# data[].attributes.headline
Large Impact of Small Hydro-power Plants – Disguised Exploitation of Natural Resources

# data[].attributes.subject
Large Impact of Small Hydro-power Plants – Disguised Exploitation of Natural Resources

# data[].attributes.body
Considering the issue of impact of building small hydro-power plants on local and regional environment, multiple goals and proposed targets constituting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (adopted jointly by all United Nations members in 2015) can be applied.

With myriad of the diverse analytical tools such as scales and levels that can be used in determining which goals are directly affiliated with and addressing this issue, I will use the ecological spatial scale and sociological institutional scale when determining relevant goals.

Some of them are:

Goal 7 : Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all.

This goal is directly concerned with the issue of building small hydro-power plants. It is the lack of research on this topic that is able to overshadow the damaging influence of this way of harvesting energy.

This issue of lacking research is tackled by the target 7. a, which advocates for "fostering international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology", including renewable energy and its efficiency, "while promoting investment in this infrastructure".

Another call to action listed in this goal is to upgrade and question technology labeled as “green” and to foster investments in sustainable energy services for all in developing countries, but in this case the call is directed also to landlocked countries – such as Serbia in this case, goal 7. b.

Goal 9 : Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.

This goal is indirectly related to my issue, on the institutional level of analysis, with the target 9.4.

“…upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities.”

This target may be applied to electricity production industry on a national scale, implementing policies by institutions that have an authority in this issue, to retrofit the whole industry and its impact on the environment, and to issue new protocols for protecting the local environment.

Goal 15 : Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

Goal number 15 is directly related to what is threatened with the newly arisen small hydropower plants – local wetlands and inland freshwater ecosystems with their services. This target is addressed within the first point, which argues for promotion of conservation, restoration and sustainable use of (among others) inland freshwater ecosystems. This is the most important goal, which coincides with the desired outcome of solving this environmental issue.

On a global level scale of spatial analysis, one may also connect the Goal number 14 to this issue, further expanding the effect that is made in local rivers to the open seas, and protecting the coastal ecosystems which may be damaged by lack of water income from what once used to be abundant rivers and/or polluted water emergence.

Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

# data[].attributes.body
Among the goals and associated targets indicated in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, some of them can be identified as strongly related to my issue, human overpopulation.

Goal 1: “End poverty in all its forms everywhere”.

Poverty and education are inextricably linked, because people living in poverty may stop going to school so they can work, which leaves them without literacy and numeracy skills they need to further their careers, which would have helped them in reducing the income inequality. This is relevant as different studies have proved that there is generally an inverse correlation between income and the total fertility rate within and between nations, well-summarized with “Development is the best contraceptive”, attributed to Karan Singh.

Goal 3: “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages”.

This goal, that has been reviewed in-depth at the High-Level Political Forum of 2017, is particularly relevant in its entirety for the issue. Reducing the mortality means increasing the denominator (total population) in the ratios used as indicators, meaning that, to proportionately increase the numerator, the policies have to be shaped differently and account for a larger number of people involved.

A particular mention is needed for the target 3.7 (“By 2030, ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services, including for family planning, information and education, and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes”), considered that a proposed option for reducing overpopulation is to focus on education about it, family planning, and birth control methods, and to make birth-control devices like male and female condoms, contraceptive pills and intrauterine devices easily available.

Target 16.9: “By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration”, as well as targets 17.8 and 17.18, because the registration and the availability of high-quality, timely, reliable data and adequate technological infrastructure to support it are at the basis of the creation of (national) policies, monitoring of progress (through relevant indicators) and achievement or deviation from the goals.

Systemic issues - policy and institutional coherence (17.13, 17.14, 17.15) and multi-stakeholder partnerships (17.16, 17.17).

As further developed in my previous reflection about the involved actors and stakeholders, a multi-stakeholder partnership, as well as a global policy coherence that allows each country to implement its own policies, have emerged as key factors in facing the issue globally and consequently narrowly.

# data[].attributes.body
Several goals individuated in 2015 in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development can be linked to the issue.

