Welcome to SDGs × Discussion!
Given the devastating and far-reaching consequences of the COVID-19
pandemic on the world, the authors believe that this textbook is especially timely
and relevant for students. Poverty, hunger, environmental problems, and humanrights abuses are well-known global issues. However, what has been revealed
through the pandemic is how these problems have not only been exacerbated by, buthave also had a disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable and marginalized
people across the globe due to systemic inequalities. Thus, knowledge of the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is particularly important in order to work
towards a more equal, inclusive, and sustainable post-pandemic world.
This textbook consists of fifteen chapters, fourteen of which focus on aparticular global issue. Each issue covered is relevant to at least one, and often
several SDGs. This will heighten the learners ʼ awareness of the interconnectednature of the SDGs, and thus the necessity of a multi-pronged and integrated
approach to resolve the complex issues the world is facing today.
Based upon content that is focused on the SDGs, the textbook also provides asystematic approach to improve studentsʼ discussion skills. Each chapter follows asimilar six-part organizational pattern: Warm-Up, Vocabulary, Reading, Listen to
the Discussion, Let’s Research & Discuss, and Let’s Make a Speech. Following

an engaging warm-up activity, students move on to a vocabulary exercise that
leads into a short reading connected to the chapterʼs theme. The reading provides
a context for further discussions and research, as does the subsequent listening
activity. Students will be able to practice useful words and phrases in addition to
discussion strategies. The culmination of each chapter guides students to research a
topic, prepare a speech, and facilitate their own small-group discussion.
Finally, as authors and instructors, we hope SDGs × Discussion will provide
the content and language tools for students and teachers alike to think creatively anddeeply about their own roles in shaping the future during these challenging times.

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What are SDGs?
In September 2015, all United Nations Member States adopted the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs). Member states involving their respective governments,
businesses, media, institutions of higher education, and local NGOs are now working tomeet the SDGs by 2030. There are 17 SDGs
that cut across issues such as climate change,
environmental degradation, health, education,
gender equality, and peace. All of these goals
are closely intertwined, and all of us on earth
need to tackle them to transform the world
for the better.

■ Overview of the 17 SDG
Goal 1 No Poverty— End poverty in all its forms everywhere

Goal 2 Zero Hunger— End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainableagriculture
Goal 3 Good Health and Well-Being— Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

Goal 4 Quality Education— Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities
for all
Goal 5 Gender Equality— Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Goal 6 Clean Water and Sanitation— Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

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Goal 7 Affordable and Clean Energy— Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

Goal 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth— Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment
and decent work for all
Goal 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure— Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster
innovation
Goal 10 Reduced Inequalities— Reduce inequality within and among countries

Goal 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities— Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Goal 12 Responsible Consumption and Production— Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Goal 13 Climate Action— Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Goal 14 Life Below Water— Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable
development
Goal 15 Life on Land
— Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage
forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
Goal 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions— Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access tojustice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
Goal 17 Partnerships for the Goals— Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable
development

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Chapter StructureWarm-UpYou will be asked to rate your level of agreement with three simple statements. This will
activate your initial thoughts on the topic.
Vocabulary

You can expand your vocabulary by matching the key words from the reading with English
definitions.
Reading

The readings will introduce you to a wide range of issues the world is facing̶climatechange, environmental degradation, health, education, working conditions, gender equality
and peace to name a few. Read them carefully and critically, as they provide you with somecontent knowledge and prepare you for discussions to come.
Comprehension Questions

You can check your understanding of the reading by answering the multiple-choicequestions.
After You Read

You will be asked to discuss with your partner which of the 17 SDGs are relevant to thereading. List as many goals as possible that you think are relevant.

Useful Words and Phrases for Discussion
This section provides you with a list of useful expressions for successfully conducting
discussions.
Listen to the Discussion

You will listen to the discussions by three college students. They discuss SDGs asways to deal with the issues addressed in the reading section. By providing a naturalprocess of investigating problems and then considering solutions, this section can be thecatalyst for your own successful discussion. After you listen, you will be engaged in twocomprehension exercises (A and B) and then a dictation exercise (C) for the purpose ofreviewing the expressions you have learned so far.

