Europe and the 2030 Agenda - European Economic and … · Europe and the 2030 Agenda ... • different synergies and trade-offs between goals and targets ... • find alternatives

Europe and the2030 Agenda

Regional Assessment

Arthur Lyon Dahl Ph.D.International Environment Forum (IEF)

http://iefworld.orgebbf - Ethical Business Building the Future

http://ebbf.org

12 November 2015

Synthesis Report of the Secretary -General

Sustainable development must be an integrated agenda for economic, environmental, and social solutions.... Responding to all goals as a cohesive and integrated whole will be critical to ensuring the transformations needed at scale.How can Europe achieve the necessary integration, both regionally and nationally?

Europe's advantages

• greatest experience in supra-national collaboration and governance, and

• closing the policy and action gaps between countries• strong capacity in science, technology and

entrepreneurship

Europe can:• take the lead in innovation• set an example• accept an ambitious share of the global goals• put SDG aspirations into action

Challenge of the SDGs

• different synergies and trade-offs between goals and targets

• different national circumstances require differentiated responses, sometimes in opposite directions, to achieve the global goals

• work needed to refine the targets, strengthen their scientific foundation and determine appropriate indicators

• still work in progress

Integrating the SDGsaround environment

All the SDGs have some environmental targets, and half of the targets are relevant to the region's environment:

� the environmental resources, processes and boundariesdefining planetary health on which human well-being and development depend

• those that place humans at the centre , where environmental challenges represent threats to human well-being and environmental solutions can reinforce human progress

• transitioning to a green economy that builds rather than undermines planetary sustainability

• institutional and governance issues and the means of implementation

SDGs for environment

Atmosphere and air pollutionGoal 13: climate changeTarget 11.6: air quality in cities

• Western Europe has already made substantial progress in controlling transboundary air pollution

• urban air quality is still a major problem and a high priority


Land and soilGoal 15: ecosystems, biodiversity and land degradation,

including desertification� Europe has conflicts between agriculture, settlement

patterns, infrastructure development and other land uses� continuing and unsustainable loss of the limited resource of

productive land� rural land is being abandoned and villages are shrinkingNeeds:� increase environmental carrying capacity of the available land� manage land use coherently, with ecoregional planning� encourage sustainable human activities in rural areas� draw people back to the land as environmental stewards and

managers


AgricultureTarget 2.3 small-scale food producersTarget 2.4 sustainable food production systems� problems with large-scale intensive agricultural production� need to determine best uses for agricultural land in the region

FishingTarget 14.4 on overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing� reduce European fishing globally to a sustainable level� remove fisheries subsidies that lead to excess capacity� support the scientific management of global fisheries where

European boats are present


BiodiversityGoal 15 halt biodiversity lossTarget 6.6 water-related ecosystemsTarget 14.2 marine and coastal ecosystemsTarget 14.5 conserving coastal and marine areasTarget 2.5 maintaining genetic diversity

� Europe needs to integrate biodiversity considerations into all aspects of planning at the regional, national and local levels


WaterGoal 6 on water• climate change risk of water shortages in southern Europe and

Central Asia, flooding in northern Europe• poor and marginalized populations lack access to safe drinking

water and modern sanitation• acknowledge the importance of natural ecosystems for water

managementGoal14 on oceans• improve coastal zone management• prepare for climate change adaptation and possible rapid sea level

rise impacts on ports and infrastructure • contribute to environmental impact assessment and sustainable

regulation of offshore and deep sea mineral extraction• address plastic pollution and other sources of marine litter

SDGs for environmentClimate changeGoal 13 (acknowledging the central role of the UNFCCC)Goal 7: energyTarget 12.c fossil-fuel subsidiesTarget 1.5 vulnerability of poor to climate-related extreme eventsTarget 11.b mitigation and adaptation to climate change, and disaster risk

management in citiesTarget 10.7 responsible migration• ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets• accelerate the transition to renewable energies• technology innovation and planning for adaptation• intensive livestock and agricultural systems counter greenhouse gas

reduction• policy shift towards food security and local production• agricultural diversity rather than food quantity• resilience from ecosystem health and biodiversity• preparation for large scale displacement and migration


Chemicals and wastesTarget 3.9 hazardous chemicals and pollutionTarget 6.3 water pollution by hazardous chemicalsTarget 9.4 clean technologiesTarget 12.4 life cycle chemical managementTarget 12.5 waste prevention, reduction, recycling and reuseTarget 14.1 reduce marine pollution and nutrient pollution• research on new and emerging chemical risks to human health and

the environment• find alternatives to problematic chemicals and industrial processes• address the growing problem of pollution by plastics

Social SDGs

PovertyGoal 1: eliminating poverty• Europe does have its poor, even if only relative poverty• recent significant increase in poverty linked to economic

crises and austerity programmes• perverse impact of high consumption and resource

demand on prices and investment abroad

Social SDGs

FoodGoal 2: hunger, food security, nutrition, sustainable agriculture• increasing dependence on food imports, exports• vulnerability to a global food crisis• challenge to maintain productive agricultural base in a global market

with lower costs elsewhere• leader in multinational agribusiness, food industry consolidated

agriculture and retail food systems, loss of national food sovereignty• loss of dietary diversity, reduction in staple diet constituents, with

decline in food grain and livestock diversity• processed food products impact health, with dietary-related

diseases reaching epidemic proportions• need to encourage healthier diets, eating less, reduce food waste

