scholarly journals WATER, ENERGY AND FOOD NEXUS INTERVENTIONS: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS IN MALAWI

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-34
Author(s):  
Ngozi Finette Unuigbe ◽  
Aizenose Promise Ehizojie

Malawi faces mounting challenges in meeting the growing demand for food, water, and energy to satisfy the needs of a rapidly growing population. Relying on secondary data, the paper argues that while the existing policy initiatives have increased food production to a certain extent, the demand for water and energy has also increased, leading to degradation of the resource base, and contributing to an increase in water-related diseases. Poor sectoral coordination and institutional fragmentation have triggered the unsustainable use of resources and threatened the long-term sustainability of food, water, and energy security in the country, posing challenges to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the country. Consequently, this paper substantiates that a nexus approach can enhance understanding of the interconnectedness of the sectors and strengthen coordination among them. However, it requires a major shift in the decision-making process towards taking a holistic view, and development of institutional mechanisms to coordinate the actions of diverse actors and strengthen complementarities and synergies among the three sectors. The framework for cross-sectoral coordination and managing the nexus challenges is also suggested.

2021 ◽  
Vol 95 ◽  
pp. 01004
Author(s):  
Hanna Shevchenko ◽  
Mykola Petrushenko

Research background: rural tourism is an economic and environmental activity that fits harmoniously into the concept of sustainable and inclusive development. In Ukraine, it is called rural green tourism, but in practice not all aspects of it can meet the Sustainable Development Goals 2030. Purpose of the article: to analyze the relationship between the structures of the rural tourism goals and the SDGs, to demonstrate the evolution, possibilities of the development on the example of Ukraine’s rural tourism, especially in the framework of the European Green Deal. Methods: factor analysis – when studying the structure of the rural tourism goals and the factors that affect it, as well as when comparing it with the structure of other sustainable activities; elements of graph theory – in the graphical analysis of the Sustainable Development Goals decomposition in their projection into the plane of rural tourism. Findings & Value added: the structure of the rural green tourism goals in Ukraine have been harmonized with the Sustainable Development Goals 2030. Sustainability factors have been identified that allow the tourism and recreation sphere in the medium and long term perspective not only to form a competitive market for relevant services, but also to serve as an important component of the inclusive development. Factors of tourism sphere transformation due to the coronavirus pandemic are taken into consideration. The concept of the phased programming in sphere of rural tourism in Ukraine within the framework of the European Green Deal 2030 and 2050 has been improved.


Author(s):  
Arild Underdal ◽  
Rakhyun E. Kim

This chapter explores goal setting, as exemplified by the Sustainable Development Goals, as a governance strategy for reforming or rearranging existing international agreements and organizations so as to enhance their overall performance in promoting sustainable development. It discusses the political and entrepreneurial challenges peculiar to bringing existing international institutions into line, and identifies the conditions under which goal setting could be an effective tool for orchestration. The chapter concludes that, because of their ecumenical diversity and soft priorities, the Sustainable Development Goals are not likely to serve as effective instruments for fostering convergence. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides neither an overarching norm that can serve as a platform for more specific goals nor an integrating vision of what long-term sustainable development in the Anthropocene means. In the absence of such an overarching principle and vision, the impact of the Sustainable Development Goals on global governance will likely materialize primarily as spurring some further clustering of existing regimes and organizations within crowded policy domains. The Sustainable Development Goals cannot be expected to generate major architectural reforms that will significantly reduce the fragmentation of the global governance system at large.


The United Nations (UN) has identified 17 Sustainable Development Goals aimed to end poverty, hunger and inequality, act on climate change and the environment, improve access to health and education, and build strong institutions and partnerships. A style of leadership, ingrained in an altruistic and holistic approach that acknowledges the interrelationships of all beings, is a pre-requisite to achieve sustainable development. The projects undertaken by Amrita Institutions, under the guidance and leadership of its founder, Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, are in tandem with the Sustainable Development Goals identified by the UN. Results of a survey conducted to unravel the observable components of Spiritual Intelligence (SI) and Transformational Leadership (TL) of Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, suggest a classic blend of SI and TL. Emulation of the convergence of SI and TL is projected to be an approach for mankind to transcend the differences of race, culture, and ideology, and regard one another as entities of a single all-encompassing consciousness. This prospective is predicted to promote fulfilment, purpose and meaning to life of individuals, communities, nations, and the world at large. The preliminary study illustrating this concept needs to be explored as recommendation for a future research, encompassing qualitative and quantitative analysis, to yield a holistic view of leadership characteristics. Longitudinal studies could also be pursued to deduce their trajectories over longer periods in time.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 12154
Author(s):  
Fermín Sánchez-Carracedo ◽  
Jordi Segalas ◽  
Gorka Bueno ◽  
Pere Busquets ◽  
Joan Climent ◽  
...  

