Kaburu Anthony: Including Social Equity, Promoting Equality, Gende...

Kaburu Anthony: Including Social Equity, Promoting Equality, Gende...: The sustainable development agenda must be rooted in principles of human rights, human security, equality and social justice so that nobody...

Including Social Equity, Promoting Equality, Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment

The sustainable development agenda must be rooted in principles of human rights, human security, equality and social justice so that nobody is left behind. Sustainable development will not be achieved unless the needs and rights of all people are fulfilled, especially those living in poverty or otherwise discriminated against.

Priority must be placed on ending gender inequality as the most pervasive form of inequality and on advancing the rights of women, adolescents and youth as the largest groups facing systematic inequality worldwide.

Beyond the harm and injustice caused to individuals and communities, inequalities—especially as faced by women, adolescents and youth—perpetuate poverty, stall development progress, reduce economic efficiency, hinder growth, threaten social cohesion and stability, and undermine human capital accumulation.

In addition to addressing its symptoms and consequences, the SDGs must tackle the root causes of inequality, by addressing and reforming discriminatory laws, policies, institutions and practices based on gender, age, race, class, ethnicity, disability, HIV or migrant status, sexual orientation and gender identity, or any other factor. This also means that especially marginalized or vulnerable groups must be ‘counted’ and the ‘data revolution’ supported to that end.

These groups include adolescent girls, communities living in conflict-affected settings and environmentally-fragile areas, slum dwellers, rural populations, indigenous communities, migrants, older persons, people living with HIV and disabilities, those in high-risk occupations, domestic work and other parts of the informal sector, among others.

Investments in gender equality and the human rights of women and girls have high payoffs for the well-being of children and families, poverty reduction, economic growth, environmental stewardship and inclusive governance, with multiplier and inter-generational effects across development objectives.

Gender equality and the human rights and empowerment of women and girls must be a stand-alone goal as well as mainstreamed across all other goals, targets and indicators. A major lesson learned from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is the shortcomings of a fragmented approach to advancing gender equality.

To be effective, a gender equality goal should encompass commitments and targets across the range of social, economic, cultural, civil and political rights, including to: end gender-based violence and harmful practices, including child, early and forced marriage, and ensure universal access to critical services for all survivors; fulfill sexual and reproductive health and rights; secure equal economic opportunities and access to productive resources, including land, inheritance and property rights, financial services and agricultural supports; equal social protection; and increase women’s leadership and participation in public and private decision-making.

Investments in adolescents and youth should be prioritized, with a focus on adolescent girls, including targets on school completion through at least secondary education and gender parity at all levels of education; universal access to comprehensive sexuality education for all young people, both in and out of school; youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health information and services; and decent work with decent wages.

Policy Recommendations

1.Guarantee equality before the law and non-discrimination for all people in the exercise of their human rights and fundamental freedoms, across the range of social, cultural, economic, civil and political rights, including in accessing social benefits, health services, educational and employment opportunities, in forming a family, in fulfilling their right to self-expression, to seek and impart information, to freedom of organization and assembly, and to freedom from violence and harassment, regardless of sex, age, race, ethnicity, income, occupation, marital, HIV, disability or migrant status, sexual orientation and gender identity, or on any other grounds.

2. In relation to a stand-alone goal on gender equality and the human rights and empowerment of women and girls, and mainstreaming gender across the new development framework:

Enact and revise legislation and policies to protect the human rights of women and girls and revoke all discriminatory legislation to eliminate gender- and age-discriminatory provisions;

Respect, protect and fulfill the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and adolescent girls through legal, policy and regulatory provisions, including to prohibit violations of these rights, such as spousal and parental consent requirements; prohibitions on contraceptive methods; forced sterilization and forced abortion on any grounds, and mandatory testing for pregnancy or HIV;

Enact and enforce legislation and adopt adequately-resourced national multi-sectoral plans of action and programmes to end gender-based violence, involving the police, housing, health, education, social service, labour and immigration sectors, including to address domestic and sexual violence, marital rape, trafficking, sexual harassment and traditional harmful practices; modify laws and practices that exonerate perpetrators from punishment (such as for marrying the victim); and eliminate sexual violence from amnesty provisions in post-conflict settings;

Ensure universal access to critical services for all victims/survivors of gender-based violence, that are comprehensive, accessible and coordinated across sectors, and that include, at a minimum: 24-hour hotlines; psychosocial and mental health support and counselling; health services, including for treatment of injuries and sexual and reproductive health; post-rape care, including emergency contraception, post-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention and access to safe abortion services in all cases of violence, rape and incest; police protection, safe housing and shelter; documentation of cases, forensic services, legal aid and access to justice; and referrals and longer-term support for women and their children, including for housing, education, employment and income-earning opportunities;

Strengthen legal measures and community mobilization to end child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation;

Increase women’s leadership in decision-making, including through temporary special measures for political participation at local and national levels of government, in parliament, in multinationals, the private sector, the media, science, research and technology;

Ensure the participation of women in conflict resolution, peace-building negotiations and post-conflict policy-making, and investments in gender equality and the integration of gender perspectives across national plans and programmes, including in humanitarian situations;

Enact environmental and climate change policies that ensure women’s participation in decision-making, management and governance of natural resources, and ensure climate change prevention and adaptation policies consider the specific needs of women and girls;

Enable the role of women’s human rights defenders and protect them from intimidation and violence.

3. In the area of Health:

Ensure women’s equitable access to quality, affordable health care throughout the life-cycle, including to address priority needs related to newborn and child health, sexual and reproductive health, non-communicable diseases including breast and cervical cancers, malaria, tuberculosis and HIV and AIDS-related prevention and services, mental health and depression treatment, and gender-based violence-related services and supports, including for post-rape care;

Accelerate implementation of universal access to quality, integrated and affordable sexual and reproductive health information, education and services throughout the life-cycle, with emphasis on women and adolescent girls, as a priority of the health sector and in universal health coverage schemes.

