The University of Waterloo's Chair for SDSN Canada and incoming Dean for the Faculty of Environment, professor Bruce Frayne, weighs in on what's slowing Canada down and what needs to change to make real progress in sustainability.
Why
are
the
Sustainable
Development
Goals
important
to
Canada?
The
SDGs
were
created
to
set
ambitious
targets
to
overcome
the
world's
biggest
sustainability
challenges.
We,
as
Canadians,
must
use
the
SDGs
to
go
further
and
faster
on
our
sustainability
ambitions,
from
reconciliation
and
partnership
with
Indigenous
communities,
transitioning
our
energy
systems
and
economy
to
renewables,
and
ensuring
safe
and
accessible
housing
exists
for
every
Canadian.
The
SDGs
bring
all
our
social,
environmental,
and
economic
crises
together
under
the
same
roof
and
show
us
how
one
challenge
is
deeply
linked
to
the
others.
What
worries
you
the
most
about
Canada's
scorecard
on
SDGs
progress
this
year?
We
are
moving
backwards
in
relation
to
the
world
on
our
SDGs
progress.
We
rank
29th
this
year,
down
from
21st
last
year.
Other
countries,
in
particular
in
Europe,
are
taking
more
decisive
action
on
the
SDGs,
and
I
fear
that
Canada
will
start
to
be
left
behind
if
we
don't
see
more
dedication
to
the
SDGs
by
all
levels
of
government,
in
particular
from
provincial
governments
that
are
largely
absent
at
the
SDGs
table.
In my opinion, our biggest SDGs challenges highlighted in the ranking are:
- SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production – with a focus on electronic waste and our exports of plastic waste.
- SDG 13: Climate Action – with a focus on our CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion and cement production, as well as our emissions embodied in our fossil fuel exports.
- SDG 14: Life Below Water + SDG 15: Life on Land – with a focus on our limited protected marine, terrestrial, and freshwater sites important to biodiversity.
- SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals – with a focus on our relatively low Official Development Assistance as a share of gross national income (this includes grants, loans, and the provision of technical assistance to lower-income countries).
What
impact
does
this
slide
have
on
global
sustainability?
I'm
concerned
about
Canada's
international
spillover
index
score
worsening
this
year.
The
spillover
index
measures
how
our
imports
and
exports
affect
other
countries'
abilities
to
make
progress
on
the
SDGs,
which
means
that
our
actions
are
hindering
the
global
pursuit
of
achieving
the
SDGs.
In
particular,
the
carbon
dioxide,
nitrogen,
and
sulphur
dioxide
emissions
of
our
imports
are
largely
to
blame
on
this
front.
What's
needed
for
Canada
to
do
better
on
the
SDGs
and
see
real
progress
over
the
coming
decade?
It's
clear
we
have
big
challenges
to
overcome
for
Canada
to
be
a
world
leader
on
the
SDGs.
This
year's
ranking
spells
out
many
of
these
areas
for
improvement
(as
listed
above).
These
areas
are
a
good
start
and
remind
us
that
the
window
to
make
meaningful
progress
is
closing
and
that
greater
ambition
is
needed
now
in
fighting
for
transformative
systems
change.
We
need
more
action
and
less
rhetoric,
especially
when
it
comes
to
our
clean
energy
transition
and
putting
decolonization
and
reconciliation
with
Indigenous
peoples
in
Canada
at
the
heart
of
our
SDGs
work.
Is
there
any
room
for
optimism?
The
report
clearly
shows
Canada
is
on
track
to
achieve
its
commitments
to
reduce
poverty
and
ensure
quality
education
for
all.
I'm
also
encouraged
by
groups
like
Together|Ensemble
and
Alliance
2030,
which
are
working
hard
to
find
ways
to
bring
our
country
together
to
tackle
these
SDGs
challenges
across
sectors
and
segments
of
society.
However,
we
need
to
continue
to
find
ways
for
different
voices
to
be
heard
and
pushed
forward.
We
need
to
find
ways
to
finance
our
transformation,
and
we
need
to
elevate
the
voices
of
our
students
and
young
leaders
to
feel
empowered
today
to
help
shape
the
future.
SDSN Canada is hosted by the University of Waterloo and is part of the global SDSN community to advance the SDGs in universities and colleges worldwide