Date post: | 30-Apr-2018 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | doannguyet |
View: | 221 times |
Download: | 4 times |
Europe and the2030 Agenda
Regional Assessment
Arthur Lyon Dahl Ph.D.International Environment Forum (IEF)
http://iefworld.orgebbf - Ethical Business Building the Future
http://ebbf.org
12 November 2015
Synthesis Report of the Secretary -General
Sustainable development must be an integrated agenda for economic, environmental, and social solutions.... Responding to all goals as a cohesive and integrated whole will be critical to ensuring the transformations needed at scale.How can Europe achieve the necessary integration, both regionally and nationally?
Europe's advantages
• greatest experience in supra-national collaboration and governance, and
• closing the policy and action gaps between countries• strong capacity in science, technology and
entrepreneurship
Europe can:• take the lead in innovation• set an example• accept an ambitious share of the global goals• put SDG aspirations into action
Challenge of the SDGs
• different synergies and trade-offs between goals and targets
• different national circumstances require differentiated responses, sometimes in opposite directions, to achieve the global goals
• work needed to refine the targets, strengthen their scientific foundation and determine appropriate indicators
• still work in progress
Integrating the SDGsaround environment
All the SDGs have some environmental targets, and half of the targets are relevant to the region's environment:
� the environmental resources, processes and boundariesdefining planetary health on which human well-being and development depend
• those that place humans at the centre , where environmental challenges represent threats to human well-being and environmental solutions can reinforce human progress
• transitioning to a green economy that builds rather than undermines planetary sustainability
• institutional and governance issues and the means of implementation
SDGs for environment
Atmosphere and air pollutionGoal 13: climate changeTarget 11.6: air quality in cities
• Western Europe has already made substantial progress in controlling transboundary air pollution
• urban air quality is still a major problem and a high priority
SDGs for environment
Land and soilGoal 15: ecosystems, biodiversity and land degradation,
including desertification� Europe has conflicts between agriculture, settlement
patterns, infrastructure development and other land uses� continuing and unsustainable loss of the limited resource of
productive land� rural land is being abandoned and villages are shrinkingNeeds:� increase environmental carrying capacity of the available land� manage land use coherently, with ecoregional planning� encourage sustainable human activities in rural areas� draw people back to the land as environmental stewards and
managers
SDGs for environment
AgricultureTarget 2.3 small-scale food producersTarget 2.4 sustainable food production systems� problems with large-scale intensive agricultural production� need to determine best uses for agricultural land in the region
FishingTarget 14.4 on overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing� reduce European fishing globally to a sustainable level� remove fisheries subsidies that lead to excess capacity� support the scientific management of global fisheries where
European boats are present
SDGs for environment
BiodiversityGoal 15 halt biodiversity lossTarget 6.6 water-related ecosystemsTarget 14.2 marine and coastal ecosystemsTarget 14.5 conserving coastal and marine areasTarget 2.5 maintaining genetic diversity
� Europe needs to integrate biodiversity considerations into all aspects of planning at the regional, national and local levels
SDGs for environment
WaterGoal 6 on water• climate change risk of water shortages in southern Europe and
Central Asia, flooding in northern Europe• poor and marginalized populations lack access to safe drinking
water and modern sanitation• acknowledge the importance of natural ecosystems for water
managementGoal14 on oceans• improve coastal zone management• prepare for climate change adaptation and possible rapid sea level
rise impacts on ports and infrastructure • contribute to environmental impact assessment and sustainable
regulation of offshore and deep sea mineral extraction• address plastic pollution and other sources of marine litter
SDGs for environmentClimate changeGoal 13 (acknowledging the central role of the UNFCCC)Goal 7: energyTarget 12.c fossil-fuel subsidiesTarget 1.5 vulnerability of poor to climate-related extreme eventsTarget 11.b mitigation and adaptation to climate change, and disaster risk
management in citiesTarget 10.7 responsible migration• ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets• accelerate the transition to renewable energies• technology innovation and planning for adaptation• intensive livestock and agricultural systems counter greenhouse gas
reduction• policy shift towards food security and local production• agricultural diversity rather than food quantity• resilience from ecosystem health and biodiversity• preparation for large scale displacement and migration
SDGs for environment
Chemicals and wastesTarget 3.9 hazardous chemicals and pollutionTarget 6.3 water pollution by hazardous chemicalsTarget 9.4 clean technologiesTarget 12.4 life cycle chemical managementTarget 12.5 waste prevention, reduction, recycling and reuseTarget 14.1 reduce marine pollution and nutrient pollution• research on new and emerging chemical risks to human health and
the environment• find alternatives to problematic chemicals and industrial processes• address the growing problem of pollution by plastics
Social SDGs
PovertyGoal 1: eliminating poverty• Europe does have its poor, even if only relative poverty• recent significant increase in poverty linked to economic
crises and austerity programmes• perverse impact of high consumption and resource
demand on prices and investment abroad
Social SDGs
FoodGoal 2: hunger, food security, nutrition, sustainable agriculture• increasing dependence on food imports, exports• vulnerability to a global food crisis• challenge to maintain productive agricultural base in a global market
with lower costs elsewhere• leader in multinational agribusiness, food industry consolidated
agriculture and retail food systems, loss of national food sovereignty• loss of dietary diversity, reduction in staple diet constituents, with
decline in food grain and livestock diversity• processed food products impact health, with dietary-related
