COP26 Forum blog
From now until the end of the COP26 talks in Glasgow, Royal Holloway researchers are writing on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), from ‘No poverty’ to ‘Partnerships for the goals’, and assessing why they matter to all of us.
From 27 October until the end of the COP26 talks, we are publishing a series of blog posts that relate to each of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We have asked Royal Holloway staff working on relevant topics to reflect on why these goals matter, and how they inform their own research and praxis. The blog posts offer an entry into our research and teaching worlds that by necessity are diverse in approach and interests.
Recognising that the UN’s 2020 report on the SDGs warned that ‘progress’ towards those goals and targets is likely to be tougher post-pandemic, we wanted to take the opportunity to reassess why these goals matter and how universities like Royal Holloway can contribute.
All 17 goals are wide-ranging in their own right. They demand an interdisciplinary approach and sensitivity to cultural, political, economic and financial differences. The relationship between the goals and communities also reveals important intersectional differences, as gender, ethnicity, citizenship, occupation and location shape our experiences, exposures and expectations. As we work our way through those goals, we ask the reader to keep in mind that there is an urgent need to scale-up and accelerate transformational change around the world. The SDGs are interlinked with one another, and as such they have to be considered synergistically.
Royal Holloway’s research community recognises that our underpinning research on the SDGs needs to be informed by respectful and creative partnerships, recognising the need for our own institutions to be committed to meaningful change.
Our new research theme, Living Sustainably, will provide fresh opportunities for our staff and students to pursue with our partners and stakeholders collaborative research that is responding positively to the SDG targets.
Displaying 1 to 10 of 21
A Climate Campaigner’s View from Inside COP26
23 Nov 2021Dave Waltham is Professor of Geophysics at Royal Holloway. He attended COP26 as an observer and campaigner for the Citizens’ Climate Lobby – here’s what he learned.
Reflections on COP26
13 Nov 2021David Simon shares what he learned as a Royal Holloway official observer during the two days that he attended the Glasgow COP26 talks.
SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
12 Nov 2021No single country, sector, organisation, or discipline alone can solve the global sustainability issues we face today, and that is why SDG 17 is important, writes Hilary Lynch.
SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
11 Nov 2021SDG 16 aims to ‘promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels’.
SDG 15: Life on Land
10 Nov 2021SDG 15 is entirely about humans and the impact we have had, and will have, on ‘life on land’. Archaeologist Erica Rowan looks at how we might learn from past human practices.
SDG 14: Life Below Water
09 Nov 2021Oceans and seas are integral to the ecological servicing of the planet – ‘life on land’ is made possible by ‘life below water’, writes Klaus Dodds.
SDG 14: Life Below Water
09 Nov 2021‘We account the whale immortal in his species, however perishable in his individuality,’ wrote Herman Melville. Katie McGettigan considers the future of ‘Life Below Water’ in Moby-Dick.
SDG 13: Climate Action
08 Nov 2021Failure to act on SDG 13 will lead to a growing number of climate-related disasters, but there are barriers to investment in its call for climate adaptation, writes Liam Beiser-McGrath.
SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
07 Nov 2021SDG 12 addresses ‘responsible consumption and production’, but a report argues that progress has gone backwards since 2019, writes Nisreen Ameen.
SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
06 Nov 2021As our global population becomes ever more urbanised, sustainability planning will need to focus on how we ensure that life in the city is adaptable and resilient, writes Paris Chronakis.