Goal 3: “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages”. It is clear that this objective is relatable to the tragic health crisis that has affected areas around the Salto di Quirra military polygon. Hypothesis supported by many, that however remain supposed still to this day, affirm that military activities in the area are preventing from reaching this goal, creating an unhealthy and dangerous context for inhabitants because of the dispersion of toxic substances. Point 3.9 is particularly suiting for the issue: “By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination”.

Goal 11: “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”. Again, the importance of making human settlements safe (and I believe this also means safe from the health point of view) is underlined.

Goal 14: “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”. In 14.1 it is highlighted how marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land -based activities, should be significantly reduced by 2030. As I previously mentioned, the military polygon is in the coastal area of Quirra, other than being near to multiple small waterways. Clearly, the alleged dispersion of substances such as depleted uranium is not only dangerous for the health of residents and military men, but is also strongly pollutant especially in an area so rich in water.

Goal 16: “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels”. Particularly point 16.10 (“Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements”) can be considered relevant for the Quirra Issue. Due to the secrecy that characterizes military activity, public access to information is not granted at all, and still to this day the situation remains unclear and the accusations not definitively proven. Transparency would be key in order to move forward in an issue that is by now stagnant.

# data[].attributes.headline
Large carnivores in the Alps: conservation and coexistance

# data[].attributes.subject
Large carnivores in the Alps: conservation and coexistance

# data[].attributes.body
Between the goals indicated for sustainable development by the Sustainable development agenda of the UN, a few can be considered as related to the issue.

LIFE ON LAND is surely the predominant: ir focuses especially on forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands ecosystems and biodiversity, and on protected species and " capacity of local communities to pursue sustainable livelihood opportunities"; therefore, it is a key goal for the considered issue.

PARTNERSHIP FOR THE GOAL is also extremely important in the issue. Reading the "goal 17 targets", it is evident how many are relevant and were already found in previous reflections on my topic, especially the one on actors and stakeholders. Just for examples, we have:
17.16 Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the sustainable development goals in all countries, in particular developing countries
17.17 Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships.

INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE is equally relevant, even if probably less evident. Indeed, throught a series of innovations and infrastructures that will enhance praticularly education and protection a better coexistance between carnivores and humans, and therefore a easier conservation of the species, would be possible.

These are, I think, the most striking goals related to my issue. I though think that
-DECENT WORK, which is in goal 8 (especially regarding the conditions of sheephards in the Alps),
-SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES (enhancing sustainability in the area of the Alps, especially in small communities, can help coexistance and conservation),
-QUALITY EDUCATION (a different approach to the study and consideration of large carnivores on all levels of education could change the approach and consideration to them in "real life") could be relevant in the consideration of the topic of coexistance and conservation of large carnivores in the Alps.

# data[].attributes.headline
Environmental impact of waste management

# data[].attributes.subject
Environmental impact of waste management

# data[].attributes.body
Goal 6: bearing in mind that illegal landfills in Georgia are often located near water sources, clean water and sanitation can definitely be related to the waste management issue.
Goal 11: creating sustainable cities and communities can also be related to the issue I chose, as, according to experts, the amount of potential energy that can be taken from the correct waste management is astonishingly high.

# data[].attributes.headline
THE NATIONAL PARK OF THE ABRUZZO IN THE CONTEXT OF ITALIAN ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES: WHAT FUTURE?

# data[].attributes.subject
THE NATIONAL PARK OF THE ABRUZZO IN THE CONTEXT OF ITALIAN ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES: WHAT FUTURE?

# data[].attributes.body
Goal 26: To promote physical and mental health and well-being, and to extend life expectancy; parks and protected areas are really relevant for the enrichment and enlargement of the public enjoyment
Goal 27:  Sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth is essential for prosperity. The goal of sustainable development is strictly interrelated with the improvement of the social and economic conditions of local communities
Goal 33:  Social and economic development depends on the sustainable management of our planet's natural resources. We are therefore determined to conserve and sustainably use oceans and seas, freshwater resources, as well as forests, mountains and drylands and to protect biodiversity, ecosystems and wildlife. We are also determined to promote sustainable tourism.

