Since its first appearance, the human kind has gone through a never-ending process which brought to several drastic changes. Such changes, from the invention of the wheel and the discovery of fire to the industrial revolutions, have allowed humanity to live a longer and more comfortable life leading not only to economic progress, but also to a moral progress.
According to popular belief, new technologies and consuming so many resources and materials are necessary and, as a consequence, evolution has to be a positive factor, but we should ask ourselves if this kind of opinions matches the reality. Actually, progress has a dark side which terrifies humans more now than ever. The use of fossil fuels in factories and in transport systems, the increasing amount of waste we produce every day and several other issues are threatening the Earth: this includes the environment, as well as the wildlife. Lots of species are extinct due to the man’s hand and many more will be in the future if we do not do anything immediately. Moreover, because of pollution natural disasters, such as droughts, floods, storms, will be more frequent in the future. The question now is: what needs to be done to save the planet?
Scientists initially thought of stopping the evolution in order to limit our impact on the planet. However this turned out to be an impossible task: progress is bound to happen and is essential to continue with scientific research and economic growth to improve the quality of life.
Finally, experts succeeded in making a more realistic plan: progress should satisfy population’s needs, as well as the future generations’ ones, without harming the planet. The UN (United Nations) made a list of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), agreed upon in 2015 by world leaders, aimed to create a better, fairer, world by 2030 – ending poverty, urgently addressing climate change and ending inequality.
“The Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice. The 17 Goals are all interconnected, and in order to leave no one behind, it is important that we achieve them all by 2030”.
These choices are related to the work of the international community and politicians, but we should not forget our role as individuals in contributing to the sustainable development, following the four Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink). The world population amounts to seven billion people and this number is still growing. That’s a lot of people who require food, energy, and housing. Our actions have a direct impact on the environment so we should think carefully and act wisely.
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