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After You Listen

After listening to the discussion, this section gets you to think once again about which of
the SDGs relate to the overall chapter topic. How have your views on the SDGs changed
over learning? Add all the goals that you think are relevant, and you will realize the 17
SDGs are intertwined with each other.
Let’s Research & Discuss

Research

In this section, you will research a person, company, institution, organization, or communitythat is making conscious efforts towards achieving the SDGs. You can use the provided
table to organize your information.
Discuss

You will be asked to share what you have researched in the previous section with yourclassmates. Try to use the useful words and phrases for discussion you have learned so
far to activate the discussion.
Let’s Make a Speech

The last activity is to make your own speech on what you have researched and thenpresent it in front of your class. By using the provided table, organize your report andcheck to see if it is logically coherent.
Evaluation

Using Evaluation Sheet (See Page 108), you will evaluate your speech and yourclassmates’ speeches by a set of checklists.

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Table of Contents
Chapter

Title

1

What Are Sustainable Development Goals?

2

What Is a Woman-Friendly Society?

3

Does Saving Infant’s Lives Slow Population Growth?

4

Can Technology Solve the Water Crisis?

5

How Can Quality Education for All Be Achieved?

6

What Does It Mean to Be a Sustainable City?

7

Will Black Companies Survive in the Future?

8

What Can We Do to Help Stop Child Labor?

9

How Can We Reduce Food Waste?

10

Is a World without Plastic Possible?

11

How Can We Embrace Diversity in Society?

12What Kind of Energy Is Affordable and Clean?

13

What Is Behind the Fashion Industry?

14

Why Should We Protect Endangered Species?

15

Will Tourism Break Down Cultural and Historical Barriers?

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Useful Words and Phrases for Discussion

Page● Introducing yourself

10● Opening the discussion

16● Expressing a lack of understanding● Asking for clarification● Returning the discussion to the main point● Changing the topic

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28● Wrapping-up the discussion

34● Expressing opinions and thoughts

40● Providing evidence and examples

46● Expressing agreement with reasons52● Expressing disagreement

58● Paraphrasing another person’s ideas

64● Politely asking for clarification or confirmation

70● Commenting on an idea/opinion● Asking for an opinion

76● Introducing different ideas and perspectives

82● Summarizing the discussion

88● Tips for a successful group discussion

94

108

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What Is a
Woman-Friendly
Society?

2
Warm-Up

Rate your level of agreement with the following statements on a scale from 1 (strongly
disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Then discuss your answers with a partner.

Statement

1

2

3

4

5

There are few female politicians in my country.
Over 40 percent of business executives in my country are women.
In my country, boys and girls receive equal treatment in the
educational system.

Vocabulary
Match each word below with the best definition.

Word

Definition

1. parity（） a. deserving to be noticed

2. attainment（） b. to put a plan or decision into effect

3. empowerment （） c. something that is achieved

4. noteworthy（） d. having more control over one’s own life

5. implement（） e. the state of being equal

Reading

DL 04

CD1-04

Read the article. Then answer the comprehension questions.

According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2021, Japan ranked 120th out of
156 countries. Japan remains the worst-ranked member of the Group of Seven (G7)industrialized nations. The statistical data on gender parity is analyzed by weighing
four categories: 1) economic participation and opportunity; 2) educational attainment;3) health and survival; and 4) political empowerment.

5

A noteworthy fact is that Japan ranked very low in the political empowerment
category. According to the report, women make up only 9.9% of the Diet’s Lower House
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and 10.0% of the Cabinet. In terms of economic
participation and opportunity, Japan has also
made little progress in closing the gender gap.

10

Japan’s gender wage gap is still high and thepercentage of women in managerial positions
remains below the world average.
In contrast, more women are in
leadership positions in other developed

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countries. Iceland ranked the highest, followed by Finland, Norway, New Zealand, andSweden. In many cases, these countries introduced positive action, which are measurescarried out by governments and employers to enable “protected” groups to minimize
disadvantages, to meet their different needs, and to encourage their participation insociety. Positive action for women is one way to reduce the gender gap and expand

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women’s participation in society. Similar policies implemented in other countries may
be known as “quotas” or “affirmative action.”
In order to achieve gender equality, these countries are making laws and policies at
the national level. Corporations, institutions, and organizations are then implementing
their own policies to promote women-friendly working environments.

