Science & Tech for Sustainable Development Goals

Overview

• The chapter discusses the effect of science and technology on human flourishing
• It is divided into three lessons: technological advancements, advantages and disadvantages of S&T in everyday life, and the role of S&T in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)
• The second lesson focuses on the contribution of STI to achieving the SDGs
• There is a lesson offering a perspective on the impacts on a country's development

Lesson 8: Science, Tech, Innovation: Implications on Sustainable Development

• The lesson objectives are to identify the 17 SDGs, compare the MDGs with the SDGs, discuss the role of science and technology in the SDGs, and determine what affects a country's development

Global Problem: Poverty

• Poverty has been a major global problem for years
• Most of the world's population lived in extreme poverty in 1820
• Reducing poverty remains a key challenge, even as the world population has increased
• The world faces issues like gender inequality, maternal and child mortality, poor living conditions, inadequate education, and climate change

UN Millennium Declaration

• In September 2000, world leaders signed the United Nations Millennium Declaration, committing to combat poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation, and discrimination against women
• The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) came from this, with 189 UN members agreeing to achieve them by 2015
• Progress towards these goals was slow with poverty remaining a significant issue
• Inequalities, global health threats, and climate change hinder sustainable development
• The "Post-2015 Development Agenda" was launched embracing universally applicable SDGs

SDGs Built on MDGs

• The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) consisted of eight goals
• Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
• Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education
• Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women
• Goal 4: Reduce child mortality
• Goal 5: Improve maternal health
• Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
• Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability
• Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development
• MDGs served as a global framework, significantly improving lives
• "Post-2015" led to a new global agenda for a path toward more sustainable development

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

• SDGs form a commitment to continue what has already started, with 17 goals and 169 targets covering relevant contemporary issues
• These goals are part of "Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development," agreed upon on August 2, 2015, and adopted on September 25 of the same year
• Goal 1: End poverty everywhere in all forms
• Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
• Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
• Goal 4: Ensure inclusive/equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning
• Goal 5: Achieve gender equality, empower all women and girls
• Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable water and sanitation management for all
• Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, modern energy
• Goal 8: Promote sustained, inclusive economic growth, full employment and decent work
• Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation
• Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries
• Goal 11: Make cities/settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable
• Goal 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
• Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
• Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the marine resources, oceans, and seas
• Goal 15: Protect and restore terrestrial ecosystems, combat desertification and biodiversity loss
• Goal 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies, provide access to justice and build effective institutions
• Goal 17: Strengthen implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership
• The SDGs aim to end poverty, protect the planet, build peaceful societies, and ensure prosperity
• Since the launch, countries have made progress towards the goals measured by the Bertelsmann Stiftung and SDSN

Global SDG Achievement

• From 2017-2019, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Germany, Switzerland, France, Austria, Netherlands, Iceland, United Kingdom, Belgium, Ireland, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Japan, and Canada consistently ranked in the top 20
• Sweden topped the 2019 SDG Index Report with 85.2% achievement
• Asia-Pacific countries like Japan (78.9%) and South Korea (78.3%) were also in the Top 20
• In the rankings, the Philippines held the 97th position with 64.9% average achievement
• The SDG index benchmarks countries, not compares since development status varies

Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Vis-À-Vis the SDGs

• Achieving desired goals is influenced by science, technology, and innovation
• The United Nations Science Advisory Board urges scientists and policymakers to embrace principles acknowledging STI's role
• Recognize science as a public good for a sustainable world beyond a means to achieve the 2030 Agenda and SDGs
• Acknowledge basic science as vital for innovation and foster a productive scientific atmosphere with long-term investments to expand global knowledge
• Boost science for sustainable development through gender equity and inclusion of underrepresented demographics
• Enhance science education to build science literacy and capability at all levels
• Increase science investments by setting national targets for basic and applied science
• Promote an integrated scientific method balancing social, economic, and environmental factors while accounting for diverse knowledge systems

Utilizing Science for the Goals

• Scientists and researchers should use knowledge to develop solutions for sustainability
• The success of the 17 goals hinges on collaboration, requiring individual contributions to improve the world

STI in Times of Crisis: COVID-19

• The COVID-19 pandemic, starting in Wuhan in December 2019, is a global health crisis
• The WHO characterized it as a pandemic thus challenging governments
• People became anxious, causing governments to implement policies to manage the virus spread
• The WHO views the pandemic as a human, economic, and social crisis
• The UN supports governments to ensure economic stability and resilience

STI's Role During COVID-19

• Scientific research aids decision-making among governments, providing solutions
• Shortages of protective equipment led to a need for alternative production
• The need for effective test kits to ensure early supportive treatment to identify affected people arose
• Swift tracing of contacts among people with the disease is essential
• Antiviral medicines and vaccines needed development
• WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that the outbreak tests solidarity and science's crucial role

Examples of STI During COVID-19

• Thai hospitals deployed "ninja robots" for temperature checks, modifying stroke-monitoring robots to assist COVID-19 care
• Malaysian scientists created "Medibot" allowing remote communication between medics and the patients
• South Korea used "trace, test, and treat" strategy and Singapore's TraceTogether app uses Bluetooth to track potential carriers
• Vietnam employed a low-cost strategy with clear government-citizen cooperation by tightening borders

STI Examples in the Philippines

• The Department of Science and Technology – Advanced Science Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI) supports COVID-19 fight
• Satellite images track areas during Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ)
• DOST-ASTI supports non-contact temperature devices
• Thermal scanners use wire/Bluetooth interfaces on smartphones and modified moisture meters
• DOST-ASTI supports Ateneo de Manila's FASSSTER project for disease detection and response

Local STI Efforts

• Fifteen scientists from the Philippines Genome Center and UP Manila's National Institutes of Health developed the GenAmplify™ COVID-19 rRT-PCR detection kit, at Php 1,320 per test
• Dr. Raul V. Destura leads research focusing on low-cost tech for infectious disease control and poverty-related solutions

R&D Budget Concerns

• Filipino scientists innovate despite minimal R&D funding
• Senator Panfilo Lacson criticized the government's low R&D budget, only ₱20 billion, urging support for "homegrown scientists" and criticizing officials who prefer foreign suppliers
• STI is relevant from policymaking to implementation and science greatly aids disaster

Non-Traditional Growth

• Some would argue that growing for some is the 'downfall' of others
• Jason Hickel cited economist Peter Edward to suggest rich countries should "catch down"
• The primary goal of the SDGs campaign is still growth
• The earth's bio-capacity is overshot by more than 50% each year
• 70% of individuals in high-income countries recognize overconsumption places society and the planet at risk

Purchasing Solutions

• Buying and owning less is a solution that does not compromise happiness
• Life expectancy and happiness are measured by income or a country's growth domestic product (GDP)
• GDP is an indicator of a nation's economic heath
• Concerns arose in the 20th century regarding the despotism of GDP
• Viewing economic growth as synonymous with wealth-being can be disagreeable
• The Human Development Report (HDR) stated, “People are the real wealth of nations"
• The Human Development Index (HDI) measures advancement in living, health and education
• The HDI cannot replace SDGs, but is indicative of national success
• Conceição mentions that, although nations agree on the importance of SDGs, policy lies within a nation's priorities

Holistic Perspective

• Development is relative
• Countries can't be judged on development alone
• Happiness depends on measuring contentment
• The Earth's resources are limited
• Every action produces a response
• Utilize knowledge, and create innovations for a sustainable government and environment
• Collective action is necessary
• More developed nations must aid those struggling