# data[].attributes.headline
Preservation of the small-scale fishing communities and the bio-diversity of the Mediterranean Sea in fishery policies:

# data[].attributes.subject
Preservation of the small-scale fishing communities and the bio-diversity of the Mediterranean Sea in fishery policies:

# data[].attributes.body
8.  Decent work and economic growth: due to global fish markets, small-scale fishing communities are experiencing low standard conditions and growing economic problems. In order to avoid the displacement and unemployment of the artisanal fishing communities, fishery policies should aim at improving the role of these communities in the global economy by achieving sustainable economic growth goal.
12. Responsible consumption and production: one of the key-aspects of the problem about global fishery is the overexploitation due to the intensive global demand for fishes, intrinsically connected to the unsustainable consumption and production. Additionally, in the industrial fleets, they fish more that what is actually consumed by humankinds.
13. Climate Action and 14. Life below water: since the eco-systemic balance is fragile and each part of it contributes to the equilibrium of the environment, the two goals are intrinsically linked. As far as the tutelage of the Mediterranean bio-diversity is concerned, the impact of the global fish markets on marine recourses is evidently unsustainable.

# data[].attributes.body
the creation of a sustainable and green ICT is related to the following sustainable development goals.

Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

East Asian internet companies are growing such as the chinese Baidu and the South Korean Naver. These

companies do not have access to renewable sources' energy because of the national energy monopolies.

Goal 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

The ICT sector's impact on the environment pass also through building and infrastructure, in fact data center are veritable industries. GreenIT is working to promote more sustainable infrastructure.

Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

ICT sector will have devastating impact on the environment in the next decades unless the policies will change. ICT sector is already estimated to consume approximately 7% of global electricity and is accounting for 1.4% to 2% of world greenhouse gases emissions.

Goal 15: Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss.

especially data center (as big factories) have huge impact on the surroundings: they require huge polluting batteries, the coolant is often Freon / halocarbon or chlorofluorocarbons, which are mildly to highly toxic and can cause ozone depletion and data centers burn a whole lot of diesel fuel.

# data[].attributes.body
The extraction and use of these sands in order to obtain crude oil are totally against the following susainable development goals:

Goal 7: ensure access to affordable, riliable, susatinable and modern energy for all (bitumen from sand tar is a fossil fuel)

-Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (the extraction of tar sands emits more harmful elements than oil in the air!)

-goal 14: conserve and sustainably use the oceans, the seas, and marine resources (high rates of carcinogenicity were detected in the waters of rivers, lakes and subterranean waters surrounding the extraction sites)

-goal 15:Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss (carcinogenic elements were detected in the air and consequent increases in tumors and malformations in animals and humans)

# data[].attributes.body
Meat consumption impacts all aspects of human life and humanity’s long-term survival prospects. Despite this knowledge, society continues to ignore the negative impact of consuming meat, which include excessively high contributions to global greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, land and water pollution, and negative impacts on human health. Raising awareness so people care more about the environment in relation to food production and consumption is becoming more and more crucial for the future of the planet.

Goals:

1. No Poverty and 2. Zero Hunger: it takes massive amounts of land, water, fertilizer, oil and other resources to produce meat, significantly more than it requires to grow other nutritious and delicious kinds of food. If we don’t reduce our environmental footprints as we increase production, poor people will be the first to suffer. Eating less meat is a simple way to reduce the pressure on global resources and help ensure that everyone has enough to eat. To say it simply, eating less meat helps fight hunger.

3. Good Health and Well-being: healthier alternatives with strong evidence for cardiometabolic benefits, such as nuts, fruits, whole grains, and vegetables, are vastly preferable dietary choices to consuming unprocessed and processed meats.

6. Clean Water: people living near factory farms are at constant risk of having their water supplies contaminated. There have been multiple examples of disease outbreaks caused by such contamination, including as a result of E. coli and pfiesteria.