（251 words）

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Comprehension Questions
Circle the best answer to each question. Compare with a partner.

1. In which category did Japan rank poorly?
a. Educational attainmentb. Health and survival
c. Political empowerment
2. What is positive action for women?
a. Policies that encourage the advancement of womenb. A worldwide initiative to reduce the gender wage gap
c. A government bill to build women’s communities
3. How did the top ﬁve countries achieve greater gender equality?
a. Their government forced corporations to make policies to hire women.
b. These countries implemented laws and policies to advance women in society.
c. Women in these countries were very motivated to work outside the home.

After You ReadWork with a partner. Discuss which of the SDGs are relevant to the reading. Support yourideas with examples.

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Useful Words and Phrases for Discussion
Choose a leader to start a discussion on the assigned topic. The leader will introduce the topic
and facilitate the discussion. Here are phrases to start a discussion.
● Opening the discussion

・Today, I will lead a discussion on...
・Today, we will discuss...
・Our discussion topic is...

Listen to the Discussion

DL 05

CD1-05

Listen to the discussion. Then answer the following questions.

David

Mika

Natasha

A. Read each statement. Check the box of the speaker.

Mika

David

Natasha

1. Scandinavian countries have always maintained top
rankings in the gender gap index.
2. Renault has implemented positive action plans for gender
diversity since 2010.
3. There used to be only a small population of female
students in higher education.

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B. Circle T (True) or F (False) for each statement.

1. The discussion topic is the gender gap in wages.

［T / F］

2. In Sweden, half of the political party leaders are women.

［T / F］

3. Natasha mentioned positive action plans and brought up an［T / F］

example of EU plans.

［T / F］

4. Mika talked about afﬁrmative action.
5. In the US, progressive policies have promoted gender diversity in［T / F］

education.

C. Below is Mika’s first statement. Listen again and fill in the blanks.
Mika:

Hi, my name is Mika. Iʼm going to be 1.

Our topic is how to promote the advancement of women. First, 2
some background about the situation for women in Japan. The
percentage of Japanese women who hold high-level or managerial positions inpolitics and business is way behind the world average. How did this happen? David,
3?

After You Listen
Work with a partner. After you listen to the discussion, which of the SDGs would you liketo add? Explain why.

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Let’s Research & Discuss
ResearchResearch a person, company, institution, organization, or community that empowers
women. Investigate what it does to promote women’s participation and encourage
women-friendly working environments. Complete the table below.
Person/Company/Institution/
Organization/Community
Where did you find this information?
(Internet, books, newspapers, etc.)
What are they doing to promote genderequality?
Which SDGs are relevant to theseactions? (List as many as possible.)

Discuss
1. Let’s discuss what you’ve researched in small groups. You can refer to the model
discussion before you start. Also, check the useful phrases below.
● Model Discussion

A: Let’s share what we’ve researched. Who’s going to start?
B: OK, I will. I researched action taken by Nagano Prefecture regarding this SDG. I found thisinformation in a local newspaper.
C: What kind of action is the prefecture taking to promote gender equality?
B: The percentage of women in managerial positions is low in Nagano, so they started a networking event
where women can talk about their careers with each other.

● Useful phrases to open a discussion / share information

・Let’s share what we’ve researched.
・I researched action taken by...

・I found this information...

・To promote women’s participation, the organization initiated...

2. To encourage discussion, ask additional questions.
What do you think of positive action? Is it effective? Is it reverse discrimination? / Would you like toengage with their SDG-related actions for gender equality?

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Let’s Make a Speech
Use the table below to help you organize your report to the class.

Topic: Describe SDG-related measures for gender equality which a person, company,
institution, organization, or community has taken.
Introduction
・ Opening comments
・ Introduce a person, company,
institution, organization, orcommunity that you haveresearched.
・ Give the source(s) of yourinformation.

Description of the measures
・ Describe the SDG-related
measures.
・ Present additional SDG-related
measures.

Conclusion
・ Final thoughts (a summary and/or an opinion)

Evaluation
Use the Evaluation Sheet (see p. 108) to evaluate your speech and your classmates’
speeches.

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