Sustainable Development Goals explained with 3 useful tips | Environment SDG Sustainability

Summary

This video by Alex explores the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), aiming for global sustainability by 2030. It simplifies the complexity of the SDGs through the 'SDG wedding cake' model, emphasizing their interconnectivity. The video critiques the potential for misleading aggregate scores and suggests using first-order sustainability principles for a country's plan. It also introduces Future-Fit Business for companies to assess their social and environmental impacts, aligning with the SDGs.

Takeaways

• 🌏 The United Nations established 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, aimed to be achieved by 2030 and adopted by 193 countries.
• 🎨 The 'SDG wedding cake' is a representation that organizes the goals into three layers: environment, society, and economy, illustrating their interconnectivity.
• 📊 There are 169 targets and 232 indicators associated with the SDGs, which are used to measure progress towards the goals.
• 🔍 The SDG Index website provides a performance overview of each country based on the SDG indicators.
• 🤔 While high-scoring countries on the SDGs may appear sustainable, they might also have significant ecological footprints, indicating the need for a more holistic view.
• 🌱 The script suggests using first-order principles for sustainability grounded in science, which include ecological and social principles, for a true sustainability plan.
• 🏢 For businesses, the Future-Fit Business offers a holistic benchmark to assess social and environmental impacts, aligning actions with the SDGs.
• 📝 The script emphasizes the importance of not just focusing on individual SDGs but considering the collective impact on sustainability.
• 🌐 It highlights the interconnectedness of the SDGs, suggesting that progress in one area can affect outcomes in others, as seen in the examples of the Atlantic cod fishery collapse and the coronavirus crisis.
• 💡 The video encourages viewers to subscribe for tools to help change the world and to consider the broader implications of the SDGs on global sustainability.
• 📈 The script concludes with a call to action for viewers to support the channel through Patreon, allowing for continued production of informative content.

Q & A

What are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) mentioned in the script?

The 17 SDGs are a set of global goals established by the United Nations in 2015, aimed at addressing a wide range of social, economic, and environmental issues by the year 2030.

What is the purpose of the SDG wedding cake representation?

The SDG wedding cake is a visual representation that organizes the SDGs into three layers: the environment as the foundation, supporting society, which in turn supports the economy, illustrating the interconnectedness and hierarchy of the goals.

How are the SDGs categorized in terms of their focus areas according to the script?

The SDGs are categorized into four goals related to the environment, eight goals related to society, and four goals related to the economy.

What is the triple bottom line or the three pillars of sustainability mentioned in the script?

The triple bottom line refers to the three dimensions of sustainability: economic, social, and environmental. It emphasizes meeting human needs within ecological constraints while making money through economic strategies.

How does the script suggest we should view the SDGs in terms of their interconnectedness?

The script suggests that instead of looking at the SDGs individually, we should view them as interconnected, with the environment as the base supporting society and the economy.

What is an example of an SDG target mentioned in the script?

One example given is the 'affordable and clean energy' goal, which includes targets such as ensuring universal access to affordable, reliable, and modern energy services by 2030.

How can one assess a country's performance on the SDGs according to the script?

A country's performance on the SDGs can be assessed by looking at targets and indicators, and the script mentions a website (https://dashboards.sdgindex.org/) where one can view this performance.

Why might an aggregate score of a country on the SDGs be misleading?

An aggregate score might be misleading because developed countries may appear better overall but tend to use more resources and contribute more to climate change, despite doing well on individual goals like poverty, health, and education.

What are the 'first order principles for sustainability' mentioned in the script?

The 'first order principles for sustainability' refer to a set of ecological and social principles grounded in science that are necessary, sufficient, and non-overlapping for achieving true sustainability.

How does the script suggest using the SDGs to assess a company's sustainability?

The script suggests using the Future-Fit Business benchmark, which provides a holistic assessment of a company's social and environmental impacts, with break-even goals and positive pursuits organized by SDG or topic.

What is the importance of the environment in the context of the SDGs as highlighted in the script?

The script emphasizes that the environment is crucial for sustainability, and if it becomes fragile, it can disrupt the entire system, as illustrated by the metaphor of the crashing wedding cake.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Introduction to the SDGs and Their Interconnection

In this introductory paragraph, Alex discusses the establishment of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the United Nations in 2015, which were adopted by 193 countries with the aim of achieving these goals by 2030. The video's purpose is to explore the SDG wedding cake concept and other methods to assess the sustainability of countries or businesses. Alex acknowledges the complexity of the SDGs due to their number but emphasizes their importance as a result of public consultations and their role in providing a universal language for reporting on sustainability. The paragraph introduces the idea of organizing the SDGs into three layers: the environment as the foundation, society as the support, and the economy as the top layer, reflecting the triple bottom line of sustainability. It also mentions the interconnectedness of these goals, using examples such as the collapse of the Atlantic cod fishery and the coronavirus crisis to illustrate the impact of environmental neglect on societal and economic goals.

