MDG7: Ensure environmental sustainability

'The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.’

Psalm 24:1

1.7 billion people have gained access to safe drinking water since 1990. Yet 884 million people worldwide still do not have access to safe drinking water and 2.6 billion people lack access to basic sanitation services, such as toilets or latrines.

Target 1: Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources.

Target 2: Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss.

Target 3: Halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.

Target 4: By 2020, to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers.

Rio +20 a Chance for Bangladesh

Experts believe that the Rio+20 summit this June could be a real opportunity for Bangladesh to negotiate a road to sustainable development.  The nation of Bangladesh is one of the worst victims of climate change, and to achieve sustainability they will require huge financial support.  However, as Bangladesh has recently become a leader amongst the least developed countries, politicians are hopeful that successful and viable outcomes could be achieved.  To read a Reuters report on the situation, click here.

False Celebration for Safe Drinking Water?

The World Health Organisation has claimed that the UN’s recent announcement that it had reached its goal of halving those without access to safe drinking water may have been premature.

The discrepancy is due to differences in the definition of ‘safe’, and what one views as adequate sanitation.  According to WHO, the real number of people still without safe water may be as high as 4 billion.  Read this article to find out more about the problems surrounding MDG7 and the progress made.

Rio - Whose Earth?

The countdown to the Rio+20 Summit in June is really underway.  Huge achievements have been made to combat climate chaos in the past 20 years, but we still have a long way to go to save our planet.  Tearfund's new video 'Whose Earth' shows the progress made and problems still to be faced.  Watch it and join with Christians worldwide to pray in preparation for this important meeting.

Breaking the Sanitation Taboo 

Anurodh Lalit Jain of the Hindu Times discusses how, in India, the problems surrounding sanitation are still often swept under the carpet, with the government unwilling to act on such ‘unsavoury’ topics as open defecation.  Citing the positive examples of Brazil and Rwanda, Jain encourages his leaders to end their silence on issues which still cause the preventable deaths of 1,000 Indian children daily.

EU Increases Green Development Funding

The EU has announced plans for a new 50 million euro initiative designed to promote green development and energy in the developing world.  The project, Energising Development, aims to provide access to sustainable energy for an additional 500 million people by 2030.  To read more about the initiative and the role that sustainable energy could play in achieving the MDGs, click here.

Agricultural Investment Important for Poverty Reduction

Investing in agriculture is the most direct and influential way of achieving poverty relief, according to senior UN official Kanayo F. Nwanze,.President of the International Fund for Agicultural Development (IFAD). This week IFAD will host a conference in Addis Ababa, focussing on how to plan post-2015. Read more about why agricultural investment is so important here.

World Water Day

March 22^nd was World Water Day, an international event held annually to bring attention to the need to sustainably manage freshwater resources. To find out more about the day, download resources or see pictures and stories from events held across the globe, click here.

One Planet

Listen to a radio programme from the BBC outlining the main differences that clean water has made to communities in Kenya. The world has achieved this part of MDG6 ahead, the UN announced last week.

Early Triumph for Safe Water Access

89% of the global population now have access to safe drinking water, the UN has revealed. In the past 20 years, over 2 billion people have gained access to safe water, transforming lives and communities across the globe. However, whilst this is obviously good news, other sanitation targets – such as hygienic waste and latrines – are still far from being achieved, warns the UN.

Read more about recent accomplishments here.

GM Crops: Solution or

The debate over whether to accept or avoid genetically modified crops rages on. Clive James, founder and chairman of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), believes that GM crops could significantly help the achievement of the MDGs, particularly due to their ability to optimise crop productivity. To read his arguments, click here. To take part in the debate, leave a comment at the bottom of the post.

Resilient People, Resilient Planet

The UN’s panel for Global Sustainability released a report entitled “Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future Worth Choosing” on 30^th January, in preparation for the highly profiled Rio+20 conference to take place in Brazil this June. The report strengthens the possibility of establishing a set of SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) to be put into place after 2015. Click here for an article summarising the reactions and recommendations of NGOs, or click here to download the full report.

Support for Nigerian Farmers

Farmers in the FCT (Federal Capital Territory) of Nigeria have received assistance to help develop farming methods and procedures, in accordance with the FCT Millennium Development Goals program. Particularly supported by the Youth Empowerment Program (YEP), the scheme aims to ensure that citizens are engaged in the development of their nation. Read more about the scheme and its goals here.

Progress in African Agriculture

Africa has made significant steps in its recent agricultural development. Of particular note are the closure of Ghana’s yield gap, a new fund for increased productivity of Rwanda’s hillside farming, a boom in Burkina Faso’s cotton trade, new research into the sector from South Africa, and the planting of 26 new seed varieties in Tanzania. Read more about the African success story here.

The doubled worth of biodiversity

Conserving biodiversity hotspots could earn poor people worldwide up to $5bn a year, a new study has shown. Currently, populations are often not paid for trying to conserve these areas, which if maintained could provide clean water, valuable resources and even contribute to pollution reduction. Although many of the effects of this conservation, entitled “ecosystem services,” would be invisible, the study led by a team from Conservation International is confident of their far-reaching benefits. A PDF version of Global Biodiversity Conservation and the Relief of Poverty can be found here; or read a summarizing article from the Guardian.

First Draft of Rio+20 Declaration Published

The UN has published the much-anticipated first draft of its environmental declaration for the Rio+20 Sustainable Development conference to be held in Brazil this June (20^th-21^st). The document, which strengthens the agreements made at the Earth Summit of 1992, would establish new aims and objectives for post 2015. The draft declaration can be viewed here.

2011 Human Development Report

The United Nations Development Committee launched the 2011 Human Development Report on 13^th December. The report focuses on sustainability and equity, and highlights the relationship between environmental degradation and social inequality. It concludes with a call for bold new approaches to global development financing and environmental controls. To download a copy of the report, click here.

World Toilet Day 2011

Saturday 19^th November marked the 10^th anniversary of World Toilet Day, designed to promote awareness of sanitation-related illnesses and improve toilet facilities in developing nations. One focus this year was the unequal progress in other domains; for example, whilst billions of people globally have mobile phone contracts, 4,000 still die daily from sanitation-related diseases. To read a CNN report on the need for better toilet facilities, click here.

Communicating the science of climate change

How do scientists convey to a poorly informed public the truth about climate change and its consequences? Read the following article for fascinating insights into public perceptions and communication strategies.

Read more:

UN hails Ecuador’s progress towards Environmental Sustainability

 A project set up by the government in Ecuador, in collaboration with the UN, has been feted for the progress it has made towards achieving MDG7.  The Yasuni rainforest has the highest biodiversity in the world, and officials in Ecuador are seeking to protect it and its inhabitants.  To read the UN Secretary-General’s recent comments click here, or to discover more about the project click here.

Moving Planet

Eco-warriors from all around the globe rallied together on 24^th September to hold a variety of events on climate justice.  Watch some highlights:

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