4. In the area of Education:

Improve access to quality education, with particular attention to girls’ retention and completion rates at all levels of education, and the elimination of female illiteracy;

Provide universal access to comprehensive sexuality education for all young people, both in and out of school, linked to youth-friendly sexual and reproductive health services, with particular attention to adolescent girls;

Prohibit the expulsion of girls from school due to pregnancy, motherhood or marital status, and provide special supports for pregnant girls and young mothers to enable them to complete their education and balance education and family responsibilities;

Eliminate gender stereotypes and biases in curricula and teaching practices, and in the transmission of occupational aspirations;

Make schools safe spaces for girls, free of sexual harassment, sexual violence and bullying.

5. In the area of Employment, Decent Work and Livelihoods:

Protect human and labour rights and eliminate exploitation in all its forms, with particular attention to women, girls, low-income workers and migrants, including domestic workers;

Secure women’s equal access to economic, employment and livelihood opportunities, including through legal and policy provisions, for decent work and equal pay with men; social protection, including for informal sector workers and with special attention to vulnerable groups, such as female-headed households, including girl-headed households; equal land, property and inheritance rights; access to farming supports, productive assets, banking and financial services, technologies and ICTs, and the ability to start and register a business; and creation of employment opportunities for older women, especially important in countries without strong social security systems;

Ensure that policies for full, productive and decent employment and livelihood opportunities for youth have a special focus on young women’s equal opportunities;

Prohibit employment discrimination against women based on pregnancy or motherhood;

Redress the disproportionate burden of unpaid care work on women and girls and inefficient time-use related to their gender and reproductive roles, including through family-friendly policies for affordable child care, support for care of the elderly, ill and disabled, maternity and paternity leave employment policies, as well as access to time- and energy-saving technologies (e.g. for water, cooking fuel, electricity, etc.);

Finally, Undertake public education on the importance of gender equality and shared rights and responsibilities with men and boys, including in household management, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and childrearing.

FAST FACTS: Gender Equality, the MDGs, and Sustainable Development

·         Only two out of 130 countries with available data have reached gender parity in all levels of education. An extra year of primary school can increase women’s eventual wages by 10-20%, and an extra year of secondary school increases them by 15-25%. Improvements in women’s educational achievement lead to healthier, smaller, better educated families and better outcomes for their children.

·         If women had the same access to land, productive assets and farming inputs as men, farm yields could increase by 20-30%, and raise total agricultural output in developing countries by 2.5-4%. This could in turn reduce the number of hungry people in the world by 12-17% and the number of undernourished by as many as 100 to 150 million.

·         The gender gap in unemployment widened between 2007 and 2012, and women lost 13 million jobs. Expanding women’s participation in the workforce can contribute to substantial increases in GDP, with country estimates ranging from 5 to 34%.

·         Women earn on average 23% less than men, and often do not have equal control over household finances. But when women have a say in family spending, income is more likely to be spent on children’s nutrition, health care and education.

·         Only 21% of seats in national parliaments around the world are held by women, undermining opportunities for improved, inclusive governance. For example, a study in India showed that increased women’s political participation led to improved services and less corruption.

·         Sexual and reproductive health problems impose huge costs and burdens on individuals, families, societies, public budgets, productivity and economies. Maternal mortality and morbidity leads to reduced labor supply and lost wages. In Sub-Saharan Africa alone, families spend USD$200 million a year out of their own pockets to treat complications from unsafe abortion, with losses to societies as a whole on the order of nearly USD$1 billion in foregone income from death and disability.

·         Good sexual and reproductive health is associated with increased female workforce participation and higher productivity, as well as with smaller, healthier and better educated children and families that are also more resilient to crises, displacement or environmental challenges.

·         Nearly 1 in 5 girls in developing countries gives birth before the age of 18. Complications related to pregnancy and childbirth are a leading cause of adolescent death in developing countries, taking the lives of 70,000 adolescent girls each year.

·         Studies from Kenya, Brazil, and India show that delaying adolescent childbearing could have increased economic productivity by $3.4, $3.5, and $7.7 billion dollars, respectively.

·         Every day, 37,000 girls under 18 are married and 1 out 9 girls in developing countries will be married before their 15th birthday. Child, early and forced marriage is the leading cause of adolescent pregnancy, increases girls’ experiences of gender-based violence, limits their education opportunities and perpetuates poverty.

·         At least 35% of women worldwide suffer physical/and or sexual violence in their lifetime; up to one-third report their first sexual experience was forced. In some regions, women and girls who experience gender-based violence are 1.5 times as likely to be infected with HIV.

Kaburu Anthony: How to start Climate Change Campaigns

Kaburu Anthony: How to start Climate Change Campaigns: Climate Change is a crucially overriding issue in the world. So many people, organizations, etc. are working to control Climate Change. But...

Kaburu Anthony: How to start Climate Change Campaigns

Kaburu Anthony: How to start Climate Change Campaigns: Climate Change is a crucially overriding issue in the world. So many people, organizations, etc. are working to control Climate Change. But...

Kaburu Anthony: How to start Climate Change Campaigns

Kaburu Anthony: How to start Climate Change Campaigns: Climate Change is a crucially overriding issue in the world. So many people, organizations, etc. are working to control Climate Change. But...

How to start Climate Change Campaigns

Climate Change is a crucially overriding issue in the world. So many people, organizations, etc. are working to control Climate Change. But some of them confused and unaware of how to start the Climate Change Campaign. A Campaign is a tool that we can use to resolve our issues in the world. also, it's the creative change, that's why I solved that matter with my ideas as you can easily start your campaign.

There are Six Steps.

1. Must Knowledge about Climate Change

Every step is important, but this one is the most important to the Climate Change Campaign. In that, you must have knowledge about Climate Change. For example, What is Climate Change? What are the impacts of Climate Change? What should we do for Climate Change? Etc.

Think and study yourself about climate change. Follow climate activist and some recent news. So, it will increase your knowledge of Climate Change also it will help more in your Campaign. Be passionate for climate change campaign.

