Our MDG Monday series continues with a look at Millennium Development Goal 7.

MDG 7 focuses on ensuring environmental sustainability because a healthy environment is essential for healthy communities.

Millennium Development Goal 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability

Target 7.A: Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources.

Target 7.B: Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss.

Target 7.C: Halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.

Target 7.D: Achieve, by 2020, a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers.

The good news:

  • Since 1990, more than 2.3 billion people have gained access to an improved source of drinking water.
  • The world has already met the MDG target of improving the lives of at least 100 million people living in slum conditions.

Where we need to do better:

  • Progress on improving access to basic sanitation is not where it needs to be. In 2012, 2.5 billion people still did not have access to proper sanitation, and 1 billion people still openly defecate, which can spread disease and put girls’ safety at risk.

Help break the silence on open defecation at http://opendefecation.org/.

  • Since 1990, global carbon dioxide emissions have increased by almost 50%. Climate change is an urgent challenge that needs urgent action.

Learn more at climasphere.org.