您知道素食者也分很多種類嗎？

現在越來越多人改變了飲食習慣。如果全世界突然改吃素會怎樣？BBC這篇關於素食的文章給出了一些方向。

”我們應當節制食用肉類的頻率和數量。一項研究发現，只要全英國人遵循世界衛生組織（WHO）給出的營養建議，英國的溫室氣體排放量就能減少17%。而如果人們進一步減少購買動物制品和加工零食，這一數字還能再減少40%。“消費者幾乎不會注意到自己的食物发生了什麽變化，其實也就是吃的那塊肉稍微變小了一點而已，”賈維斯說道，“這並不是素食和肉食只能二選一的問題。””

全文鏈接（中文）：

【Knowledge hub】

Do you know there are many kinds of “vegetarian”?

Today, more and more people have changed their dietary habits. What would happen if the world suddenly went vegetarian? An article by the BBC has offered some interesting perspectives.

”Moderation in meat-eating’s frequency and portion size is key. One study found that simply conforming to the World Health Organization’s dietary recommendations would bring the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions down by 17% – a figure that would drop by an additional 40% should citizens further avoid animal products and processed snacks. “These are dietary changes that consumers would barely notice, like having a just-slightly-smaller piece of meat,” Jarvis says. “It’s not this either-or, vegetarian-or-carnivore scenario.””

Check the full article here:

根據SDG 12的具體目標，期望在2030年，通過預防、減排、回收和再利用，大幅減少廢棄物的產生。希望在不久的將來，能夠讓我們的下一代不再認識「垃圾」這個概念。

[Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production]

According to the specific targets of SDG 12, it is expected that by 2030, waste generation is substantially reduced through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse. Hopefully, in the near future, our next generation will no longer know the concept of ‘waste’.

全球在非正式經濟體系中工作的16億人正在受到疫情的經濟影響，而這份”Council Conclusions on Human Rights and Decent Work in Global Supply Chains” 是促進全球邁向體面工作的重要一環，符合現有的國際義務，例如《聯合國工商企業與人權指導原則》。這還考慮到消除童工情況的進度正在放慢 — 消除童工將需要大約多40年的時間，而不是SDG 8目標8.7預期的五年時間內。

這將適用於在歐洲以外運營的歐洲企業以及在歐洲裏運營的非歐洲公司。

這份結論的其他重點包括：

歐盟委員會就可持續企業管治提出歐盟法律框架，範圍包括全球供應鏈中的跨行業企業盡職審查義務。

加強成員國有效實施《聯合國工商企業與人權指導原則》: 通過新的或更新的國家行動計劃（National Action Plan)，在適當的情況下將自願和強制措施巧妙地結合在一起。

[Sustainable Development Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth ]

Recently, the Council of the European Union has approved, for the first time, conclusions calling for the Commission to launch an EU Action Plan that develops sustainable global supply chains by 2021, through setting due diligence standards in the aspects of human rights, environmental protection and social governance.

With 1.6 billion workers in the informal economy affected by the economic impact of COVID-19 globally, the “Council Conclusions on Human Rights and Decent Work in Global Supply Chains” is a significant call to accelerate global efforts towards decent work, in line with existing international commitments such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. This is also in light of the slowing down of progress to eliminate child labour – it will take nearly 40 more years to eliminate child labour, instead of five years as envisaged by target 8.7 of SDG 8.

This would apply to European businesses operating outside of Europe as well as non-European companies operating inside Europe.

Other key points of the conclusions include:

An EU legal framework tabled by the Commission on sustainable corporate governance, including a cross-sector corporate due diligence obligations along global supply chains.

Step up member states’ efforts to effectively implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, including through new or updated National Action Plans containing a smart mix of voluntary and mandatory measures, where appropriate.

The European Commission to update its 2006 Communication on ‘Promoting decent work for all’.

想了解更多，請參閱以下內容(To learn more about this, please check out the content below):

Council Conclusions on Human Rights and Decent Work in Global Supply Chains: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/46999/st13512-en20.pdf

《聯合國工商企業與人權指導原則》 (UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights):

美國時代雜誌（Time）有史以來首次選出年度兒童（Kid of the Year），由美國科羅拉多州15歲的印裔科學家兼發明家Gitanjali Rao獲得。除了時代2020年度兒童外，她還曾因其發明躋身福布斯30歲以下傑出青年榜單。



她說：「我的目標已經大大改變，不再只是發明獨有裝置來解決世界上的問題，而是去激發他人跟我做一樣的事。」

「因為根據我親身經驗，當你看不到有人跟你一樣，其實挺難受的。所以我很想要傳達這樣的訊息：如果我做得到，你也做得到，任何人都做得到。」

Time magazine selected the Kid of the Year for the first time in its history. Gitanjali Rao, a 15-year-old Indian scientist and inventor in Colorado, USA was selected. In addition to Time’s 2020 Kid of the Year, she was also included in the Forbes list of outstanding youth under 30 for her invention.