2. Target

Target your ultimate aim, As you can hopefully start Campaign yourself about Climate Change. Believe yourself it intentionally means you can address the social Climate Change issue, develop properly effective strategies in your Campaign. People also discourage you and opponent with you, but it doesn't matter always keep forward. As you can achieve a successful result in your Climate Change Campaign.

     

3. Strong communication skills
 It is crucially significant to the Climate Change Campaign. It enhances your confidence level that how you inspire people as they develop an interest in Climate Change issues.

·         Be precisely polite always in moral nature. 

·         Participate in a public gathering to provoke people.

·         Carefully negotiate and properly discuss social Climate issue with others as they mutually attract towards your campaign.

·         Listen carefully to local peoples' favorable opinion. 

·         Respect everyone.

·         Face an opponent with evidence and resolve the matter.

·         The conclusion is very important.

4. Engage Youth In your Campaign

Youth is a future of generation, and they can make any change in this world. If you have more youth in your Campaign, It will be more beneficial in the Climate Change campaign. Nelson Mandela, South African leader says that Youth has more power and give me only one hundred youth I can change the whole world. So that's why to engage more youth is tremendously helpful in your Campaign.

5. Strike

It is the best option to strike and properly record your effective campaign at any place. You can develop proper social pressure on the responsible government as they take action. 

6. Use Media Role

Media is the best tool for Climate Change Campaign in every aspect. Electron media, Print media, Social Media, etc. These are now trending for a campaign and obviously, it can more effective to a change. People habitually utilize that type of source to collect some news and inspiration from them. You can address your Climate Change Campaign easily. Television provides the prime source for the Campaign and shares your campaign through live shows and advertisement. Print media equally promote a more outstanding role in the campaign.

Social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. are currently constituting a completely reasonable source for any campaign throughout the world. Modern people use more and affirmative action at a proper time. It's extremely essential for any campaign you must manage for the Climate Change Campaign.

Finally, we have seen where social media is a powerful tool for communication. The matter of climate change will require real time and constant communication. It will require a communication space that is far-reaching and can facilitate discussion and mobilisation, we should move quickly to leverage the power and reach of social media to positively influence modifications in behaviour, to thwart or mitigate the effects of climate change, therefore causing desired behaviours.

We have seen where it is used in coordinating rescue and relief operations after climate change-related disasters and to organise movements and campaigns about climate change. Online movements like #climateAction and #BreakFreeFromPlastic, powered by social media, have grown from powerful online campaigns to real world policy change. The position here is to not eliminate traditional means of climate change communication, but to also actively complement with social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube.

Although social media is simply a tool, and it's up to individuals to make a change, social media can be used to educate and sensitize, which in turn may influence our actions and the steps we take.

Let us get serious about climate change #SocialMediaClimateChangeCampaigns 

Kaburu Anthony: Viral Hepatitis: A Global Health Threat

Kaburu Anthony: Viral Hepatitis: A Global Health Threat: We are living through a “golden age” of global health with respect to communicable diseases. As a result of scientific breakthroughs, globa...

Viral Hepatitis: A Global Health Threat

We are living through a “golden age” of global health with respect to communicable diseases. As a result of scientific breakthroughs, global solidarity and focused funding, mortality associated with leading communicable diseases is on the decline. Indeed, since 2000, the progress in combating the leading communicable diseases (HIV, tuberculosis and malaria) has prompted the global community to commit to end these epidemics once and for all by 2030.

But there is one glaring exception to the good news regarding communicable diseases. While mortality from HIV, Tuberculosis, and Malaria is now declining, mortality caused by viral hepatitis is on the rise. The viral hepatitis challenge is monumental, as it is the seventh leading cause of death worldwide. Annual deaths from hepatitis (1.34 million) exceed the number of AIDS-related deaths (1 million) and approach mortality associated with tuberculosis (1.67 million).

The continued rise in hepatitis-related deaths is both alarming and ironic, as hepatitis is wholly preventable and, in the case of hepatitis C, curable. Although viral hepatitis is a major global health challenge, the world has yet to bring to the fight against hepatitis the seriousness, passion and focus that we have seen for other leading communicable diseases.

However, there is now reason to believe that the global community is ready to take viral hepatitis seriously. In 2014, the World Health Assembly called on #WHO to develop a global strategy for viral hepatitis. Two years later, #WHO Member States unanimously endorsed the WHO Global Health Sector Strategy for Viral Hepatitis 2016–2021.

This global strategy aims to achieve for viral hepatitis what the world now seeks for other leading communicable diseases—eliminating hepatitis as a public health threat by reducing new infections by 90% and mortality by 65% by 2030.

Challenges to hepatitis elimination

Scientific advances and new political momentum have generated optimism in the global response to viral hepatitis. However, reaching the goal of ending viral hepatitis as a public health threat will demand that persistent challenges to progress are confronted and overcome.

Weak health systems undermine hepatitis prevention efforts. As HCV transmission primarily occurs through unsafe blood or injections, simple infection control procedures, if mainstreamed and enforced across health systems, have the potential to sharply lower HCV incidence. 

 However, important parts of the prevention agenda for viral hepatitis require action that extends well beyond the health sector. For example, access to safe water supplies and sanitation are critical to the prevention of hepatitis A and E.

The lack of clear, reliable evidence on the prevalence of hepatitis and the distribution of viral hepatitis among undeveloped countries impedes the development and monitoring of sound national plans to fight viral hepatitis. In contrast to the HIV response, which benefited from strong to sustained donor support, no dedicated, catalytic funding source is readily available for hepatitis prevention and treatment services. In part due to the low priority accorded to viral hepatitis by leading donors, prevention and treatment of hepatitis persist as low political priorities in many countries.

The drugs historically available to treat viral hepatitis also slowed progress, due to their limited effectiveness and to their high prices. The emergence of affordable, highly effective, easier-to-take direct-acting antivirals offers the possibility of transcending the inherent limitations of older drugs. In the case of HBV, however, treatment regimens are complex and lifelong, posing challenges to efforts to reduce HBV-related mortality.

