pelicanweblogo2010

Mother Pelican
A Journal of Solidarity and Sustainability

Vol. 11, No. 3, March 2015
Luis T. Gutiérrez, Editor
Home Page

motherpelicanlogo2012


Advances in Sustainable Development

SUMMARY & OUTLINE

This supplement attempts to be a radar screen for recent/emerging/forthcoming advances in sustainable development. In selecting items for this supplementary page, priority is given to information about publications and tools with an educational and human-centric focus. This update includes the following reminders that sustainable development has a human face:

1. Suggestions for Prayer, Study, and Action
2. News, Publications, Tools, and Conferences
3. Advances in Sustainable Development
4. Advances in Integral Human Development
5. Advances in Integrated Sustainable Development
6. Sustainability Games, Databases, and Knowledgebases
7. Sustainable Development Measures and Indicators
8. Sustainable Development Modeling and Simulation
9. Fostering Sustainability in the International Community
Note: Items in this page are updated as information is received and as time permits. If the reader knows about new pubs/tools that should be announced in this page, please write to the Editor.

8MDGs.2014.png

CURRENT GOALS & NEW INITIATIVES

2015 Millennium Development Goals

The State of the Global Partnership for Development, MDG Gap Task Force, United Nations, September 2014

Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals

POST-2015 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AGENDA

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Integration: Achieving a better balance between the economic, social and environmental dimensions, Stakeholder Forum, 21 January 2015

Review of Targets for the Sustainable Development Goals: The Science Perspective, ICSU, 18 February 2015

The "A" Word: Monitoring the SDGs, Robert Bissio, Future UN, February 2015

Post 2015: A New Era of Accountability?, Sakiko Fukuda-Parr & Desmond McNeill, UNSTATS, 27 February 2015

Proposed SDG Governance Indicators: Rule of Law or Simply Rule?, Martin Edwards, Permanent Observer, 9 March 2015

1. Suggestions for Prayer, Study, and Action

PRAYER

Praying for a Human Ecology of Communion

0315PrayerLeft.jpg Prayer by Julian of Norwich

Be a gardener.
Dig a ditch,
toil and sweat,
and turn the earth upside down
and seek the deepness
and water the plants in time.
Continue this labor
and make sweet floods to run
and noble and abundant fruits
to spring.
Take this food and drink
and carry it to God
as your true worship.
0315PrayerRight.jpg

STUDY

The Systems View of Life

Systems.View.of.Life.png

The Systems View of Life:
A Unifying Vision

Fritjof Capra and Pier Luigi Luisi
Center for Ecoliteracy

This book integrates the ideas, models, and theories underlying the systems view of life into a single coherent framework, exploring its implications for a broad range of endeavors, from economics and politics to medicine, psychology, and law.

EXCERPTED ESSAY

Cambridge University Press, 2014

ACTION

Join the "He for She" Campaign

He for She

A Solidarity Movement
for Gender Equality

Now it’s time to unify our efforts. HeForShe is a solidarity movement for gender equality that brings together one half of humanity in support of the other half of humanity, for the benefit of all.

SIGN UP

HeForSheLogo.png


2. News, Publications, Tools, and Conferences

NEWS

cooltexticonnews


Sustainability Science (PNAS)


Elementa:
Science of the Anthopocene


SAPIENS


Environmental Research Letters


Progress in Industrial Ecology


Environmental Leader


Sustainable Development Magazine


Monthly Energy Review


The Environment Nexus


Energy and Climate News


BURN Energy Journal


Environmental News Network


Planet Ark
World Environmental News


Mother Earth News


Climate Action News


Sustainable Development Media


World Pulse


SustainabiliTank


Environmental Science & Technology


EcoWatch


WiserEarth News


New Internationalist


The Global Journal


Trade & Environment Nexus


Yes! Magazine


Human Development News


Science Daily
Earth & Climate News
Sustainability News
Science & Society News


International Institute for
Sustainable Development (IISD)
Reporting Services

Policy-Strategy Coverage

Sustainable Development Policy & Practice
Sustainable Development - Small Islands
Biodiversity Policy & Practice
Climate Change Policy & Practice
Energy Policy Issues
Multilateral Environmental Agreements
Earth Negotiations Bulletin

Theme Coverage

Sustainable Development
Biodiveristy & Wildlife
Chemicals Management
Climate & Atmosphere
Forests - Deserts - Land
Human Development
Intergovernmental Organizations
Trade & Investment
Water - Oceand - Wetlands