8. Economic Growth and 9. Industry Innovation and Infrastructure: livestock-related GHG emissions are a grave risk to the food industry itself. Disruptive climate events are forecast to threaten developed markets increasingly, and to result in even more harm to emerging markets, where the food industry is otherwise forecast to achieve its greatest growth, so a company’s self-interest might well be served by acting to slow climate change. An incentive to respond to the risks and opportunities applicable to the food industry at large is that a food company can produce and market alternatives to livestock products.

13. Climate Action: the livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global.

14. Life Below Water: the dramatic increase of destructive fishing techniques worldwide destroys marine mammals and entire ecosystems.

15. Life on Land: in addition to the land animals directly killed for human consumption, hundreds of thousands of wild animals (prairie dogs, coyotes, wolves, mountain lions, bears, bison, and others) are exterminated to keep them from interfering with agricultural operations. Animal agriculture turns hundreds of acres of forest, wetlands, and other habitats into grazing and animal feed crop land.

16. Peace: the rapid increase in freshwater withdrawals for agricultural irrigation and for other uses that have accompanied population growth has spurred serious conflicts over water resources both within and between countries.

17. Partnership for the goals: to build a strong worldwide network that is competent and proactive in addressing environmental issues in relation to food production and consumption in an efficient and appropriate manner.

# data[].attributes.body
Regarding the use of nuclear energy, one of the sustainable development goals that are more relevant to the matter are:

Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all -> nuclear energy is considered "green" because it has low CO2 emissions, and therefore it has less of an impact on climate change than other forms of energy.

Goal 11: Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable -> One of the problems about green energies (but in Japan's case the problems are many more) is that they don't produce enough to be the main source of a megalopolis like Tokyo, hence the use of nuclear energy.

Goal 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts -> Again, since nuclear energy is (arguably) a green energy, it constitutes an effort to reduce CO2 emissions and have less impact on climate change. In a few words: less emissions now mean less impact to deal with later. In fact, Japan's goal is to reduce its CO2 emissions by 25% by 2020 (although the goal doesn't seem achievable anymore after the Fukushima accident).

# data[].attributes.headline
The Bristol Pound, a complementary local currency

# data[].attributes.subject
The Bristol Pound, a complementary local currency

# data[].attributes.body
The Bristol Pound is an initiative carried on in Bristol that is having a great success in implementing the sustainability and public awareness between the Bristolians.
It is a coin and a legal tender that complements the regular pound in a one-to-one ratio, that can be used only within the Bristol area and the surrounding country. The idea between this is to foster the local consumption so that the money does not leave the city and the surrounding area by flowing into financial circuits. This can be achieved because only local activities that don't deal with the stock exchange can become partners and this means more handicraft, local km0 production and of course less CO2 emissions.  This was an introduction in order to understand what the Bristol Pound is and what it is aiming to do. Now, I will explain which of the goals are addressed by this monetary solution.
GOAL 1: More money circulates in the city means less poverty.
GOAL 7: The partnerships made by the Bristol Pound include some with companies that provide 100% clean energy, offering incentives for switching energy provisions. Consumers paying with BPs receive discounts on their energy bills.
GOAL 8: "Promote sustained, inclusive, sustainable economic growth full and productive employment and decent work for all"
This is really what the BPs project mainly addresses and aims to implement. A great share of citizens shopping using their BPs means that they care about how the things they buy are produced, they know that their choices have an impact over their territory and that the area is only going to improve by sustaining indipendent local stores.
GOAL 11: "Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable"
As the previous goal, this one is very important. Despite being a big city, and already well integrated withing the area, BPs is further implementing the positive impact of the city over the territory.
GOAL 12: "Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns"
As mentioned before, consumers are induced in a more sustainable consumption by buying from independent local shops, farmers and clean energy providers.
GOAL 13: the city imports less goods from outside and there is less CO2 production. Moreover citizens are more aware of their consumption choices and tend to analyse more critically their lifestyles. Therefore they are aware and more committed to tackle climate change and earth disorders.
GOAL 17: Bristol is showing that being more sustainable and green is possible. Its example can be used, reproduced and adopted to other places.

