Financing Fisheries Reform: Blended Capital Approaches in Support of Sustainable Wild-Capture Fisheries

Recovery Process ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Best Interests ◽

Fish Feed ◽

Fish Stocks ◽

Fisheries Sustainability ◽

Development Goals ◽

Funding Gap ◽

Policy Solutions

Overfishing is one of the persistent environmental challenges of our time. Almost one third of the world’s assessed commercially exploited marine fish stocks are considered overfished. This report, co-authored by researchers at the Environmental Defense Fund and the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, introduces the idea of a blended capital approach to fill the all-too-common finance gap that may hamper recovery of many fisheries. The report describes the categories of investment required to attain fisheries sustainability at each stage of the recovery process, identifies where within this framework there is likely to be the biggest funding gap, and suggests possible approaches for philanthropic and public capital to leverage private capital to help fill the gap. The authors suggest that if we are able to increase the types and amount of capital available to fund fisheries reform—and utilize one to leverage the others where needed—blended capital approaches may send clearer signals to decision makers that change is not only possible but in everyone’s best interests. In aggregate, such signals could help move us closer to advancing a suite of Sustainable Development Goals that would result in thriving, resilient oceans that support more fish, feed more people, and improve prosperity.

What SDG6 is about: ‘sustainable management’ or ‘rational use’?

Water Policy ◽

10.2166/wp.2020.062 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (6) ◽

pp. 1015-1023

Author(s):

Andriy Demydenko

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Management ◽

Water Policy ◽

Water Security ◽

Integrated Water Resources Management ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Rational Use ◽

Water Users ◽

Russian Version ◽

Development Goals

Abstract The paper describes the Global Water Partnership partner experience in the introduction of risk-based Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) into the Ukrainian water policy. We concluded that some proper ‘expressions’ and concepts have already been introduced into Ukrainian legislation, but not the accepted ‘meanings’ of such concepts as IWRM, Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), and water security. The concept of ‘sustainable management’, in the Russian version of Water SDG6, is translated as ‘rational use’ but no one can explain why. We suggest that such a misunderstanding happened since Ukrainian decision-makers still perceive themselves only as water users who are not obligated to achieve any development goals. Therefore, they are quite comfortable with the existing normative approach to water management where the objectives are compliance with defined norms and ensuring water security, which is understood as an absence of any water risk solely to humans, rather than the environment at large. Keeping in mind that true science starts with measurable values, and recognizing that you cannot manage if you cannot measure, we propose to change this false understanding of water security and sustainability that is inherent in the outmoded concept of ‘rational use’. Such a shift is only possible by switching to a measurable goal-oriented approach and risk management in water policy.

Conceptual Framework for the Role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals

International Journal of Management Excellence ◽

10.17722/ijme.v13i3.1113 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 1989-1993

Author(s):

Prabhasara Athurupane ◽

Bhagya Wickramsinghe

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Conceptual Framework ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Environmental Decision Making ◽

Information And Communication ◽

Development Goals ◽

Role Of Information

This paper seeks to evaluate the role of ICT in achieving the sustainable development goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015. While SDGs do not specifically address ICT, or include a goal on development of ICT, as argued (Berleur & Avgerou, 2005)in this paper, it is an underlying element embedded in the very concept of sustainable development rooted in the definition as propounded by the Brundtland Report. The objective of this paper is to evaluate whether there is a possibility to develop a conceptual framework to ground the use of ICTs in achieving SDGs. For this purpose, this research has evaluated the common conceptual frameworks developed by scholars and posits that rather than developing an all-encompassing framework, it is possible to identify certain necessary features for the role of the ICTs in achieving SDGs. This approach enables policy and decision makers to look at the role of ICT as an integral component of socio-economic and environmental decision making and implementation.

How Do the COVID-19 Prevention Measures Interact With Sustainable Development Goals?

10.20944/preprints202010.0279.v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Shima Beigi

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Preventive Measures ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Prevention Measures ◽

Health Crisis ◽

Development Goals ◽

Staying At Home

Washing hands, social distancing and staying at home are the preventive measures set in place to contain the spread of the COVID-19, a disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. These measures, although straightforward to follow, highlight the tip of an imbalanced socio-economic and socio-technological iceberg. Here, a System Dynamic (SD) model of COVID-19 preventive measures and their correlation with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is presented. The result demonstrates a better informed view of the COVID-19 vulnerability landscape. This novel qualitative approach refreshes debates on the future of SDGS amid the crisis and provides a powerful mental representation for decision makers to find leverage points that aid in preventing long-term disruptive impacts of this health crisis on people, planet and economy. There is a need for further tailor-made and real-time qualitative and quantitative scientific research to calibrate the criticality of meeting the SDGS targets in different countries according to ongoing lessons learned from this health crisis.

