Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, in Ottawa in June 2019.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
To bring about genuine change, middle-power countries like Canada must adopt a leadership role in pursuing an ethical agenda to ensure the security and survival of humanity.
Is Canada ready to lead?
UN-Habitat
Recent extreme events in Australia, with torrential rain and floods following devastating bushfires, have focused the World Urban Forum’s attention on the urgency of climate action.
If we’re not careful, water may not be clean enough or available when we need it.
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The water that replenishes groundwater, rivers and lakes is under threat from climate change, pollution and aging infrastructure.
Year 7 students at the International School of Helsinki, Finland, doing a sustainable development exercise with the author (top left) and fellow teacher Rachael Thrash.
Katja Lehtonen
My year of buying almost nothing saved me thousands of dollars – but also taught me valuable lessons as a teacher, including about the benefits of failure.
Every employee needs to embrace a company’s sustainability mission if it hopes to succeed.
pcruciatti/Shutterstock.com
Companies that want to reduce their environmental footprint need to ensure their entire workforce feels a shared sense of purpose.
Projects based on comprehensive understanding of gender norms in coastal communities will contribute to improved community wellbeing.
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Identifying and overcoming barriers to equitable participation in social and economic life can improve the well-being of coastal communities.
The Indonesian government has included climate change programs in its Village Fund. It’s aiming to reduce emissions and alleviate poverty.
j.wootthisak/shutterstock
The Indonesian government has been distributing funds for village development. In 2019, the money can also be used for climate change adaptation and mitigation.
The Rainbow Mountains in Zhangye Danxia National Geopark, China.
Shutterstock/Thongchai.s
Non-living nature such as rocks, landforms, soil and water form the Earth’s ‘geodiversity’ - a crucial part of the planet’s life support system.
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What happens when a leader’s beliefs and decisions have an indirect negative impact on the business?
Australia could achieve higher economic growth through more population growth and lower taxes, but at the expense of equality, fairness and the environment.
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A fairer, greener and more prosperous Australia is possible – so long as political leaders don’t focus just on economic growth.
Women and girls in Gayo village, Ehtiopia collect water from a rain water pool which is purified with tablets before use.
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The aim is to reduce maternal deaths, address the unmet need for family planning and end gender-based violence by 2030.
TB is still a leading cause of death around the world.
Sanjay Baid/EPA-EFE
Many of the most fundamental aspects of TB disease remain unknown. For example, after exposure to the organism that causes TB, why do only some people get infected and only some of those fall ill?
Residents and small business in a poor community in Cape Town.
EPA/Nic Bothma
Research shows that abuse, violence and poor relationships in families may have dire consequences for society, and specifically children.
One in five children in sub-Saharan Africa live in poverty.
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Child poverty has important psychological and social consequences. This means solutions need to cover very many different angles.
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Cloud computing can play a crucial role in helping African countries reach sustainable development.
A view of the General Assembly hall at the start of the 2019 Climate Action Summit.
EPA/Justin Lane
Africa has already felt the effects of Donald Trump’s climate change denialism. Recent events are also raising political issues of keen interest among the continent’s democrats.
India may be about to implement the biggest reforms to education in 30 years.
Harish Tyagi/EPA
Australia has a moral duty to engage with the global challenge of providing quality education to hundreds of millions of Indian youth over the next 20 years.
A woman and baby on a bicycle taxi in Salima, Malawi. Some Malawian men are becoming more involved in childcare.
EPA-EFE
While not all men are willing to become involved in women and children’s health, some situations force them take on ‘women’s work’.
Data delivered over the cloud can do things like help farmers make planting decisions.
arrowsmith2/Shutterstock
If African countries can get the fundamentals right, cloud computing could become a powerful ally in the push for sustainable development.
Scientists and medical practitioners can help turn goals into reality, such as through vaccine programmes.
Rebecca Hall/CDC/CDC Connects
Science academies have a crucial role to play in developing ways for scientists to engage more effectively.