The UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, world leaders agreed on 17 goals to make the world a better place by 2030. Learn what they are and how you can help.
What are the SDGs?
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 goals created by the United Nations (UN) in 2015. All 193 countries agreed to work towards achieving these goals by 2030. The word "sustainable" means doing things in a way that can continue into the future without causing harm.
The goals cover everything from ending poverty and hunger to protecting the planet and ensuring everyone has access to education and clean water.
Think of it this way: The SDGs are like a to-do list for the entire planet. Every country, every community, and every person -- including you -- can help tick items off this list.
The 17 Goals at a Glance
Each goal has its own colour and icon. Here's what they all stand for:
Four Goals You Should Know Well
These four goals are especially relevant to young people. Let's explore each one in detail.
Quality Education
The goal: Ensure everyone has access to quality education that is inclusive and fair. Education is a basic human right, yet 244 million children and young people worldwide are still out of school.
Why it matters: Education helps people escape poverty, get better jobs, and make informed decisions. When girls are educated, entire communities benefit.
What you can do:
- • Value your own education -- show up, try your best
- • Help classmates who are struggling
- • Donate books you've outgrown to charity
- • Learn about organisations like Room to Read or One Laptop per Child
Clean Water & Sanitation
The goal: Ensure everyone has access to safe, clean drinking water and proper sanitation. Currently, 2.2 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water.
Why it matters: Dirty water causes diseases like cholera and typhoid. In many countries, children (especially girls) spend hours each day walking to collect water instead of going to school.
What you can do:
- • Take shorter showers and turn off taps when not in use
- • Learn about Australia's water challenges (drought, Murray-Darling Basin)
- • Support water charities like WaterAid
- • Never pour chemicals or rubbish down drains
Climate Action
The goal: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. The Earth's average temperature has risen by about 1.1 degrees Celsius since the 1800s, causing more extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and loss of biodiversity.
Why it matters: Climate change affects everything -- food production, water availability, animal habitats, and human health. Australia is particularly vulnerable to bushfires, droughts, and coral bleaching on the Great Barrier Reef.
What you can do:
- • Reduce, reuse, and recycle
- • Walk, cycle, or take public transport when possible
- • Turn off lights and electronics when not in use
- • Plant trees and support reforestation projects
Life on Land
The goal: Protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of forests, wetlands, and other ecosystems. Over 1 million plant and animal species are currently at risk of extinction.
Why it matters: Forests produce the oxygen we breathe and absorb carbon dioxide. Healthy ecosystems provide food, medicine, and clean water. Australia is home to unique species found nowhere else -- like koalas, platypuses, and Tasmanian devils -- many of which are under threat.
What you can do:
- • Learn about native plants and animals in your area
- • Create a wildlife-friendly garden
- • Pick up litter in parks and bushland
- • Support wildlife conservation organisations
How is Australia Doing?
Australia, as a wealthy and developed nation, performs well on some goals but has significant room for improvement on others.
Quality Education (#4): Australia has a well-funded education system with high literacy rates and universal access to schooling.
Clean Water (#6): Most Australians have excellent water, but some remote Indigenous communities still lack reliable clean water access.
Climate Action (#13): Australia is one of the highest per-capita carbon emitters in the world. More needs to be done on renewable energy and emissions reduction.
Life on Land (#15): Australia has unique biodiversity but also one of the world's highest rates of mammal extinction. Conservation efforts are increasing.
Knowledge Check
Test your understanding of the SDGs. Select the correct answer and click "Check Answer".
Question 1
Donating old textbooks to a school in need best supports which SDG?
Question 2
How many Sustainable Development Goals are there?
Question 3
Which action would best support SDG 13 (Climate Action)?
Question 4
Why is Australia's performance on Clean Water (Goal 6) described as "mixed"?
Question 5
What does "sustainable" mean?
Key Concepts Summary
- ● The 17 SDGs were created by the UN in 2015 with a target of 2030.
- ● Sustainable means doing things in a way that can continue without causing harm.
- ● Goals 4, 6, 13, and 15 cover education, water, climate, and biodiversity.
- ● Australia does well on some goals but needs improvement on climate action and biodiversity protection.
- ● Everyone -- including young people -- can take actions that support the SDGs.