Development and Globalization: Facts and Figures2016 United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

Planet

We are determined to protect the planet from degradation, including through sustainable consumption and production, sustainably managing its natural resources and taking urgent action on climate change, so that it can support the needs of the present and future generations. United Nations (2015)
Planet earth is our home. It is the only planet in our solar system known to harbour fife - there is no planet B.

The Planet section of this report consists of sustainable development goals 6 and 12 - 15 along with selected targets from those goals. 

Goal6

Water is a fundamental element of life and clean drinking water a basic requirement for survival. Yet today, despite all the achievements of mankind, more than 660 million people do not have access to this most basic of requirements.

Goal12

We live on a planet with finite resources. How we manage and consume those resources will have real and lasting implications for prosperity and equity today and for future generations. Goal 12 addresses some of the key challenges regarding sustainable consumption and production patterns.

Goal12

Limiting the effects of climate change will be necessary to achieve sustainable development, equity and poverty eradication. Doing so raises challenging issues of equity, justice and fairness as all countries, irrespective of where they are on the development spectrum, will share the consequences of not taking mitigating and adaptive actions.

Goal14

Oceans cover more than 70 per cent of the earth’s surface and are central to life on earth. They are a rich source of food and valuable minerals, a vast waterway for international commerce and movement of people, and for many, a giant recreation and cultural heritage space. Unfortunately over the past decades, ocean degradation has grown, resulting in an erosion of marine biodiversity, habitats and species and endangering marine ecosystems on which humans depend heavily. Restoring the health and resilience of our oceans is thus a global priority.

Goal15

Biodiversity sustains life on earth. Terrestrial biodiversity - life on land - covers the variety of living organisms found in plants and animals, their genes, ecosystems and ecological processes. The majority of the world’s poor live in rural areas and are dependent on forests, waters, wetlands, fields and pastures for their livelihoods. Many of these ecosystems and related biodiversity are under threat and poorly managed.