UN Sustainable Development Summit: Implementation of the 2030 Agenda making slow progress
Published
Even before the UN Summit on Sustainable Development, it is clear that the implementation of the 2030 Agenda is making slow progress. The global community now needs action instead of words to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
The international report on the status of SDG implementation shows that there are major gaps in implementation worldwide. The number of hungry people is increasing again worldwide. Social inequality continues to rise. The climate crisis and species extinction are advancing.
It is particularly dramatic that Germany is not a pioneer. In sustainability policy, the German government permanently acts according to the motto "too little, too late". Germany has a double responsibility: firstly, as an industrialised country, to demonstrate that it is taking the implementation of the Agenda seriously as a pioneer. And secondly, to contribute more than it has so far to financing the 2030 Agenda at the international level.
There is no coherent national legislation aligned with the SDGs. Still not all departments have prepared SDG action plans or provided additional funding. The climate cabinet's proposals are far from sufficient to achieve the climate sustainability goal and the Paris Climate Agreement. Biodiversity is declining, nitrate pollution for groundwater is not decreasing, environmentally harmful subsidies amounting to over 40 billion euros annually are not being eliminated.
We demand binding targets for SDG implementation for all ministries and ambitious measures where there are particularly large deficits in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. In addition, the German government must develop more ambitious indicators to meet the requirements of the SDGs. There is also a need for a sustainability TÜV for new laws.
At the international level, sustainability summits need to be organised in a more goal-oriented and inclusive way. It is incomprehensible that the private sector is invited to the SDG Business Summit at the United Nations, while there is no comparable forum for civil society. This is a fatal sign at a time when civil society actors worldwide are increasingly suffering from restrictions. This approach runs counter to the "Leave no one behind" guiding principle of the 2030 Agenda.
Source: Press release of 24.9.2019 by Buendnis 90/The Greens in the Bundestag Uwe Kekeritz, Spokesperson for Development Policy, and Bettina Hoffmann, Spokesperson for Environmental Policy
Bruderverlag has completely revised its popular smartphone application Holzbau-Finder for searching the vicinity of wooden buildings. New objects have been added, for the first time the two common operating systems iOS and Android are served and the design and user guidance have also been improved.
With the successful implementation of the state program "Area-wide Safety Charging Network for Electric Vehicles" (SAFE), Baden-Württemberg is the first state to have an area-wide charging network for electric cars in a 10-kilometer grid. The SAFE charging network consists of more than 450 charging stations.
While the construction of public charging infrastructure for electric cars is still being discussed elsewhere, Baden-Württemberg has built up a comprehensive charging network in recent months. A reliable charging infrastructure with more than 450 charging points now covers the entire state in a 10-kilometre grid. A consortium of 77 municipal utilities and suppliers as well as three municipalities had joined forces under the leadership of EnBW and successfully implemented the state programme "Area-wide Safety Charging Network for Electric Vehicles" (SAFE). The final event was held today (04.11.2019) in Stuttgart to take stock.
Electromobility is not only suitable for the big city!
"I am extremely pleased that we have taken electric mobility in Baden-Württemberg an important step forward with the SAFE project. Because with the nationwide expansion of the charging infrastructure, we are showing: Electromobility is not only suitable for the big city! I was able to see this for myself during my charging stop in Bad Urach today. SAFE, which was realised within the framework of Baden-Württemberg's strategy dialogue on the automotive industry, thus illustrates that electric mobility in the state is not only a clean and efficient, but also a reliable form of mobility," said Minister President Kretschmann. A consortium led by EnBW had been awarded the contract for the project in May 2018. "The parties involved have managed to set up a nationwide network of charging stations in one and a half years. I would like to thank EnBW as the project leader and its many project partners for this remarkable achievement. Together we are showing that we are pushing ahead: We are stepping on the gas and advancing electromobility in Baden-Württemberg step by step," Kretschmann continued.
Transport Minister Winfried Hermann explained: "E-charging must be as safe as it is simple. Above all, the charging points must work. With the nationwide SAFE charging network, we are creating the basis for the electrification of passenger car traffic in cities and rural areas. In this way, we are facilitating the switch to climate-friendly e-mobility."
81 Partner on behalf of the State of Baden-Württemberg
The SAFE charging network consists of more than 450 charging stations and will be operated by the project partners for at least six years. More than 250 already existing normal charging stations and more than 60 fast charging stations could be included in the network. But the consortium also built around 40 new fast charging stations and 88 normal charging stations. In addition, twelve existing charging stations were upgraded.
"This is how the mobility revolution must be managed," says EnBW CEO Dr. Frank Mastiaux, summing up the cooperation in the project. "With clout and teamwork, 81 partners have built up a powerful and reliable charging network within just 18 months. Complex infrastructure projects not only need a reliable framework, but also a planned and coordinated interaction between different players. SAFE is an example of how this can be achieved: through a high level of prioritisation by each project partner on site, as well as with the state of Baden-Württemberg as the key driver and funding provider."