Regional Coverage

Africa
Asia
Europe
Lating America & Caribbean
Near East
North America
South West Pacific

Rio+20 Coverage

UNCSDRIOPLUS20
Sustainable Development Conference
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
4-6 June 2012


United Nations News Service
Rio+20: Making it Happen
UN Sustainable Development News
UN Gender Equality News


Value News Network


Catholic News Service


Anglican Communion News Service


Ekklesia Christian News Bulletin


Religion News Service


LiveScience News


Inter Press Service (PSI)


Triple Bottom Line
CSR News


The Progress Report


Global Health News


Kosmos Journal


Environment & Technology
Scholarly Journals

Environment & Society Section
American Sociological Association


ELDIS NEWSFEEDS

Eldis Development Newsfeeds

General - all subjects

Newsfeeds by Subject

Ageing populations
Agriculture
Aid and debt
Children and young people
Climate Change
Climate adaptation
Conflict
Corporate responsibility
Education
Environment
Finance policy
Food security
Gender
Globalisation
Governance
HIV and AIDS
Health
Health systems
ICT for development
Influencing policy
Jobs
Jobs, Events and Announcements
Livelihoods
MDGs
Manuals and toolkits
Migration
Participation
Poverty
Trade policy

Newsfeeds by Region

Africa
East Asia and Pacific
Latin America and Caribbean
Middle East and North Africa
South Asia

PUBLICATIONS

cooltexticonpubs


Global Sustainable Investment
Clean Technica, 26 February 2015


World Report 2015
Human Rights Watch, 12 February 2015


Short-Term Renewable Energy Outlook
U.S. EIA, 10 February 2015


Global Risks Report 2015
WEF, January 2015


World Energy Outlook 2014
IEA, 12 November 2014


Beyond Downscaling:
A Bottom-Up Approach
to Climate Adaptation
for Water Resources Management
AGWA, October 2014


2014 Global Hunger Index
IFPRI, October 2014


The New Climate Economy
United Nations, September 2014


Living Planet Report 2014
Global Footprint Network, September 2014


Sustainable Development Goals
and Inclusive Development

UNU-IAS, September 2014


Sustainable Development Goals
and Indicators for a Small Planet
Part II: Measuring Sustainability

ASEF, August 2014


The Plain Language Guide
to Rio+20: Preparing for the
New Development Agenda

Felix Dodds et al, 28 July 2014


Human Development Report 2014
UNDP, 24 July 2014


Millennium Development Goals
Report 2014

UNDP, 7 July 2014


Prototype
Global Sustainable Development
Report (GSDR)

UN DSD, 1 July 2014


Agreeing on Robust Decisions:
New processes for decision making
under deep uncertainty

World Bank, June 2014


Early Childhood Development:
The Foundation of
Sustainable Human Development
for 2015 and Beyond

UN SDSN, 4 May 2014


What’s In A Name?
Global Warming vs Climate Change

Yale Environment, May 2014


World Health Statistics 2014
WHO, 2014


The Arctic in the Anthropocene:
Emerging Research Questions
, National Academy of Sciences, 2014


Annual Energy Outlook 2014
US EIA, 30 April 2014


Global Trends in
Renewable Energy Investment 2014

UNEP-Bloomberg, April 2014


International Human Development Program
Annual Report 2013

IHDP, April 2014


Momentum for Change 2013
UNFCCC, 2014


Global Gender Gap Index 2013
WEF, April 2014


NAPAs and NAPs in
Least Developed Countries

Gabrielle Kissinger & Thinley Namgyel
ECBI, March 2014


Water & Energy 2014
United Nations, 21 March 2014


Inclusive and Sustainable
Industrial Development

UNIDO, March 2014


What We Know:
The Reality, Risks, and Response
to Climate Change

AAAS, March 2014


The State of Natural Capital
UK NCC, March 2014


Women's Lives and Challenges:
Equality and Empowerment since 2000

USAID, March 2014


Climate Change: Evidence & Causes
NAS/RS, 27 February 2014


Beyond 2014 Global Report
ICPD, 16 February 2014


World Youth Report 2013:
Youth Migration and Development

UN-DESA, 14 February 2014


State of the World's Children 2014
UNICEF, January 2014


Assessing
Global Land Use:
Balancing Consumption
with Sustainable Supply

UNEP-IRP, January 2014


Sustainability Investment Yearbook 2014
RobecoSAM, January 2014


World Economic Situation
and Prospects 2014

UN DESA, 18 December 2013


Annual Energy Outlook
Energy Forecast Through 2040
U.S. EIA, 16 December 2013


Future Earth
Initial Design Report

Future Earth, November 2013


Climate Change 2013:
The Physical Science Basis

UN IPCC AR5 Report
Version 11 November 2013
SUMMARY REPORT
FULL REPORT


State of the Ocean 2013
IPSO/IUCN, 13 October 2013


Economic, Social, and Cultural
Rights and Climate Change:
A Legal Reference Guide

