an online book by David Gurteen
A better world would be more equitable, with less poverty and more access to resources and opportunities for all. It would be a world where everyone is treated with respect and dignity and where we live sustainably and preserve the environment for future generations.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations (UN) members in 2015, created 17 world Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The aim of these global goals is "peace and prosperity for people and the planet" – while tackling climate change and working to preserve oceans and forests. The SDGs highlight the connections between the environmental, social and economic aspects of sustainable development. Sustainability is at the center of the SDGs, as the term sustainable development implies.
These goals are ambitious, and the reports and outcomes to date indicate a challenging path. Most, if not all, of the goals are unlikely to be met by 2030. Rising inequalities, climate change, and biodiversity loss are topics of concerns threatening progress. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 to 2023 made these challenges worse, and some regions, such as Asia, have experienced significant setbacks during that time.
There are cross-cutting issues and synergies between the different goals; for example, for SDG 13 on climate action, the IPCC sees robust synergies with SDGs 3 (health), 7 (clean energy), 11 (cities and communities), 12 (responsible consumption and production) and 14 (oceans).: 70 On the other hand, critics and observers have also identified trade-offs between the goals,: 67 such as between ending hunger and promoting environmental sustainability.: 26 Furthermore, concerns have arisen over the high number of goals (compared to the eight Millennium Development Goals), leading to compounded trade-offs, a weak emphasis on environmental sustainability, and difficulties tracking qualitative indicators.
The political impact of the SDGs has been rather limited, and the SDGs have struggled to achieve transformative changes in policy and institutional structures. Also, funding remains a critical issue for achieving the SDGs. Significant financial resources would be required worldwide. The role of private investment and a shift towards sustainable financing are also essential for realizing the SDGs. Examples of progress from some countries demonstrate that achieving sustainable development through concerted global action is possible. The global effort for the SDGs calls for prioritizing environmental sustainability, understanding the indivisible nature of the goals, and seeking synergies across sectors.
The short titles of the 17 SDGs are: No poverty (SDG 1), Zero hunger (SDG 2), Good health and well-being (SDG 3), Quality education (SDG 4), Gender equality (SDG 5), Clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), Affordable and clean energy (SDG 7), Decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), Industry, innovation and infrastructure (SDG 9), Reduced inequalities (SDG 10), Sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11), Responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), Climate action (SDG 13), Life below water (SDG 14), Life on land (SDG 15), Peace, justice, and strong institutions (SDG 16), and Partnerships for the goals (SDG 17).
Credit: Wikipedia - Sustainable_Development_GoalsDoing good: it is the only vocation that makes us worthy of being here as inhabitants of the world. Attempting to do good is an act of intelligence before it is a moral duty. We take our seat at the table of life just as though at a great feast, and in life, as with feasts, we do well if there is the bare minimum for everyone. And we can all do … | Andrea Bocelli Continue reading Doing Good Andrea Bocelli
Despite current ads and slogans, the world doesn’t change one person at a time. It changes when networks of relationships form among people who share a common cause and vision of what’s possible. This is good news for those of us intent on creating a positive future. Rather than worry about critical mass, our work is to foster critical … | Meg Wheatley Continue reading The World Doesn’t Change One Person at a Time Meg Wheatley
Contemplate the possibility that you have something very real to offer the world and that the world itself will be much less than it could be if you fail to bring that forward. | Jordan Peterson Continue reading Contemplate the Possibility That You Have Something Very Real to Offer the World Jordan B Peterson
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has. | Margaret Mead Continue reading A Small Group of Thoughtful, Committed Citizens Can Change the World Margaret Mead
You are not here merely to prepare to make a living. You are here to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, and with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget this errand. | Woodrow Wilson Continue reading You Are Not Here Merely to Make a Living Woodrow Wilson
