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ICTs and the SDGs

In our previous article entitled, “Accelerated Diffusion: ICT's Key Contribution to the SDGs", we stated that leveraging Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is crucial to achievement of the SDGs by 2030, especially the universal coverage of key services such as health and education in low-income countries. This will require that we leverage ICT’s ability to accelerate the diffusion of technology. Business-as-usual will not be sufficient.

Throughout history, people have found maps to be an efficient and effective method of recording, storing and transferring information about the world around them. Maps have helped us perceive where we are in relation to the environment and to shape the communities of the future. Recently, advances in mapping technology are making a significant impact on how people pursue sustainability.

The SDGs

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were born of the successes and failures of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Both are frameworks that guide global development over a period of 15 years.

Corporate organizations are among the biggest buyers of renewable energy. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ June 2016 survey, an estimated 72 percent of companies are actively buying renewable energy. The survey also found that around 63 percent of companies “have become more inclined to purchase in the last six months.” Approximately 85 percent of companies that made a previous acquisition planned to increase their renewable energy purchases in the following 18 months.

Target 12.4: The Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste

Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG 12) calls for sustainable consumption and production characterized by resource and energy efficiency, sustainable infrastructure, access to basic services, green and decent jobs and a better quality of life. A critical factor to achieving this is the sound management of chemicals and waste (SMCW).

Deforestation in Company Supply Chains

Deforestation and climate change are worldwide problems. If not addressed they can have serious ramifications on businesses. Deforestation is a contributor to carbon emissions by destroying the world’s natural carbon sink and thereby contributing to climate change. Up to 2010, there was a net forest loss of 6.2 million hectares per year. As major sources of deforestation and emissions, businesses must seriously address both issues in their operations and supply chains. According to the Paris Agreement and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a sustainable economy is not achievable without the committed involvement of businesses. However, this in turn is not possible without an enabling environment created by the right policies.

Despite laws and regulations that prohibit their practice, forced labor and slavery are still widespread. According to a 2014 report by the International Labour Organization (ILO), roughly 21 million people are currently subject to forced labor. An estimated 68 percent of them are being exploited in the private economy, by individuals or enterprises, primarily in agriculture, construction, domestic work, manufacturing, mining and utilities.

When the cap-and-trade charge was added to Ontario consumers’ bills for fuel at the pump, electricity, and natural gas, the public reacted like it was another tax. This is understandable because it looks like a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions tax. Fuel suppliers, electricity importers, and natural gas distributors do not show the cap-and-trade charge as a separate line item like the HST (harmonized sales tax), but consumers have been paying this additional cost since January 2017. It is not shown because the distributors wanted the cap-and-trade charge buried in their delivery charges. If it were easily identified, then at a minimum it would have informed consumers that the government is dealing with the cost of climate change. But, it is more complicated than that.

The term “sustainability” is popularly associated with environmental protection. What many people do not know is that eliminating corruption in all its forms is also important in achieving sustainability. Principle 10 of the UN Global Compact is, “Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery.” It recognizes the fact that ethical business practices is a key component of sustainability.

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average household spent $7,023 on food in 2015, a 3.9% change from the previous year. In addition, $4,015 of the total spent on food was considered “food at home,” or groceries purchased, prepared and consumed at home (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2015). This comprised 57% of the total spent on food per household in 2015. With the average household spending a majority of their food budget on groceries and food to be consumed at home, there is ample opportunity to cut down on total food spending by growing plants in an urban garden.