CISDL, 2013


Primer on Hydrofluorocarbons
IGSD, October 2013


On Thin Ice:
How Cutting Pollution
Can Slow Warming
and Save Lives

ICCI, October 2013


Resilient Against What?:
How Leading U.S. Municipalities
Are Understanding and Acting
on Resilience

Daniel Lerch, PCI, 16 October 2013


Energy Harnessing:
New Solutions for
Sustainability and Growing Demand

Michael Jackson, WEF, 3 October 2013


Global Wealth Report 2013
Credit Suisse Research Institute
Zurich, October 2013


Gender at Work
World Bank, October 2013


World Economic Outlook 2013:
Transitions and Tensions

IMF, October 2013


Global Financial Stablity Report 2013:
Transition Challenges to Stability

IMF, October 2013


Climate Change:
Action, Trends and Implications
for Business

CSPL, Cambridge University
October 2013


The Future of Leadership
for Conscious Capitalism

Barrett C. Brown, MetaIntegral Associates
October 2013


The State of Food Insecurity
in the World 2013

FAO, 1 October 2013


Climate after Growth
Asher Miller and Rob Hopkins
Post-Carbon Institute
30 September 2013


Prototype
Global Sustainable Development
Report

UN DESA, 24 September 2013


Dispelling Myths on
Sustainable Consumption

NORDEN, 11 September 2013


Getting the Engagement
of Local Institutions in the
UN Development Agenda Post-2015

IIED, September 2013


2013 World Happiness Report
UNSDSN, 2013
See also the infographic of
World Happiness Data
Huffington Post, 10 September 2013


Majuro Declaration
for Climate Leadership

Majuro, Marshall Islands
5 September 2013


What Future for
International Climate Politics?
A Call for a Strategic Reset

Boll Foundation, 5 September 2013


Getting the Engagement
of Local Institutions
in the UN Development Agenda
Post-2015

IIED, September 2013


Air Pollutant Emission
Inventory Guidebook 2013

EMEP/EEA, 29 August 2013


Zero Carbon Britain:
Rethinking the Future

Centre for Alternative Technology
United Kingdom, 27 August 2013


The Post-2015
Sustainable Development Agenda:
Global, Asian and European Perspectives

ACUNS, 19 August 2013


Global Innovation Index 2013
GII, 30 July 2013


A Life of Dignity for All:
Accelerating progress towards the
Millennium Development Goals
and advancing the United Nations
development agenda beyond 2015

Report of the Secretary-General
United Nations, 26 July 2013


International Energy Outlook 2013
U.S. EIA, 25 July 2013


Towards a Green Economy in Europe
EEA Report, 25 July 2013


Psychological and Behavioral
Aspects of Sustainability

Special Issue of Sustainability, July 2013


Future Earth:
Research for Global Sustainability

Alliance for Future Earth, July 2013


Corruption Barometer 2013 Report
Transparency International, 10 July 2013


The Way Forward
for Renewable Energy
in Central America

Worldwatch Institute, June 2013


World Economic & Social Survey 2013:
Sustainable Development Challenges

UN DESA, 2 July 2013


A Post-2015 Action Agenda
for Sustainable Development

UN SDSN, 6 June 2013


Climate Change
and Financial Instability
Seen as Top Global Threats

Pew Research Center, 24 June 2013


Science in Society:
Caring for our Futures
in Turbulent Times

ESF, June 2013


2012 Annual Report
Stockholm Environment Institute

SEI, June 2013


2012 Annual Report
Global Biodiversity Information Facility

GBIF, June 2013


2012 Science Review
Global Biodiversity Information Facility

GBIF, June 2013


Global Information Technology
Report 2013

WEF, 4 June 2013


A New Global Partnership:
Eradicate Poverty
and Transform Economies
through Sustainable Development

