Figures for the future – 20 years of sustainable development in Europe? A guide for citizens

Sustainable development is such an abstract concept! How can I make an interesting presentation about it?
Anne has the task of informing fellow students from around the world about whether the EU has moved towards sustainable development over the past 20 years. She turns to the EU set of Sustainable Development Indicators (SDIs) provided by Eurostat, trying to give sense and meaning to a multitude of data.
‘Figures for the future’ is a statistical guide to the EU SDIs and the trends they show. It communicates statistical figures as seen through the eyes of fictional 17-year-old student Anne. Anne aims to find answers to many questions that relate
to our everyday life and our future. How has our climate really changed? How is this related to energy use and transport? What does it mean to be poor in Europe? Do we hear as many birds singing as before? How is the financial crisis affecting jobs? Has life improved for Europeans over the past 20 years?
These and many other questions are answered while Anne is giving her presentation at a Model UN conference. She illustrates statistics by linking the topics to an important day in her life. Students from around the world add their points of view to the European perspective.
(www.ec.europa.eu)