Sustainable Development Goal
The Sustainable Development Goals represent a collective global commitment to eradicate poverty, safeguard our planet, and enhance the well-being of people across the world. These 17 Goals were unanimously embraced by every UN Member State in 2015, marking a pivotal moment within the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a comprehensive 15-year blueprint to realize these Goals. While progress has been observed in various regions, the overall pace and scope of actions aimed at achieving the Goals fall short of what’s needed. It is imperative that 2020 marks the beginning of a decade marked by determined efforts to fulfill these Goals by 2030.
Goal 3: Good Health and Well Being
Goal 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is dedicated to “Good Health and Well-Being.” It’s a global commitment to ensure that people everywhere have access to quality healthcare, leading to healthier lives and improved well-being. This goal focuses on a wide range of health-related challenges, from reducing maternal and child mortality to combating major diseases and promoting mental health. Goal 3 aims to create a world where everyone has the opportunity to live a long, healthy, and fulfilling life, fostering prosperity and happiness for all.
Target：
3.9 By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination.
Our Action：
Our project leverages synthetic biology techniques to excel in detecting hazardous heavy metals like lead, mercury, and cadmium in water sources. This is of utmost importance because these metals are recognized for posing significant health risks. Our innovative approach enables the identification and quantification of these harmful substances, thereby reducing the risk of illnesses and fatalities associated with heavy metal contamination.
Heavy metals are pervasive pollutants in water bodies and are strongly associated with various health problems when present in excessive amounts. Our project’s capability to remove these hazardous chemicals from water by employing metal-binding proteins is a significant step in mitigating water pollution. This directly contributes to the well-being of communities by ensuring cleaner and safer drinking.
Access to clean and safe water is fundamental for good health.
Our project’s objective of ensuring water sources are free from hazardous chemicals and heavy metal contaminants aligns closely with creating healthier environments. When communities have access to uncontaminated water, the risk of waterborne diseases and other health-related issues significantly diminishes, thereby promoting better overall well-being.
Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
Goal 6 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is dedicated to ensuring access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene for all, recognizing these as fundamental human rights essential for health and overall well-being.
Targets：
6.3 By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally
6.5 By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate
6.B Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management”
United Nation “Goal 6: Ensure access to water and sanitation for all” Available at : https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/water-and-sanitation/
Unfortunately, billions of people worldwide will continue to lack these basic services by 2030 if we don't accelerate our efforts. The increasing demand for water, driven by factors such as rapid population growth, urbanization, and the needs of agriculture, industry, and energy, has exceeded our capacity to meet it. This imbalance has already resulted in half of the global population experiencing severe water scarcity for at least one month each year, a situation exacerbated by the impact of climate change, which is set to further intensify water scarcity due to rising global temperatures.
Our Action:
Our project aligns with the core objectives of SDG 6 by taking concrete actions to address the global water crisis. Here’s how our initiative contributes to these critical goals:
We are committed to improving water quality through innovative synthetic biology techniques. Our project specifically targets the detection and removal of heavy metals like lead, mercury, and cadmium from water sources. By doing so, we play a pivotal role in reducing pollution, eliminating the release of hazardous substances, and increasing recycling and safe reuse of water on a global scale.
Besides that, our project substantially enhances water-use efficiency across various sectors. By designing plasmids that express metal-binding proteins, we help remove heavy metal contaminants from water, which, in turn, supports sustainable water withdrawals and supply. This contributes to reducing water scarcity and minimizes the number of people suffering from inadequate access to clean water.
In addition, we embrace the principles of integrated water resources management. Our project employs a multidisciplinary approach and promotes transboundary cooperation where necessary. By addressing specific water pollution challenges using cutting-edge synthetic biology, we demonstrate the effectiveness of collaborative, integrated approaches to water resource management.
Lastly, Our project strongly advocates for the involvement of local communities in the management of water and sanitation. By providing a novel solution for water pollution detection and purification, we empower local communities to actively engage in monitoring and improving water quality. We firmly believe in the “local people solving local problems” ethos, and our project exemplifies this commitment.
In essence, our project is a tangible demonstration of how science and innovation can make a significant impact on the pursuit of clean, safe, and accessible water for all. It contributes directly to the overarching goal of SDG 6 by addressing water quality, efficiency, management, and community engagement, all essential components of achieving universal access to safe water and sanitation by 2030.
Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
Goal 11 focuses on creating cities and human settlements that are both inclusive and safe while also fostering resilience and sustainability. Cities hold the key to our future as the global population crossed the 8 billion mark in 2022, with more than half residing in urban areas. This trend is set to continue, with an estimated 70 percent of the world’s population projected to call cities home by 2050. Alarmingly, about 1.1 billion people currently live in inadequate urban conditions or slums, and this number is expected to surge by an additional 2 billion within the next three decades.
Target:
11.6 By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.
Our Action:
Our project plays a pivotal role in the reduction of the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities by addressing waste management concerns. Specifically, we focus on cleaner and safer water sources by detecting and removing heavy metal contaminants. The importance of this lies in its direct impact on waste reduction within urban areas:
Traditional water treatment processes often generate substantial amounts of waste, particularly in the removal of heavy metals. By ensuring that water sources remain uncontaminated, our project significantly reduces the need for these intensive and costly treatment methods. This not only translates to cost savings but also a considerable reduction in the volume of waste generated in the context of water purification.
The sustainability of cities is intrinsically linked to responsible waste management. Through our project, we promote a more sustainable approach by preventing heavy metal pollutants from entering water sources in the first place. This means less need for reactive and resource-intensive waste management strategies, aligning with the sustainable and resilient urban development called for in Goal 11.
By championing cleaner water sources and less waste production in the context of water treatment, our project is a direct contributor to reducing the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities as outlined in Target 11.6. This not only enhances urban environmental sustainability but also supports the broader goal of making cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.