Blog 8- Sustainable Development in Germany

 

In the blog for this week, the United Nations country of Germany will be the focus. The country of Germany is considered to be one of the most sustainable countries, due to the sustainability practices utilized throughout the country. Considering this, it comes as no surprise that the country had held a National Sustainable Development Strategy for thirteen years prior to the 2015 United Nations adoption of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (Zech, 2019b). Given that the country has held a national standard regarding sustainability for quite some time, the fact that the country has many programs, and strategies to continue being a sustainable country.

Among the programs and strategies included in the German Sustainable Development Strategy is a program dubbed “Fridays for Future”. The Fridays for Future program was created with the intention of including younger generations in the sustainable development of Germany. The Fridays for Future program is well-known throughout Germany for their demonstrations against climate change (Zech, 2019a). These demonstrations have gained even more notoriety recently, due to the attendance and participation of the Swedish activist Greta Thunberg (Zech, 2019a). The Fridays for Future program is just one example of many in favor of sustainable development throughout Germany.

Along with the Fridays for Future program, Germany also has a grant/loan system available for companies wishing to invest in renewable energy, but lacking the funds. There are several grants/loans available, however, there are two in particular that are specifically intended for large companies or corporations, as they tend to use more energy (Zeijdan, 2020). In addition to this, Germany has passed a Waste Management Act in an effort to further strengthen waste prevention, recycling, and recovery (United Nations, n/d). The Waste Management Act, in addition to several other programs, has resulted in reducing carbon dioxide emissions by over thirty million tons annually (United Nations, n/d).

   The country of Germany has effectively become a great leader in Sustainable Development, and has even partnered with 85 other countries to assist in Sustainable Development throughout the globe (Foreign Policy, n/d). The many programs and strategies implemented by Germany have clearly been effective throughout the country, which will ideally assist the partnered countries in becoming more sustainable as well. Overall, the country of Germany is an excellent example for both Sustainable Development, and responsible consumption and production.

References

 Foreign Policy. (n/d). Sustainable Development. https://www.tatsachen-ueber-deutschland.de/en/chapter/foreign-policy/sustainable-development.

United Nations. (n/d). Germany. https://sdgs.un.org/statements/germany-7933.

Zech, T. (2019a). Who is behind Fridays for Future. Deutschland.de. https://www.deutschland.de/en/topic/environment/who-is-behind-fridays-for-future.

Zech, T. (May, 2019b). 17 goals for a better world. Deutschland.de. https://www.deutschland.de/en/topic/environment/germanys-sustainable-development-strategy-national-and-global-goals.

Zeijdan, E. (November, 2020). Invest in energy efficiency measures in Germany with these two grants. Hezelburcht. https://www.hezelburcht.com/en/news/invest-in-energy-efficiency-measures-in-germany-with-these-two-grants/.

Blog 7- Sustainable Development in Ireland

 

          In the blog this week, the country of focus will be the United Nations country of Ireland. Traditionally thought of for the color green, St. Patrick’s Day, leprechauns, and an unmistakable accent, Ireland is also deeply supportive of the Sustainable Development Goals within the country. The country has created many policies, programs, and incentives to encourage the expansion of the Sustainable Development Goals throughout Ireland.

Among these incentives, the Irish government has begun a tradition of recognizing “champions”, or great advocates of the Sustainable Development Goals throughout the year (Government of Ireland, n/d). The goal of the champions program is to both show that anyone can contribute to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, as well as raising awareness of the goals throughout the country (Government of Ireland, n/d). One of the “champions” recognized by this program is An Post, the postal service of Ireland. An Post was recognized as a “champion” of the Sustainable Development Goals because of the dedication of the service to lowering carbon emissions. One of the most notable ways that An Post has worked to achieve this goal is by investing in a fleet of emission-free vehicles to deliver the post (An Post, 2020). As of February 2020, Dublin, Ireland is the first city to have a postal delivery service with entirely emission-free vehicles.   In addition to avoiding the use of 450 tons of carbon emissions, this has also created a cleaner and healthier air for the upwards of 512,000 residents of Dublin (An Post, 2020).

With An Post being the first postal service globally to attempt having an emissions-free fleet of vehicles, it will be interesting to see if this continues to be effective. If this does continue to be effective, emissions-free vehicles have the potential to be used by postal services and people throughout the globe. Among the many Sustainable Development Goal programs throughout Ireland, this one is quite unique. Ideally, Ireland will continue to utilize unique solutions such as this one, and continue leading the progress with Sustainable Development Goals.   

  

References

An Post. (2020). Dublin becomes first capital city globally with zero emissions postal delivery. https://www.anpost.com/Media-Centre/News/Dublin-becomes-first-Capital-City-globally-with-ze.

Government of Ireland. (2018). Voluntary national review: introduction. https://irelandsdg.geohive.ie/app/3e6201e7c886420ebd6cba15671a7bdf.

Government of Ireland. (2020). Sustainable development goals champions 2019-2020. https://irelandsdg.geohive.ie/app/sustainable-development-goals-champions-2019-2020.

Blog 6- Sustainable Development in Fiji

 

    As many locations are in the beginnings of cooler temperatures, and the season of winter rapidly approaches, the reminder of warmer places seems comforting. Because of this, the blog for this week will be focusing on the warm and tropical United Nations country of Fiji. In 2017, the Fijian government launched a 5-year and 20-year national development plan, as an effort to transform Fiji (Sustainable Development Goals, 2019).  In launching these national development plans, Fiji has become a strong leader in “green growth” within the pacific islands (Dornan et al, 2018).

    Prior to the sustainable development goals being accepted and agreed upon, the Fijian government implemented little in the ways of sustainability (Dornan et al, 2018). Since the sustainable development goals have been adopted, however, Fiji has implemented many programs that support the sustainable development goals within the country. Included among these programs is a three-day program with the theme of “Nurturing Global Partnerships for Sustainable Development” (The Fijian Government, 2019). This program shows representatives from other countries an in-depth overview of the programs and policies employed by Fiji for the sustainable development goals. Along with this, the program provides an opportunity to participate in some sustainability practices by planting trees and interacting with residents of adversely affected villages (The Fijian Government, 2019).

     In addition to this program, Fiji is also beginning to model several energy efficiency programs similar to the way Monaco has (The Fijian Government, 2019). Given that Monaco houses one of the largest solar plants globally, solar energy is the basis of many of these programs, however, wind energy also plays a part in these programs (The Fijian Government, 2019). These steps are a few of many that Fiji has begun implementing to meet the sustainable development goals in the coming years. Although there is still work to be done in order to meet the goals, Fiji has made great strides in sustainable development, and hopefully will continue to do so.

                                                                       References

Dornan, M., Morgan, W., Newton Cain, T., & Tarte, S. (2018). What’s in a term? “Green growth” and the “blue‐green economy” in the Pacific islands. Asia & the Pacific Policy Studies, 5(3), 408–425. https://doi-org.ezp.twu.edu/10.1002/app5.258.

Sustainable Development Goals. (2019). Voluntary national review 2019. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/memberstates/fiji.

The Fijian Government. (September, 2019). Programme strengthens SDG partnership. https://www.fiji.gov.fj/Media-Centre/News/Feature-Stories/Programme-Strengthens-SDG-Partnership