diseases reaching epidemic proportions• need to encourage healthier diets, eating less, reduce food waste
Social SDGs
HealthGoal 3: healthy lives and well-being• many environmental health challenges• novel substances and creations including untested
chemicals, nanoparticles, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and other industrial products for which risks not adequately researched
• strong European research and regulation
Social SDGs
EducationGoal 4 educationTarget 4.7 education for sustainable development and
sustainable lifestyles• education for environmental health, sustainable
consumption and responsible lifestyles• citizen education to link their own interests and welfare
to the SDGs• education and training for green jobs• retraining workers displaced from unsustainable
economic activities
Social SDGs
WomenGoal 5 gender equalityTarget 5.a equal rights for women to economic resources,
natural resources and land ownership• roles of women in environmental decision-making, as
shoppers and consumers, farmers and workers, researchers and policy-makers
• role of mothers in early environmental education
SDGs for green economyEconomyGoal 8 sustainable economic growth and employmentTarget 17.19 measurements of progress on sustainable development
beyond gross domestic product (GDP)• excessive resource consumption, growing economic inequality, with
continuing growth not sustainable• powerful lobbies and vested interests resist transition to sustainability• Europe should contribute to redesign of world economy• economic system that maximizes human well-being rather than growth• transition to a green economy• circular economy• green and decent jobs for everyone, especially youth, with more flexible
careers• green investment• removal of harmful subsidies• better debt management
SDGs for green economy
Consumption and ProductionGoal 12 sustainable consumption and production• Europe is over-consuming relative to planetary carrying capacity• need to redefine human well-being within an appropriate per-person
share of global consumption• education for responsible lifestyles, meeting needs without excess• absolute decoupling from energy and material flows in production• achieving optimal sizes for communities, companies and economies
rather than endless growth• closed cycles of scarce materials• decentralization and subsidiarity
SDGs for green economy
EnergyGoal 7 energy• poor need access to energy for development• energy efficiency• decarbonize the economy• lead the energy transition• ensure energy security
SDGs for green economy
Industry and InfrastructureGoal 9 industrialization and supporting infrastructure• encourage sustainable forms of transport• industrial ecology, waste reduction• greater environmental responsibility in business• calculate the environmental footprint of imported products to
compensate for the delocalization of polluting activities• correct the destructive exploitation natural resources, to allow
biocapacity renewal for agriculture and natural resource sustainability
• design an international legal and regulatory framework for industry combining wealth creation with social and environmental responsibility
SDGs for green economy
CitiesGoal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient
and sustainable• green urbanization for smart, efficient, low-carbon cities and towns• urban communities at optimal scales• transition existing cities, new sustainable construction, retrofit old
buildings and transform food, land use, energy and transportation systems
• create green corridors and belts for urban biodiversity• integrate cities into the larger ecological landscape• encourage urban agriculture• new economic activities for rural areas and villages• network communities with transport and communications to ensure
their integration in the larger social fabric
SDGs for green economy
InequalityGoal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries• poverty causes resource destruction, and wealth
damages environment through excessive consumption• address the inequitable sharing of limited environmental
resourcesReducing inequality: • between Europe and other regions• between countries of Pan-Europe• between different regions within countries• between rural and urban areas
SDGs for institutionsand means
GovernanceGoal 16 peaceful and inclusive societies, justice, and
accountable institutions• address the risks to peace across the region, and the
underlying environmental drivers of tension, such as access to water and energy, and environmentally-driven migration
• strengthen environmental governance• eliminate corruption undermining environmental
management
SDGs for institutionsand means
MeansGoal 17: means of implementation and partnership• build a region-wide SDG monitoring and assessment
network• identify data gaps and harmonization challenges• pioneer innovative technologies to simplify and
standardize data collection, assessment and monitoring• help to build a global data collection, monitoring and
accountability framework• help to adapt global trade and finance to support the
SDGs
Multilevel environmental governance
European countries have a diversity of stages of development, economies, cultures and value systems, resource endowments and governance institutions
• pathways to sound environmental management and sustainability will inevitably be different
• need to converge towards the same goals• regional proximity with many things in common: environmental
resources and impacts, trade and population movements• requires innovation in multi-level environmental governance: shared
river basins, energy markets, sustainable consumption and production, pools of capital and labour, transport and communications, ecosystem services and migratory species, research and knowledge management
Europe and the SDGs
• The SDGs could supply a new vision and narrative around which to strengthen unity across Europe
• Need to develop mechanisms for accountability to hold countries to account for their engagements and their responsibilities to their citizens and to future generations: peer review; reports to multilateral environmental agreements; the balance of legislation, executive action, enforcement and judicial review; the independent role of civil society organizations; and the role of the media and public opinion
• Europe can continue to be a pioneer in institutional innovation, balancing supra-national coordination and subsidiarity as appropriate, while building regional solidarity and cohesion in implementing the SDGs.