Environmental data essential to setting informed sustainable development goals

The township of Kalgoorlie, left, stands next to the Fimiston Open Pit mine in Australia. Rapid economic development and population growth is placing significant strain on the Earth’s natural resources. Carla Gottgens / BloombergShow less

The need to shift the world on to a more sustainable and resilient path has never been more urgent. Rapid economic development and population growth is placing significant strain on the Earth’s natural resources, the biodiversity of our planet and the way we live our lives. The consequences for ecosystems and the communities that rely on them are worrying and the simple truth is the path we are on cannot be sustained.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep), humanity will need the equivalent of two Earths to support itself by 2030. With the world’s population forecast to reach 9 billion by 2050, demand for diminishing natural resources like fresh water, fertile agricultural land, oil, gold and other precious metals used in electronics will only increase. Needless to say change is imperative.

To sustain our planet and ensure that societies are able to reach their fullest potential, all of us – governments, corporate leaders and civil society – must significantly change the way we live to be more sustainable. We must come together to change direction and adopt sustainable development as an operating principle for the planet.

The adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) this year marks a pivotal moment for sustainable development and the protection of the planet. As the guiding principles for the post-2015 development agenda, the SDGs will involve UN member states being ranked on their ability to achieve the agreed goals, targets and quantitative indicators.

This is set to trigger a tipping point for the role of data in sustainable development. With a scope that ranges from urbanisation, infrastructure and standards of governance to income inequality and climate change, achieving the 17 SDGs and their 169 targets will not be easy, and will rely heavily on quality, integrated and comprehensive information as both an agent of change and monitor of progress. Fundamental to the success of these goals is that they be verifiable and measurable.

Facilitating access to good quality environmental data to support decision-making has been the goal of the Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative (Agedi) since it was established in 2002. Agedi is also a founding partner of Eye on Earth – a global movement committed to closing the data gap to support informed decision-making for sustainable development.

Eye on Earth was established in 2011 at the first Eye on Earth Summit in Abu Dhabi through a partnership of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, Agedi and Unep. This led to the creation of the 2011 Eye on Earth Summit Declaration – a set of 14 governing principles prescribing how to integrate and enhance data for sustainable development – that has since been endorsed by 48 countries. The 2011 Summit also resulted in the formation of eight Special Initiatives whose community members and transformational projects, located all over the world, are key to realising Eye on Earth’s overall mission.

By aligning with international initiatives like Eye on Earth, the UAE is gaining immense knowledge that is helping to advance our efforts in sustainable development. For example, the National Blue Carbon Project – which looks at the vital role coastal ecosystems play in mitigating climate change – has successfully enhanced local capacity to measure and monitor carbon beneath mangroves, seagrass meadows and intertidal salt marshes. More important, is the incorporation of this data into local and national policymaking for sustainable preservation of these environments.

The founding Eye on Earth union has since expanded to include key partners such as the Group on Earth Observations, the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the World Resources Institute. Together they represent the Eye on Earth Alliance, which continues to mobilise a global community of partners, affiliates and supporters from the public, private and non-governmental sectors, and civil society to harness the data revolution to support sustainable development.

This data community is convening in Abu Dhabi this week for the second Eye on Earth Summit, which begins today, to cast a spotlight on the role governments, technology, the scientific community and citizens can play in closing the data gap and enhancing access to quality data. With close to 30 sessions over the course of three days, delegates will learn about the potential of data and information to significantly influence decisions that will help to decouple economic growth from the rate of natural resource consumption.

The true impact of environmental data, combined with growth and development data, being turned into decision-making knowledge at a local and global scale, is just being realised. But its potential impact has been likened to the equivalent of the Human Genome Revolution. That’s how important and valuable environmental-related data could become. The cooperation between stakeholders in government, academia, civil society and the private sector remains the most important element in Eye on Earth’s success. The UAE is proud to lend its support to this global collaboration, and in doing so, accelerate our transition to a more sustainable future.

Razan Al Mubarak is secretary general of Environment Agency, Abu Dhabi.

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