This is just a small sample of the e-books the MCC Libraries have on topics related to the Sustainable Development Goals. To find more, use the OneSearch box to the left to look for more, or contact the Libraries to talk to a librarian.
Atlas of Sustainable Development Goals
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The Atlas of Sustainable Development Goals 2018 is a visual guide to the trends, challenges and measurement issues related to each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The Atlas features maps and data visualizations, primarily drawn from World Development Indicators (WDI) - the World Bank's compilation of internationally comparable statistics about global development and the quality of people's lives.Given the breadth and scope of the SDGs, the editors have been selective, emphasizing issues considered important by experts in the World Bank's Global Practices and Cross Cutting Solution Areas. Nevertheless, The Atlas aims to reflect the breadth of the Goals themselves and presents national and regional trends and snapshots of progress towards the UN's seventeen Sustainable Development Goals related to: poverty, hunger, health, education, gender, water, energy, jobs, infrastructure, inequalities, cities, consumption, climate, oceans, the environment, peace, institutions, and partnerships.
Decent Work, Green Jobs and the Sustainable Economy: Solutions for Climate Change and Sustainable Development
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This book argues that employment that contributes to protecting the environment and reducing humanity's carbon footprint--green jobs--can be a key economic driver as the world steps into the still largely uncharted territory of building a sustainable and low-carbon global economy. With specific experiences and macroeconomic studies, this book documents that positive outcomes are eminently possible. However, these require a clear understanding of the opportunities and challenges, as well as country-specific policies that integrate environmental, social, and decent work elements to ensure a smooth and just transition process.
The Hard Work of Hope: Managing the Global Crisis at the Nexus of Water, Food, Energy and Biodiversity in a Changing Climate
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An impassioned prescription that seeks to develop effective solutions to the growing urgency for global action on climate change. The Hard Work of Hope builds on events that have transpired since December 2015, including initial implementation of the UN's 2030 Transforming our World global sustainable development agenda; the Paris Agreement on Climate Change; the commitment of the Canadian federal government to establish a climate action plan; and the UN Climate Summit in Marrakesh, Morocco, which aimed to advance the goals of the Paris Agreement. This latest RMB Manifesto emphasizes three themes: the growing urgency for global action regarding climate change; the fact that future development must not just avoid causing damage but strive to be ecologically and socially restorative; and the reality that effective solutions require changes to technology, restoration of biodiversity and increased public awareness. Though contemporary politics and the state of the environment seem grim in this "post-truth world," there will always be hope. But that hope will require hard work by everyone if our planet is to remain a desirable place to live in a warming world.
An Introduction to Sustainable Development
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This fourth edition has been comprehensively rewritten and updated to provide a concise, well illustrated and accessible introduction to the characteristics, challenges and opportunities of sustainable development with particular reference to developing countries. The contested nature of sustainable development is explored through a detailed consideration of changing ideas and practices within environmentalism and development thinking. The text identifies the different actors involved (from institutions of global governance through to community based organisations), the policies and mechanisms through which sustainable development is being sought and considers the outcomes for particular groups and environments in both rural and urban contexts. ¿¿ This edition places stronger emphasis on the global challenges of sustainable development with an understanding of inter-linked crises in climate, energy, economy, poverty and social injustice. It explores how these issues are leading to deep questioning of what sustainable development is, what it should be, and how sustainable development policies and mechanisms are being reconsidered. The book gives new consideration to the challenge of achieving lower carbon growth, climate adaptation, and the implications on sustainable development of rapidly expanding economies, including China and India. It contains greater discussion of how civil society movements influence outcomes of international climate policy, as well as technological developments in energy and agriculture. The text also contains a substantially expanded discussion of how poverty remains central to sustainable development challenges, as revealed through the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and Millennium Development Goals. This invaluable text retains the core message that sustainable development has become central to debates about environment and development. Containing a substantial number of new boxed case studies, learning outcomes, chapter summaries, discussion questions, further reading and websites, this text provides an essential introduction for students.
