Week 11: Sustainable Development, Part 1
Introduction
This two-part topic will present a historic pathway of sustainable development efforts beginning with the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and looking forward towards strategies beyond sustainability. Attention will be paid to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), sustainability as it impacts SIDS, SIDS as they impact the planet, and sustainability as a unifying global cause.
This Week, You Will Be Expected to:
- Add 5-10 more entries to your glossary of terms
- Draw upon the first ten classes and your personal experiences to formulate critical analyses of the current and future status of sustainable development on a global scale
- Provide feedback to a Working Paper
- Address the relationship between education and sustainable development
Questions to Consider Throughout This Week:
- What were the key reasons for the development of the MDGs?
- How do the SDGs relate to the MDGs?
- Which SDGs are most relevant to Small Island Developing States (SIDS)?
- How does the level of sustainability on SIDS affect us as a planet?
- In what ways are the SDGs meant to unify all citizens?
- What is the likely future of the United Nations’ 17 SDGs?
Readings and Content
1. The Millenium Development Goals (MDGs)
How successful were U.N. countries in achieving the MDGs by 2015?
Evaluating the Transition from MDGs to SDGs:
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- Limitations of the Millennium Development Goals: A Literature Review
- From the Millennium Development Goals to the Sustainable Development Goals: Shifts in Purpose, Concept, and Politics of Global Goal Setting for Development
- An Integrated Framework for Sustainable Development Goals
- See ‘Conclusion: The Way Forward’ in: Transitioning from the MDGs to the SDGs
2. The United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Be sure to read ‘Overview’, ‘Targets and Indicators’, and ‘Progress and Info’ for each of the following SDGs:
- 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
- 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
- 11: Sustainable Communities
- 13: Climate Action
- 14: Life Below Water
- 15: Life on Land
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Be sure to read ‘Overview’, ‘Targets and Indicators’, and ‘Progress and Info’ for each of the following SDGs:
Relevance to SIDS
Impact on Environmental Education Opportunities
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- Scouts for Sustainability
- How Can Universities Meaningfully and Effectively Use the SDGs?
- How Well Are the Links Between Education and Other Sustainable Development Goals Covered in UN Flagship Reports?: A Contribution to the Study of the Science-Policy Interface on Education in the UN System [Working Paper]
- Browse to understand the role of SDG 4.7 (Education for Sustainable Development) as enabling the understanding of all other SDGs: Sustainable Development Goals – Resources for Educators
Significances of SDGs as a Whole
Read these points of view from various sectors of society:
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- SDGs play a role in business: What are the SDGs and Why Should I Care?
- The SDGs in Time of Crisis: A Sustainable, Inclusive and Resilient Recovery from COVID-19 as an Opportunity to Realize the SDGs: Review, with specific attention to all of the Talking Points
- Significance of war and peace on ability to achieve the SDGs: War and Peace: Is Our World Serious About Achieving Sustainable Development Goals by 2030?
- Religion plays a role in SDGs: Religion and the Sustainable Development Goals