05:04

📊 Assessing Sustainability Through SDGs and Future-Fit Business Benchmark

This paragraph delves into the practical application of the SDGs for assessing sustainability, highlighting the presence of targets and indicators associated with each goal. Alex uses the 'affordable and clean energy' goal as an example, listing its five targets and directing viewers to a website for country performance assessments. However, the paragraph also points out the potential pitfalls of aggregate scores, noting that developed countries may appear more sustainable due to better performance on individual goals but often have larger ecological footprints. To address this, Alex recommends using first-order principles for sustainability grounded in science, which include ecological and social principles necessary for true sustainability. The paragraph concludes with an introduction to the Future-Fit Business framework, which offers a holistic benchmark for companies to assess their social and environmental impacts, aligning actions with SDGs and providing a structured approach to sustainability.

Keywords

💡Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, are a collection of 17 global goals set by the United Nations in 2015, aimed at addressing a wide range of social, economic, and environmental issues by 2030. In the video, the SDGs are the central theme, with the creator discussing their importance and interconnectivity in achieving a sustainable future. The script mentions the SDGs as a shared language for countries to report on and as a tool to measure sustainability.

💡Interconnectedness

Interconnectedness refers to the way in which the SDGs are linked and dependent on each other for successful implementation. The video script discusses how the goals are not standalone but rather part of an integrated system, where progress in one area can affect outcomes in another. For example, the script mentions that achieving 'decent economic growth' is dependent on environmental sustainability.

💡Triple Bottom Line

The Triple Bottom Line is a framework that considers three dimensions of sustainability: economic, social, and environmental. In the video, the presenter uses this concept to organize the SDGs into three layers, emphasizing the importance of balancing these aspects for true sustainability. The script refers to this as the foundation for the 'SDG wedding cake' representation.

💡Ecological Constraints

Ecological constraints are the limits set by nature on human activities to ensure the long-term health of the planet. The video script mentions that sustainability is about meeting human needs within these constraints, highlighting the need for economic strategies that do not compromise the environment.

💡SDG Wedding Cake

The 'SDG Wedding Cake' is a visual representation of the SDGs, organized into three layers to show their hierarchical relationship. The video script uses this metaphor to illustrate how the environment forms the base, supporting society, which in turn supports the economy. This concept is used to explain the interconnectedness of the SDGs.

💡Targets and Indicators

Targets and indicators are specific, measurable objectives and metrics associated with each SDG. The video script provides an example of the 'affordable and clean energy' goal, which has five targets, and explains how these can be used to assess a country's performance on the SDGs. The script also mentions a website where these indicators can be viewed.

💡Ecological Footprint

An ecological footprint is a measure of the impact human activities have on the environment, particularly in terms of resource consumption and waste production. The video script points out that some countries, despite doing well on the SDGs, have large ecological footprints, indicating that high scores on the SDGs do not necessarily equate to sustainability.

💡First Order Principles for Sustainability

First Order Principles for Sustainability are fundamental, science-based guidelines that must be met for a system to be considered sustainable. The video script suggests using these principles, which include ecological and social aspects, as a more reliable framework for planning sustainable development than relying solely on the aggregate SDG scores.

💡Future-Fit Business

Future-Fit Business is a benchmarking tool mentioned in the video script that helps companies assess their social and environmental impacts in a holistic manner. The script describes how this tool provides break-even goals and positive pursuits that can be organized by SDG or topic, offering a practical approach for businesses to contribute to sustainability.

💡Operational Waste

Operational waste refers to the waste generated during the normal operations of a business. The video script uses this term in the context of the Future-Fit Business benchmark, where eliminating operational waste is one of the action guides provided to help companies prioritize their sustainability efforts.

💡2030 Agenda

The 2030 Agenda is a global plan adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 as a part of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The video script refers to the collective effort required to achieve this agenda worldwide, emphasizing the urgency and importance of the SDGs in shaping a sustainable future.

Highlights

In 2015, the United Nations established 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aimed to be achieved by 2030.

The SDGs are the result of extensive public consultations and provide a unified framework for countries to report on sustainability.

The SDGs cover a wide range of important issues, offering insight into whether we are becoming sustainable.

The Stockholm Resilience Centre suggests organizing the SDGs into three layers: environment, society, and economy.

The SDGs are interconnected, emphasizing the importance of addressing environmental concerns for societal and economic stability.

There are four SDGs focused on environmental aspects, such as life below water and climate action.

Eight SDGs are centered on societal issues, including poverty eradication, health, education, and gender equality.

Four SDGs pertain to economic aspects, like decent work, economic growth, and responsible consumption and production.

The SDG wedding cake model illustrates the hierarchical relationship between environmental, societal, and economic goals.

The collapse of the Atlantic cod fishery in the 1990s exemplifies the necessity of environmental sustainability for economic stability.

The coronavirus crisis highlights the interdependence of health, poverty, and environmental care.

There are 169 targets and 232 indicators associated with the SDGs, providing a detailed roadmap for global development.

The SDG Index and Dashboards website allows for the assessment of each country's performance on the SDGs.

High SDG performance does not necessarily equate to sustainability, as developed countries may have larger ecological footprints.

First-order principles for sustainability grounded in science are recommended for creating sustainable development plans.

Future-Fit Business offers a holistic benchmark for companies to assess their social and environmental impacts in relation to the SDGs.