Translating rhetoric into action: key actions steps

Although international donors have played a key role in the progress made in recent years against HIV, TB and Malaria, the truth is that national governments have largely driven efforts that have reversed these epidemics. Similarly, in the case of viral hepatitis, national governments must own and lead the development of evidence-based policies and programmes to sharply lower morbidity and mortality associated with viral hepatitis.

National governments should leverage progress towards universal health coverage to ensure that the response to viral hepatitis is equitable and grounded in a respect for human rights. While national governments must lead the fight against hepatitis, they cannot conquer viral hepatitis on their own, underscoring the urgent need to partner and collaborate with communities, people living with viral hepatitis, and other key sectors.

Several key actions are needed. First, all infants and newborns must be immunized at birth for HBV, with an additional two to three doses required as follow-up, depending on national guidelines. At no more than 50 cents per child, the HBV vaccine saves a lifetime of health risks, including cirrhosis and liver cancer. Although the three-dose regimen has moderately high coverage (87%), only 23% of children globally are immunized at birth.

In addition, injection safety in health settings must be ensured, including through the use of safe syringes that prevent re-use and sharp injury. As in the case of immunization, costs associated with injection safety are minimal, as each safe syringe costs no more than 10 cents extra while minimizing transmission risks for HBV and HCV infection, both of which are costly, life-threatening conditions.

Blood safety must also be assured, by requiring the screening of every unit of blood and related products for hepatitis B and C to block a major route of hepatitis transmission. Drinking water must be made safe, and all people should have access to effective sanitation. Not only is this approach one of the most effective prevention strategies for viral hepatitis, but it is also a basic human right.

Finally, immediate steps are needed to scale up diagnostic and treatment facilities. Persons infected with Hepatitis B or C virus are usually unaware of their infection. Effective treatments exist for viral hepatitis at reasonable cost—under US$ 160 for a curative regimen for HCV and US$ 250 for a year’s worth of treatment for HBV. Yet, despite the affordability of these life-saving regimens, few patients in globally—3% for people with HBV infection, and 9% of people with HCV—currently have access to testing and treatment services.

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Failure to ensure access to effective diagnostic and therapeutic tools contributes to substantial, preventable illness and mortality associated with cirrhosis and liver cancer. It also wastes precious financial resources. Direct-acting antivirals for treatment of HCV are cost-effective within 2 years of treatment and cost-saving within 10 years of treatment.

Conclusion

We have the tools and the knowledge we need to prevent morbidity and mortality associated with viral hepatitis—including universal vaccination of newborns and infants, which would have the greatest impact on new HBV infections, as well as treatments for HBV and HCV that are now affordable. Now we must act to put these tools and knowhow into action. If we do not, we will miss the chance to end viral hepatitis by 2030.

Thus far, political commitment has been the key missing ingredient in the fight against viral hepatitis. With momentum from newer scientific breakthroughs, global commitments and reductions in the prices of key medicines, much stronger political action is needed to take the hepatitis response to the next level.

National action plans must be fully funded and implemented, and political leaders need to actively engage physicians’ associations, academics, patient support groups, affected populations, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, media and celebrities to build awareness of the hepatitis challenge and mobilize diverse sectors around the common goal of ending hepatitis. #WorldHepatitisDay #EliminateHepatitis #StopHepatitis #Prevention #TakeScreenTests #TakeAction

Kaburu Anthony: What we can all do to Save the Environment

Kaburu Anthony: What we can all do to Save the Environment: We all pollute the environment we live in, I do, and your dog does too. It’s very much in our control to reduce this pollution. With effect...

What we can all do to Save the Environment

We all pollute the environment we live in, I do, and your dog does too. It’s very much in our control to reduce this pollution. With effects of global warming becoming more apparent by the minute and an entire group of individuals in power denying climate change for the sake of profit, it may seem like the world is doomed. It’s easy to give up when you feel hopeless, when you feel like it’s not worth trying because you’re only one person.

But now, more than ever, it’s important to look at what we CAN do. When you feel helpless, help someone else; start with just one thing. History is full of individuals who chose to take action and made a difference. We all matter and there is a lot we CAN do.

Various ways you can help save our environment;

Go paperless, save the environment. Sure you can’t stop advertisement leaflets coming into your mailbox (shouldn’t there be an environmental law to ban this practice, or at least, be made it mandatory to use recycled paper?) but, you can control the statements, updates, and notices which you get from your financial institutions.

Select paperless as the mode of communication. Mostly all of them support this. It’s high time that all govt. agencies implement this too.

Stop using bottled water. This may be very hard for many, I understand. If it’s not that hard for you, start using re-usable materials and fill it up every time.

Stop smoking. Smoking creates pollution inside of your body and for the people around you. Even after hours of smoking, your kids can be recipients of harmful effects of your nicotine consumption.

“The pollution caused by cigarettes does not stop in our bodies or the air around us; it also affects the land we live on and the water that we drink. Millions of cigarette butts are discarded on to the ground every day“.

Use less electricity. There are various options to save on electricity, I can write an entire post about this. The easiest of the ways is to use a fan instead of an AC if you can. Air drying clothes, letting sunlight come in the winter and blocking it in the summer are other easy options to try out at your home.

Use less gas. Bike to work, carpooling are the easier options you can try. There are various other effective ways to save on gas.

Recycle. Don’t just throw your old electronics and batteries to trash. Make use of local free recycling facilities. Dispose of your plastic containers as well by separating them out from normal trash.

Use reusable shopping bags. It was my wife’s idea to start using reusable bags. They are made of cloth and need cleaning once a week. We eliminated a lot of plastics from our life this way. You can do the same.

Buy fresh local produce. Whenever you have the option to buy from farmer’s market or local grocers, give it a preference. Processed goods take a lot of energy, first for processing part and then, the fuel consumption in transportation.