# data[].attributes.body
(Giulia Guarisco)

Main aims:
- promote the use of public water
- incentivize the rational management of water as a priceless resource
- optimize the use of water as a fundamental necessity for life
- protect water limiting its waste and squandering
- preserve the quality of drinking water
- reduce the production of waste (linked to the common use of plastic bottles as containers for this valuable liquid)

Remarkable benefits from water vending machines:
- 0 Km service
- no long-distance transportation needed (less CO2 emissions in the atmosphere)
- no plastic production nor disposal required (oil and water saving, reduction of CO2, sulfur oxides, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons emissions in the air)

References to the Sustainable Development Goals:
- Goal 6 (ensure access to water for all)
Clean, accessible water for all is an essential part of the world we want to live in. There is sufficient fresh water on the planet to achieve this. In the already developed countries, it is time to take advantage of the well ramified public pipe-lines and aqueduct systems and prompted people to drink the clean and fresh drinking water daily delivered and already available for them.

- Goal 9 (build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation)
Investments in infrastructure are crucial to achieving sustainable development. Technological progress is the foundation of efforts to achieve environmental objectives, in this case the spread of water vending machines can increase the access to drinking water and decrease the waste production by reducing the use of PET bottles.

- Goal 11 (make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable)
Water vending machines can help reducing the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities by paying special attention to water quality, waste management, resource efficiency and by utilizing local materials for building sustainable and resilient public water dispensers.

- Goal 12 (ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns)
Sustainable consumption and production is about promoting resource and energy efficiency, sustainable infrastructure, and providing access to basic services and a better quality of life for all.
Water vending machines can be an example of sustainable consumption and production aim at reducing resource use, degradation and pollution along the whole lifecycle. It is necessary to engage consumers through awareness-raising and education on sustainable consumption and lifestyles by providing them with adequate information about water vending machines, standards and water quality certifications.

- Goal 13 (take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts)
Water vending machines are a brilliant alternative for the unsustainable use of package drinks. In fact, it is widely known that bottled water contributes to climate change, mainly through the energy needs to produce plastic bottles and transportation.

# data[].attributes.headline
Three Gorges Dam and Its Environmental Impacts

# data[].attributes.subject
Three Gorges Dam and Its Environmental Impacts

# data[].attributes.body
The Three Gorges Dam is the world’s largest hydropower project and most notorious dam. This project has been plagued by corruption, spiraling costs, environmental impacts, human rights violation and resettlement difficulties.

WHICH KIND OF IMPACTS?
The environmental impacts associated with large scale dams often have significant negative impacts on the environment. The Three Gorges Dam is no different. The creation of the dam and associated reservoir has impacts both upstream from the dam and downstream. It affects species in the area, some endangered, water quality, and may increase the likelihood of earthquakes and mudslides in the area.

Main impacts that can be analyzed from this major case study:
-IMPACTS ON HUMAN LIFE: 1.2 million people were forced to move from their homes along the Yangtze River due to the construction of the Three Gorges Dam. Estimates state that 140 cities, about 1,000 villages, two cities, and 100,000 acres of fertile farmland have been inundated by the reservoir (GOAL 3, good health and well-being).
-IMPACTS ON CULTURAL HERITAGE: A number of cultural and archeological sites have been lost when the reservoir reaches its full depth. These sites are valuable because they are a way to document the nations past. Some sites also hold religious significance (partially GOAL 11, sustainable cities and communities).
- IMPACTS ON FAUNA: A number of species have been adversely affected by the construction of the dam. There were 300 species of fish in the Yangtze River. The dam created a barrier in the river that these species will not be able to cross. Fish wern't able to travel upstream to spawn, so the populations of the species decreased rapidly. Other affected species include the Chinese River Dolphin, Chinese Sturgeon, Chinese Tiger, Chinese Alligator, Siberian Crane, and the Giant Panda. There are a total of forty-seven rare or endangered species in the Three Gorges Dam area that are protected by Chinese national law (GOAL 15, life on land).
- IMPACTS ON ENVIRONMENT: Other consequences of the Three Gorges Dam were lower temperature and dissolved oxygen content in water down-gradient from the dam. Dissolved oxygen is necessary for healthy aerobic activity in aquatic ecosystemm, e.g. fish and plants depend on oxygen to survive. The presence of the dam disrupted the natural processes of aeration (the movement of water) and diffusion, ways oxygen dissolves into water. Water moved more slowly downstream, thus making it more difficult for available oxygen to be present in the water. In the long term perspective, this could have a negative impact on the aquatic ecosystem downstream (GOAL 13, climate change and GOAL 14, life below water).