Social SDGs

HealthGoal 3: healthy lives and well-being• many environmental health challenges• novel substances and creations including untested

chemicals, nanoparticles, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and other industrial products for which risks not adequately researched

• strong European research and regulation

Social SDGs

EducationGoal 4 educationTarget 4.7 education for sustainable development and

sustainable lifestyles• education for environmental health, sustainable

consumption and responsible lifestyles• citizen education to link their own interests and welfare

to the SDGs• education and training for green jobs• retraining workers displaced from unsustainable

economic activities

Social SDGs

WomenGoal 5 gender equalityTarget 5.a equal rights for women to economic resources,

natural resources and land ownership• roles of women in environmental decision-making, as

shoppers and consumers, farmers and workers, researchers and policy-makers

• role of mothers in early environmental education

SDGs for green economyEconomyGoal 8 sustainable economic growth and employmentTarget 17.19 measurements of progress on sustainable development

beyond gross domestic product (GDP)• excessive resource consumption, growing economic inequality, with

continuing growth not sustainable• powerful lobbies and vested interests resist transition to sustainability• Europe should contribute to redesign of world economy• economic system that maximizes human well-being rather than growth• transition to a green economy• circular economy• green and decent jobs for everyone, especially youth, with more flexible

careers• green investment• removal of harmful subsidies• better debt management

SDGs for green economy

Consumption and ProductionGoal 12 sustainable consumption and production• Europe is over-consuming relative to planetary carrying capacity• need to redefine human well-being within an appropriate per-person

share of global consumption• education for responsible lifestyles, meeting needs without excess• absolute decoupling from energy and material flows in production• achieving optimal sizes for communities, companies and economies

rather than endless growth• closed cycles of scarce materials• decentralization and subsidiarity


EnergyGoal 7 energy• poor need access to energy for development• energy efficiency• decarbonize the economy• lead the energy transition• ensure energy security


Industry and InfrastructureGoal 9 industrialization and supporting infrastructure• encourage sustainable forms of transport• industrial ecology, waste reduction• greater environmental responsibility in business• calculate the environmental footprint of imported products to

compensate for the delocalization of polluting activities• correct the destructive exploitation natural resources, to allow

biocapacity renewal for agriculture and natural resource sustainability

• design an international legal and regulatory framework for industry combining wealth creation with social and environmental responsibility


CitiesGoal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient

and sustainable• green urbanization for smart, efficient, low-carbon cities and towns• urban communities at optimal scales• transition existing cities, new sustainable construction, retrofit old

buildings and transform food, land use, energy and transportation systems

• create green corridors and belts for urban biodiversity• integrate cities into the larger ecological landscape• encourage urban agriculture• new economic activities for rural areas and villages• network communities with transport and communications to ensure

their integration in the larger social fabric


InequalityGoal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries• poverty causes resource destruction, and wealth

damages environment through excessive consumption• address the inequitable sharing of limited environmental

resourcesReducing inequality: • between Europe and other regions• between countries of Pan-Europe• between different regions within countries• between rural and urban areas

SDGs for institutionsand means

GovernanceGoal 16 peaceful and inclusive societies, justice, and

accountable institutions• address the risks to peace across the region, and the

underlying environmental drivers of tension, such as access to water and energy, and environmentally-driven migration

• strengthen environmental governance• eliminate corruption undermining environmental

management

SDGs for institutionsand means

MeansGoal 17: means of implementation and partnership• build a region-wide SDG monitoring and assessment

network• identify data gaps and harmonization challenges• pioneer innovative technologies to simplify and

standardize data collection, assessment and monitoring• help to build a global data collection, monitoring and

accountability framework• help to adapt global trade and finance to support the

SDGs

Multilevel environmental governance

European countries have a diversity of stages of development, economies, cultures and value systems, resource endowments and governance institutions

• pathways to sound environmental management and sustainability will inevitably be different

• need to converge towards the same goals• regional proximity with many things in common: environmental

resources and impacts, trade and population movements• requires innovation in multi-level environmental governance: shared

river basins, energy markets, sustainable consumption and production, pools of capital and labour, transport and communications, ecosystem services and migratory species, research and knowledge management

Europe and the SDGs

• The SDGs could supply a new vision and narrative around which to strengthen unity across Europe

• Need to develop mechanisms for accountability to hold countries to account for their engagements and their responsibilities to their citizens and to future generations: peer review; reports to multilateral environmental agreements; the balance of legislation, executive action, enforcement and judicial review; the independent role of civil society organizations; and the role of the media and public opinion

• Europe can continue to be a pioneer in institutional innovation, balancing supra-national coordination and subsidiarity as appropriate, while building regional solidarity and cohesion in implementing the SDGs.

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Europe and the 2030 Agenda - European Economic and … · Europe and the 2030 Agenda ... • different synergies and trade-offs between goals and targets ... • find alternatives