SDG1 - No Poverty: Making the Dream a Reality
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For many decades the international community has endeavoured to eliminate extreme poverty; however, it is estimated that around 800 million people still live below the international poverty line of $1.90 a day. This book looks this global problem and presents applicable solutions to show that we can eliminate poverty today and meet the challenge of the UN Sustainable Development Goal 1. The first part of the book discusses what poverty and development are and asks whether the right to development is an international commitment to eradicate poverty. The second part looks at the strategy of the Sustainable Development Goals, and the concept of happiness for all people in the world. It examines the proposition of SDG1, evaluates the first actions taken in this area, and presents the best practice of recent SDG implementation. The final part considers several proposals and presents suggestions on how to make global action more effective.
SDG2 - Zero Hunger: Food Security, Improved Nutrition and Sustainable Agriculture
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SDG2 links food security, nutrition and a sustainable but climate resilient agriculture. This multi-dimensional goal encompasses several specific targets and indicators, aimed at ending hunger, improving nutrition and achieving food security through sustainable and resilient agriculture and income increase. This book assesses the implications of SDG2 for the economic, social and environmental domains of communities and countries. Three case study countries (Nigeria, Ghana, and The Gambia) were used to record values of their SDG2 indicators to demonstrate the operationalization of keeping track and measuring progress. This research shows that many of the datasets for the three countries are not available in the Global SDG Indicators Database compiled through the United Nations system. This book supports the database update process by United Nation Statistics Division since it enhances the process of proper accounting in reporting progress. Furthermore, the book supports the enhancement of the adaptive capacity and resilience of small-scale farmers since it is critical to reverse the trend in the rise in hunger.
SDG3 - Good Health and Wellbeing: Recalibrating the SDG Agenda
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Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG3) supplements the 2030 UN Agenda by inspiring ideologies and implementation concerning global health and wellbeing. This book offers insider-view analysis and unique access points into SDG3 implications, community-based responses and innovative proposals, including considerations of Earth as a key stakeholder in sustainability conversations. Written by leading experts in the field, the book presents essays and case studies on sustainability frameworks of Canadian First Nations, cultural groundworks of Aboriginal Australians, HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia, IT-health data analytics in Hong Kong, health-promoting schools in Scotland, Laos, Hong Kong, Australia, and WHO projects in Europe and the Pacific. The book serves as a representative and provocative resource for those wishing to further explore the scope of research, developments, bottom-up interventions and far-reaching visions relating to SDG3.
SDG4 - Quality Education: Inclusivity, Equity and Lifelong Learning For All
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Sustainable Development Goal 4 seeks to 'Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for all and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.' It acknowledges that quality education is a foundational necessity for sustainable development and an enhanced quality of life. SDG4 - Quality Education: Inclusivity, Equity and Lifelong Learning For All explores the multifaceted and complex nature of the concepts of inclusivity and quality education. Drawing examples from two different country contexts (Latvia and Jamaica), the book explores how and why inclusive and quality education is critical to sustainable development. It considers the indicators of inclusive and quality education, how the concept of education for sustainable development is evolving, and the ways in which these indicators are being pursued. The book pays specific attention to the roles of teachers, teacher educators, and the curriculum in the attainment of inclusive and quality education and 21st century skills for a sustainable society.
SDG5 - Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women and Girls
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Conventional development planning lacks sensitivity to the female experience. Tackling gendered discrimination and the exclusion of women, SDG5 aims to 'achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.' This book considers the current state of play and identifies the trends, drivers and impact of gender equality. Taking a comprehensive and global approach, the book addresses the multifaceted concerns of women within the overall paradigm of the post-2015 development agenda. The authors analyse the patterns of gender inequality in different socioeconomic regions across developing, middle income and developed countries. The book will examine how the gap between policy and implementation might be tackled and contemplate how effective policy action might provide a solution. Offering best practice and posing key challenges for achieving the goal, this is the only book which comprehensively deals with all the key aspects of SDG5 based on the latest credible research.
SDG6 - Clean Water and Sanitation: Balancing the Water Cycle for Sustainable Life on Earth
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Providing safe and clean water for all without damaging the environment is one of the biggest challenges of the SDGs. SDG6 is an ambitious goal which seeks to establish the framework through which environmentally responsible water resource management, sanitation and security can be achieved. Bridging academic discussion and real-world case studies, this book considers the challenge of balancing the provision of the basic human right of access to water whilst not eroding our capacity to live sustainably in a rapidly changing world. It considers the impact of climate change on the water cycle and discusses how this will increase the vulnerability of communities, including those in regions that already experience acute water challenges. The book also highlights the need for more urgent action on increasing the resilience and quality of freshwater ecosystems and how this links to sanitation practices. The book concludes with a discussion of some of the key challenges and possible solutions to meeting SDG6.
