The most recent UN stocktaking of the SDG’s progress has revealed that nearly half of the goals are moving too slowly to meet the 2030 deadline, and critically, over one-fourth are in reverse. Are we truly alarmed by this statement, or is this just the status quo we are supposed to accept?While recent crises such as COVID-19 and the escalation of global conflicts have inhibited our progress, Henry Boisdequin describes in this talk that the underlying cause of our inability to meet the goals can be attributed to the free-rider problem. My name is Henry Boisdequin, and I am in 12th
Grade at Frankfurt International School. Having
lived in six different countries, issues of global
significance interest me. When learning about the
free-rider problem in economics class, I
immediately drew the connection to the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the
world's lack of collective progress. The pragmatic
priorities of modern governments are
fundamentally misaligned with the global vision of
the SDGs. Only through concerted recognition and
action can meaningful progress toward our most
daunting goals be realized. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
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