In the Race to the Bottom

In 2015, the United Nations (UN) adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) policy framework in which all 193 UN member states pledged to achieve the 17 SDGs by 2030.  The United Nations General Assembly adopted the "2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" by consensus of all member states to address such global challenges as poverty, hunger and, especially, climate change.

The 2030 Agenda envisages a world of universal respect for human rights, the rule of law, justice and equality.  Seven years on and with only seven years to go, implementation of the Agenda 2030 is faltering and politicians and business representatives continue to shirk their responsibilities to make the world environmentally sustainable and socially just.

Despite the appeals from the public and science community and the urgent need for systemic change, governments fail to take the necessary action to avert the worst of the science-based scenarios.  This neglect of responsibility is resulting in irreversible environmental and socioeconomic destruction, harm and suffering to us and our communities.  The opportunists from politics and industry and the tricks of the climate change deniers encourage the decision-makers and legislators to fail us in meeting their duty of care towards us and taking urgent and immediate action.

The IPCC has provided the scientific basis and irrefutable evidence of increasing climate change, which has confirmed and reinforced the worst fears and that irreparable destruction is proceeding faster and with more consequences than previously projected.  The Club of Rome report, "The Limits to Growth", warned us about this already in 1972.

Western countries at all levels of government and business associations boast of their development progress toward a sustainable socioeconomic transition.   While neglecting their duty of care towards the people and failing to make adequate progress towards the SDGs, they are competing for the lead in the "race to the bottom".