Save water. Sweetwater is a scarce resource and it’s being depleted at a greater pace than earth is replenishing it. There are various ways to save water in everyday use from fixing leaky outlets to adjusting the timers on sprinklers.

Use emails and eGreetings. Unless you are already using it, what’s preventing you from going ‘e’ route? Apart from being environment-friendly, it also reduces the effort required to pass your message across.

Use ceramic cups. Instead of plastic, paper or Styrofoam, the ceramic cups can be used over and over.  This reduces the impact on the environment and on your budget.

Print less. Unless it’s absolutely necessary to print, refrain from doing so.  When you do have to print, consider printing on both sides of the paper.

Buy items with recycled materials. For an example, you can get two types of coffee cups. One with fresh paper and one with recycled paper. You can identify by reading the label on the pack.

Reuse and repurpose. Whenever possible, re-use the containers, cartons, and envelopes. Oh, your tooth-brush as well! For cleaning my sports shoes, I use old toothbrushes; it goes into the grooves perfectly. Here are 30 ways to reuse bottles and containers.

Use energy-efficient items. In the long run, these save a lot of money and energy. Bulbs, use LED bulbs, even fluorescent light bulbs consume 1/3rd (or lesser) of the energy of incandescent light bulbs. For other equipment like AC, refrigerator, washer, etc buy Energy Star appliances.

Use clothes more than paper. Reduce paper usage by using cloths to wipe your hands or the things you normally wipe with paper towels. My home is paper towel free and I use old dresses to make wipe cloths. Do you know something called handkerchief?

Use microwave.  I am not sure if you can bake cakes in a microwave. Last time I checked, my wife also didn’t know. But, she could tell me 100′s of other dishes that can be cooked in a microwave. Use microwave more often to reduce your carbon footprints.

Leak-proof your home. Ensure you are not losing warmth or cool through leakages, by having your home properly insulated and window and door seals checked.  By doing so, you are saving energy and money.

Replace air filters. AC air filters for your home and car, if replaced regularly, can save a lot of energy which in turn can save you money.

Consume less. This is for your financial good as well. Live simply, use your furniture and clothes until they can’t be used anymore. If possible, check out used items on garage sales.

Steps to absorb pollution

Donate to organizations that help to plant more trees and work towards a better planet. I am a member of #EcopeaceInitiativeSouthSudan and my membership dues go to conservation causes.

Pickup and deposit pollutants. Whether at home, at work, at a local supermarket or while running or jogging, if you find a pollutant like plastic or Styrofoam on your way, pick it up and put in a nearby trash bin.

Volunteer in anti-pollution drives. Many cities here in south Florida organize periodic beach cleaning events. Thousands of volunteers donate their time towards these large-scale environmental cleaning events. Check in your local area for opportunities like this.

Have indoor plants. Indoor plants and aquatic plants (in aquariums) are very efficient in cleaning the inside air pollution of our homes.  Think about it, by spending a little money to green up our homes we are improving our health as well. In the long run, these efforts should pay off in terms of better health.

Below points are added later on

Drive a clean car If vehicle emission check is not mandatory in your state, you may still go for one. If there’s a problem it can be fixed. Another way to contribute in a similar way is to report smoke emitting vehicles. On searching your local DMV or city website, you may locate to report a violation.

Make better use of your recycled garbage bin. If possible have two different trash cans at your home. Sometimes not all recyclable materials are put into recycle bin. Even if you can save one piece of paper from being dumped without getting recycled, you have contributed to the environmental protection.

Buy local items. Specifically, local food items require less transportation. Thus consuming food grown locally actually reduces gas usage.

Finally and very important; Plant trees. Your garden/patio or balcony, do you have space anywhere? Grow plants, grow flowers, and attract honey bees wherever you find a place for a pot. If you have a garden, you can go on a green mission by planting as many trees as your yard or garden permits. A good-looking home and better place to live, for sure!

Furthermore, planting trees is a good idea. It provides a direct solution to the problem by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. However, this intervention is not sustainable as the poor will cut down the trees for fuel-wood or as materials for constructing their dwellings or even for generating income.  

Addressing the problem of global warming due to carbon-dioxide emission lies on those who have means to support the poor through education and provision of skills so that this segment of society can provide for their means of livelihood from other sources rather than depending on natural resources like the trees as a source of energy, materials for building their dwellings, or income.

Finally, I hope you enjoyed this article and you’ll start practicing a technique or two in your daily routine. If not all, you can easily follow a few. I know, only a few of us practicing green living won’t change the environment around us. Still, I would like to wake up to a tomorrow where the earth is cleaner and environment is safer to live. I dream on #Environment #SDG15 #SDGS #Sustainability #Ecosystems #Biodiversity #TogetherWeCan #SavingOurPlanet #Sustainability

Kaburu Anthony: Reducing Inequalities: Key to Strong and Sustainab...

Kaburu Anthony: Reducing Inequalities: Key to Strong and Sustainab...: Despite significant progress in poverty reduction in the past decades, inequality within countries has risen. Today, 75 percent of the popu...

Reducing Inequalities: Key to Strong and Sustainable Economies

Despite significant progress in poverty reduction in the past decades, inequality within countries has risen. Today, 75 percent of the populations in the Global live in countries in which inequality has increased since the 1990s.

Global inequalities are massive and present one of the biggest obstacles to sustainable development and the fight against poverty. Inequality within many countries has been rising in recent years. Inequalities limit the opportunities for social groups to participate in and make significant contributions to social, cultural, political and economic life. Therefore, Goal 10 focuses on reducing inequality within and among countries.

In concrete terms, Goal 10 advocates delivering sustained income growth to the poorest 40% of the global population and achieving empowerment and social, economic and political inclusion for all by 2030. Goal 10 aims to ensure equal opportunities through the elimination of discriminatory laws, policies and practices, while facilitating orderly and safe human migration and mobility via the implementation of sound migration policies for example. It also envisages enhanced representation and a greater voice for developing countries in decision-making within international economic and financial institutions.