UN, 30 May 2013


A Guidebook to
Fossil-Fuel Subsidy Reform

GSI, 13 May 2013


Tracking Clean Energy Progress
IEA, May 2013


International Human Development Program
Annual Report 2012

IHDP, May 2013


Navigating Sustainable Development
in the 21st Century

UN IHDP, 9 May 2013


Reframing Sustainable Development:
A Critical Analysis

CIWEM, April 2013


Natural Capital at Risk:
The Top 100
Externalities of Business

TEEB, 15 April 2013


Fatal Fashion
SOMO, March 2013


Global Domestic Politics:
A Citizen's Guide to
Running a Diverse Planet

John Bunzl, ISPO, 28 March 2013


A Summary of
Current Climate Change
Findings and Figures

World Meteorological Organization
March 2013


The Wealth Report 2013
Knight Frank, March 2013


Environmental Pressures from European
Consumption and Production

EEA, 4 March 2013


Eco-justice Impacts and Opportunities
NCC, 1 March 2013


Environmental Decisions
in the Face of Uncertainty

NAS, 2013


Guide to Social Innovation
European Commission, February 2013


A World Connected:
Globalization in the 21st Century

Nayan Chanda & Susan Froetschel, Editors
YaleGlobal, 1 February 2013


Corruption Perceptions Index 2012
Transparency International, 28 January 2013


USA National Climate Assessment
Executive Summary
Full Report
USGCRP NCADAC, January 2013


Global Risks 2013
World Economic Forum, January 2013


Renewables Global Futures Report
REN21, January 2013


TOOLS & DATABASES

cooltexticontools


EXIOBASE
Input-Output Tables for
Regional Footprint Analysis

NTNU/TNO/SERI, January 2015


Sustainable Society Index 2014
SSI, 17 December 2014


CAIT Equity Explorer
WRI, October 20114


WBCSD Tools Box


Post-2015 SDGs Target Database
Project on Sustainability Transformation
Ministry of the Environment, Japan


Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA)
Sustainable Development Evaluation Tool

UNDP, 16 September 2014


2014 Global Peace Index (GPI)
Institute for Economics and Peace, 2014


UN CC: Learn Climate Change
United Nations, 2014


Global Consumption Database
World Bank, 2014


LEAP Scenario Explorer:
Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning

Stockholm Environmental Institute, 2014


Momentum for Change Interactive
UNFCCC, 2014


Sustainable Human Development Index (SHDI)
IFMR LEAD, Tamil Nadu, India


Environment & Gender Index (EGI)
IUCN


Livelihood Strategies
Knowledge Bank

Development Cafe


Global Forest Watch System
World Resources Institute


WomanStats & World Maps
WomanStats Project


EUREAPA
Scenario Modelling and Policy Assessment Tool

European Union


OPEN EUOne Planet Economy Network
European Union


Constitutional Gender Database
UN Women


OpenGeoSci Maps
GeoScience World


EOSDIS
Earth Data Website

NASA


2013 Legatum Prosperity Index
Legatum Institute


Global Slavery Index 2013
Walk Free Foundation


Food Policy Network Resource List
School of Public Health
Johns Hopkins University


Water Change Modelling System
WCMS, EU LIFE Project


Earth Charter Virtual Library
Earth Charter Initiative


Resource & Documentation Centre
European Gender Equality Institute


Climate Justice Research Database
Mary Robinson Foundation


IPCC Data
Distribution Centre

Climate Data, Simulations, and Synthesis
Data on Related Socio-Economic Factors
UN IPCC


Nitrogen Footprint Calculator
ECN & Oxford University


Exploring Oil Data
Open Oil


Sustainability SWOT (sSWOT) Analysis Tool
World Resources Institute


CAIT Climate Data Explorer
World Resources Institute


Sustainable Technologies Databases
EWBI International


Renewable Energy Interactive Map
REN21


Global Transition to a New Economy
Interactive Map

New Economics Institute


Map of Climate Think Tanks
ICCG


Energy Access Interactive Tool
IIASA


Long Range Energy Alternatives
Planning System (LEAP)