My personal feeling is that this is how any further improvement of the world will be done: by individuals making Quality decisions and that’s all. God, I don’t want to have any more enthusiasm for big programs full of social planning for big masses of people that leave individual Quality out. These can be left alone for a while. There’s a place … | Robert M. Pirsig Continue reading Only Individuals Making Quality Decisions Will Improve the World Robert M. Pirsig
There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root, and it may be that he who bestows the largest amount of time and money on the needy is doing the most by his mode of life to produce that misery which he strives in vain to relieve. | Henry David Thoreau Continue reading There Are a Thousand Hacking at the Branches of Evil Henry David Thoreau (1854)
The problems the world is facing now, including ecological damage, natural disasters, poverty, species loss, political upheaval, refugee trauma, and even health epidemics, can all be described as complex, that is, they are born of circumstances that are multi-causal and non-linear. This complexity vexes the traditional problem-solving model of … | Nora Bateson Continue reading Complex Problems Require an Entirely Different Approach in Assessment, and Action Nora Bateson
We own collective responsibility for the global conditions that we impact and that impact us. We will not make these changes based on authority-based leadership, but rather with each of us taking a leadership role. | Ronald Heifetz Continue reading We Are Collectively Responsible for Global Conditions Ronald Heifetz
Our faith in love and justice calls upon us to build a better world than the one we have found. It calls upon us to give back to the world all the good things we have received, so the less fortunate or most vulnerable members of our society get a chance to achieve a life full of opportunity and beauty. So those who take up the challenge will find … | Andrea Bocelli Continue reading Our Faith in Love and Justice Calls Upon Us to Build a Better World Andrea Bocelli
Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. | Howard Thurman Continue reading The World Needs Is People Who Have Come Alive Howard Thurman
AustraliaAustriaBrazilCanadaChinaCzech RepublicEgyptFranceGermanyGlobalIndiaItalyJapanMexicoNetherlandsPolandSaudia ArabiaSingaporeSpainTurkeyUAEUnited KingdomUnited States As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission when you purchase a book via this site. Posts where this book is embedded Global Consciousness The capacity and disposition to understand and act upon global issuesBooks: Richard BarrettWorldview Dynamics and the Well-being of Nations Richard Barrett (2020) Where Good … Continue reading Worldview Dynamics and the Well-being of Nations Richard Barrett (2020)
The fundamental cause of trouble in the world today is that the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt. | Bertrand Russell Continue reading The Fundamental Cause of Trouble in the World Bertrand Russell
The more people sort themselves out, the more responsibility they will take for the world around them and the more problems they will solve. If we put ourselves in order, perhaps we will do the same for the world. | Jordan Peterson Continue reading If We Put Ourselves in Order, Perhaps We Will Do the Same for the World Jordan Peterson
One says to me, “I wonder that you do not lay up money; you love to travel; you might take the cars and go to Fitchburg to-day and see the country.” But I am wiser than that. I have learned that the swiftest traveller is he that goes afoot. I say to my friend, Suppose we try who will get there first. The distance is thirty miles; the fare ninety … | Henry David Thoreau Continue reading Grading the Whole Surface of the Planet Henry David Thoreau
We can choose to be audacious enough to take responsibility for the entire human family. We can choose to make our love for the world what our lives are really about. Each of us has the opportunity, the privilege, to make a difference in creating a world that works for all of us. It will require courage, audacity and heart. It is much more radical … | Werner Erhard Continue reading Choose to Be Audacious Enough to Take Responsibility for the Entire Human Family Werner Erhard
Proselytism is solemn nonsense, it makes no sense. We need to get to know each other, listen to each other and improve our knowledge of the world around us. Sometimes after a meeting I want to arrange another one because new ideas are born and I discover new needs. This is important: to get to know people, listen, expand the circle of ideas. The … | Pope Francis Continue reading Proselytism Is Solemn Nonsense Pope Francis
I believe we can change the world if we start listening to one another again. Simple, honest, human conversation. Not mediation, negotiation, problem-solving, debate, or public meetings. Simple, truthful conversation where we each have a chance to speak, we each feel heard, and we each listen well. | Meg Wheatley Continue reading I Believe We Can Change the World If We Start Listening to One Another Again Meg Wheatley
