As the world is preparing to finalize and in September adopt a new global development agenda for the 2015-2030 time period, including a set of global Sustainable Development Goals, questions are being raised about what have countries achieved under the Millennium Development Goals.
Professor Laszlo Pinter, Dora Almassy PhD student and Sarah Czunyi former MESPOM student published a new report that takes stock of progress towards MDG-7, the only MDG that covered some key aspects of environmental sustainability. For the first time in the 15-year MDG implementation period, the report provides a comprehensive overview of progress based on official indicators and data, and pinpoints what goals and targets have been met, by when and where, and in what areas has progress been inadequate compared to national baselines. The research found connections clearly showing that healthy ecosystems are a prerequisite to meeting some of the most important human development goals. Protecting the integrity of forests, the health of fish stocks or keeping the ozone layer intact are of fundamental, not tangential, importance for human well-being. The report is available at: http://www.iisd.org/sites/default/files/publications/global-goals-and-environment-progress-prospects.pdf