The economist Jeffrey Sachs argues that specific and achievable goals help to develop more effective policy reforms. As an example, he quotes President John F. Kennedy who gave the commencement address at American University in 1963. In that speech, Kennedy said: “By defining our goal more clearly, by making it seem more manageable and less remote, we can help
all people to see it, to draw hope from it and to move irresistibly towards it.” Kennedy meant the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty needed to have specific and achievable goals to be effective,
and Jeffrey Sachs means that the clarity of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can help achieve policy reform. How would you use the same idea of specific and achievable goals to think about changes in policy or society in relation to sustainability? Specifically,
1. Justify the relevance of Kennedy’s statement with respect to the UN SDGs with specific
references to the role of governments and private corporations.
2. Identify two of the SDGs that you consider important (as they relate to either your local community or to your core values). With the two selected SDGs, evaluate the interdependence of those goals while considering how the funding needs and action
plans for the goals are interconnected.