SDG8 - Sustainable Economic Growth and Decent Work for All
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A growth-oriented economy challenges the inclusion of sustainability parameters, as the very elements that promote sustainability can appear incongruous with economic growth. SDG8 - Sustainable Economic Growth and Decent Work for All addresses how sustainability can be included within the present economic framework and surfaces the significance of behavioral change in the attainment of sustainability. The book highlights that successful implementation of SDG8 will rely on culturally sensitive economic policy to ensure that developing countries retain the ability to develop economic systems that align to both the SDGs and cultural norms. SDG8 - Sustainable Economic Growth and Decent Work for All defines the concept of economic growth and decent work, and ultimately, provides the reader with the opportunity to develop a critical analytical perspective with respect to the objectives and attainment of SDG8.
SDG10 - Reduce Inequality Within and among Countries
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Rising inequalities are a defining challenge of our times and a crucial obstacle to the realization of the SDGs. The need to accelerate steps towards the reduction of growing disparities within and among countries is well realised. Responding to that need, this book aims to understand the types, drivers, consequences and impact of inequalities in broad contexts across groups and individuals, as well as societies and states. Defining inequality as the social, economic and political challenges of our time, the authors examine SDG10 to look ahead at how policy action might engage multiple stakeholders, involve diverse sectors and address gaps between policy and implementation to tackle inequalities and facilitate the advancement of the SDG agenda.
SDG11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities: Towards Inclusive, Safe, and Resilient Settlements
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Sustainable Development Goal 11, one of 17 Global Goals that make up the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, recognizes the need to make cities and human settlements 'inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.' This book uses empirical analysis to address challenges associated with the implementation of SDG11. It considers policies, strategies and success stories from various regions, countries and cities, including actions to improve natural resources management, reduce GHG emissions, and develop urban adaptation and resilience strategies and disaster risk management to help decision-makers, planners and practitioners in achieving the 2030 agenda.
SDG16 - Peace and Justice: Challenges, Actions and the Way Forward
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SDG16 recognises the need to respond to challenges to build a peaceful and just world. In the context of a transforming global community that is increasingly faced with conflict, the threat of terrorism and political instability, this goal has become more important than ever. Peace and justice are recognized as important drivers in creating a sustainable society by bridging the Global North/South divide, the gap between rich and poor, the gap between developed and developing countries, and erasing the increased possibility of isolating marginalized groups such as migrants, woman, and disabled people. This book details how interested parties can, must and are getting ahead of the curve to promote peace, provide access to justice and build accountable institutions for all. It envisions a hopeful future in which the impacts of SDG16 are likely to be far more positive and transformational, and visible much more quickly, than we might have imagined.
Taking Sustainable Cities Seriously: Economic Development, the Environment, and Quality of Life in American Cities
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A theoretically driven comparison of sustainability programs in American cities, updated with the latest research and additional case studies. Today most major cities have undertaken some form of sustainability initiative. Yet there have been few systematic comparisons across cities, or theoretically grounded considerations of what works and what does not, and why. In Taking Sustainable Cities Seriously, Kent Portney addresses this gap, offering a comprehensive overview and analysis of sustainability programs and policies in American cities. After discussing the conceptual underpinnings of sustainability, he examines the local aspects of sustainability; considers the measurement of sustainability and offers an index of "serious" sustainability for the fifty-five largest cities in the country; examines the relationship between sustainability and economic growth; and discusses issues of governance, equity, and implementation. He also offers extensive case studies, with separate chapters on large, medium-size, and small cities, and provides an empirically grounded analysis of why some large cities are more ambitious than others in their sustainability efforts. This second edition has been updated throughout, with new material that draws on the latest research. It also offers numerous additional case studies, a new chapter on management and implementation issues, and a greatly expanded comparative analysis of big-city sustainability initiatives. Portney shows how cities use the broad rubric of sustainability to achieve particular political ends, and he dispels the notion that only cities that are politically liberal are interested in sustainability. Taking Sustainable Cities Seriously draws a roadmap for effective sustainability initiatives.