 

The Impact of Inequality

Social and economic inequality increases the power and importance of social hierarchy, status and class.1 As a result, a long list of problems more common further down the social ladder – in poorer neighborhoods for instance – are much more common in societies with larger income differences between rich and poor.

Although the impact of inequality tends to be most severe lower down the social ladder, outcomes are worse even among the better off, because inequality damages the whole social fabric of a society – increasing social divisions, status insecurity and status competition.  Indeed, it is because a large majority of the population – not just the poor – are affected by inequality that the differences in the performance of more and less equal societies are so large.  The scale of the differences varies from one health or social problem to another, but they are all between twice as common and ten times as common in more unequal societies compared to more equal ones.

Although in the rich, developed countries, income inequality is related to indicators of health and social wellbeing, levels of average income (GDP per capita) are not.  Reducing inequality is the most important step these countries can take to increase population well-being.  In the developing and emerging economies, both greater equality and improvements in standards of living are needed for populations to flourish.

A large and well-established body of evidence shows that very large income differences within countries are damaging.  Analyses include both cross-sectional research and studies of changes in income distribution over time.  There is a particularly large body of evidence linking greater inequality to worse population health; hundreds of studies show us that life expectancy is longer, and mortality lower, in more equal societies 3 5-9, rates of infant mortality, mental illness and obesity are two to four times higher 4 10-13 and, in both developing and developed countries, HIV infection prevalence rises with inequality.

There is also substantial evidence linking greater equality to better social relationships within societies –levels of social cohesion, including trust and social capital, are higher in more equal countries. Indicators of women’s status and equality are generally better and rates of both property, crime and violence, especially homicides, increase as income differences widen.

Inequality wastes human capital and human potential.  The UNICEF Index of Child Wellbeing is significantly higher in more equal societies, educational attainment is higher, and fewer young people drop out of education, employment and training, and fewer teenage girls become mothers.  Notably, social mobility is restricted in very unequal societies – equality of opportunity is shaped by equality of outcomes.

In addition to its impact on health and social outcomes, greater equality is also linked to economic progress and stability.  Poverty reduction, and hence development, is compromised by income inequality. In rich and poor countries, inequality is strongly correlated with shorter spells of economic expansion and less growth over time and with more frequent and more severe boom-and-bust cycles that make economies more volatile and vulnerable to crisis.  As an International Monetary Fund report put it – reducing inequality and bolstering longer-term economic growth may be ‘two sides of the same coin.

Greater equality has an important role to play in the necessary worldwide transition to sustainable economies.  Inequality drives status competition, which drives personal debt and consumerism and, of course, consumerism is a major threat to sustainability.  Stronger community life in more equal societies also means that people are more willing to act for the common good – they recycle more, spend more on foreign aid, score higher on the Global Peace Index , and business leaders in more equal countries rate international environmental agreements more highly.

Reducing Inequality

Income differences can be reduced via redistribution through taxes and benefits, or by reducing differences in pre-tax incomes.  The international evidence suggests that greater equality confers the same benefits on a society whether it is achieved through one of these approaches or the other.

In general, top tax rates, which in many countries – including the USA – were over 80% in the 1970s, have been reduced dramatically and there is room for more progressive tax to be restored.  Dealing with tax havens and other methods used by rich individuals and large companies to avoid tax is crucial; the amount of money lost by developing countries to tax havens exceeds all international development aid. 

This not only increases global inequality but also means that a higher proportion of public expenditure has to be funded by tax payers in lower income groups.  In many countries taxation has ceased to be significantly redistributive.

Forms of economic democracy, such as employee ownership, employee representation on boards, employee share ownership, mutual’s and cooperatives tend to reduce the scale of income inequality and help equality to become more embedded in a society – these are more long-lasting cultural changes than can be achieved through tweaks to the tax code. These forms of business institutions also provide a more stable basis for community life and perform well in ethical terms.

Marking Progress

Given all that we now know about the effects of inequality, it seems clear that we should both monitor inequality and commit to realistic but courageous targets to reduce it. A core objective of the post-2015 development framework and the sustainable development goals should be to reduce inequality within countries. 

The frameworks should include a top-level goal to reduce inequalities, including income inequalities in particular. This should be in addition to disaggregated indicators and targets in every other goal to ensure equitable progress across different social groups towards agreed development objectives.

An inequality target could be based on Palma’s ratio of the income share of the top 10% of a population to the bottom 40%. In more equal societies this ratio will be one or below, meaning that the top 10% does not receive a larger share of national income than the bottom 40%. In very unequal societies, the ratio may be as high as seven. A potential target could be to halve national Palma ratios by 2030, compared to 2010, and dramatically reduce the global Palma ratio, which is currently 32.

Furthermore, even where inequality has been successfully reduced, it remains on a considerably high level. This global trend threatens sustainable development in all its dimensions and the successful implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The heads of states that passed the 2030 Agenda were aware of the negative impacts of high and rising inequality, and included the topic as a cross-cutting issue which permeates at least 12 if not all of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To highlight the importance of reducing inequalities even further, a stand-alone goal – SDG 10: Reducing Inequalities – was included in the 2030 Agenda.

Finally, the difference between the richest and poorest people on our planet is as high as ever. The 26 richest people on the planet own more than the poorest half of humanity. Economic growth is not the cure-all answer for limiting poverty - wealth accumulates for a small number of people but not for everyone. Goal 10 is all about redistributing wealth and stopping financial and social discrimination. Together we can empower people so that everyone enjoys a good standard of living. #ReduceInqualities #SDG10 #SustainableEconomies #SustainableSocieties #RedistributingWealth #EconomicGrowth #PovertyReduction #PeopleEmpowerment #SDGS #HumanityandInclusion

Kaburu Anthony: Why the sustainable Development Goals Matter

Kaburu Anthony: Why the sustainable Development Goals Matter: All systems and societies naturally develop. However, In this day and age, development is moving at breakneck speeds, thanks to advancement...

