State is still ‘seriously underperforming’ in tackling poverty, Social Justice Ireland says

The State is still "seriously underperforming" in areas such as tackling poverty and inequality and in climate action, which is "dragging down" its ranking in this year's sustainable progress index, the annual list commissioned by think tank Social Justice Ireland.

The Republic ranks 10th out of 14 comparable EU countries in this year’s index, a placement which is based on the State’s delivery of the UN’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) and comprises of three dimensions: economy, society and the environment.

The index was compiled by Prof Charles Clark of St John's University, New York, Dr Catherine Kavanagh of University College Cork (UCC) and Colette Bennett of Social Justice Ireland.

The Republic ranks ninth of 14 on the environment index and on the economy index, and eighth on the social index, resulting in an overall ranking of 10th.

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Greece scores last on the overall sustainable progress index, with Spain, Italy and Portugal also among the lowest ranked. Sweden ranks first, followed by Denmark, the Netherlands and Finland.

Improving score

Dr Seán Healy, chief executive of Social Justice Ireland, said that while the State is performing well in some areas and its environmental score has improved, it is “still seriously underperforming” in areas such as action on poverty, inequality, and climate, and “this is dragging our overall ranking down”.

“Addressing the complexities of sustainable development requires a balance between economic and social progress and sustaining the planet’s environment and resources as well as combatting climate change,” he said.

“While making progress, Ireland still has substantial work to do to reach acceptable outcomes.”

In terms of the economy, the latest such index finds that the State’s GDP (gross domestic product) per capita and GDP growth is good.

However, its low score on the economy index is influenced by several factors, including low pay; the proportion of youths not in employment, education or training; the need for further policy action on transport, logistics and broadband capacities, and the percentage of GDP devoted to research and development.

On the social index, the State scores highly on goals relating to education, peace and justice, and good health and wellbeing, and less so on goals reflecting poverty, inequality and gender equality.

Environmental targets

The environment index suggests the State is facing significant challenges in meeting its environmental targets. The Republic’s score has improved on some environmental sustainable development goals, but it continues to perform poorly on goals relating to responsible production and consumption, affordable and clean energy and climate change.

Dr Kavanagh said the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals focus on meeting the urgent environmental, political and economic challenges evident in the world.

“They focus on identifying global challenges relating to issues on poverty, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity, peace, and justice. All the goals are interdependent and interconnected,” she said.

“However, in keeping with the action plan set out in the [UN’s] 2030 agenda [for sustainable development] which is holistic in its emphasis on three fronts – social inclusion, economic development, and environmental sustainability – we think there is value in attempting to understand how countries are doing on these three areas of progress.”