This is just a small sample of the books the MCC Libraries have on topics related to the Sustainable Development Goals. To find more, use the OneSearch box to the left to look for more, or contact the Libraries to talk to a librarian.
The Clean Energy Age: A Guide to Beating Climate Change
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It's time for a new approach to environmentalism that focuses on practical solutions rather than problems and speaks to ordinary citizens in simple terms. This clear, positive, and non-partisan guidebook offers Top 10 lists that will help individuals and organizations save money while taking aim at the source of most of our carbon emissions. Reviewing proven and unproven technologies and government programs, it explores opportunities for homeowners, governments, corporations, media, and others. While BF Nagy evaluates clean technology progress to date, he does not dwell on doom and gloom, seek to shame or scold, or propose unlikely overnight lifestyle upheavals. Instead he prioritizes everyday actions and reviews the paybacks and effectiveness of clean building technologies and vehicles, government/utility incentives, and finance structures. Organized for both quick reference and deep dives into the nuts and bolts of saving the plant from environmental ruin, The Clean Energy Age contains specific sections for individuals and organizations using appropriate language and exploring current trends and issues for homeowners, regional and local governments, small businesses, large corporations, investors, politicians, civil servants, urban planners, media people, entertainers, teachers, transportation people, medical professionals, manufacturers, farmers, and others. In addition to technology and government programs it reviews current clean tech business and economic realities and insights into what we can expect in the future. It explores electric vehicles, net-zero smart homes, the Internet of things, smart grids, solar, wind, and geothermal. Each Top 10 list offers detailed explanations as well as a simple, summary format. Other chapters on buildings, electricity, transportation, investment, business, politics & economics, government, and unproven technologies, provide support for the information found in the Top 10 lists and success stories accumulated during consultations with clean technology, government and business specialists. Organized for easy-access by people in different segments, there is something for everyone looking to combat climate change in these pages.
Climate Change: What Everyone Needs to Know
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Climate change will have a bigger impact on humanity than the Internet has had. The last decade's spate of superstorms, wildfires, heat waves, and droughts has accelerated the public discourse on this topic and lent credence to climatologist Lonnie Thomson's 2010 statement that climate change "represents a clear and present danger to civilization." In June 2015, the Pope declared that action on climate change is a moral issue. This book offers the most up-to-date examination of climate change's foundational science, its implications for our future, and the core clean energy solutions. Alongside detailed but highly accessible descriptions of what is causing climate change, this entry in the What Everyone Needs to Know series answers questions about the practical implications of this growing force on our world: � How will climate change impact you and your family in the coming decades? � What are the future implications for owners of coastal property? � Should you plan on retiring in South Florida or the U.S. Southwest or Southern Europe? � What occupations and fields of study will be most in demand in a globally warmed world? � What impact will climate change have on investments and the global economy? As the world struggles to stem climate change and its effects, everyone will become a part of this story of the century. Here is what you need to know.
Environmental Protection: What Everyone Needs to Know
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In 1962, Rachel Carson's Silent Spring sounded an alarm: the natural environment is being dangerously degraded because of human activity. Ever since, environmental protection has been a major societal concern. A robust system of environmental laws has emerged in the United States, commercialactivities are increasingly scrutinized for their environmental impact, and communities around the world are becoming aware of the environment as a global issue requiring international attention. The most important evidence comes from the environment itself: the planet is warming, water supplies areat risk, ecosystems are under stress, and species are being lost at an unprecedented rate.Environmental Protection: What Everyone Needs to Know provides accessible information that will help readers navigate this complex and highly relevant subject. It gives background information on the origins and development of environmental protection; introductions to the main elements ofenvironmental protection with concrete examples; the context for understanding current issues; definitions of key terms; scientific, legal, and economic underpinnings; and discussion of hot-button current issues from nanopollution to climate change. The reader will gain familiarity with phenomenalike biodiversity, the greenhouse effect, fugitive emissions, and algal blooms while learning about the impact of landmark policy initiatives like the Clean Air Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Kyoto Protocol, and the Paris Agreement.
