Global Issues: Achieving Sustainable Development

How many species are at risk of extinction in the next decade?

1 mill

While the MDGs included 8 goals and 21 targets, the SDGs include:

17 goals and 169 targets

At which of the following conferences was the UN's Environment Program (UNEP) created?

1972 Stockholm Conference

Which of the following environmental conferences first combined scientific issues with broader political, social, and economic issues?

1972 Stockholm Conference

What percentage of the world's population lives in cities?

50

Who was responsible for crafting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)?

A Group of UN experts under the guidance of the UN Secretary-General

What change in thinking is linked to Agenda 21 (select all that apply, there are one to four possible correct answers)?

A growing recognition that developed countries should cut down on their wasteful consumption patterns A growing recognition that developing countries should integrate the environment into their development strategies A growing recognition that economic development strategies need to be in harmony with nature

Which of the following were the key outcomes of the Johannesburg Summit in 2002 (select all that apply, there are one to four possible correct answers)?

A pledge by the world's leaders to commit fully to the goal of sustainable development An implementation plan detailing a comprehensive program of action with quantifiable goals and targets The forming of nearly 300 voluntary partnerships between private sector and civil society organizations to support sustainable development

Which of the following are sustainability projects covered in the report on 'The Future of Cities' (select all that apply, there are one to four possible correct answers)?

Bricks made out of discarded plastic in Karachi, Pakistan A floating schoolhouse in Makoko, Nigeria, that allows kids to continue their schooling even during times of flooding A fog catcher to collect water from the air in Peru Water bottles turned into solar lightbulbs in Manila, Philippines The first smart city, Songdo, South Korea, with highly efficient infrastructure and a waste management system that carries trash and recyclables through underground tunnels to their processing facilities An electric rickshaw that residents in Santiago de Chile can ride for free

Which of the following are actions individuals can take to help achieve the SDGs (select all that apply, there are one to four possible correct answers)?

Compost any food remains to reduce landfills Reduce, reuse, recycle Turn off the lights Buy products from companies that have sustainable practices Save water: avoid baths, take shorter showers Buy products from companies that have sustainable practices Ask your local and national authorities to engage in activities that don't harm people or the planet Unplug appliances

Sustainable development has been defined as (select all that apply, there are one to four possible correct answers):

Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs Development that improves the quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of supporting ecosystems Sound environmental planning without sacrificing economic and social improvements

Who was responsible for crafting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?

Governments working together in the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development

Which uninhabited island in the South Pacific has been described as having the highest density of plastic waste in the world?

Henderson Island

One of the key outcomes of Rio+20 was a focus on building a green economy. A green economy is an economy that (select all that apply, there are one to four possible correct answers):

Improves human well-being and social equity while reducing environmental risks Is low-carbon, resource-efficient, and socially inclusive

Sustainable development involves: (select all that apply, there are one to four possible correct answers)

Increasing efficiency Reducing consumption Using renewable energies

Only ten rivers in the world carry more than 90% of the world's plastic waste. Which of the following are among them (select all that apply, there are one to four possible correct answers)?

Indus Mekong Nile Yangtze

What action did the UN take in 2015 to push for greater environmental stewardship in its development agenda?

It adopted the Sustainable Development Goals

Which of the following are direct drivers of species extinction (select all that apply, there are one to four possible correct answers)?

Land use change Humans' growing appetite for meat and fish Overexploitation (e.g. overfishing)

What are megacities?

Metropolitan areas with more than 10 million people

In 2015, the UN's ___________________ expired and were replaced by the ____________________.

Millennium Development Goals / Sustainable Development Goals

Why is plastic pollution such a big environmental problem (select all that apply, there are one to four possible correct answers)?

Of the 9 billion tons of plastic produced since 1950, an estimated 60% still exists today If current trends continue, our oceans could contain more plastic than fish by 2050 The fish humans eat has also often eaten plastic There are so many different types of plastic and it can be hard, or in some cases impossible, to recycle The material lasts much longer than a human lifetime and therefore its impact, too, lasts a lifetime Plastic is virtually indestructible and it doesn't break down easily Forty percent of all plastics are used only once before being discarded

What are reasons why in 2000 the UN General Assembly adopted the MDGs (select all that apply, there are one to four possible correct answers)?

Official development assistance from industrialized countries had declined since the 1992 Rio Summit Increasing concerns over globalization and emerging issues such as the HIV/AIDS pandemic A growing recognition that the world was failing to reach most of the goals set out in Agenda 21

Which of the following are problems associated with megacities (select all that apply, there are one to four possible correct answers)?

Pollution Overcrowding Aging infrastructure (e.g. mass transit and highways) Housing shortage

The Brundtland Commission's 1987 report "Our Common Future" identified: (select all that apply, there are one to four possible correct answers):

Poverty eradication as a necessary requirement for environmentally sustainable development A need for world-wide development strategies that recognized the limits of our ecosystem

Which of the following are listed as part of the MDGs (select all that apply, there are one to four possible correct answers)?

Promote gender equality and women's empowerment Develop a global partnership for development Ensure environmental sustainability Improve maternal health Combat HIV/AIDS and other diseases Reduce Child Mortality Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

Which of the following are benefits of the African "Great Green Wall" (select all that apply, there are one to four possible correct answers)?

Protects against soil erosion Reverses desertification Tree roots hold water in soil The tree canopy increases moisture in the air and provides shade, reducing the need for watering Helps fight the effects of climate change Provides employment opportunities for local populations Reverses desertification

Which of the following countries was one of the first to ban plastic bags country-wide?

Rwanda

What is the main critique that developing states (LDCs) levy against industrial states (MDCs) over global environmental issues (select all that apply, there are one to four possible correct answers)?

That the average person in an industrialized country accounts for significantly more resource consumption than someone in a poorer country That the long history of MDC industrialization processes has been the greatest contributor to global environmental problems Sound environmental planning without sacrificing economic and social improvements

While negotiated independently of the 1992 Earth Summit, what legally-binding treaties are also associated with the conference in Rio de Janeiro (and sometimes referred to as the Rio Conventions)?

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity

What distinguishes the Brundtland Commission's definition of sustainable development from the one proposed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the United Nations Environment Programme, and the World Wide Fund for Nature?

The former focuses on the well-being of humans while the latter extends the definition to the biosphere

Which of the following are points of criticism made against the SDGs (select all that apply, there are one to four possible correct answers)?

The goals are presented as if in isolation and this could contribute to missing important connections that undermine the goal of sustainability The SDGs are internally inconsistent because they don't acknowledge that global poverty and ecological decline are tied to extreme wealth, inequality, and overconsumption There are too many goals and targets for them to be effective

What apparent tension is part of the concept of sustainable development?

The tension between economic health, social health, and ecological health

What benefits can be gained from having green roofs (select all that apply, there are one to four possible correct answers)?

They save millions of gallons of storm water runoff because the water is absorbed by the soil and the plants They serve as habitats for insects and birds They reduce the ambient temperature They reduce the building's energy consumption

What does "UN MDGs" stand for?

United Nations Millennium Development Goals

The tension over sustainable development can be stated as:

Whether the focus should be on environmental conservation of living and nonliving resources or on enhancing economic growth and development

Which of the following are questions that remain unanswered even after the SDGs were adopted (select all that apply, there are one to four possible correct answers)?

Will MDCs carry a greater share of the financial obligations than LDCs? How should the roles and responsibilities of implementation be shared between developing and developed states? Who will decide how much of the financial costs will be taken on by public and how much by private sources?