Enough of the imbalance that is causing the degradation of our environment, the demise of our democracies, and the denigration of ourselves. Enough of the pendulum politics of left and right and paralysis in the political center. We require an unprecedented form of radical renewal. In this book, Rebalancing Society, Henry Mintzberg offers a new … Continue reading Rebalancing Society: Radical Renewal Beyond Left, Right, and Center by Henry Mintzberg (2015)
In this book, Value(s): Building a Better World for All, Mark Carney (an economist and former banker) reflects on his experiences that examine the shortcomings and challenges of the market in the past decade, which he argues has led to rampant, public distrust and the need for radical change. AustraliaAustriaBrazilCanadaChinaCzech RepublicEgyptFranceGermanyGlobalIndiaItalyJapanMexicoNetherlandsPolandSaudia ArabiaSingaporeSpainTurkeyUAEUnited KingdomUnited States … Continue reading Value(s): Building a Better World for All Mark Carney (2021)
The traditional assumption that “knowledge is power” and is used for personal gain is being subsumed by the notion that knowledge is an expression of the shared responsibilities for the collective well-being of humanity and the planet as a whole. | Jeremy Rifkin Continue reading Knowledge Is an Expression of Shared Responsibilities Jeremy Rifkin
Whether you want to change the political or economic system, save the whales, stop global warming, reform education, spark innovation or anything else, the answer is in how meaning, and understanding of what needs to be done, emerges from conversation in community with people you love, people who care. | Dave Pollard Continue reading What Needs to Be Done, Emerges From Conversation Dave Pollard
Write to Think ** Pay It Forward ** Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close The digital age has given us more free time and tools for collaboration than ever before. Yet much of this potential remains untapped, … Continue reading Cognitive Surplus Untapping our human potential
What Is the Purpose of Humanity ** Introduction: Our Evolutionary Journey Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Longtermism is a philosophy focused on doing the most cumulative good possible from a civilization-scale perspective. It argues we should … Continue reading The Case for Longtermism How thinking long-term can shape a better future for humanity
Pay It Forward ** Avoiding Modern-day Colonialism Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close In a complex world facing many challenges, multipolar traps emerge when self-interests conflict with collective well-being, leading to detrimental outcomes. To break free, we … Continue reading Multipolar Traps or Moloch Traps Acting against our collective interests
Signal-to-noise Ratio Predicting the Future Is a Fools’ Errand ** Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close I write about nurturing a better world in this blook but better is a value-laden word. Better for who? Even Adolf … Continue reading What Would Make a Better World? Many things
Without care, society would be impossible. Caring is at the root of creating a better world. If we care, we take responsibility. Continue reading Care ** We naturally take responsibility for the people and the things that we care about
What is global consciousness? Before answering that question, we need to look at the terms consciousness, collective consciousness, and higher consciousness as they are poorly understood. Continue reading Global Consciousness The capacity and disposition to understand and act upon global issues
Polarization of opinions is becoming more prevalent in today’s society and is creating both unrest at the societal level as well as conflict within small groups with different views. Continue reading Opinion Polarization We are polarized across political, religious, moral, and racial divides
Our beliefs are deeply rooted and are based on little evidence, yet we argue and fight over them. It is essential that we better understand the nature of our beliefs and how they are formed and learn to question and revise them. Continue reading Rethinking Our Beliefs It is not easy to change our beliefs
Introduction: Principles of Conversational Leadership II. Embrace Complexity Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close Take responsibility: In life, we can choose to take responsibility in several ways. Most critically, we can choose to take ownership of the … Continue reading I. Take Responsibility We need to take responsibility for the changes we wish to see in the world
Despite overall improvements in quality of life, our world faces numerous challenges. Global issues span personal, societal, and environmental domains and threaten long-term sustainability. Addressing these complex problems requires a better understanding and collaboration at all levels. Continue reading What Is the Metacrisis The interconnected crises shaping our world
