UN-SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

Hazel Creek’s Impossible Garden In Pennsylvania’s Hazel Creek Mine, 172 bird species now thrive where barren ground once stood, including endangered golden-winged warblers with breeding populations12. Indiana bats, listed as endangered since 1967, have established maternal colonies in the abandoned mine shafts1. Eastern brook trout swim in streams that once ran orange with acid drainage. This is not a story about hope in the abstract. It is documented ecological recovery on land that industrial extraction left for dead. ...

In 2000, the Brazilian municipality of Sobral had a problem that seemed unsolvable. Nestled in Ceará, one of Brazil’s poorest states, only 49% of second-graders could read at grade level.1 By 2004, that number had reached 92%.1 Today, Ceará has the lowest learning poverty rate in Brazil, with 10 of the country’s top 20 performing municipalities.1 Sobral’s transformation wasn’t magic. It was method: structured teaching materials, intensive teacher support, and results-based financing that tied 18% of tax transfers to educational outcomes.1 The approach spread across the state, proving that even the most disadvantaged communities can achieve what wealthy nations often struggle to deliver. ...

Climate’s Deepening Imprint on Global Income and Work The global economy stands at a critical juncture as climate change increasingly disrupts established economic systems and transforms working conditions worldwide. Income and Work represent a key dimension of the social foundation within the Doughnut Economics framework, as climate driven changes reshape labor markets, productivity, and economic output globally. The Doughnut Economics model, conceptualizing a “safe and just space” between social foundations and planetary boundaries, provides an ideal framework for understanding these complex interconnections. As climate change intensifies, it fundamentally challenges the ability to maintain adequate income and work opportunities for all people while respecting ecological limits1. Climate change is not merely an environmental crisis but also an economic one that has already begun reshaping global labor markets and will continue to do so with increasing severity in coming decades2. ...

A History of the Gap and How We Measure It The gender pay gap has deep historical roots in the gendered division of labor and societal norms regarding women’s participation in the workforce. To begin with, equal pay legislation has been implemented in many countries—with the ILO Equal Remuneration Convention dating back to 1951—yet implementation gaps and structural barriers have limited progress1. During its tracking period since 2006, the World Economic Forum has found that while some improvement has occurred, the pace of change remains frustratingly slow2. The global gender gap score in 2023 stood at 68.4% closed, representing only marginal improvement from 68.1% in 20222. Examining the constant sample of 102 countries covered continuously from 2006 to 2023 reveals that the gap stands at 68.6% closed, demonstrating the persistent nature of this inequality2. ...

Setting the Stage for Change The concept of reduced working time opens an opportunity to reimagine economic systems that respect both human needs and environmental thresholds. Shorter working hours could simultaneously support social welfare while reducing environmental pressures, contributing to an economic model that operates within the safe and just space between meeting human needs and respecting planetary boundaries. ...