SEI Energy Community


Industrial Efficiency Policy Database
IETD


Technology Cost Database for Renewables
NREL


Mapping the Global Transition
to a New Economy

New Economics Institute


Open Source Software for
Crowdsourcing for Energy Analysis

UNIDO


Adaptation Support Tool
EU EEA


Terra Populus:
Integrated Data on
Population and Environment

NSF & University of Minnesota


Environmental Performance Index
Interactive Map & Database

EPI, Yale University


Environmental Data Explorer
UNEP


Clean Energy Information Portal
REEGLE


Mapping the Impacts of Climate Change
CGDEV


Eye on Earth
Global Mapping

EU EEA


Database of Actions on Adaptation
to Climate Change

UNFCCC


Climate Scoreboard
Climate Interactive


Calculator of the
Carbon Footprint of Nations

NTNU


Geospatial Toolkit (GsT) for
Integrated Resource Assessment

NREL


Climate Impact Equity Lens (CIEL)
Stockholm Environment Institute


Global Adaptation Index
Global Adaptation Institute


Gridded Population of the World
CIESIN, Columbia University


The New eAtlas of Gender
World Bank


Statistics and Tools
for Gender Analysis

World Bank


Gender Statistics Database
World Bank


Live World Data
The Venus Project


RETScreen
Clean Energy Analysis Software

RETScreen International


IGES CDM Methodology Parameter Data
IGES


IGES Emission Reductions Calculation Sheet
IGES


OECD Sustainable Manufacturing Toolkit
OECD


OECD Family Database
OECD


OECD Social Expenditure Database
OECD


Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services
and Tradeoffs (InVEST)

Natural Capital Project


Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC)
NASA & Columbia University


IGES GHG Database
IGES


Emission Factors Database
Ecometrica


FICAT
Forestry Industry Carbon Assessment Tool
Green Resources, Tanzania


Agent-based Computational Economics
of the Global Energy System

ACEGES


Climate Hot Map
Union of Concerned Scientists


Solar Thermal Barometer
EurObserv-ER


BioCarbonTracker
Ecometrica


FORMA
Forest Monitoring for Action
CGDEV


WEAP
Water Evaluation And Planning System
WEAP21


GLTN
Global Land Tool Network
UN-HABITAT


UN-Energy Knowledge Network
including
Multi-dimensional Energy Poverty Index (MEPI)
and Energy Development Index (EDI)
UNIDO


Measuring Energy Poverty
Visualization Platform

STATPLANET & UNIDO


United Nations Data
UN Statistics Database
UN MDG Indicators
UN Human Development Index (HDI)


Humanity's Footprint Data
Ecological Footprint
Footprint for Nations
Footprint for Cities
Footprint for Business
Carbon Footprint
Personal Footprint
Footprint & Biodiversity
Footprint & Human Development


Earth Policy Institute Data Sets
Population, Health, and Society
Natural Systems
Climate Change
Energy Resources
Transportation Systems
Food and Agriculture
Economics & Development


World Bank
World Development Indicators (WDI)
World Bank


Sustainable Society Index
StatPlanet Interactive Map


Interactive Mapping of
Population and Climate Change

Population Action International


Global Advocates Toolbox
Population Action International


Teaching and Learning
for a Sustainable Future:
Dissemination and Training Toolbox

UNESCO


Economic Input-Output
Life Cycle Assessment (EIO-LCA)

Green Design Institute
Carnegie Mellon University


CONFERENCES & JOURNALS

cooltexticonconf


Conference Alerts
Find Conferences Worldwide
by Topic, Country, or Keywords.



Calls for Papers
Find Calls for Papers Worldwide
by Specialization, Country, or Keywords.



Journal Articles
The latest Tables of Contents
from thousands of scholarly journals
Search by journal title, ISNN, or keywords


Selected Announcements


ICT4D Conference:
Increasing Impact
Through Innovation

Catholic Relief Services (CRS)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
27-29 May 2015
Contact: ICT4DMail@crs.org


Religion in the Anthropocene:
Challenges, Idolatries, Transformations

5th International Conference of
the European Forum for
the Study of Religion and Environment
Munich, Germany
14-17 May 2015
Contact: Simone Birnstock


Third International Symposium
on Corporate Responsibility
and Sustainable Development

Ryerson University, Toronto
7–11 June 2015
Contact: ccrsd.org@gmail.com


2015 Design Science:
Global Solutions Lab

Design Science
Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia
and United Nations, New York
21-29 June 2015
Contact: Medard Gabel


The Future of Basic Income Research
Florence, Italy
26-26 June 2015
Contact: Juliana.Bidadanure@EUI.eu


The 5th World Sustainability Forum
Bassel, Switzerland
7-9 September 2015
Contact: wsf5@mdpi.com


The Worlds of Violence
Giardini Naxos, Sicily, Italy
23-26 September 2015
Contact: sac525@york.ac.uk


10th Conference on Sustainable Development
of Energy, Water and Environment Systems
(SDEWES2015)