She said: “My goal has changed drastically. It is no longer just to invent unique devices to solve the world’s problems, but to inspire others to do the same thing as me.”

“Because based on my personal experience, when you don’t see anyone like you, it’s actually quite uncomfortable. So I really want to send this message: if I can do it, you can do it, anyone can do it.”

To check out her interview: https://time.com/magazine/

塑膠垃圾可以用來建築房屋？

無錯

挪威一間初創公司Othalo正在用塑膠垃圾來建築房子，試圖打造出低廉、可持續的住所。據稱，世界上的塑膠垃圾足以建超過10億間屋。這種創新房屋或會於2022年開始量產。

有興趣了解更多？可以查閱它的官網，了解一下“未來房屋”：https://www.othalo.com

[Sustainable Development Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities]

What? Houses built by plastic trash?

Yes!

Othalo, a Norwegian start-up, is using plastic waste to build houses in an attempt to create low-cost and sustainable housing. It is said that there is enough plastic waste in the world to build more than 1 billion houses. Mass production of this kind of innovative houses may start from 2022.

Interested in learning more? You can check its official website to learn about “The Future of Housing”: https://www.othalo.com

「這次疫情暴露了並不斷加深各種不平等現象，其中包括性別不平等。」－ 聯合國秘書長 António Guterres

聯合國婦女署最新數據顯示，這場新冠疫情可能會讓全球的性別平等工作大倒退。婦女署副執行主任 Anita Bhatia說：「我們在過去25年所做的一切努力，都可能在一年之內化為烏有。」

婦女署在38個國家進行了研究調查，發現因疫情的緣故，女性承擔了比已前更多、更重的家庭負責，也讓更多女性失去工作和受教育的機會。無數婦女在疫情期間要兼顧工作和更重的家務，讓她們身心俱疲，精神壓力巨大。

即使在疫情發生之前，這些數字也是驚人的。全球每天160億小時的無償工作中（主要就是家務，照顧家庭），女性承擔了其中的四分之三。換句話說，男性每做一小時的無償工作，女性就做三個小時。據估計，這個數字因疫情現已大大提升。

報告中更讓人警惕的是，很多女性因疫情而不再回去工作了。聯合國婦女署表示，女性退出勞動力市場產生的連鎖反應，不僅會傷害女性的幸福感，還會傷害女性的經濟前景和獨立性。

[Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender equality]

“The pandemic is exposing and exploiting inequalities of all kinds, including gender inequality,” says António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations

The latest data from UN Women shows that the pandemic could be a huge setback for global gender equality efforts. “Everything we worked for, that has taken 25 years, could be lost in a year,” says UN Women Deputy Executive Director Anita Bhatia.

A recent research conducted by UN Women in 38 countries has found out that the pandemic has left women with more and heavier domestic responsibilities than ever before, which has also caused more women to lose their opportunities of jobs and education. Countless women have had to balance their work and heavier housework during the pandemic, leaving them physically and mentally exhausted and under enormous pressure.

Even before the pandemic, the figures were astonishing – women were responsible for three quarters of the 16 billion hours of unpaid work (mainly housework and caring for the family) every day worldwide. In other words, for every one hour of unpaid work done by men, three hours were done by women. It is estimated that this figure has now increased considerably due to the pandemic.

Even more alarming in the report is the fact that many women are actually not going back to work even after the pandemic, says Bhatia. According to UN Women, the consequences of women dropping out of the labour market will not harm only women’s well-being, but also their economic progress and independence.

資料來源：BBC NEWS （https://www.bbc.com/news/world-55016842）

[Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production ]

This is an important step towards responsible consumption and production! Starting from early next year, Macau will be banning imports and transport of single-use polystyrene tableware utensilsand takeaway boxes. According to the “Report on the State of the Environment of Macau”, Macau has produced solid waste amounting to over 520,000 metric tonnes in ten years. Within this amount, 22.5% of the waste are plastic waste. Hope that there will be more measures related to environmental protection in the near future!

