Thanks for bringing this.
That list looks fine to me. There are many more values that I support such as the humane treatment of animals, but I don't suppose that that belongs on a list of sustainable development goals
It's basically a statement of secular humanist values directed at optimizing human well-being through assisted self-development and economic opportunity, as well as environmental protection.
We don't need to wait for governments to make inroads on this agenda. We can promote these values in our own lives through life-style modification and volunteerism / charitable contributions. One can fight the indifference to global warming by reducing one's own carbon footprint with solar panels powering homes and electric cars. We can fight the indifference to environmental concerns by separating garbage for recycle, taking your own to-go containers to restaurants to reduce styrofoam use, and taking your own reusable bags to markets. Every little bit helps.
Where we live in Mexico, there are many worthy local charities developing young people by teaching them skills such as reading, English, or carpentry skills, and another providing scholarships to university, others dedicated to victims of domestic violence or animal rescue shelters. Many of my American expat neighbors will sponsor the education and development of a specific young person.
Why did you single out this one aspect of the sustainable development goals, number 13?
The dangers of global climate change are real. Although the argument is made that this position is alarmist, the evidence supporting the claim is overwhelming. There is no doubt that the earth is warming up in a way that will lead to much suffering for man and the beasts if not curtailed. It probably already has judging by the more frequent and more extreme violent weather events we see on the news, with flooding, fire, and violent wind
It's not important to educate yourself on the science if you are willing to accept the recommendations, heed the warnings of the overwhelming majority of climate science experts, and make the transition to clean power. If you need to know more to justify that, then you will want to look at the evidence for global warming. Take a look at the Keeling curve, a set of atmospheric CO2 concentration measurements in parts per million (ppm) taken since 1958 on a mountaintop in Hawaii. The measurements document the long-term trend of rising atmospheric CO2 concentration. This version may be difficult to read, and it's a little dated. We're now above 400 ppm. The sawtooth appearance is due to the fact that CO2 levels fluctuate between winter and summer due to the amount of plant activity.
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If you want to understand why this matters, you'll want to look at greenhouse gases and how they warm the planet. You might want to learn a little about how visible sunlight can be absorbed and re-emitted at longer, invisible wavelengths that can't escape the greenhouse as easily as the visible light entered it.
Look at the trends in temperature, sea level, and melting polar ice. The story is plainly told in these data. This comes from 2016:
"15 of the top 16 warmest years have occurred since 2000. March 2016 was the hottest month on record, making it the 11th month in a row of global high temperature records. 2015 was not only the warmest year on record, but broke the record by the largest margin by which the record has been broken. 2015 was the 39th consecutive year with above-average temperatures."
Pingos, or holes caused by explosions of previously trapped but now released methane, another greenhouse gas, are appearing in the Arctic. Reefs are blanching. Spring is coming measurably earlier (and autumn later) every year, and migration patterns changing. The polar jet stream is changing, allowing arctic air to bleed down into lower latitudes. Ocean currents are changing due to the freshwater melt being added to it along with temperature changes in the water. which will change weather patterns. The Sahara has been growing at an escalating rate.
NCAR Online Education: What Is Indirect Evidence of Climate Change? - Windows to the Universe
This a a very real and very well documented transition with catastrophic implications for many in the future. I hope that I have piqued your interest and maybe given you a head start.
Do yourself and the planet a favor if possible, and convert your home to solar. We did so in 2011, and our system, which cost about $9500 USD then (prices have come down since), has not only paid for itself making our power bill zero and reducing our propane consumption by 75% (we used to refill quarterly, now it's yearly) because of the purchase of a solar water heater along with the panels that generate the electricity. We only use propane for the range and outdoor grill, the faucets, showers, dishwasher, and clothes washer getting hot water from the roof.
And we're actually sending the power company much more power than we consume, meaning that it can burn fewer fossil fuels to meet its customers' needs, further reducing our carbon footprint to what I believe is less than zero now. Last month, we consumed 313 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of power while delivering 494 kWh to the utility, an excess of 181 kWh.
This is a win-win-win. We win by getting free power now that the system has paid for itself. The planet wins with fewer greenhouse gas emissions. And the country of Mexico wins when it receives power for free that it then sells to others. Some countries pay people like us for excess power, but not Mexico, and we're more than fine with that, happy to help out our adopted country.
The point is that we don't need to wait for governments to get their acts together to begin making a difference and benefiting ourselves and others from so doing.