Sustainable Development and European Banks: A Non-Financial Disclosure Analysis

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12156146 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (15) ◽

pp. 6146

Author(s):

Simona Cosma ◽

Andrea Venturelli ◽

Paola Schwizer ◽

Vittorio Boscia

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Business Model ◽

Stock Exchange ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Financial Disclosure ◽

Support Organizations ◽

European Banks ◽

Development Goals

This paper aims at contributing to the debate on the relationships between the European financial sector and sustainable development. Using a non-financial disclosure analysis of 262 European banks, the research sought, first, to investigate the “scope” of the contribution of European banks to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and, second, to explore the factors that seem to differentiate the SDGs approach among banks. The results show that country of origin, legal system, and adoption of an integrated report seem to differentiate banks in terms of contribution to the SDGs. The business model and stock exchange listing, conversely, do not seem to represent discriminatory factor in the contribution of banks toward the SDGs. The study can be useful for managers and decision makers to develop policies to support organizations in contributing to the SDGs.

Towards understanding interactions between Sustainable Development Goals: the role of environment–human linkages

Sustainability Science ◽

10.1007/s11625-020-00799-6 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (6) ◽

pp. 1573-1584 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Jörn P. W. Scharlemann ◽

Rebecca C. Brock ◽

Nicholas Balfour ◽

Claire Brown ◽

Neil D. Burgess ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Management ◽

Sustainable Development ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Influence Matrix ◽

Pairwise Interactions ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Development Goals ◽

Effectiveness And Efficiency

Abstract Only 10 years remain to achieve all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) globally, so there is a growing need to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of action by targeting multiple SDGs. The SDGs were conceived as an ‘indivisible whole’, but interactions between SDGs need to be better understood. Several previous assessments have begun to explore interactions including synergies and possible conflicts between the SDGs, and differ widely in their conclusions. Although some highlight the role of the more environmentally-focused SDGs in underpinning sustainable development, none specifically focuses on environment–human linkages. Assessing interactions between SDGs, and the influence of environment on them can make an important contribution to informing decisions in 2020 and beyond. Here, we review previous assessments of interactions among SDGs, apply an influence matrix to assess pairwise interactions between all SDGs, and show how viewing these from the perspective of environment–human linkages can influence the outcome. Environment, and environment–human linkages, influence most interactions between SDGs. Our action-focused assessment enables decision makers to focus environmental management to have the greatest impacts and to identify opportunities to build on synergies and reduce trade-offs between particular SDGs. It may enable sectoral decision makers to seek support from environment managers for achieving their goals. We explore cross-cutting issues and the relevance and potential application of our approach in supporting decision making for progress to achieve the SDGs.

Assessing Spatial Information Themes in the Spatial Information Infrastructure for Participatory Urban Planning Monitoring: Indonesian Cities

ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information ◽

10.3390/ijgi8070305 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 8 (7) ◽

pp. 305 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Agung Indrajit ◽

Bastiaan Van Loenen ◽

Peter Van Oosterom

Keyword(s):

Urban Planning ◽

Spatial Information ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Modern Cities ◽

Online Tools ◽

Urban Monitoring ◽

Development Goals ◽

Selection Of

Most urban planning monitoring activities were designed to monitor implementation of aggregated sectors from different initiatives into practical and measurable indicators. Today, cities utilize spatial information in monitoring and evaluating urban planning implementation for not only national or local goals but also for the 2030 Agenda of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Modern cities adopt Participatory Geographic Information System (PGIS) initiative for their urban planning monitoring. Cities provide spatial information and online tools for citizens to participate. However, the selection of spatial information services for participants is made from producers’ perception and often disregards requirements from the regulation, functionalities, and broader user’s perception. By providing appropriate spatial information, the quality of participatory urban monitoring can be improved. This study presents a method for selecting appropriate spatial information for urban planning monitoring. It considers regulation, urban planning, and spatial science theories, as well as citizens’ requirements, to support participatory urban planning monitoring as a way to ensure the success of providing near real-time urban information to planners and decision-makers.