Why the sustainable Development Goals Matter

All systems and societies naturally develop. However, In this day and age, development is moving at breakneck speeds, thanks to advancement in technology. The only problem is that not everyone considers the downsides that come along with unbalanced economic growth including impacts on people’s well-being and environment. It’s about time people start to change their perspective on unbalanced economic development by viewing the world in a completely different way. What would help people achieve that is setting sustainable development goals.

Sustainable development is the practice of using guidelines for environmentally responsible and energy savings to create new development projects and to maintain and retrofit older projects. It can include using green materials in new construction, designing projects that can harvest their own energy to reduce load on a power grid, or that incorporate green space in order to counterbalance the green space removed to build the onsite facilities. There is a heavy emphasis on making sure that what is built can be maintained and repaired in a way that minimizes the degradation of the original development so that the lifespan of a facility is longer than normal.

Sustainable development involves satisfying the needs of the present population without endangering the capability of future population to satisfy its own needs. It’s about improving the well being of everyone wherever they are and achieving this milestone collectively. Sustainable development also digs deeper. This means we want companies to expand, people to have the best jobs, everyone to afford nutritious foods wherever they live, quality and affordable education for everyone, freedom of speech without violence, and our economies to grow exponentially. We want to develop innovative technologies while keeping the environment safe.

Sustainable development is not just about the environment. Its focus is much broader than that. Its all about meeting the diverse needs of people in different communities, social cohesion, creating equal opportunity to ensure a strong and healthy society. Sustainable development also focuses on finding better ways of doing things without affecting quality of our life.

There are 3 components of sustainable development – economic growth, environmental stewardship, and social inclusion. Countries are recognizing the importance of conserving natural resources, people are switching to cycling instead of driving that will improve their health, farmers are practicing climate smart agriculture and industries are realizing as to how much they can save through energy efficiency.

Understanding sustainable development and its goals is the first step to learning what we can do to make it happen. There are many initiatives already in place, but still many roadblocks to sustainable development that have to be overcome.

Goals of Sustainable Development

There are three primary goals of sustainable development:

·         To minimize the depletion of natural resources when creating new developments.

·         To create development that can be maintained and sustained without causing further harm to the environment.

·         To provide methods for retrofitting existing developments to make them into environmentally friendly facilities and projects.

Global organizations such as United Nations, NGOS, aid organizations and even governments are increasingly sponsoring efforts to ensure sustainable development goals are realized for every individual across the board. Some other most important sustainable development goals set by these bodies include:

Eradication of poverty across the world

These organizations primarily focus on the least developed and low-income countries where poverty is rife. They aim to eradicate poverty across the board by expanding social protection programs like school feeding, cash transfers, targeted food assistance, social insurance and labor market programs such as skill training, old age pensions, wage subsidies, unemployment insurance, disability pensions and so on.

Promotion of good health and well being

This sustainable development goal seeks to ensure good health and well-being for all at each stage of life. The goal takes into account all the main health priorities such as maternal and child health, reproductive health, environmental, communicable and non-communicable diseases, universal health coverage, and access to quality, safe, effective, and affordable vaccines and medicines. It also advocates for enhanced health financing, increased research and development, strengthening the capacity of every country engaged in health risk prevention and management.

Provision of quality education for all

These bodies have realized that the level of child school dropout is at an all time high. This gap must be closed to ensure sustainable future development even as international community’s work to ensure quality and equity in the education sector. In a nutshell, this goal seeks to ensure equitable and inclusive quality education and promotion of long life learning opportunities.

Achieving gender equality

In the past few decades, gender equality and women empowerment have been agendas for most governments for long-term sustainable development. Access to education for girls has since improved, the percentage of child marriage has plummeted, and huge leaps have been taken in the domain of sexual and reproductive health and rights such as dramatic reduction in maternal health. Although there is still a long way to go to reach this milestone, organizations are using every ounce of their energy and throwing in resources to ensure the dream is realized.

Provision of clean water and sanitation

Water and sanitation are on top of the chart regarding sustainable development. They are critical to the survival of humans and the planet. This goal aims to address aspects relating to sanitation, hygiene, drinking water and the quality and sustainability of water resources across the globe.

Building up strong infrastructure, supporting inclusive and sustainable industrialization and incubating innovation

This goal takes into account three aspects of sustainable development: industrialization, infrastructure, and innovation. Infrastructure is vital because it offers the basic framework necessary to smooth running of enterprise and society at large. Industrialization drives up economic development, yield job opportunities, hence, reducing levels of poverty. Innovation enhances technological abilities of industrial sectors and triggers the development of innovative skills.

Enabling Access to affordable and clean energy

Energy is the most critical resource to achieving most of the sustainable development goals. Energy plays a vital role in mitigating poverty through advancements in industrialization, education, water supply and health and fighting climate change. This sustainable development goal focuses on developing and expanding renewable energy resources such as sun, wind, hydropower, liquid and solid biofuels, biogas and geothermal. These renewable sources of energy don’t emit greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere and so are ideal for the environment and human health.

There are other sustainable development goals set by these bodies including decent jobs and economic growth, sustainable cities and communities, conservation of sea, ocean and marine resources, combating climate change, sustainable consumption and production patterns and much more.

How can we make it Happen?

To make sustainable development the norm, we have to change the vision of the cultures of each country. To change the vision of the culture two things have to occur.

·         The culture must value a global benefit more than a local one.

·         A responsibility towards providing and sustaining resources for the future must be of more value than profit in the present must be developed.

Both of these are very hard to do because it requires an element of self-sacrifice be adopted by the present society. The value of the future is something that is not held in high esteem when it comes to creating a profit, or to living with convenience. The general self-focus of each generation is understandable, but as history has shown in other areas – it can be expanded to include a sense of responsibility towards futures unknown that will allow for different choices to me made in the present.

What Prevents Sustainable Development From Happening?

