Ecological Contradictions of the UN Sustainable Development Goals in Malaysia

2021 ◽  
pp. 107049652110602
Author(s):  
Mariko L. Frame ◽  
William G. McDowell ◽  
Ellen T. Fitzpatrick
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Environmental Goals ◽  
Environmental Goal ◽  
Aggregate Resource

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) promote a broad set of socio-economic and environmental goals. Through a case study on Malaysia, this paper investigates how economic Goal 8 (economic growth), Goal 9 (industry), and Goal 17(increased partnerships) are likely to conflict with environmental Goal 13 (climate action), Goal 14 (life below water), and Goal 15 (life on land). We analyze data from Economy-Wide Material Flows Analysis (EW-MFA) that captures Malaysia’s aggregate resource use over time and also assess the likely economic and environmental contradictions for Malaysia’s future trajectory by looking at major drivers of Malaysia’s economic growth. Using policy-scoring, we provide a detailed analysis of how the various sectors of growth are likely to result in synergies or trade-offs with the environmental SDGs. We find substantial contradictions between the economic and environmental SDGs for Malaysia. Our paper questions whether or not, when examining a concrete case study, economic and environmental SDGs are compatible.

scholarly journals Convergences between the Social and Solidarity Economy and Sustainable Development Goals: Case Study in the Basque Country

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (13) ◽  
pp. 5435
Author(s):  
Unai Villalba-Eguiluz ◽  
Andoni Egia-Olaizola ◽  
Juan Carlos Pérez de Mendiguren
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Gender Equity ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Basque Country ◽  
Solidarity Economy ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
The Social ◽  
Development Goals

This article analyzes the potential of the social and solidarity economy (SSE) to foster the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Local public policies play an important role in supporting both the SSE and SDGs. We select a case study of four SSE projects of a local development agency in the Basque Country, where the SSE has a considerable presence through diverse forms and experiences. We address how these projects, which are implemented in a coordinated and transversal manner, contribute to many specific targets within SDG goals number 8 (growth and decent work), 12 (sustainable consumption and production patterns), and 5 (gender equity). However, some limitations have also been identified: (i) trade-offs, in both SSE and SDGs, between economic growth and other aims centered on environmental sustainability; and (ii) avoidance of handling issues, which limits a systemic transformation.

scholarly journals Actions to Align Energy Projects With the Sustainable Development Goals

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Constança Martins Leite de Almeida ◽  
Elin Bergqvist ◽  
Scott Thacker ◽  
Francesco Fuso Nerini
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
2030 Agenda ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Energy Projects ◽  
Development Goals

Abstract The 2030 Agenda is an aspiring set of goals and targets that aims to prompt humanity towards a sustainable development by 2030. In order to achieve this, actions that mitigate trade-offs and enhance synergies within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) need to be identified. However, for the energy sector these actions are dispersed across the scientific literature, which is a clear barrier to encourage practitioners to have a proactive and pragmatic approach towards the SDGs. For this reason, a set of actions for energy projects was compiled. This compilation addresses the synergies and trade-offs identified in the Sustainable Development Goals Impact Assessment Framework for Energy Projects (SDG-IAE). One case study was used to test the actions, the lighthouse Project VARGA. Subsequently, an analysis was conducted to understand how possible actions can impact different technologies, project stages, actors and SDG targets. In this way, enabling policymakers and project developers to define areas of action when evaluating policies or considering specific intervention. This article aims to be the starting point of stakeholder discussions that consistently frame energy projects within the achievement of the SDGs.

scholarly journals Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Are we successful in turning trade-offs into synergies?

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Kroll ◽  
Anne Warchold ◽  
Prajal Pradhan
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Poverty Alleviation ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
The Other ◽  
Recent Past ◽  
Agenda 2030 ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Virtuous Cycle

Abstract The Agenda 2030 with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provides the framework that all United Nations (UN) member states have pledged to fulfill. The achievement of this agenda crucially depends on whether humankind will be able to maximize synergies and resolve existing trade-offs between the SDGs. We provide the first analysis of future interactions for projected SDG trends until 2030 within and between goals, and we analyze how trade-offs and synergies have evolved in the recent past globally. For certain goals, we find positive developments with notable synergies in our projections, especially for SDGs 1, 3, 7, 8, and 9: Poverty alleviation and strengthening the economy, rooted in innovation, and modern infrastructure, therefore continue to be the basis upon which many of the other SDGs can be achieved. However, especially SDGs 11, 13, 14, 16, and 17 will continue to have notable trade-offs, as well as non-associations with the other goals in the future, which emphasizes the need to foster innovations and policies that can make our cities and communities more sustainable, as well as strengthen institutions and spur climate action. We show examples of a successful transformation of trade-offs into synergies that should be emulated in other areas to create a virtuous cycle of SDG progress. The alarming inability to overcome certain persistent trade-offs we have found, and indeed the deterioration for some SDGs, can seriously threaten the achievement of the Agenda 2030.

scholarly journals A network approach to rank countries chasing sustainable development

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla Sciarra ◽  
Guido Chiarotti ◽  
Luca Ridolfi ◽  
Francesco Laio
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Bipartite Network ◽  
Agenda 2030 ◽  
Economic Complexity ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Centrality Metrics ◽  
Climate Action ◽  
Development Goals

AbstractIn 2015, the United Nations established the Agenda 2030 for sustainable development, addressing the major challenges the world faces and introducing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). How are countries performing in their challenge toward sustainable development? We address this question by treating countries and Goals as a complex bipartite network. While network science has been used to unveil the interconnections among the Goals, it has been poorly exploited to rank countries for their achievements. In this work, we show that the network representation of the countries-SDGs relations as a bipartite system allows one to recover aggregate scores of countries’ capacity to cope with SDGs as the solutions of a network’s centrality exercise. While the Goals are all equally important by definition, interesting differences self-emerge when non-standard centrality metrics, borrowed from economic complexity, are adopted. Innovation and Climate Action stand as contrasting Goals to be accomplished, with countries facing the well-known trade-offs between economic and environmental issues even in addressing the Agenda. In conclusion, the complexity of countries’ paths toward sustainable development cannot be fully understood by resorting to a single, multipurpose ranking indicator, while multi-variable analyses shed new light on the present and future of sustainable development.

scholarly journals Using citizen science data to monitor the Sustainable Development Goals: a bottom-up analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Ballerini ◽  
Sylvia I. Bergh
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Science Data ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Case Study Analysis ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Development Goals

AbstractOfficial data are not sufficient for monitoring the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): they do not reach remote locations or marginalized populations and can be manipulated by governments. Citizen science data (CSD), defined as data that citizens voluntarily gather by employing a wide range of technologies and methodologies, could help to tackle these problems and ultimately improve SDG monitoring. However, the link between CSD and the SDGs is still understudied. This article aims to develop an empirical understanding of the CSD-SDG link by focusing on the perspective of projects which employ CSD. Specifically, the article presents primary and secondary qualitative data collected on 30 of these projects and an explorative comparative case study analysis. It finds that projects which use CSD recognize that the SDGs can provide a valuable framework and legitimacy, as well as attract funding, visibility, and partnerships. But, at the same time, the article reveals that these projects also encounter several barriers with respect to the SDGs: a widespread lack of knowledge of the goals, combined with frustration and political resistance towards the UN, may deter these projects from contributing their data to the SDG monitoring apparatus.

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