“第一，加大應對氣候變化力度。二十國集團要繼續发揮引領作用，在《聯合國氣候變化框架公約》指導下，推動應對氣候變化《巴黎協定》全面有效實施。不久前，我宣布中國將提高國家自主貢獻力度，力爭二氧化碳排放2030年前達到峰值，2060年前實現碳中和。中國言出必行，將堅定不移加以落實。

第二，深入推進清潔能源轉型。中方讚賞沙特提出碳循環經濟理念，支持後疫情時代能源低碳轉型，實現人人享有可持續能源目標。中國建成了全球最大的清潔能源系統，新能源汽車產銷量連續5年居世界首位。根據“十四五”規劃和2035年遠景目標建議，中國將推動能源清潔低碳安全高效利用，加快新能源、綠色環保等產業发展，促進經濟社會发展全面綠色轉型。

第三，構築尊重自然的生態系統。中方支持二十國集團在減少土地退化、保護珊瑚礁、應對海洋塑料垃圾等領域深化合作，打造更牢固的全球生態安全屏障。《生物多樣性公約》第十五次締約方大會將於明年5月在中國昆明舉行，中方誠摯歡迎各方出席，期待大會為未來一個時期全球生物多樣性保護設定目標，采取行動。讓我們攜起手來，共同建設清潔美麗的世界！”

From the Remarks by Xi Jinping At the Leaders’ Side Event on Safeguarding the Planet of The G20 Riyadh Summit:

“First, we could strengthen our response to climate change. G20 should continue to take the lead in tackling climate change. We need to follow the guidance of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and push for the full and effective implementation of the Paris Agreement. Not long ago, I announced China’s initiative to scale up its nationally determined contributions and strive to peak carbon dioxide emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. China will honor its commitment and see the implementation through.

Second, we could deepen the transition toward clean energy. China applauds Saudi Arabia’s initiative on Circular Carbon Economy, and supports the shift to low-carbon energy in the post-COVID era to achieve the goal of Sustainable Energy for All. China has put in place the world’s biggest clean energy system, and has led the world in the output and sales of new energy vehicles for five years running. Under the recommendations for formulating China’s 14th five-year development plan and the long-range goals for 2035, China will pursue clean, low-carbon, safe and efficient use of energy and accelerate the growth of new energy and green industries to promote greener economic and social development in all respects.

Third, we could protect the ecosystem with a respect for Nature. China supports deepening G20 cooperation in reducing land degradation, conserving coral reefs, and cleaning up plastic from the ocean. Through cooperation in these and many other areas, we could build a stronger defense for global ecological security. The 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity will be held in the Chinese city of Kunming in May next year. China welcomes the participation of all parties and hopes the meeting will set goals and take actions to ensure the protection of global biodiversity in the years ahead. Let us work together for a clean and beautiful world.”

聯合國秘書長古特雷斯曾在峰會前致函二十國集團領導人，呼籲為應對新型冠狀病毒病大流行帶來的危機從目前到長期採取三方面的行動：

解決當前的緊急情況；

穩定經濟、維護財政空間和應對債務挑戰；

使復蘇與《2030年可持續發展議程》和氣候變化《巴黎協定》保持一致。

那《2030年可持續發展議程》到底是什麼？

2015年9月，聯合國全體193個成員國一致通過《2030年可持續發展議程》，此議程包括17個可持續發展目標(SDGs)和169項子目標。

這 17 項目標囊括了一系列可持續發展問題，其最終目標是讓所有人類享有繁榮和充實的生活，結束一切形式的貧困與飢餓，保護地球使其免受退化，採取積極行動應對氣候變化，以及建設和平、公正和包容的社會。

議程已推出了五年，各項目標亦都在各國漸漸取得進展。不過要確實地實現可持續發展，仍需要多方的協助和合作，更必須採取有力的行動。

2020-2030十年的核心是採取行動，消除日益嚴重的不平等現象，增強婦女和女童權能，應對氣候緊急情況。

[2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development]

Last weekend, 21-22 November, the leaders participating in the G20 summit, hosted online this year by Saudi Arabia, referred to the implementation of the UN’s «2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development».

UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on the G20 leaders for a three-pronged response to the crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic, both immediately and in the long term.

Solving current emergencies.

Stabilizing the economy, preserving fiscal space and averting debt challenges.

Aligning pandemic recovery with the «2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development» and the «Paris Agreement» on climate change.

So what exactly is the «2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development»?

In September 2015, all 193 member states of the United Nations unanimously adopted the «2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development», which consists of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 sub-goals.

The 17 SDGs encompass a range of sustainability issues, with the ultimate goal of a prosperous and fulfilling life for all, eliminating poverty and hunger in all its forms, protecting the planet from deterioration, taking positive action on climate change, and building peaceful, just and inclusive societies.

Five years passed, progress has been being made across countries towards each of these goals. However, in order to achieve concretely sustainable development, higher levels of multilateral coordination and cooperation between countries are still being required and strong actions must be taken.

The 2020-2030 decade calls for accelerating sustainable solutions to all the world’s biggest challenges – ranging from gender inequality to climate change, so-called the Decade of Action.