Home › PYQs › Environment › All questions › 2016 · SDGs
UPSC Prelims 2016 · Environment · Warming World
Consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The Sustainable Development Goals were first proposed in 1972 by a global think tank called the 'Club of Rome'.
- The Sustainable Development Goals have to be achieved by 2030.
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (b) 2 only
The deadline is 2030; the Club of Rome did not propose the SDGs.
Statement by statement
1. ✗ WRONG The SDGs were adopted by the UN in 2015 (proposed at Rio+20, 2012). The Club of Rome published “The Limits to Growth” (1972).
2. ✓ CORRECT The SDGs are to be met by 2030.
The idea
Three different things are mixed up here. The Club of Rome (1972) warned in “The Limits to Growth” that endless growth on a finite planet is not possible. The Brundtland Commission (1987) gave the definition of sustainable development. The SDGs are goals adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015.
1972: The Limits to Growth; Stockholm Conference → 1987: Brundtland report “Our Common Future” → 1992: Rio Earth Summit → 2000: Millennium Development Goals (8 goals) → 2012: Rio+20 starts the SDG process → 2015: 17 SDGs adopted, to be met by 2030
The trap
The Club of Rome’s 1972 report is famous, so it feels like the origin.
Also know
Brundtland’s definition: development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The SDGs have 17 goals and 169 targets and apply to all countries, unlike the MDGs, which were mainly for developing countries. NITI Aayog publishes the SDG India Index.
🔒 SDGs: 17 goals, 169 targets, UNGA 2015, Agenda 2030. MDGs: 2000–2015.