There are two major issues that prevent sustainable development from happening. The first is that for many aspects of development, using sustainable methods and materials is expensive. While the long-term cost of sustainability does prove to be less expensive that traditional development, the creation of a sustainable project may be far more expensive in the first phase. The second major issue is that there is not a generally accepted need for sustainable development. This is an education issue that may take many years to resolve.

Contractors and investors cannot see the importance of sustainable projects when they cost more to initiate. When the goal is to make money in the short term, it can be very difficult to generate the long-term vision that is required to understand the importance of sustainability. Towards this end, there are more government regulations and incentive programs that have been put into place to make sustainable development a more attractive option for program and project managers.

Importance of Sustainable Development

Sustainable development is a hard topic to nail down because it consists of a wide range of things. Due to the technicality and complexity of this topic, it’s best to check out its importance holistically to be able to grasp it easily. Population is the main factor driving up sustainable development campaigns. So, the importance of sustainable development can be viewed from this perspective:

1.  Provides essential human needs

The explosion of population means people will have to scramble for the limited life essentials like food, shelter, and water. Adequate provision of these basic needs almost entirely hinges on infrastructure capable of sustaining them for a long time. If governments insist on utilizing fossil fuel based sources of energy instead of renewable and sustainable options, the cost and environmental effects of supplying these basic needs would become a tall order.

2.  Agricultural requirement

Growing population means agriculture must catch up. Finding ways to feed more than 3 billion people can be staggering. If same unsustainable cultivation, planting, irrigation, spraying, and harvesting techniques are utilized in the future, they might prove to be financially burdening considering fossil fuel resources are projected to run out. Sustainable development focuses on sustainable agricultural methods such as effective seeding techniques and crop rotation to promote high yields while maintaining the integrity of the soil, which produces food for a large population.

3.  Manage climate change

Climate change can be mitigated by sustainable development practices. Sustainable development practices seek to reduce the use of fossil-based sources of fuel like oil, natural gas, and coal. Fossil fuel sources of energy are unsustainable since they will deplete in the future and are responsible for the emission of greenhouse gasses.

4.  Financial stability

Sustainable development practices have the ability to create more financially sustainable economies across the globe. Developing countries that can’t access fossil fuels can leverage renewable forms of energy to power their economies. From the development of renewable energy technologies, these countries can create sustainable jobs as opposed to finite jobs based on fossil fuel technologies.

5.   Sustain Biodiversity

Unsustainable development and overconsumption practices greatly impact biodiversity. Life ecosystem is designed in such a way that species depend on one another for survival. For instance, plants produce oxygen that humans need for respiration. Humans exhale carbon dioxide that plants need for growth and production. Unsustainable development practices like emission of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere kill many plant species resulting in reduction of atmospheric oxygen. This is not good for humans. Sustainable development practices encourage the use of renewable energy resources, and organic farming practices that do not emit any greenhouse gas to the atmosphere.

Examples of Sustainable Development

Wind Energy

Wind energy is energy harnessed from the motion of wind using wind turbine or windmills. Wind energy is renewable, which means it’s never ending and can be used to substitute energy at the grid. This makes it a good sustainable development practice.

Solar Energy

This is energy harnessed from the sun using solar panels. It’s advantageous since it’s absolutely free and its supply is infinite. These factors make it beneficial to consumers and good for Mother Nature because it doesn’t contribute to emission of greenhouse gasses.

Green Space

Green spaces are locations where plants and animals are left to flourish. Parks also fall into the category of green spaces. Green spaces provide people remarkable opportunity to take pleasure in outdoor recreation, more so in big cities, where resting space is hard to come by. Green spaces also help regulate climate and quality of air, insulates rivers and streams from polluted runoff and lowers energy usage by dealing with the warming impacts of paved surfaces.

Crop Rotation

Crop rotation is the practice of planting different crops in the same farm to enhance soil fertility and assist control diseases and insects. Crop rotation is beneficial in many ways; most importantly, it’s chemical free. This means using this farming practice maintains integrity of your soil, making it a sustainable development practice.

In the long run, there will be no debate about sustainable development. Sustainable development has proven to be cleaner, potentially more efficient, and is the only way to grow our economies without impacting human health and environment. Due to world governments putting more emphasis on sustainable development, more people today are moving towards renewable sources of energy like solar, wind, hydropower and geothermal.

As more people join this bandwagon, a lot more of the resources will be required, and this will mean faster depletion of resources. With time sustainable development will not be an option for individuals wanting to live a healthy life and lifestyle choices.

Understanding regulations and incentives

There is a very real necessity for a change to the regulations and incentives that govern development in order to make sustainable development the better option to choose. It isn’t really possible to mandate sustainable development because it could hinder projects that are necessary for the common good by making them unaffordable to create.

However, by using various tax credits and incentive programs assigned to different levels of sustainability in a development program, more of a project can meet the requirements of sustainability. This is a measure towards creating the choice of whole sustainable development, but it also allows for the reality of the cost of implementation while delivering options that won’t impede progress.

Furthermore, Economic, social and environmental problems are coming together and causing countries to underperform in creating prosperity for their citizens. To resolve these interconnected challenges means recognizing that they are complex and multidimensional. And they demand a better understanding by governments, business and civil society of the contexts and systems in which they interact.

Finally, In Africa alone, achieving the SDGs can unlock $1.1 trillion of market opportunities and generate up to 85 million jobs by 2030. The private sector operating across Africa is at the forefront of delivering the 2030 Agenda. At all scales, from multinational to microenterprise, businesses will be interacting with the issues that the SDGs set out to build this new type of prosperity. #NoPoverty #ZeroHunger #GenderEquality #QualityEducation #GoodHealthandWellBeing #ReducedInquality #SustainableCommunities #ClimateAction #CleanEnergy #DecentWork #WildlifeConservation #Environment #PeaceBuilding #Partnership #WaterandSanitation #SDGS 

Kaburu Anthony: A Global Solution to Refugee Crisis

Kaburu Anthony: A Global Solution to Refugee Crisis: The UN’s Refugee Convention is increasingly marginal to the way in which refugee protection happens around the world.  I believe that this ...