An Introduction:
“Poverty is the parent of revolution and crime”
- Aristotle
Poverty is a state of being, where one cannot satisfy their daily basic needs: food, clothing and shelter, due to a lack of income and possessions. It is an issue that exists in every country, albeit with a difference in the exact definition. This is a result of a varying cost and style of living across the globe. It is also a root cause of other societal problems such as poor literacy leading to unemployment, malnutrition and, as said by Aristotle, crime. It is a massive hurdle in humanity’s collective journey towards a brighter future, and thus an obvious target for eradication by the UN.
Sustainable Development Goal No. 1 is very straightforward in its broad objective; To end poverty in all its forms everywhere. Its phrasing is also incredibly well-thought out. In just 8 words, the creators (members of the United Nations) manage to convey their understanding that 1) Poverty can have multiple forms since the baseline to define poverty may vary from place to place, and 2) Poverty is not a localised issue. It is widespread, and definitely globalized, with different challenges to tackle as we move from one geographical location to the next[1]. Foreseeing that such a broad goal definition would hinder a member state’s ability to measure success rates and achieve it, the UN has also provided 7 specific targets (Fig 1) to achieve, along with indicators to measure the degree of success for each.
“Target 1.1: Eradicate extreme poverty, currently measured as people living on less than $1.90 a day
Target 1.2: reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions
Target 1.3: Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable
Target 1.4: ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have access to basic services including improved drinking water, sanitation, electricity, and clean cooking fuels and have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property
Target 1.5: build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other environmental disasters
Target 1.A: Ensure significant mobilization of resources from a variety of sources to implement programmes and policies to end poverty in all its dimensions
Target 1.B: Development of pro-poor and gender-sensitive policies”
Fig 1: 7 Targets laid out for SDG 1 - No Poverty [2]
The goal and a sustainably managed environment are co-dependent. For the economic development of a country and its population, they rely on using the natural resources and goods that the ecosystem of that country provides, which aid in job creation and income generation. The continued presence of those resources is dependent on them being responsibly and sustainably used, which are factors governments generally take into consideration once they are economically stable[3].
The Scenario Now:
The COVID-19 pandemic ensured that countries worldwide faced major setbacks in their drive to reach the targets to eradicate poverty, in some cases decades worth of efforts, all of which was reflected in the SDGs 2020 report[4]. Baseline projections based on previous data showed that a 0% poverty rate was no longer achievable by 2030. With numerous countries unprepared for a pandemic of this scale and duration, their emergency countermeasures lacked the forethought and consideration for the general population, let alone the protection of the poor and vulnerable classes. This results in a predicted 6% poverty rate come 2030, due to an unprecedented increase (8% of the human population) in extreme poverty in 2020-21. The pandemic has also negatively impacted the education quality and rates globally due to lockdowns worldwide[6]. With this hurdle, future livelihood opportunities for the youth also become more difficult to attain, contributing to future poverty rates as well.
However, the report also highlights the fact that the rate of reduction in global poverty was already decreasing pre-COVID, evident from the reported reduction rate of 36% to 10% between the years 1990 and 2015 overall, but with only a 1% fall in the span 2013 to 2015[5] as stated by the World Bank.
It is also increasingly evident that this pandemic is only the first of many possible natural calamities to derail humanity’s progress towards achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Climate change and an increased frequency of natural disasters will only hamper a country's poverty eradication efforts, especially in relation to Target 1.5. It is not uncommon to see less developed countries act as sinkholes in the aftermath of a crisis, as neighbouring countries must also expend resources to aid in their recovery. While this is a direct result of a less organised and stable national structure and economy, it also means that they require more focused and concentrated efforts to get back on track.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) especially still faces many hurdles with respect to poverty reduction. While many member nations have succeeded in reducing poverty rates, a large percentage of their populations are still vulnerable and at risk of falling into poverty, a clear indicator of economic instability. This region has also shown an increase in inequality related to economic conditions in urban vs rural areas, along with gender roles. Women are forced not only to handle multiple jobs, but also take care of the family.
Combating such issues will require nations and governments to become anticipatory and adaptive, rather than just reactive.
Where does Science play a role?
The Agenda for Sustainable Development itself contains the composition and role of a Technology Facilitation Mechanism, one meant to act as a collaborative agency between national and international, public and private, and civil and scientific communities for the sole purpose of sharing scientific goals and technologies amongst member states to collaboratively work towards the fulfillment of the SDGs[7].
Apart from this initiative, a multitude of organisations already part of the United Nations have put forth their own science-based goals. One such body, the International Geoscience Programme (IGP)[8], under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation(UNESCO) has laid down scientific objectives for a few Goals, keeping their targets in mind. The IGP deals with understanding the interconnections with the various spheres that make up the Earth (biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere etc)
For Goal 1, the IGP’s scientific goals include: “
Increasing our understanding of the geoscientific factors affecting the global environment in order to improve human living conditions.
Developing more effective methods to find and sustainably exploit natural resources of minerals, energy and groundwater.
Increasing our understanding of geological processes and concepts of global importance, including an emphasis on socially relevant issues.
Improving standards, methods and techniques of carrying out geological research, including the transfer of geological and geotechnological knowledge between industrialized and developing countries”
However, Science’s only contributions are not technologies and methods. The role of Data Science must be mentioned. Many nations already use data analytics in key use cases such as Health and Human services, Law Enforcement and National Security. Collecting and analysing the data of various schemes and poverty reduction drives also gives governments a scientific basis for decision making[9]. This can lead to the continuation of successful attempts and the tweaking of not-as impactful ones, as well as the inter-governmental exchange of this information and supporting data.
Science thus gives a shared language between nations that are geographically distant, allowing everyone to benefit from the data of others.
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