24/08/2017

What are Colombia´s sustainable development goals?

One of the sustainable development goals is that for 2050 the economy will be free of any fossil fuels.

One of the sustainable development goals is that for 2050 the economy will be free of any fossil fuels.

During his recent visit to Colombia, the director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, Jeffrey Sachs, said that Colombia was the country that suggested the Sustainable Development Goals. This is a great idea, for many reasons, one being that the country needs them.

 

“Colombia is one of the countries that has the most biodiversity; it is heavily reliant on agriculture, which, in turn, depends on the climate and weather being manageable. It is very diverse in terms of culture, native ethnicities, and humankind. It is a phenomenal country.”
 

Moreover, professor emeritus from Los Andes, Manuel Rodriguez Becerra, clarified that “the objectives of sustainable development are universal development. That is to say that both developed countries and developing countries have responsibilities, and these have a universal application. There are some environmental problems that are deeply linked with global social and cultural development that can only be fixed if all countries work together towards sustainable development”.
 

Sachs added that, “in order to achieve the sustainable development goals, from the point of view of global climate security, each country needs to make a transition towards energy systems that are low in carbon”. He also said that Colombia needs to outline a plan of action, design a policy, socialize it with the country´s experts, and then decide what is the best course of action to take.
 

Professor Manuel Rodríguez Becerra concluded that, “Last year professor Sachs made a strong claim: that Colombia was excessively shaping its future with a sole focus on coal mining. This year he said that Colombia was strongly shaping its future with hydrocarbon mining. That is not to say that carbon and hydrocarbons should not be mined, but that Colombia needs to diversify its productive apparatus in terms of agriculture, services, and other areas while depending less and less on the carbon and oil economies”.

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