Dubrovnik, Croatia
27 September - 3 October, 2015


ISO 50001 Energy Management
University of Twente, Netherlands
November 2-December 11, 2015


Religion and Ecology Meeting
American Academy of Religion
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
21-24 November 2015
Contact: Evan Berry, berry@american.edu


Earth System Governance:
Democracy and Resilience
in the Anthropocene

Australia National University
Canberra, Australia
14-16 December 2015
Contact: esg2015@anu.edu.au

3. Advances in Sustainable Development

MDGREPORT2014.png FREE DOWNLOAD

MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS
REPORT 2014

SUMMARY

This report examines the latest progress towards achieving the MDGs. It reaffirms that the MDGs have made a profound difference in people’s lives. Global poverty has been halved five years ahead of the 2015 timeframe. Ninety per cent of children in developing regions now enjoy primary education, and disparities between boys and girls in enrolment have narrowed. Remarkable gains have also been made in the fight against malaria and tuberculosis, along with improvements in all health indicators. The likelihood of a child dying before age five has been nearly cut in half over the last two decades. That means that about 17,000 children are saved every day. The target of halving the proportion of people who lack access to improved sources of water was also met.

The concerted efforts of national governments, the international community, civil society and the private sector have helped expand hope and opportunity for people around the world. But more needs to be done to accelerate progress. We need bolder and focused action where significant gaps and disparities exist.

Member States are now fully engaged in discussions to define Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will serve as the core of a universal post-2015 development agenda. Our efforts to achieve the MDGs are a critical building block towards establishing a stable foundation for our development efforts beyond 2015.

Highlights
  • The MDG-1 target has been met, poverty rates have been halved between 1990 and 2010, but 1.2 billion people still live in extreme poverty.
  • Despite impressive strides forward at the start of the decade, progress in reducing the number of children out of school has slackened considerably.
  • Women are assuming more power in the world’s parliaments, boosted by quota systems.
  • Despite substantial progress, the world is still falling short of the MDG child mortality target.
  • Much more still needs to be done to reduce maternal mortality. Poverty and lack of education perpetuate high adolescent birth rates.
  • There are still too many new cases of HIV infection.
  • Millions of hectares of forest are lost every year, threatening this valuable asset. Global greenhouse gas emissions continue their upward trend.
  • Official development assistance is now at its highest level, reversing the decline of the previous two years.

Source: United Nations Development Program (UNDP), 7 July 2014

4. Advances in Integral Human Development

2014 Human Development Report

HDR2014.Banner.jpg

The 2014 Human Development Report - "Sustaining Human Progress: Reducing Vulnerabilities and Building Resilience" provides a fresh perspective on vulnerability and proposes ways to strengthen resilience.

HIGHLIGHTS

"Persistent vulnerability threatens human development, and unless it is systematically tackled by policies and social norms, progress will be neither equitable nor sustainable.

"According to income-based measures of poverty, 1.2 billion people live with $1.25 or less a day. However, the latest estimates of the UNDP Multidimensional Poverty Index reveal that almost 1.5 billion people in 91 developing countries are living in poverty with overlapping deprivations in health, education and living standards. And although poverty is declining overall, almost 800 million people are at risk of falling back into poverty if setbacks occur.

"By addressing vulnerabilities, all people may share in development progress, and human development will become increasingly equitable and sustainable," stated UNDP Administrator Helen Clark today.

"The 2014 Human Development Report comes at a critical time, as attention turns to the creation of a new development agenda following the 2015 deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

"Zeroing in on what holds back progress, the report holds that as crises spread ever faster and further, it is critical to understand vulnerability in order to secure gains and sustain progress.

"It points to a slowdown in human development growth across all regions, as measured by the Human Development Index (HDI). It notes that threats such as financial crises, fluctuations in food prices, natural disasters and violent conflict significantly impede progress.

"Reducing both poverty and people's vulnerability to falling into poverty must be a central objective of the post-2015 agenda," the Report states. "Eliminating extreme poverty is not just about 'getting to zero'; it is also about staying there."

"A human development lens on who is vulnerable and why. "Reducing vulnerability is a key ingredient in any agenda for improving human development," writes Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz, in a contribution to the Report. "[We] need to approach it from a broad systemic perspective."

"The 2014 Report takes such an approach, using a human development lens to take a fresh look at vulnerability as an overlapping and mutually reinforcing set of risks. It explores structural vulnerabilities - those that have persisted and compounded over time as a result of discrimination and institutional failings, hurting groups such as the poor, women, migrants, people living with disabilities, indigenous groups and older people. For instance, 80 percent of the world's elderly lack social protection, with large numbers of older people also poor and disabled.