Synoptic videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkaFYEmqqy0 (flood test);  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWeBQ3kw5RI (the last remaining town).  For futhermore analysis see: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/chinas-three-gorges-dam-disaster/; https://www.internationalrivers.org/campaigns/three-gorges-dam.

# data[].attributes.body
Reducing the waste associated with the production and the consumption stages of the food value chain can be associated to various SDGs. Goal 12: clearly raising awareness to develop a more responsible behavior of producers and consumers of food would be one of the main goals. Another aim would be the reduction of inefficiencies at the early stages of the value chain, for instance improving cultivation and harvesting techniques or packaging solutions, this as a part of the Goal 9 on Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, as well as of Goal 2, Zero hunger through sustainable agriculture. The latter would be pursued also by reducing the food waste which the FAO currently estimates to be "one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year". Land and water as primary resources for the production of food create the relation to the Goals 14 and 15 of preserving, protecting and using them in a sustainable way, from the beginning of the value chain, for example through responsible fishing, until the end of it, with composting solutions. These last two goals are linked to Goal 13, taking action to fight climate change, to which production of food and food waste itself contribute.

# data[].attributes.headline
China and climate change (Silvia Sambugaro)

# data[].attributes.subject
China and climate change (Silvia Sambugaro)

# data[].attributes.body
Along with the rapid economic growth and industrialization process that characterized China since the late 80s, environmental issues have been representing one of the main problems that the Central Government of the PRC has to face daily. The Central Government acknowledged the problem and came up with some responses, yet the improvements are not sufficient. As regards climate change, China is the world’s largest gas emitter. The effects of climate change can be seen in agriculture, water quality, human health etc.

In order to take action and solve these problems, Chinese Central Government has to set these goals (UN sustainable development goals):

-GOOD HEALTH Goal nr.3: reduce number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination

-CLEAN WATER Goal nr.6: improve water quality by reducing pollution

-CLEAN ENERGY Goal nr.7: ensure clean energy

-ECONOMIC GROWTH Goal nr.8: ensure economic growth with sustainable production

-INDUSTRY, INNOVATION, AND INFRASTRUCTURE Goal nr.9: promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization

-SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES Goal nr. 11: make cities sustainable and safe (air quality etc.)

-RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION Goal nr.12: manage and reduce the release of chemicals to air, water and soil and minimize their impacts on human health

-CLIMATE ACTION Goal n.13: work for climate change policies, strategies and planning.

# data[].attributes.headline
Pollution and environmental situation in Russia

# data[].attributes.subject
Pollution and environmental situation in Russia

# data[].attributes.body
Russia has an extremely wide territory, which is also vary. Therefore we can notice situations of serious pollution (air, water and land pollution), as well as places of pure, wild nature.
According to Russian politicians, world newspapers and my personal analysis, Russia will (or should) (hopefully) work for this goals:

3. GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING: the government is aware of the damages that the pollution in Russia is causing to the health people of every age and declared that it is intolerable.
https://salute.diariodelweb.it/salute/articolo/?nid=20160927_391884

6. CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION: there is a movement of protest in Russia that denounced and is fighting against those that throw rubbish and chemical substances in the lakes, rivers and sees of Russia.

9. INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE: Russia is widely known as one of the first oil and gas providers. Even though some newspapers announced that the country will reduce its petrol production activity, some others affirm how important this industry is and, therefore, how unlikely it is that Russia will seriously take measures against it.
http://www.repubblica.it/economia/finanza/2016/12/10/news/petrolio_la_russia_si_aggiunge_al_taglio_della_produzione_opec-153816953/

11. SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES: some of the most polluted and polluting cities in Russia (Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, Norilsk) made progresses in order to reduce their production of polluting substances that end up especially in the air.
https://it.rbth.com/societa/2013/08/19/inquinamento_le_citta_meno_green_della_russia_25961

# data[].attributes.body
The development of sustainable tourism in Venice can be related to many aspects of UN's Sustainable Development Goals, such as:

Goal 3: good health and well being: Ensure healthy life and well-being for all at all age: the fact is that the life of Venetian citizens are damaged by the over-development of tourism, so promoting sustainable tourism could be a good way to exit from the situation.

Goal 7: affordable and clean energy: the development of sustainable tourism can not be fulfill if it  not concerns the use of clean and renewable energy, such as solar energy, wind energy, tidal energy, and so forth, that in Venice they are abundant.

Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth. Sustainable tourism will promote economic growth in an sustainable way and give access to decent work for Venetian citizens.

Goal 11: sustainable cities and communities

Goal 12: responsible consumption and production

Goal 13: Climate action.

Goal 17: partnerships for the goals: for the development of sustainable tourism, it require the collaboration between various institutions and also between authority and citizen.

# data[].attributes.headline
WATER IN THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT

# data[].attributes.subject
WATER IN THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT

# data[].attributes.body
Since 1967 (Six Day War), water has become a central issue in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: this is due to political issues and to a general lack of water resources as well.

Although the Oslo II Accord (1995) established the Joint Water Committee in order to equally divide water resources between both parts, it resulted in further tensions.

As a matter of fact, Israel controls 80% of water reserves in the West Bank, where the military conflict in Gaza (2014) has made the access to this resource even worse, leaving over a million citizens without water.

However, political issues cannot take into account all the socio-economic difficulties of the West Bank: as various researches have revealed, the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) has largely mismanaged water supplies, thus leading to water shortage at the expense of the marginalized Palestinian population. This results in contaminated groundwater resources and in the absence of sufficient infrastructures, together with the refusal to cooperate from both sides.

One possible solution to this water crisis could be seawater desalination: however, as well as having been rejected by Palestinian authorities, this is a polluting and expensive process.

This topic concerns various Sustainable Development Goals:

·      Goal 6: “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”;

·      Goal 9: “build resilient infrastructures, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation”;

·      Goal 10: “reduce inequality within and among countries”;

·      Goal 15: “Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss”, regarding the problem of desertification in such geographical areas;

·      Goal 16: “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels”.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies

# data[].attributes.body
Meat industry is connected to many onu goals:
Goal 3: the industrial production of meat produces extremely low quality meat dangerous for men and women's health
Goal 12: responsible consumption and production
Goal 13/14/15 nowadays meat production is the first responsible for gas emission and earth pollution

# data[].attributes.headline
Be sustainable in daily life. What is useful and what is not, and how to communicate it.

# data[].attributes.subject
Be sustainable in daily life. What is useful and what is not, and how to communicate it.

# data[].attributes.body
Wrong information, imprecise instructions and false fables proliferate around the best lifestyle to adopt in order to be “sustainable” and nature-friendly. On the one hand, they make people’s conscience feeling easily and wrongly satisfied, on the other hand they can be a waste of time and efforts, while nothing good and useful is made for the environment. For these reasons, it is necessary to “engage consumers through awareness-raising and education on sustainable consumption and lifestyles, providing consumers with adequate information through standards and labels and engaging in sustainable public procurement, among others”, as declared in the 12th of UN Development Goals: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. The goal is explained with the following words: “Sustainable consumption and production aims at ‘doing more and better with less’, increasing net welfare gains from economic activities by reducing resource use, degradation and pollution along the whole lifecycle, while increasing quality of life. It involves different stakeholders, including business, consumers, policy makers, researchers, scientists, retailers, media, and development cooperation agencies, among others. It also requires a systemic approach and cooperation among actors operating in the supply chain, from producer to final consumer.”

