[For Seniors] Let's Enjoy Learning about the SDGs through Quizzes!

over 200 million people

Even in Japan, extreme weather such as heavy rains and unusually warm winters is starting to occur. Globally, wildfires and droughts have become major problems, and it is said that more people are losing the ability to live in their homes. The impact of global warming is significant, with sea-level rise leading to submersion being one example. There also appear to be other issues such as desertification, hurricanes and floods, and conflicts over resources like land and water.

5

Japan has a well-developed medical and welfare system, so we’re able to live healthy lives. However, on a global scale, it’s said that pregnant women, millions of newborns, and children under five lose their lives to illness. The Shichi-Go-San festival also originated in Japan at a time when medicine was not yet advanced. I truly hope that children around the world can benefit from more robust medical care and welfare services.

food

Laws such as the Act on Promotion of Food Loss Reduction and the Food Recycling Act have been enacted in Japan as well. Some municipalities are taking measures like limiting the sales period of processed foods to their best-before or use-by dates. I’ve heard that France and Italy also have laws that prohibit or regulate food waste.

hydropower

Energy conversion efficiency is the proportion that indicates how much of energy can be converted into electricity. Among renewables—including solar, hydro, and wind—it is said to have the highest efficiency. Eighty percent of the energy produced is converted into electricity.

Innovation

The SDGs consist of 17 goals and 169 targets. It’s said that they can’t be achieved with conventional ways of thinking or doing things. For example, in this new era it’s important to sometimes hold discussions on themes like “How can we prevent conflicts from occurring?” It may also be important for each individual to think of new ideas and new ways to put them into practice.

koala

You can see pandas, koalas, and Japanese giant flying squirrels in Japan, right? Koalas, whose natural habitat is in Australia, have been declining in number due to habitat destruction as well as recent bushfires and climate change. I’ve heard there are also initiatives aiming to double the koala population by 2050.

Internet

The internet has been widely introduced in fields such as education and healthcare, and social media is a familiar example. While it is convenient, the adoption rate seems low in developing countries due to issues like high implementation costs and securing skilled personnel. In a world that is becoming a digital society, being left behind widens disparities and leads to disadvantages.