"The Report also introduces the idea of life cycle vulnerabilities, the sensitive points in life where shocks can have greater impact. They include the first 1,000 days of life, and the transitions from school to work, and from work to retirement.

"Capabilities accumulate over an individual's lifetime and have to be nurtured and maintained; otherwise they can stagnate and even decline," it warns. "Life capabilities are affected by investments made in preceding stages of life, and there can be long-term consequences of exposure to short-term shocks."

"For example, in one study cited by the Report, poor children in Ecuador were shown to be already at a vocabulary disadvantage by the age of six. Timely interventions-such as investments in early childhood development-are therefore critical, the Report states.

Press release    Summary Report    Full Report    Supporting Data    Supporting Papers

5. Advances in Integrated Sustainable Development

Integral Human Development and Subsidiarity

The Principle of Subsidiarity

Source: EZFord, YouTube, 23 February 2013

See also

Integral Human Development and Subsidiarity: A Closer Look
by Matthea Brandenburg & Carolyn Woo, PovertyCure Voice, 10 January 2013

"An issue or problem should be dealt with by the people who are closest to it"
Rudy Carrasco, PovertyCure Voice, 20 March 2012

Cardinal Reinhard Marx on Subsidiarity vs. Solidarity
Berkeley Center, Georgetown University, 20 June 2012

For over a decade, the Great Transition Initiative has advanced a visionary scenario of a future rooted in human solidarity, well-being for all, and ecological sustainability. It now enters a new phase with renewed energy and heightened sense of urgency. Its reimagined website — www.greattransition.org — serves as a platform for exploring bold visions and change strategies.

The new site features:

  • An open-access journal of ideas publishing new essays, book reviews, and interviews.
  • A MacroScope highlighting current developments that carry long-term global significance.
  • Educational material such as videos, an overview of critical ideas, and archival literature.
  • A GT Network Space for those seeking more intensive engagement.

GTI offers a unique and valuable resource for understanding our present moment and shaping our collective future.

6. Sustainability Games, Databases, and Knowledgebases

Deconstructing Carbon before UN Climate Summit

FPNnations_emissions2014.png

Footprint Network News, 15 September 2014

Global Consumption Database (World Bank)

WBConsumptionDB2014.jpg

Source: World Bank and IFC Launch Global Consumption Database
World Bank & International Finance Corporation, 11 June 2014

Link to the DB Portal: World Consumption Data Base

World Resources Institute (WRI)
Sustainability SWOT (sSWOT) Analysis Resource Website
SWOT = "Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats"

SWOT_Analysis_Matrix_Wiki.png
Source: Wikipedia

Trend Charts, Statistics, and Databases

IEA World Energy Outlook Facts & Graphs
McKinsey Resources & Urban World
OECD Country Statistics & Outlooks
UNDP Human Development Database
UNEP Issues for the 21st Century
UNEP Global Environmental Outlook
UNEP Environmental Data Explorer
World Bank Country Statistics

Corporate Sustainability Research, Analysis, and Tools

WRI: Aqueduct Water Resource Maps
WRI: Corporate Ecosystem Services
WRI: Greenhouse Gas Protocol
WRI: Stories to Watch
WRI: Profits & Sustainability Alignment
BCG & MIT Sustainability Tipping Points
Sustainable Business Modeling Tool
KPMG: Expect the Unexpected
Oxfam, CERES, and Calvert Investments
Physical Risks from Climate Change
WBCSD Vision 2050

7. Sustainable Development Measures and Indicators

SSI2014COVER.png
Sustainable Society Index

SSI 2014
Lauched 17 December 2014

Link to Home Page

Link to Full Report

Link to Summary report

Link to Data Tables

SSI by Country

World at a Glance

Interactive Maps

Environmental Performance Index 2014
Interactive Map, Calculation Methods, and Data Explorer
Columbia Earth Science Information Center, and
Yale Environmental Law and Policy Center, 25 January 2014
Link to the EPI 2014 Summary        Link to the EPI 2014 Report

Climate Change Vulnerability Index 2014
Future Timeline, 31 October 2013

"The sixth annual release of Maplecroft’s Climate Change and Environmental Risk Atlas has revealed that 31% of global economic output will be based in countries facing ‘high’ or ‘extreme risks’ from climate change by 2025 — a 50% increase on current levels and more than double since the company began researching the issue in 2008."

