| Reference: United Nations Promoting Sustainable Development Resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 25 September 2015 “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development“ Sustainable: Of, relating to, or being a method or lifestyle for using resources so that the resources can be maintained and continued, and are not depleted or permanently damaged. [from Old French sustenir (French: soutenir), from Latin sustineo, sustinere, from sub– (under) + teneo (hold, uphold, possess, guard, maintain)] The U.N. Sustainable Development Goals The 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and their 169 associated targets adopted in 2015 and accepted by all Member States seek to realize the human rights of all and balance economic, social and environmental factors towards peace and prosperity for all. To this end we examine some of the existing factors which block or inhibit the realization of these goals, and which must be eliminated so that the goals can be achieved in practice. SDG 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. Target 7.a: By 2030, enhance international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology, including renewable energy, energy efficiency and advanced and cleaner fossil-fuel technology, and promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technology. How Psychiatry Obstructs Target 7a Joel Stephen Kovel (1936–2018) was an American psychiatrist known as a founder of “eco-socialism”. He ran for the Green Party’s presidential nomination in 2000. Eco-socialism is an ideology merging aspects of socialism with that of green politics, generally believing that the expansion of the capitalist system is the cause of social exclusion, poverty, war and environmental degradation through globalization and imperialism. Kovel believed it is more important to restructure societies to reduce energy use before relying on renewable energy technologies alone. As a staunch socialist he was vehemently anti-capitalism and anti-globalization. We imagine this would have made him antagonistic to the United Nations and its Sustainable Development Goals. Environmental Psychology Apparently, though, one of the primary influences of environmental psychology is not a direct attack on renewable clean energy, but rather a profusion of psychological research and publications detailing the psychological trauma leading to mental health problems due to environmental concerns and effects, which of course can be profitably managed by expanding the funding and influence of psychologists and psychiatrists. The United Nations also recognizes that achieving SDG 7 is related to the promotion of mental health. The unfortunate aspect of this is that the current international model for promoting mental health involves psychiatric and psychological services which are also known to be harmful. Psychiatrists and psychologists proclaim a worldwide epidemic of mental health problems and urge massive funding increases as the only solution — funding that should rather be given, for example, to promoting access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. Decades of psychiatric monopoly over mental health has only lead to upwardly spiraling mental illness statistics and continuously escalating funding demands. The claim that only increased funding will cure the problems of psychiatry has lost its ring of truth. Psychiatry and psychology should be held accountable for the funds already given them, and irrefutably and scientifically prove the physical existence of mental disorders they claim should be treated and covered by insurance in the same way as physical diseases are. The many critical challenges facing societies today reflect the vital need to strengthen individuals through workable, viable and humanitarian alternatives to harmful psychiatric options. Psychiatric fraud and abuse must be eradicated so that SDG 7 can occur. |
