On 16 July 2018, the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) is hosting Transforming our Economies and Lifestyles: Greener & Fairer for Future Generations in NYC, New York, United States.
When the global community met in 2015 to envision the next 15 years, there was a strong recognition that the greatest challenges we face are interconnected. Poverty, inequality, unemployment, environmental degradation and climate change are inextricably linked. The consensus was that joining forces across disciplines and communities would make the greatest impact; by interconnecting our ambitions we would set an agenda for change. This thinking gave rise to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals.
At its heart, this Agenda envisions fundamental changes to our global economic system in ways that better protect and foster a greener and fairer world now and for future generations. Macroeconomic policies, business practices and consumer actions must work together if we are to create fairer, healthier options to nurture our world and ourselves.
This shift has started. Governments are placing the 2030 Agenda at the heart of their development priorities. Central banks are exploring ways to finance sustainable initiatives in an amount expected to reach US$200 billion by the end of 2018. Renewable energy is forecast to be cheaper than fossil fuel by 2020. Young people are leading the charge in demanding socially and environmentally responsible consumer choices. Entrepreneurs, designers, celebrities, our youth and influencers worldwide are embracing sustainability, and setting trends for ethical, low-footprint lifestyles. But business as usual is still the usual. We need to take these ideas into the mainstream to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
In the spirit of the 2030 Agenda, we are bringing together champions of sustainability to capitalize on this momentum. We are aiming to cast our net wide in the belief that governments, civic leaders, and people in the public eye all working together can transform our economies and lifestyles to create a greener, fairer world, for both current and future generations.