The Essential UN
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As the world's only truly universal global organization, the United Nations has become the foremost forum to address issues that transcend national boundaries and cannot be resolved by any one country acting alone. This authoritative reference provides a comprehensive introduction and overview of the work of the UN in key areas of international peace and security, economic and social development, human rights, and humanitarian action.
Introducing Global Issues
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Contents:
Exploring global issues / Michael T. Snarr -- Global security in the twenty-first century / Jeffrey S. Lantis and Michael T. Snarr -- The continuing threat of weapons proliferation / Jeffrey S. Lantis -- Nationalism and the clash of identities / Lina M. Kassem and Anthony N. Talbott -- Ensuring human rights / Anthony N. Talbott and D. Neil Snarr -- Ensuring global health / Christina L. Young, Jessica M. Eiser, and Michael D. Newman -- Ensuring food security / Coreen H. Cockerill -- Conflict over natural resources / Deborah S. Davenport and Melissa M.C. Beaudoin -- The power of ideas in the global political economy / Laura A. Hastings and Rebekah Dowd -- Politics, economics, and trade / Gulcan Saglam and Charles A. Hankla -- Strategies for development in a globalized world / Christopher L. Brown and Michael D. Shea -- Challenges of population growth and migration / Ellen Percy Kraly, Erin Hendry, Kristen Weymouth, Caroline Anderson, and Fiona Lugo-Mulligan -- Women’s equality and development / Jennifer Dye and Laura Dudley Jenkins -- Pathways to sustainable development / Pamela S. Chasek -- Seeking solutions to climate change / Emily Wirzba -- Future prospects / Michael T. Snarr and Megan L. Canfield
Is Sustainability Still Possible?
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Every day, we are presented with a range of "sustainable" products and activities--from "green" cleaning supplies to carbon offsets--but with so much labeled as "sustainable," the term has become essentially sustainababble, at best indicating a practice or product slightly less damaging than the conventional alternative. Is it time to abandon the concept altogether, or can we find an accurate way to measure sustainability? If so, how can we achieve it? And if not, how can we best prepare for the coming ecological decline? In the latest edition of Worldwatch Institute's State of the World series, scientists, policy experts, and thought leaders tackle these questions, attempting to restore meaning to sustainability as more than just a marketing tool. In State of the World 2013: Is Sustainability Still Possible?, experts define clear sustainability metrics and examine various policies and perspectives, including geoengineering, corporate transformation, and changes in agricultural policy, that could put us on the path to prosperity without diminishing the well-being of future generations. If these approaches fall short, the final chapters explore ways to prepare for drastic environmental change and resource depletion, such as strengthening democracy and societal resilience, protecting cultural heritage, and dealing with increased conflict and migration flows. State of the World 2013 cuts through the rhetoric surrounding sustainability, offering a broad and realistic look at how close we are to fulfilling it today and which practices and policies will steer us in the right direction. This book will be especially useful for policymakers, environmental nonprofits, and students of environmental studies, sustainability, or economics.
Leave No One Behind: Time for Specifics on the Sustainable Development Goals
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The ambitious 15-year agenda known as the Sustainable Development Goals, adopted in 2015 by all members of the United Nations, contains a pledge that "no one will be left behind." This book aims to translate that bold global commitment into an action-oriented mindset, focused on supporting specific people in specific places who are facing specific problems. In this volume, experts from Japan, the United States, Canada, and other countries address a range of challenges faced by people across the globe, including women and girls, smallholder farmers, migrants, and those living in extreme poverty. These are many of the people whose lives are at the heart of the aspirations embedded in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. They are the people most in need of such essentials as health care, quality education, decent work, affordable energy, and a clean environment. This book is the result of a collaboration between the Japan International Cooperation Research Institute and the Global Economy and Development program at Brookings. It offers practical ideas for transforming "leave no one behind" from a slogan into effective actions which, if implemented, will make it possible to reach the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. In addition to policymakers in the field of sustainable development, this book will be of interest to academics, activists, and leaders of international organizations and civil society groups who work every day to promote inclusive economic and social progress.
Articles from scholarly journals, magazines, and newspapers covering most subjects. Contains peer-reviewed articles as well as general interest material. Partially full-text.
Need graphics for your project? Check out these free downloads from the UN. And there are more graphics on the Global Goals website.
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