THE NEW NORMAL: A ROAD MAP FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS POST COVID-19
THE NEW NORMAL: A ROAD MAP FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS POST COVID-19
By Oladosu Adenike
The world is full of crises and in the quest of finding solutions to it crises involves the use of sustainable development goals. As numerous sustainable development goals are so it is interlinked and intersectional: a solution for one is a solution for all. As we aim to achieve one out of the 17 goals, it influences the rest. This is an agenda that runs to 2020 and the blue print in strengthening every action. We take. Now the coronavirus pandemic is creating a major setback with the matter arising “how do we meet up with the finding of action needed? Sustainable Development Goals includes all the crises that the world is faced with and at the same time there are solutions for every goal; but how do we get there soon? We don’t have time to waste currently, all efforts geared towards saving the lives and likelihoods of many as we look at ways of tackling the formal crises through the Green Recovery.
Among all the 17 goals; my actions are aim at driving all the goals but more inclusively climate action and gender equality. Achieving climate justice is the easiest way of attaining gender equality and vice versa. Climate change is beyond the mindset; it is interconnected to health, biodiversity, nature, labour and other aspect of life. We depend on climate for the food we eat, the water we drink, clothe we wears and daily income. Progress made on climate action cut across all the 17 goals. We are all unique in our activities and complimenting efforts in meeting daily goals. There is no superiority in all the goals: it is centered at sustainability. We might have been involved in different movement irrespective of our country, it doesn’t matter where we are from but what matter most is where we are going to and what we want to achieve.
Furthermore, in the phase of this pandemic in the era of sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) arise the importance of prioritize the goals. COVID 19 already is worsening the impacts of the crises that are inherent in our system; increasing the gap of poverty level, violence against women, hunger, education, conflict and many more but in all we can tackle it through the green recovery. Achieving these global goals provide us with unlimited opportunities that will create a sustainable planet free from pandemic. COVID-19 now create a barrier among several others in tacking each of these goal. If one of the goals is affected, it hinders others from being attainable leading us to back stage. In the same light, the society can be a barrier in attaining these goals. There is hope with more organization and associated bodies working tirelessly to achieving the goals.
Nevertheless, the partial easing of total lockdown brings hope to a post-coronavirus life: New normal. Yet with the threat of a second wave of infection and its arising cases in some part of the world leaves us far from achieving sustainable development of growth (SDGs). One of the positive effect of the lockdown is drastic reductive in carbon emission. Yet poverty rate keep increasing because it is inherent in the system so is the breeding effect on hunger especially in the breeding in the Lake Chad region where over 7.2 million people displaced. Hence the vulnerability of these displaced people to rape and other sexual violence especially against women.
In Nigeria, the climate crisis is a multiplying breeding effect in national security leading to armed banditry and weaponry such as the farmer-herdsmen conflicts. These can led to failure in food security especially crops production and animal husbandry. notwithstanding, now is the time to straighten and strengthen the tracts in making up the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that stand as a pillar for the “people” to achieve a world full of “peace” and “prosperity” through “partnerships” with the goals for the people and the “planet”. As an ecofeminist, my activism has just started because I believe we will win, yes we can if everyone can come together to fight the planet we need.
Oladosu Adenike (oladosuadenike32@gmail.com)
She is an ecofeminist, peace activist focusing on climate change & national security.