# data[].attributes.headline
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF THE PETROLEUM INDUSTRY

# data[].attributes.subject
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF THE PETROLEUM INDUSTRY

# data[].attributes.body
Environmental disasters for which oil companies have been responsible in recent years (like the one that happened at the Deepwater Horizon BP offshore drilling unit, which is portraied in the attached photograph) can be related to several Sustainable Development goals like Goal 9: build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization and foster innovation, which highlights the importance of building safe and innovative plants to conduct business in the most proper and sustainable way, always keeping in mind the safety of the employees, the environment and of the local communities. One of the greatest environmental disasters for which British Petroleum is responsible is the 2005 explosion in the Texas City oil refinery: an investigation by the US department of Labor uncovered more than 300 violations in the refinery.  Moreover, the general topic could be ralated to Goal 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all; since technological and scientific progress should be pursued in order to produce clean energy and make it available for everyone at an affordable price, creating plants which are well integrated into the local landscape and therefore discouraging the obsolete and polluting ways of producing energy. Goal 13: take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts: finally, the whole global community should be proactive in preventing further environmental disasters from occurring and causing irreversible damages to the environment.

# data[].attributes.body
Goal 11: Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, sustainable.
"Cities are hubs for ideas, commerce, culture, science, productivity, social development and much more" and "at their best, cities have enabled people to advance socially and economically". Important historical city centres are the signs of the civilisations that have built them in terms of cultural, political and economic growth. Their development is the result of an harmonious dialogue with the environment and of the historical facts that still affect and determine people's cultural identity and values. For these reasons, not only should the historical centres be phisically preserved, but they also should be livable places for their communities. The historical cities offer a model of sustainable life that should be taken into account while planning any sort of urban develpment, as it includes services, public social spaces, and so on. This shoud be considered as an alternative solution to slums and degradeted outskirts, to the loss of landscapes due to an unruled urban growth. The goals 3 and 4 can be more or less linked with this theme: the historical city community ensures a certain social ease, while preserved historical sites and cultural values contribute to people's education.
The case of Genoa is particularly significant and positive. From the 80s to the beginning of the 21th century, Genoa has faced a process of historic centre regeneration. Through three great events (Columbian Expo, G8 and European Capital of Culture) and an accurate planning of integrated policies, the city centre of Genoa was given new identity and aspect.  Thus, the centre was finally made inclusive, safe, accessible, sustainable. The interventions focus on new projects, involving the Porto Antico (let's think to the Aquarium), the housing and the real estate of the centre, public spaces, services, cultural offer, and so on. The old city renovation led a wider process in terms of impact and socio-economic consequences. Indeed, it aimed at contrasting the social decay of the area (the centre was particularly affected by prostitution, drug dealing and criminality); at improving the socio-economic fabric both for the residential side, and for the services and businesses; at increasing the cultural offer, also for a touristic development of the city. These interventions succeded in the gentrification phenomenon, which means the settlig of medium and upper classes in a previously degraded area.

# data[].attributes.body
Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

Pesticides allow to have a bigger production, on the other hand cause degradation of farmland.

A clear example is the case of pollinators: the food that we eat like our fruits and vegetables, our coffee and chocolate, all rely on pollinators. However, pollinators are facing many challenges, from intensive agriculture, pesticides, climate change, which are putting a lot of pressure on them.

Goal 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

“Efforts are needed to fully eradicate a wide range of diseases and address many different persistent and emerging health issues”

It is becoming impressive and very worrying the amount of the scientific work which indicates a direct connection between pesticides and brain disorders like SLA, Alzheimer. It has been recognized recently in France, ( following a  legal battle that saw the total defeat of Monsanto) the Parkinson's, such as occupational disease of farmers .

Goal 15: Sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss

Use of pesticides can endanger animals and plants and in that way threatening the biodiversity