Hong Kong’s first blog for SDG education news and announcements
Image by linked sdgs Later this year will see the release of the Global Sustainable Development Report marking the halfway point in the 2030 Agenda. As a precursor to that, a High-Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism has just released a report offering insight on how to boost the progress towards the SDGs which seem to be lagging, and to propose solutions to the challenges holding change back. The report calls for six transformational shifts: Rebuilding trust in multilateralism through inclusion and accountability; Regaining balance with nature and providing clean energy for all; Ensuring abundant and sustainable finance that delivers for all; Supporting a just digital transition that unlocks the value of data and protects against digital harms; Empowering effective, equitable collective security arrangements; and Managing current and emerging transnational risks. “Multilateralism can work, but it must work better and faster,” said co-Cha . . .
Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay Tomorrow is the UN observance of the International Day of Living Together in Peace. This is perhaps one of the lesser known days of observance but it has been held on May 16 since 2018 having being enacted by Resolution in 2017. It is important for two very clear reasons. Firstly, the UN itself was born from the ashes of the second world war and a universal desire not to go down that path again. To have an inter-governmental platform that would bring government representatives together to work towards common goals and to recognize stability as an underlying, fundamental requirement for a prosperous world. Secondly, it is clear that without Peace, people cannot even begin to build the societies that we desire. The Day aims to uphold the desire to live and act together, united in differences and diversity, in order to build a sustainable world of peace, solidarity and harmony. . . .
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay World not ready to ‘switch off’ fossil fuels, UAE says (Aljazeera) Pollen production could impact climate change by helping clouds form (ScienceDaily) Factbox: Debt-for-nature swaps swell in climate finance response (Reuters) Helion Energy will provide Microsoft with fusion power starting in 2028 (techcrunch) Germany promises €2bn to global Green Climate Fund (CHN) How To Get Your Portfolio Into Climate Shape (greenqueen) Microbes discovered that can digest plastics at low temperatures (The Guardian) Renewables will be world’s top electricity source within three years, IEA data reveals (Eco-business) How to make your next holiday better for the environment (The Conversation) . . .
Image by Como una Reina from Pixabay A good article in Eco-business points out the sheer scope and variety of jobs, and thus skills, required to drive economies towards being on a green footing. As much as the public may demand green services and as much as government policy may set green targets, if the skills are not in the workforce to deliver then progress will be slow, or at least slower than people want. This then raises an important question for the education sector. It is our experience that education in sustainability is severely lacking even in societies where public awareness of, and demand for action, on green issues is at its highest. These places are also those best placed to overhaul the teaching of sustainability in schools at all levels and thus have a fundamental impact on the future workforce demanding green skills for employment. But it is also an opportunity for those places with lower levels of educational coverage and quality to enact one of the bigge . . .
Image by from a photo by Pat Whelen Those involved in development have known for many years how the acquisition of debt through misplaced, misguided or corrupt development aid programmes can easily end up crippling emerging economies and very rapidly worsen the very situation they were aimed at alleviating. As early as 1996, the IMF introduced its Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) designation and set in a place a programme to put qualifying countries through a process of debt relief. This has not been without its critics, not least those who point out that the IMF itself is a product of the very systems and structures which created the debt in the first place and the politico-economic ideologies of both lenders and restructurers are identical and unlikely to lead to the transformative system change that may be necessary to make real progress. A new report joint produced by academics at Boston and SOAS now brings the question of debt sustainability into the modern era wi . . .
Image by Angela from Pixabay Where China’s food policies and climate goals meet (Eco-business) Snailfish: the ‘impossible’ fish that broke two deep sea records shows the importance of ocean exploration (The Conversation) Air pollution: how bad is particulate matter for your health? (The Guardian) Chilli Peppers, Coffee, Wine: How the Climate Crisis is Causing Food Shortages (greenqueen) Want to fix the climate? End debt traps (al Jazeera) Indo-Pacific corals more resilient to climate change than Atlantic corals (ScienceDaily) Financiers' move away from coal is accelerating, report says (reuters) Without a single euro changing hands, Irish nonprofit is helping to reinvent the grid (TechCrunch) Pressure builds on Council of Europe to put right to healthy environment in law (CHN) . . .
Two stories last week highlighted to me that not only do we have the real sustainability issues to deal with but that our own standard patterns of thinking also hinder our approaches to solutions and this is in itself another sustainability problem. First was John Kerry pointing out that relying on carbon capture technology is dangerous. Many people have been saying this for a long time – and for many good reasons. It is unproven, the net impact is unknown, it is expensive, who funds it (Why should consumers? Especially if they consume necessities and have no say in how those are produced and supplied)? And most importantly, why on earth rely on one thing? Panaceas don’t exist. Can humanity not learn from history or logic? And why does it take a high-profile person saying this to get it in the media? Second, scientists have found the most recent sea temperature data far exceeds what they thought was possible. Not likely, possible!!! Is this an anomaly? Why is it so high? . . .
Image by G.C. from Pixabay ‘Statistically impossible’ heat extremes are here (The Conversation) Use of antibiotics in farming ‘endangering human immune system’ (The Guardian) Indigenous leader from Brazil wins top environmental prize (Al Jazeera) Massive iceberg discharges during the last ice age had no impact on nearby Greenland, raising new questions about climate dynamics (ScienceDaily) EU agrees binding green fuel targets for aviation (Reuters) UniSieve’s filters use special crystals to reduce industrial emissions (TechCrunch) UN: World set to blow through 1.5C carbon budget in 10 years (CHN) Why having a corporate purpose can help companies to create value (Eco-business) . . .
