SEATTLE, Washington — The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were developed by the United Nations, and adopted by every nation in the U.N. in 2015, as a model for achieving peace and prosperity throughout the world by 2030. The Sustainable Development Goals are helping solve global poverty by fixing the root issues of the world crisis.
Where Are We Now?
There is no doubt that progress has been made, but, unfortunately, not enough. According to the 2019 SDGs Report, we will not reach the zero poverty level by 2030, instead, we will have around 6% of the world in poverty.
The major problem indicated by the data is climate change. As many know, President Trump made the decision to leave the Paris Accords, thus leaving the United States with almost no guidelines to aid the environment. The U.S. population makes up about 4% of the world’s population, and yet produces 12.8% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. To make strides in achieving the 13th SDG, the U.S. needs to start making changes to help those who cannot help themselves, those who are the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
Inequality also remains a significant issue across the world, with women disproportionately affected by the factors causing global poverty. Out of the 750 million illiterate adults, two-thirds are women. Women are experiencing more sexual violence and genital mutilation compared to men. They consistently make less money and are given menial jobs when they are capable of completing managerial tasks. Steps are being taken to reduce this inequality, as seen by the numerous women’s rights protests around the world. There is hope that these actions will continue to occur in the next 10 years to put us closer to the goal of zero poverty.
What Does This Mean?
Unfortunately, current research shows that the global community is not on track to reach the zero poverty goal for 2030. However, it’s the hope of many that even if we don’t reach that goal by the set year, the practices we have implemented will continue to be improved and we will eventually be able to reach our goal of zero poverty throughout the world. Still, results from the Sustainable Development Goals are helping global poverty levels. In 2015, 10% of the world’s population lived in poverty. If the global community can reduce poverty by the projected 6%, we can bring more than 300 million people out of poverty worldwide.
—Maya Buebel
Photo: Flickr