8. Sustainable Development Modeling and Simulation

Human and nature dynamics (HANDY):
Modeling inequality and use of resources
in the collapse or sustainability of societies

Safa Motesharrei, Jorge Rivas, and Eugenia Kalnayc
Ecological Economics, May 2014

"C-ROADS is an award-winning computer simulation that helps people understand the long-term climate impacts of policy scenarios to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It allows for the rapid summation of national greenhouse gas reduction pledges in order to show the long-term impact on our climate." For more information, click here.


Click here to view a larger version of the video.
Visit Climate Interactive for updates and announcements.

9. Fostering Sustainability in the International Community


UN launches
Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN)
to help find solutions to global problems

The scale of the global sustainable development challenge is unprecedented. The fight against extreme poverty has made great progress under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), but more than 1 billion people continue to live in extreme poverty. Inequality and social exclusion are widening within most countries. With the world at 7 billion people and current annual GDP of US$70 trillion, human impacts on the environment have already reached dangerous levels. As the world population is estimated to rise to 9 billion by 2050
SDSN2012BANNER.png
Link to the SDSN Website
and global GDP to more than US$200 trillion, the world urgently needs a framework for sustainable development that addresses the challenges of ending poverty, increasing social inclusion, and sustaining the planet.

Under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General, and in line with the recently launched High-level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) was announced on August 9, 2012 and will provide global, open and inclusive support to sustainable-development problem solving at local, national, and global scales. The SDSN will work together with United Nations agencies, other international organizations, and the multilateral funding institutions including the World Bank and regional development banks, to mobilize scientific and technical expertise to scale up the magnitude and quality of local, national and global problem solving, helping to identify solutions and highlighting best practices in the design of long-term development pathways.


Indicators for Sustainable Development Goals
SDSN, 14 February 2014


UNITED NATIONS
Sustainable Energy for All
INITIATIVE

Three broad objectives to be achieved by 2030:

  • Ensuring universal access to modern energy services
  • Doubling the rate of improvement in energy efficiency
  • Doubling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix
  • Sustainable Energy for All: Actions and Commitments

    UNSEFA2030
    Sustainable Energy for All

    UNITED NATIONS
    Global Environmental Outlook (GEO-5)
    Summary Report, UNEP, 20 February 2012
    Full Report, UNEP, 6 June 2012

    Three highest priorities:

  • Aligning governance to the challenges of global sustainability
  • Transforming human capabilities for the 21st century
  • Ensuring food safety and food security for 9 billion people

  • GEO5UNEP2012.jpg
    Global Environmental Outlook (GEO-5)

    POST2015.MDG.SDG.SDSN.jpg
    Post-2015 Action Agenda
    for Sustainable Development

    UNITED NATIONS
    Post-2015 Action Agenda
    for Sustainable Development

    SDSN REPORT PRESS RELEASE
    6 June 2013

    "A new report issued today by a top-level United Nations knowledge network under the auspices of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon lays out an action agenda to support global efforts to achieve sustainable development during the period 2015-2030.

    "The post-2015 process is a chance for the global community to work towards a new era in sustainable development," said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. "The latest report from the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the result of a collaboration between top scientists, technologists, businesses, and development specialists, is a critical input to the work we are doing to shape an ambitious and achievable post-2015 agenda." To download the report, click here.


    Promotion of the Post-2015 Development Agenda


    Source: How the United Nations Should Promote the Post-2015 Development Agenda
    Kara Alaimo, Center for Governance and Sustainability, University of Massachusetts - Boston




    |Back to SUMMARY & OUTLINE|

    Page 1      Page 2      Page 3      Page 4      Page 5      Page 6      Page 7      Page 8      Page 9

    Supplement 1      Supplement 2      Supplement 3      Supplement 4      Supplement 5      Supplement 6

    PelicanWeb Home Page

    Bookmark and Share

    "Even if your mouth is crooked,
    you must speak what's in your heart."


    Korean proverb

    GROUP COMMANDS AND WEBSITES

    Write to the Editor
    Send email to Subscribe
    Send email to Unsubscribe
    Link to the Google Groups Website
    Link to the PelicanWeb Home Page

    CREATIVE
    COMMONS
    LICENSE
    Creative Commons License
    ISSN 2165-9672

    Supplement 1      

    FREE SUBSCRIPTION

    [groups_small]

    Subscribe to the
    Mother Pelican Journal
    via the Solidarity-Sustainability Group

    Enter your email address: