E SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS A. SDG #2: Zero Hunger Ending world hunger is one of the sustainable development goals that I am passionately supporting. In this world we live in, there are a lot of people who experiences hunger every single day. According to Food and Agriculture Organization or FAO of United the Nations, there are 795 million people who are malnourished. The situation is worsening in South America and some regions in Africa. These people do not get enough nutritious food each day and consume far less than the minimum number of calories necessary for sound health and grow. There are also a lot of children that are dying from hunger-related causes. It kills more people than HIV-AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined (The Lancet, 2013). Hunger affects the quality of a child’s education. If a child is hungry, he/she will find it difficult to concentrate in school. There are also cases of children fainting during school hours because of hunger. According to Creating Better Futures, there is enough food in the world to feed everyone it’s just that it is not well distributed. UN said that one-third of the food produced worldwide is wasted which costs the global economy around US $750 million per year.
B. SDG #4: Quality Education
According to Nelson Mandela, “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change world”. I’ve always been supportive of the call for a quality and accessible education. With education, one can end poverty. According to UNESCO, 171 million people could be lifted out of poverty if all students in low-income countries left school with basic reading skills. Ironically, due to poverty, many can’t go to school because of lack of financial capabilities. Students coming from poor families would choose to work despite receiving low income. It is actually the government’s responsibility to provide a quality and accessible education to students since this is a universal right. Government should allocate huge amount in the education sector and should not commercialize it. Education trains learners of all ages with the skills and values needed to better provide for themselves and their children; to be responsible citizens of the country, respect for human rights, gender equality, and environmental sustainability.
C. SDG #13: Climate Action
“We only have this planet; we got to figure out how to live on it without destroying it.” Unfortunately, humans do not know how to take good care of our home, the planet Earth. They think that the earth could still produce more of something they want any time. But little did they know, biodiversity is continuing to decline, and humanity’s impact is continuing to increase. We, humans, should focus on solutions how to protect our planet. We should find ways to secure our food, water, and energy in a way that is harmonious. One way is integrating climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning. Also, through education, we can raise awareness to students about the current situation of our environment.
