by Shane Varcoe – Executive Director for the Dalgarno Institute, Australia – Jul 23, 2025
Alcohol affects 15 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, yet remains one of the most overlooked barriers to global progress. Behind the marketing messages and cultural acceptance lies a stark reality: alcohol is a Group 1 carcinogen causing seven types of cancer, with no safe level of consumption.
This week on the Unnecessary Harm Podcast, we welcomed Kristina Sperkova , President of Movendi International , a global network of over 170 organizations across 63 countries working to reduce alcohol-related harm. Kristina shared powerful insights from her decade of leadership at the forefront of international alcohol policy advocacy, including her recent work at the World Health Assembly.
Kristina reveals how alcohol undermines everything from poverty reduction to gender equality, the predatory tactics of Big Alcohol at UN meetings, and the groundbreaking policy wins that are reshaping how the world views alcohol taxation and regulation.
Key Takeaways From This Episode
- Massive Global Impact: Alcohol directly affects 15 of 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, from perpetuating poverty cycles to fueling intimate partner violence (50-80% of violent acts are alcohol-related).
- Environmental Devastation: Producing one liter of beer requires 270 liters of water, highlighting alcohol’s massive environmental footprint through water depletion and agricultural monocultures.
- Cancer Connection: Since 1988, alcohol has been classified as a Group 1 carcinogen alongside tobacco and asbestos, yet public awareness remains dangerously low.
- Industry Deception: Big Alcohol uses front groups, creates dependency through corporate partnerships, and spreads lies about employment impacts and illegal production to derail effective policies.
- Policy Solutions Work: WHO’s “best buys” – availability restrictions, marketing bans, and public health taxation – are proven, fast-acting interventions that reduce consumption and generate revenue.
Recent Victory: After 10 years of advocacy, alcohol taxation was officially recognised as a source of domestic resource mobilisation at the Financing for Development conference – a major breakthrough for global policy.
Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/alcohols-global-impact-fight-evidence-based-policy-shane-varcoe-fmc8c