The central requirement of the SAFE programme was: In a grid of ten by ten kilometres, there is at least one charging station with 22 kilowatts of power. In a second grid of 20 by 20 kilometres, there is also at least one fast charging station with 50 kilowatts of power. SAFE thus provides an area-wide charging network for drivers of electric cars: On average, there is a charging station every ten kilometres throughout the province - even in rural areas. All e-car drivers have easy access to the SAFE charging stations via the connected electromobility providers.
Starting signal for the further expansion of the charging infrastructure
SAFE has laid another foundation stone for the expansion of the charging infrastructure in Baden-Württemberg. In order to drive this forward, the Charging Infrastructure Network BW will bundle the exchange in the state even more strongly. Current challenges will be discussed and solutions developed via this open platform. The state agency for new mobility solutions and automotive Baden-Württemberg e-mobil BW GmbH is coordinating the new network, in which the experiences and findings of SAFE will be taken up and continued. In addition to its own commitment to the rapid expansion of charging infrastructure, EnBW will also remain closely associated with the new network as a partner. The state of Baden-Württemberg is thus directly taking the next step to prepare the charging infrastructure in the southwest of the republic for the ramp-up of e-cars. To this end, it had also launched the Charge@BW funding programme for non-public charging points launched.
On the SAFE website you will also find a Map overview of all SAFE charging stations between Wertheim in the north and Constance in the south, and Kehl in the west and Giengen an der Brenz in the east of Baden-Württemberg.
More and more cargo bikes can be rented throughout Germany. For good reason: if you only need a transport bike occasionally or want to test it out in detail first, you don't need to buy one right away. For this case, cargo bike sharing systems or rental offers are particularly attractive.
An up-to-date list of cargo bike sharing systems in cities in Germany, Austria and Switzerland can be found on the blog cargobike.now.
Anyone looking to buy a cargo bike will find a comprehensive overview of the market here: Nutzrad.de. Interesting transport solutions with trailers are also presented there.
Climate Alliance calls on politicians to protect the climate with the Climate Action Call shortly before the EU elections
Stakeholders from across Europe have today launched a call for climate action. "Hundreds of cities across Europe and the world are declaring a climate emergency. They are pushing for an end to fossil fuels and the exclusive use of renewable energy to contribute to climate justice worldwide," explains Thomas Brose, Executive Director of Climate Alliance, co-signatory of the call. "It is time for current and future EU politicians to work together to turn this goal into a European reality."
The Climate Action Call was launched in the run-up to the meeting of heads of state and government on 9 May on the future of Europe and the European elections, which will take place from 23 to 26 May. In parallel, more than 200 mayors are sending an open letter to the European Council and its member states calling for a sustainable and future-proof climate policy. The signatories of the Climate Action Call are calling on current and future EU leaders to take social and municipal calls seriously, take action and make climate action a top priority.
The Climate Action Call lists the following five steps for the new EU Parliament and the Commission as well as all EU member states:
reduce greenhouse gas emissions more quickly by 2030 and achieve greenhouse gas neutrality as quickly as possible.
Focus on the end of fossil fuels and support energy efficiency, renewable energy and emission reductions outside the energy sector.
Ensure fair and equitable structural change. Furthermore, to ensure that the EU provides greater support to developing countries in climate protection and adaptation to climate change.
step up efforts to introduce the circular economy and increase resource efficiency.
protect biodiversity and promote the restoration of ecosystems as a crucial component of climate protection.
Hundreds of cities, companies, investors, scientists, religious communities, sports clubs and civil society organisations from areas ranging from climate protection to human rights and health have taken up the Climate Action Call to bring about profound changes in how we organise our society and economy to keep global warming below 1.5°C.
For more than 25 years, the member municipalities of the Climate Alliance have been working with their indigenous partners in the rainforests to protect the global climate. With 1,700 members from 26 European countries, the Climate Alliance is the world's largest city network dedicated to climate protection and the only one to set specific targets: Each Climate Alliance municipality has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by ten per cent every five years. As our lifestyle has a direct impact on particularly endangered peoples and places on this planet, the Climate Alliance combines local action with global responsibility. www.klimabuendnis.org
We use cookies to optimize our website and services.
Functional
Always active
Technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a particular service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that have not been requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access, which is solely for statistical purposes.Technical storage or access used solely for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary consent from your Internet service provider, or additional records from third parties, information stored or accessed for this purpose cannot generally be used alone to identify you.
Marketing
Technical storage or access is necessary to create user profiles, to send advertising or to track the user on a website or across multiple websites for similar marketing purposes.
