Improvement needed as Ireland lags behind on targeting poverty, inequality and climate change
More accurate ways of measuring data have revealed how this country lags behind in a number of key targets, including poverty, inequality, and climate change, writes
Ireland ranks 11th out of 15 similar EU countries on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. But what does this mean and why does it matter?
This means that Ireland is performing poorly on a range of indicators that together make up a more accurate way of assessing Ireland’s economic, societal and environmental health.
This is important because we are at a turning point in both our understanding and the availability of national data.
Policy makers now have the opportunity to change the data they prioritise to account for real national progress and societal health, beyond simple economic indicators such as GDP.
If the UN SDG’s are seriously integrated into policy formation as standards by which new policy must be assessed and old policy must be judged, then we will have entered a new era of accountability and real progress.
In January 2016, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) came into force. These 17 goals underpin the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted by 193 countries, including Ireland.
SDG 17 ‘Partnership for the goals’ seeks to support and achieve the targets of Agenda 2030 by bringing together national governments, the intl community, civil society, private sector and others. Ireland is ranked 11 out of EU 15. Read #measuringprogress https://t.co/I5vmFc86ol pic.twitter.com/d9FB1AWqjP
— Social Justice Ireland (@SocialJusticeI) February 22, 2019
The SDGs are designed to refocus efforts towards policies that directly help people and communities in the long run.
They aim to provide both a pathway out of poverty for about a billion people in the world, and a pathway to a sustainable future for all people and all countries.
The goals in the 2030 agenda imply an obligation for all, including governments, business and individuals.
Since 2016, there have been several attempts to track countries’ progress on achievement of the goals (for example, by Jeffrey Sachs et al; Eurostat; the OECD).
Our new report contributes to this body of work. We have just published the third in a series of reports that examines Ireland’s performance in the context of the EU15 countries.
Comparing relative performance among countries from a similar regional or income group is valuable.
The substantial variations observed in small groups of similar regions should encourage policymakers to better understand reasons for divergence and design strategies for achieving the SDGs by 2030.
Data collection for the analysis was far-ranging. Our report identifies 65 indicators across the 17 goals. The SDGs have become an essential part of scoring economic, social and environmental progress.
So, the first part of our report examines progress on the goals by broad dimension: economy, environment and society.
Clearly, however, it needs to be borne in mind that the three dimensions are interdependent and interlinked.
We find that Ireland is ranked 11th out of the 15 countries on the economy dimension.
Although the record on GDP per capita and unemployment is good — we score best on these indicators — the low score on the economy index is influenced by several factors.
With approx. 22.5% of employees in Ireland considered low-paid, Ireland scores at the bottom for this indicator.
Other factors, such as the proportion of youths not in employment, education or training (the NEET rate) and the percentage of GDP devoted to R&D lower the score on this dimension.
On the social index, Ireland comes in at 10th place out of the 15 countries.
We score highly on goals relating to education, peace and justice; less well on goals reflecting poverty, inequality, gender equality and health and wellbeing.
Ireland’s score ranks it 13th on the environment index. Achievements on sustainable cities/communities, life on land and water suggest Ireland is ranked mid-way in the list.
SDG 13 ‘Climate Action’ Implementing the commitment to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and operationalizing the Green Climate Fund are the key aims of this SDG. Ireland is ranked 13 out of EU 15. Read #measuringprogress https://t.co/I5vmFcpHMV pic.twitter.com/4egGRNIm7c
— Social Justice Ireland (@SocialJusticeI) February 22, 2019
However, poor performance on goals relating to responsible production and consumption, clean energy and climate change are the key factors driving the result for this dimension.
The overall Sustainable Progress Index, which includes all 17 goals, concludes that Ireland is in 11th place out of the 15 countries.
Countries at the bottom are Portugal, Italy, Spain and Greece. Three Scandanavian countries (Sweden, Denmark and Finland) top the rankings.
The SDGs provide an ambitious, comprehensive plan of action for people, planet and prosperity.
Our goal is to provide an indication of the state of play, help raise awareness of the 2030 agenda and encourage policy action.
Ireland’s overall position on the SDGs relative to its peers shows the scale of the challenge facing policy-makers, businesses and individuals.
In particular, it is critical that government integrate all 17 SDGs into all policy-making processes — give them the priority they require if they are to be achieved.
The SDGs are essential for building a better world. Ireland can, and should, do better.
