Sustainability Today: We need peace and prosperity for all

An infographic showing various environmental statistics. CREDIT: FANSHAWE SUSTAINABILITY
For the glimmer of prosperity to appear and increase in intensity, it needs a peaceful environment.

A new year signals hope; hope to make amends for a better life. But for many across the globe, that hope for a better life is diminishing as time passes.

For the glimmer of prosperity to appear and increase in intensity, it needs a peaceful environment, which nourishes ideas and ingenuity that propel mankind to achieve advancement, progress, and happiness. But in situations where survival is the prime concern, this glimmer is just a figment of utopia.

Violence and conflict across the globe have forcibly displaced one out of 95 people. As of May 2022, over 100 million people had been forcibly displaced, and with the war in Ukraine ongoing, the number will only increase. Human trafficking also continues to be a menace, with over 30 per cent of the victims being children. Clearly, the future is in danger. It’s unsustainable.

Navigator. Londons student lifestyles magazine.

Sustainable Development Goal 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions, was developed to “promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at all levels.”

Although authorities play a major role in dispensing justice and bringing forth regulations and state actions to curb such incidents, we as ordinary people too can wear capes. Our actions can bring about, if not accelerate, change.

Thirty-eight percent of human trafficking victims are driven into forced labor, as they try to escape detrimental socio-economic conditions. Protesting, advocating, and avoiding products borne out of such labour would discourage perpetrators to a great extent. At times, this may be hard to do. Fans cheered and enjoyed the recent football world cup but not many were not aware of or chose to turn a blind eye to the issue of the migrant workers whose human rights were violated or the widely reported corruption that ensnares the organizers.

What can we do? Act now by being aware of the issues, stand up for people in need, and change behavior to discourage perpetrators.

To increase your awareness, you could attend the SDGs Lab event held by Fanshawe Sustainability and learn more about what is happening in the world and how our concerted actions can bring about a change.

At the end, we all, no matter who we are, deserve a blissful and a sustainable existence, one in which we, at the beginning of each year, can look forward to with excitement, knowing the new year will bring greater prosperity and happiness for all. For this to happen, peace and justice are essential.

Dates to look forward to:

  • Jan. 20: SDG Labs