PPAF is currently concentrating on sustainable development, through bringing together a variety of stakeholders in the areas of ethanol and bio-energy as well as in agribusiness more generally.  Our aim is to encourage good business practices that result in development that is truly sustainable.

UN Millennium Development Goal #7, Ensure Environmental Sustainability, has potential for local and global impact.  Work toward environmental sustainability can be coupled with work toward reducing climate change.  It can also encompass other important social and economic issues, such as promoting fair labor practices and improving the lives and livelihoods of people affected by such work.  The eight MDGs are interrelated, dealing also with poverty and hunger, children’s education, mothers’ and children’s health, women’s empowerment, major diseases, and partnerships.  Governmenta worldwide agreed to achieve these goals by 2015.  PPAF focuses on partnerships amongst government, business, non-governmental organizations, academia, and the UN family.

In 2000, when the UN Millennium Development Goals were established, targets for each were also developed, but many people are less familiar with these.  The targets that relate to Goal # 7 are listed below.  If you’re interested, you can also search the website www.mdgmonitor.org, to learn to what extent countries are achieving the MDGs, as well as to learn about some success stories.   

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

7.1 Proportion of land area covered by forest
7.2 CO2 emissions, total, per capita and per $1 GDP (PPP)
7.3 Consumption of ozone-depleting substances
7.4 Proportion of fish stocks within safe biological limits
7.5 Proportion of total water resources used
7.6 Proportion of terrestrial and marine areas protected
7.7 Proportion of species threatened with extinction

Target 7.C:

Halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation

7.8 Proportion of population using an improved drinking water source
7.9 Proportion of population using an improved sanitation facility

Target 7.D:

By 2020, to have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers

7.10 Proportion of urban population living in slums