The generation of the 1980s and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).. How did one generation establish society and the economy?
The generation of the eighties and the sustainable development goals.. How did one generation establish society and the economy?
The generation of the eighties They are born between 1980 and 1989, and their ages today range between approximately 37 and 46 years. The irony is that this generation was born in the same decade in which the world witnessed the first serious attempts to formulate the concept of sustainable development, starting with the first United Nations Program of Action for the benefit of the least developed countries, until the issuance of the report of the Committee. The famous Brentland in 1987.
From this angle, The Earth Guards Foundation reviews in its article “ The generation of the 1980s and the sustainable development goals… How did one generation establish society?And the economy? “The features of this generation, and how its history intersects with the path of the sustainable development goals in their social, economic and environmental dimensions, so continue reading.
Who are the 1980s generation?
In the past few days, talk about this generation has returned to the forefront due to a widespread wave of digital nostalgia, known as the “80s trend,” in which social media platforms recall the fashion, music, and games of that period.
There was no digital development in this period as we find now. Those born in this era lived on comic books printed in black and white, often in which, for example, the cartoon character Mickey Mouse was presented.
Simple Atari games (in English: Atari) also appeared at that time, until an advanced game called Super Mario (a series of video games designed by Japanese: Shigeru Miyamoto) was developed and integrated with them, in addition to the rise of the cassette tape industry, the impact of which was later eliminated by the Internet.
What was mentioned above is the social aspect, and as for the economic aspect, we find it crystallized in the financial policies calling for helping the least developed countries, through:
- Achieving macroeconomic stability
- Freeing economies from debt
- Abandoning traditional fiscal policies
- Privatization of public enterprises
- Attention to market policies
Hence, the life of the 1980s generation revolved around economic reform and its social effects in various aspects of life. At that time, sustainable development was being discussed in the halls of the United Nations, and it was trying to make its way amidst the rubble of crises and debt.
How old are the 80s generation today?
The term generation of the 1980s is applied – as we mentioned previously – to everyone born between the years 1980 and 1989, and demographically this generation meets the late Generation This is why it is sometimes described as a bridge between two completely different worlds.
In other words, we can say that someone who was born in the early eighties (1980) is today about46 years, while those born at the end of it (1989) are approaching 37 years; That is, the generation of the eighties is currently in middle age, a stage in which they often assume leadership roles in work, family, and society.
Characteristics of those born in the 1980s
The most prominent characteristics of this generation lie in that it is a generation that lived its childhood without the Internet or smart phones, and then later led the first waves of digital transformation in society and the economy. This rare combination gave them a flexibility that is difficult to find in younger or older generations.
Common values
Many researchers in generational science agree on a group of traits that are repeated among those born in this decade, and the most prominent of these traits are:
- Relying onSelf : They learned to solve problems themselves before the spread of search engines and artificial intelligence.
- Balance between real and digital : They move easily between face-to-face communication and screen interaction.
- Professional and family loyalty : More inclined to career and family stability compared to younger generations.
- Early environmental awareness : They were raised on simple concepts about environmental protection before it turned into an integrated global system.
1980s values and sustainability
Since the 1980s generation grew up in a transitional phase between the scarcity of media resources and the abundance of digital information, they are often more able to adopt sustainability messages rationally, away from the rapid content consumption pattern that characterizes younger generations.
The 1980s in the history of global development
In more detail, we must realize that while the generation of the eighties was taking its first steps, the world was engaged in a heated debate about the concept of development itself. In 1981, the international community adopted – according to the United Nations report on the least developed countries, issued in 2021 – what was known as the New Program of Action for the 1980s, which was the first decadal program of action dedicated exclusively to the least developed countries.
A lost decade or a new beginning?
The United Nations report describes the 1980s as widely considered a lost decade in many developing countries. Due to the worsening external debt crisis, and the economic adjustment programs that were imposed on many societies at that time.
However, the decade itself carried an important intellectual seed; The New Program of Action sought to put the least developed countries on a path to more sustainable and self-reliant development.
New program of work
The question now is: How did the New Action Program in the 1980s put developing countries on the path to sustainability? In 1987 the World Commission on Environment and Development publishedIts famous report “Our Common Future” (known as the Brundtland Report), which first formulated today’s globally accepted definition of the term sustainable development, which is: development is that which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
| Timeline: from the 1980s to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals | ||
| Period | Event or program | Its most prominent features |
| 1981 | The New Action Program for the 1980s | The first international contract program for the least developed countries |
| 1987 | Brentland Report | The first approved global formulation of the concept of sustainable development |
| 1990 – 1999 | Paris Program of Action | Focus on debt settlement and macroeconomic stability |
| 2000 – 2015 | Millennium Development Goals | Eight global goals to combat poverty |
| 2001 – 2010 | Brussels Program of Action | Greater focus on poverty and social development |
| 2011 – 2020 | Istanbul Action Program | Targeting structural transformation in least developed countries |
| 2015 – 2030 | Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) | 17 goals including social, economic and environmental dimensions |
In light of the above – when we consider development outcomes and the paths of the global economy – we find that the temporal overlap between the birth of the 1980s generation and the birth of global sustainability concepts is remarkably intertwined. This generation has embraced digital transformation and other global sustainability milestones.
Therefore, The Earth Guards Foundation concludes that the bet of the future remains on the ability of this generation to invest in its early environmental awareness and its many experiences; In order to reconnectThere is no disconnect between economic growth and resource sustainability, stressing that achieving the seventeen sustainable development goals is linked to the presence of conscious generations, who will truly be the protectors of the present and the leaders of the future.