Exploring mechanisms for systemic thinking in decision-making through three country applications of SDG Synergies

Sustainability Science ◽

10.1007/s11625-021-01045-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Karina Barquet ◽

Linn Järnberg ◽

Ivonne Lobos Alva ◽

Nina Weitz

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Systems Thinking ◽

National Level ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Systemic Thinking ◽

Incremental Change ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Development Goals ◽

Empirical Material

AbstractIncreased systems thinking capacity—that is, the capacity to consider systemic effects of policies and actions—is necessary for translating knowledge on Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDGs) interactions into practice. Various models and tools that seek to support more evidence-based policy-making have been developed with the purpose of exploring system effects across SDGs. However, these often lack integration of behavioral aspects and contextual factors that influence the decision-making process. We analyze three applications of a decision-support approach called SDG Synergies, which aims at building capacity in systems thinking among decision-makers and implementing agencies. Our objective is to explore how behavior and context influences whether and how knowledge is taken up and acted upon when making decisions. Drawing on empirical material from Mongolia, Colombia, and Sri Lanka, we identify three sets of mechanisms that appear important for enabling more systemic thinking: system boundaries (time, scale, and space), rules of engagement (ownership, representation, and purpose), and biases (confirmation biases and participation biases). Results highlight some key challenges for systemic thinking that merit further attention in future applications, including the importance of localizing SDGs and incorporating this knowledge to national-level assessments, an unwillingness of stakeholders to acknowledge trade-offs, the challenge of addressing transformational as opposed to incremental change, and striking a balance between the flexibility of the approach vis-à-vis scientific robustness.

An SDG-based framework for assessing urban stormwater management systems

Blue-Green Systems ◽

10.2166/bgs.2019.922 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 102-118 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Hjalte Jomo Danielsen Sørup ◽

Ole Fryd ◽

Li Liu ◽

Karsten Arnbjerg-Nielsen ◽

Marina Bergen Jensen

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

Stormwater Management ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Management Systems ◽

Assessment Framework ◽

Urban Stormwater Management ◽

Development Goals ◽

Project Level

Abstract Nature-Based Solutions for stormwater management on top of handling water should, ideally, deliver a multitude of other services to society; they are often seen as a lever for transforming cities in a more livable, green, resilient and sustainable direction, and these measures should be acknowledged as part of the services delivered. In this study we assess the services that Nature-Based Solutions for stormwater management deliver with reference to targets and indicators from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals; we also develop local, project level indicators that inform and are informed by the more broad Sustainable Development Goals indicators. We demonstrate through Danish cases ranging from lot to city scale that the proposed framework can help inform decision-makers about the sustainability of Nature-Based Solutions for stormwater management. Despite difficulties in matching local indicators to SDG indicators, this first attempt at an assessment framework provides insight on which services of a project help to work towards the Sustainable Development Goals and, if used in the planning phase, could facilitate the design of projects that work focused and informed towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Climate-Land-Energy-Water Nexus Models Across Scales: Progress, Gaps and Best Accessibility Practices

Frontiers in Environmental Science ◽

10.3389/fenvs.2021.691523 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Adriano Vinca ◽

Keywan Riahi ◽

Andrew Rowe ◽

Ned Djilali

Keyword(s):

Local Level ◽

Model Development ◽

Community Support ◽

Resource Scarcity ◽

Climate Impacts ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Small Scale ◽

Development Goals

Approaches that integrate feedback between climate, land, energy and water (CLEW) have progressed significantly in scope and complexity. The so-called nexus approaches have shown their usefulness in assessing strategies to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in the contexts of increasing demands, resource scarcity, and climate change. However, most nexus analyses omit some important inter-linkages that could actually be addressed. The omissions often stem from technical and practical considerations, but also from limited dissemination of new open-source frameworks incorporating recent advances. We review and present a set of models that can meet the needs of decision makers for analysis tools capable of addressing a broad range of nexus questions. Particular attention is given to model accessibility, usability and community support. The other objective of this review is to discuss research gaps, and critical needs and opportunities for further model development from a scientific viewpoint. We explore at different scales where and why some nexus interactions are most relevant. We find that both very small scale and global models tend to neglect some CLEW interactions, but for different reasons. The former rarely include climate impacts, which are often marginal at the local level, while the latter mostly lack some aspects because of the complexity of large full CLEW systems at the global level.

Measures of real progression

Remaking the Real Economy ◽

10.1332/policypress/9781447356585.003.0009 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 149-164

Author(s):

Gordon Pearson

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Development ◽

United Nations ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Member States ◽

Economic Decision ◽

Development Goals ◽

Political Economic ◽

Protection And Renewal

Measuring progression without destruction relates specifically to the items identified in the previous chapter. Orthodox measures of economic progression still focus primarily on measures such as GDP and its growth, but GDP is itself full of flaws and anomalies, as well as being too easily fixable by relevant political-economic decision makers. Sustainable development goals which include reducing inequalities within and between member states have been identified and agreed by the United Nations, but their effectiveness is yet to be demonstrated. Further measures are identified including democratic protection and renewal which seem currently threatened in Anglo-America, the restraint of organised money and displacement of neoclassical belief. Tentative signs of such progression are noted, but they are yet to be confirmed.