Sustainability in Sant Feliu

The 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

On 25 September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly approved the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development , with the objectives of eradicate poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and curb climate change, among others. This agenda will mark the global action for development until the year 2030 and, together with the rest of the global agendas , configures a roadmap of action connected to each other to achieve a common goal: sustainable global development.

The 2030 Agenda is a comprehensive and multidimensional agenda - referring to the three dimensions of sustainable development (economic, social and environmental) - and of universal application, and is deployed through a system of 17 sustainable development goals , through which it aims to address major global challenges, from the fight against poverty or climate change to education, health, gender equality, peace or sustainable cities. Each SDG includes different goals (a total of 169) that contribute to the achievement of the goal.

The 17 Development Goals

1. End of poverty
2. Fam zero
3. Health and well-being
4. Quality education
5. Gender Equality
6. Clean water and sanitation
7. Affordable and non-polluting energy
8. Decent work and economic growth
9. Industry, innovation and infrastructure
10. Reduction of inequalities
11. Sustainable cities and communities
12. Responsible production and consumption
13. Climate action
14. Underwater life
15. Life of terrestrial ecosystems
16. Peace, Justice and solid institutions
17. Alliances to achieve goals

Where does the 2030 Agenda come from?

In 1992 took place in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), the Earth Summit, which brought together 110 heads of state and governments of 178 countries with the aim of tackling problems such as depletion of planetary resources and inequalities in the distribution of the pollution that threatens the health of people and the destruction of the diversity of life. States meeting discussed the ways of life and decided to agree on a work plan for the twenty-first century: The Agenda 21.

Thus, Agenda 21 encompassed the set of actions that needed to be taken during the 21st century to achieve a more sustainable world: a world in which current generations can live without compromising the needs of future generations.

To make this planetary project a reality, it was necessary to think globally and act locally. For this reason, in 1992, all cities were called upon to draw up their own Local Agenda 21, which would translate the general objectives into concrete actions. Thousands of cities around the world made it, and Sant Feliu was no exception. Everyone could be involved: each citizen, each company, association and entity, each at its own level, could draw up its own Agenda 21.

20 years later, in 2012, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development took place, also known as the Rio + 20 Summit , which commemorated the 40th anniversary of the first major international policy conference with the title environment - United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, Stockholm 1972 - and the 20th anniversary of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

Sant Feliu participated in this summit by presenting one of the projects in which the schools of our city participate, the international project Tinguem cura del Planeta.

Agenda 21 in Sant Feliu de Llobregat

In Catalonia, in 1997 the Network of Towns and Cities towards Sustainability was set up, an association of municipalities committed to the environment, which promotes its Agenda 21 to move towards a sustainable development.

In Sant Feliu de Llobregat, the local Agenda 21 process took place thanks to the collaboration between the City Council and the citizens who were part of the Environmental Forum. Therefore, in June 2006, Sant Feliu approved its Environmental Action Plan , a set of actions aimed at promoting the sustainable development of our municipality.

Many of these measures have been incorporated into the actions promoted by the City Council: the creation of the Office of Environmental Services is a good example, as an office in charge of energize the agenda 21 process in the city and promote a culture of sustainability among citizens.

On the road to the sustainability of Sant Feliu, groups and entities from all over the city have been joining since 2006, such as the city's educational centers, which also developed their own Agenda 21 Escolar, and are now part of the network of Schools + sustainable , carrying out local actions in favor of the environment, with the desire to educate young and old to live from more sustainable way.