<h2>What are the SDGs? Learn all about it!</h2>

How do you imagine the world in 2030? Expecting it to be a better place, based on equality, diversity, and sustainability, the United Nations has developed the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

They were created during the Sustainable Development Summit, held in 2015, and feature 17 global goals. During the event, 193 countries assumed the responsibility of adopting measures so that the objectives would be achieved by 2030.

With the growing concern over social, environmental, and economic issues, the SDGs emerge as a guideline for a fairer, more sustainable, and egalitarian world.

Learn more about the importance of these goals and discover how to put your energy in the right place with Serena Energia!

After all, what are the SDGs?

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a list of targets created by the UN to transform the world. To ensure well-being and equal rights, the SDGs basically operate in four spheres: 

• Social: encompasses concerns with basic human needs, such as work, health, respect, and education;

• Environmental: includes the preservation of the environment and natural resources, the reversal of climate change impacts, and the protection of all forms of life;

• Economic: promotes the reduction of inequality, the use of natural resources, waste management, and investment in technology and innovation;

• Institutional: presupposes social and cultural transformations to expand the capacity to implement the necessary changes.

Each of them proposes a joint effort to ensure equal access to basic rights for everyone to be able to achieve a dignified existence. In all, there are 17 objectives, distributed across 169 global targets. 

The SDGs can be considered the successors to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a list of eight UN targets that were in effect between 2000 and 2015.

In turn, the MDGs were established after the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000, with the objective of expanding access to basic resources.

What are the 17 sustainable development goals?

According to the official UN report, the 17 sustainable development goals are a global call to action to end poverty, protect the environment and climate, and ensure that people can enjoy peace and prosperity.

They are:

1) No poverty: ensure that all people have access to resources for a dignified life, especially those in more vulnerable conditions;

2) Zero hunger and sustainable agriculture: ensure that food production is carried out in a respectful and sustainable manner and that every citizen has access to quality food and nutrition;

3) Good health and well-being: ensure the right to quality health for all people, without discrimination, focusing on proper treatment and disease prevention;

4) Quality education: ensure that all children and adults have the right to an inclusive, egalitarian, and quality education as an essential pillar of human development;

5) Gender equality: eliminate all forms of discrimination and violence against women, something fundamental for social development;

6) Clean water and sanitation: aims to ensure sustainable management of water and basic sanitation for every citizen, as a basic and essential right;

7) Affordable and clean energy: expand access to clean, renewable, affordable, and easily accessible energy for all people, including residents of rural or remote access regions;

8) Decent work and economic growth: ensure full employment, economic opportunities, and decent working conditions to achieve greater professional inclusion;

9) Industry, innovation, and infrastructure: foster technological innovation and inclusive and sustainable industrialization for the growth of developing countries;

10) Reduced inequalities: promote the social, economic, and emotional inclusion of all groups, regardless of their race, origin, or social class;

11) Sustainable cities and communities: review the planning and management of urban spaces to ensure good quality of life, safety, and opportunities for all their inhabitants;

12) Responsible consumption and production: encourage practices of conscious consumption and responsibility, as well as the sustainable production of products and services;

13) Climate action: combat climate change and environmental impact through urgent measures focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions;

14) Life below water: conserve, protect, and sustainably use the planet's water bodies, such as oceans, seas, and rivers, protecting marine and coastal ecosystems;

15) Life on land: sustainably manage forests and other terrestrial ecosystems, protecting local fauna and flora to maintain environmental balance and biodiversity;

16) Peace, justice, and strong institutions: strive for the construction of just societies, free from discrimination, peaceful, and effective in upholding justice and guaranteeing human rights;

17) Partnerships for the goals: ensure global collaboration to achieve the sustainable development goals through international cooperation and the financing of social, environmental, and structural projects.

What is the importance of the SDGs?

In general, the SDGs provide guidelines so that the planet and all its inhabitants can have access to more sustainable, inclusive, and fair societies. For this reason, they are fundamental to leaving a legacy for future generations.

Therefore, the objectives have a significant impact on governments, companies, and civil societies. They provide parameters to guide public policies, shape business strategies, and influence investments focused on sustainability.

Many companies are already aligning their business strategies with the sustainable development goals. This not only generates positive social changes, but also enhances the reputation of these corporations and generates market value.

Another important point is that a good portion of the problems foreseen by the SDGs require urgent resolution, such as the climate issue. These are issues that demand immediate action, guided by example.

From initiatives like this, in addition to governments and companies having guidelines to base their actions on, ordinary citizens have a model to follow to contribute to the sustainable development of the planet in their daily lives.

How to contribute to the sustainable development goals?

There are several possible actions to contribute to the SDGs that go beyond the business, industrial, and corporate environment. In fact, every citizen can help in their own way. Some important attitudes are: 

• Reduce consumption and waste of resources, especially plastics. It is important to opt for sustainable products, practice recycling, and avoid food waste;
  

• Invest in renewable energy, such as wind energy or solar energy. It is also important to combat the emission of greenhouse gases and save energy, promoting energy efficiency inside your home;
  

• Make conscious use of water, avoiding waste, reusing rainwater, and supporting basic sanitation initiatives;
  

• Foster gender equality, ensuring equal opportunities and wages in the workplace, combating gender violence, and promoting education, awareness, and critical thinking;
  

• Promote peace and justice, practicing active citizenship and combating corruption, thereby making institutions stronger. 

With these and many other actions, citizens can make a difference in their daily lives and help the SDGs to be met. There is no easy path, but a better world becomes possible through collaboration and awareness.

What are the priority SDGs for Serena?

Serena develops all its activities in alignment with the strictest management, governance, and sustainability standards. 

In this process, the company defined the 5 priority SDGs on its journey, which aim to guide the business plan and integrate the concepts and practice of sustainability into the daily routine of the entire team. Check out which ones were chosen:

• 4. Quality education: promote quality education to enable relevant and concrete opportunities for effective learning and income generation, since knowledge is a driver of sustainable development;
  

• 7. Affordable and clean energy: ensure broad freedom of choice, competitiveness among agents, and, above all, the supply of clean and affordable energy to all Brazilian citizens;
  

• 8. Decent work and economic growth: identify and mitigate risks to people's health and safety and ensure safe and healthy operations, in addition to sustainable relationships;
  

• 9. Industry, innovation, and infrastructure: enable the capacity to adapt to new scenarios, anticipate new market trends, and ensure the company's longevity, in addition to seeking new solutions for energy consumers;
  

• 13. Climate action: lead by example and understand that producing 100% renewable energy is only a part of our contribution to the urgent fight against climate change. 

Now that you know what the SDGs are and which ones are part of Serena's journey, get to know our sustainability portal. Come and be part of the energy that empowers companies and people to grow together with us.

See also:

• What is ESG?

• Green Hydrogen: what it is, advantages, and possible uses

• What is a Sustainability Report and what is its importance?