Natural Resources are resources which are present in nature independent of human actions. 

These are the resources that are created naturally by the environment, without any help from humans. Soil, stone, sunlight, air, plants, animals, fossil fuels, etc. are all natural resources.

In simple language, natural resources are naturally occurring materials which are useful to humankind. They can also be useful in a variety of ways such as in technological, economic or social contexts. These resources include building, clothing materials, food, water, fertilisers and geothermal energy. Natural resources were traditionally within the purview of the natural sciences.

Also Read: Essay on Save Environment: Samples in 100, 200, 300 Words

Also Read: How to Prepare for UPSC in 6 Months?

Types of Natural Resources

Speaking of the type of natural resources, there are mainly two types of natural resources. These include Renewable and Non-renewable resources. 

Renewable Resources: These are those resources which are endlessly available to humans for several uses. These resources are trees, wind, and water.

Non-Renewable Resources: These resources are available to humans in infinite quantities as they are not renewable and their supply may eventually run out. Minerals and fossil fuels are a few examples.

Also Read: Essay on the Importance of the English Language for Students

Essay on Natural Resources in 100 Words

Natural resources are parts of the natural world that are useful to humans. Renewable resources are those that can be swiftly replenished, these include soil, water, and air., Non-renewable resources are those that need time to recover, such as minerals, oil, natural gas, etc. 

One should note that the survival of all life on Earth depends on natural resources. However, the usage of natural resources in excess use can cause ecosystem disruption. Many nations are taking action these days to protect their natural resources. Natural resources shouldn’t be used for purposes outside our needs. In order to preserve non-renewable resources, we should utilise renewable resources more frequently than non-renewable ones.

Essay on Natural Resources in 150 Words

The organic aspects of nature that contribute to our way of life are known as natural resources. For survival, we rely on natural resources. Natural resources include things like air, water, soil, minerals, crops, etc. Resources like minerals, oil, and other resources are found in non-living organisms and take eons to regenerate. 

The distribution of natural resources is not even. Resources like these are also the primary driver of international trade relations for many nations. However, with time, these natural resources have now been overused by the human mankind beyond their limits. 

However, the unrestricted exploitation of natural resources is a challenge for all nations these days. To control this, a lot of nations are emphasising garbage recycling and employing more renewable resources than non-renewable ones. 

Sustainable development is the use of natural resources for current requirements without wasting them while keeping an eye on the future. It refers to the wise use of natural resources without sacrificing what coming generations will need.

Also Read: Essay on Unity in Diversity in 100 to 200 Words

Essay on Natural Resources in 200 Words

Natural resources are materials found in the environment that humans use to survive.  From the very start, humans have been dependent on these resources. While some of these resources can be restored more rapidly than others, some require more time. Resources like sunlight, water, air, and other renewable resources are readily available and have higher recovery rates than consumption rates.

On the other hand, the formation and processing of non-renewable resources, such as minerals, oil, and natural gas, take a long time. Even the usage rate of these non-renewable resources is higher as compared to the renewable resources. While some natural resources are used immediately, others must first undergo processing.

Even while renewable resources are available in huge quantities, they should also be used responsibly. Both renewable and non-renewable resources require time to be created and processed. Therefore, it is very important for humans to use these resources in a limited quantity and leave some for future generations.

With time, humans are using these resources excessively. With the ever-increasing population, humans have already created a huge impact on the environment. To begin, humans are continuously polluting the air, water and noise. Buildings are being constructed on more land. The land is becoming less valuable in this way. Humans are soon becoming the biggest reason behind depleting natural resources, such as land, water, and air. 

Therefore, we mustn’t undervalue these resources. The moment has come for us to recognise the importance of using these resources sustainably.

Related Articles

Natural Resources are substances which are naturally obtained from nature. Here are the 5 natural resources: Coal, Oil, Natural Gas, Sand, Gems, and Metals.

Renewable resources are natural resources that can be replenished or regenerated at a rate comparable to the rate at which they are consumed or harvested. For example: Solar energy, Wind energy, Biomass, Geothermal energy, etc.

Conserving and saving natural resources is essential for sustainable development and the preservation of the environment. Here are some easy tips to save natural resources: Implementing the 3Rs in daily life; Adopting energy-efficient practices such as using energy-saving appliances; Reducing water wastage by fixing leaks, using water-efficient appliances, and practising mindful water usage in daily activities, etc.

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    Sustainable development is the use of natural resources for current requirements without wasting them while keeping an eye on the future. It refers to the wise use of natural resources without sacrificing what coming generations will need. Also Read: Essay on Unity in Diversity in 100 to 200 Words. Essay on Natural Resources in 200 Words

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