Businesses can organize their contributions to the SDGs into environmental, employee, and community goals.

The importance of environmental stability for the success of the SDGs is underscored by the potential for environmental collapse to disrupt progress.

Support for the creation of more educational content on sustainability is encouraged through Patreon contributions.

Transcripts

Hi folks, Alex here. In 2015, the United Nations set  up 17 sustainable development goals (also known  

as SDGs) that were adopted by 193 countries and  our mission is to achieve these goals by 2030.  

In this video we are going to talk about the SDG  wedding cake and two other interesting ways you  

can use these goals to see if your country or your  business is sustainable. Ok, let’s get drawing!

On this channel, we share tools  to help YOU change the world  

so subscribe if that’s of interest to you.

To be totally honest, the problem  with these 17 goals is that… well,  

there are 17 of them… which can make them  look complicated and not easy to remember.  

But the good thing about them, is that they  are the result of many public consultations  

and they provide a shared language for all  countries to report on. They also cover a  

lot of important things and they can tell us if  we are becoming sustainable. Or do they? First,  

let’s look at how they are interconnected  instead of looking at them individually.

The Stockholm Resilience Centre suggested  organizing the SDGs into 3 layers: the environment  

as the foundation, supporting society which  supports the economy. This is like the triple  

bottom line (or the 3 pillars of sustainability) I  presented in another video (I put the link in the  

description below). Essentially, sustainability  is about meeting human needs within ecological  

constraints, and the economy is a strategy  to make money while achieving sustainability.  

There are 4 goals about the environment: life  below water, climate action, life on land and  

life below water. 8 goals are about society: No  Poverty, Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-being,  

Quality Education, Gender Equality, Affordable  and Clean Energy, sustainable cities & communities  

and peace, justice and strong institutions. And  these 4 goals are about the economy: Decent Work  

and Economic Growth, Industry, Innovation,  and Infrastructure, Reduced Inequalities,  

Responsible Consumption and Production. They  called this representation the SDG wedding cake.  

In other words, we can’t achieve “decent economic  growth” or even food security without first  

taking care of our oceans as was demonstrated in  Newfoundland during the collapse of the Atlantic  

cod fishery in the 1990s. And, to use the more  recent example of the coronavirus crisis, we can’t  

have everybody in “good health” and achieve “no  poverty” without taking care first of our land,  

forests and our greenhouse gas emissions. My video  on coronavirus explains this in more details.

With the 17 goals, come targets and indicators.  I am not going to bore you with all the 169  

targets and 232 indicators but if we look at the  “affordable and clean energy” goal as an example,  

it has 5 associated targets which read like this:  By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable,  

reliable and modern energy services; By 2030,  increase substantially the share of renewable  

energy in the global energy mix; By 2030,  double the global rate of improvement in  

energy efficiency, etc. And we can look at the  performance of each country by indicator on this  

website https://dashboards.sdgindex.org/ It looks  like this for the United States for instance.

If a country is doing well  on the SDGs, does that mean  

that they are more sustainable?  Let’s look at the top of the list:  

all these European countries are doing really well  on poverty, health, education, etc. but they also  

have some of largest ecological footprints per  capita in the world. Although it is interesting  

to look at each individual target and indicator  to see how a country is doing on individual goals,  

looking at the aggregate score of a country  can be misleading as developed countries look  

better as a whole but tend to use a lot more  resources and contribute more to climate change.

To break down sustainable development into all  its dimensions, these 17 goals are great. But  

if you are trying to make a plan for a country  to become sustainable, I would recommend using  

these first order principles for sustainability  that are grounded in science: 3 ecological ones  

and 5 social ones. They are necessary, sufficient  and non-overlapping. Once we comply with these  

principles, we are truly sustainable. I included  the video links in the description below.

If you are using these 17 goals to see if your  company is becoming sustainable, Future-Fit  

Business offers a holistic benchmark for companies  to assess their social and environmental impacts.  

This benchmark has break-even goals and positive  pursuits beyond the goals that you can organize  

by SDG or by topic. Let’s look at waste for  instance: for waste to not exist anymore,  

“operational waste is eliminated” has an action  guide to help you prioritize your actions and  

monitor progress and also to show the sustainable  development goals that it contributes to.  

Imagine that the purpose of your  business is to contribute to these SDGs,  

you can organize them like this: environmental  goals, employee goals and community goals.

There is a lot of work that needs to happen  to achieve the 2030 agenda worldwide but it is  

important to remember that if the environment is  fragile, it can literally crash the wedding… cake.

If you find these videos useful and are wondering  how you can help me make more, you can do it on  

Patreon. In a nutshell, you make a pledge that  will apply to each video I will post in the future  

and you get perks like your name in the credits,  access to my drawings, a character drawn after  

you in the next video, etc. It helps me cover  the production costs and stay independent.

If you can’t or don’t want to contribute  financially, not worries. You can always  

subscribe, give this video a like and  share it with your friends and colleagues.  

Thank you to all the patrons who joined recently,  

and special thanks to Chocolate Choice. Thank you  for watching and I’ll see you in the next one!