This paper presents three tools developed within the framework of the project EDINSOST2-SDG, aimed at embedding and assessing the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Engineering curricula. ESD is promoted through the introduction into engineering curricula of learning outcomes related to sustainability and, specifically, to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The first tool, the “Engineering Sustainability Map”, contains ESD-related learning outcomes that any engineering student should have acquired upon completion of their studies. These learning outcomes are described according to four sustainability competencies: (1) Critical contextualization of knowledge, (2) Sustainable use of resources, (3) Participation in community processes, and (4) Application of ethical principles. The second tool, the “Sustainability Presence Map” of a degree, shows the percentage of the presence in the curriculum of each sustainability competency. The calculation of the presence of each competency is based on the effective integration of the related learning outcomes into a specific curriculum. Respective data are provided by teachers responsible for the coordination of the different subjects of the degree, collected by means of a questionnaire. The third tool presented is a questionnaire aimed at measuring the level of ESD that students perceive they have acquired through each competency. The comparison of data resulting from the Sustainability Presence Map with the data from the student questionnaire is the first step that allows the effectiveness of embedding ESD in a degree to be determined, a proper learning assessment will confirm such effectiveness. The three tools presented in this work have undergone a validation process and are currently being used in a set of engineering degrees related to the EDINSOST2-SDG project. The results of the application of these tools are part of the future research work of the authors.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (17) ◽  
pp. 9912
Author(s):  
Atiqur Rahman Sunny ◽  
Mahmudul Hasan Mithun ◽  
Shamsul Haque Prodhan ◽  
Md. Ashrafuzzaman ◽  
Syed Mohammad Aminur Rahman ◽  
...  

Fisheries and the aquaculture sector can play a significant role in the achievement of several of the goals of the 2030 Sustainable Development agenda. However, the current COVID-19 situation can negatively impact the fisheries sector, impeding the pace of the achievement of development goals. Therefore, this paper highlighted the performance and challenges of the fisheries sector in Bangladesh, emphasising the impact of COVID-19 and the significance of this sector for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), through primary fieldwork and secondary data. The total fish production in the country has increased more than six times over the last three decades (7.54 to 43.84 lakh MT) with improved culture techniques and extension services. Inland closed water contributions have increased to 16%, while inland open water has declined to 10%, and marine fisheries have dropped to 6% over the past 18 financial years (2000–2001 to 2018–2019). COVID-19, a significant health crisis, has also affected various issues associated with aquatic resources and communities. Transportation obstacles and complexity in the food supply, difficulty in starting production, labour crisis, sudden illness, insufficient consumer demand, commodity price hikes, creditor’s pressure, and reduced income were identified as COVID-19 drivers affecting the fisheries sector. The combined effect of these drivers poses a significant threat to a number of the SDGs, such as income (SDG1), nutrition (SDG2), and food security (SDG3 and SDG12), which require immediate and comprehensive action. Several recommendations were discussed, the implementation of which are important to the achievement of the SDGs and the improved management of the aquatic sector (SDG14—life below, and SDG16—life above water).


Author(s):  
Carl C. Anderson ◽  
Manfred Denich ◽  
Anne Warchold ◽  
Jürgen P. Kropp ◽  
Prajal Pradhan

AbstractThe Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as part of the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” and aim to address issues ranging from poverty and economic growth to climate change. Efforts to tackle one issue can support or hinder progress towards others, often with complex systemic interactions. Thus, each of the SDGs and their corresponding targets may contribute as levers or hurdles towards achieving other SDGs and targets. Based on SDG indicator data, we create a systems model considering influence among the SDGs and their targets. Once assessed within a system, we find that more SDGs and their corresponding targets act as levers towards achieving other goals and targets rather than as hurdles. In particular, efforts towards SDGs 5 (Gender Equality) and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) may accelerate progress, while SDGs 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) are shown to create potential hurdles. The model results can be used to help promote supportive interactions and overcome hindering ones in the long term.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3176
Author(s):  
Lan Yang ◽  
Kathryn Cormican

The United Nation’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) are interconnected and indivisible and need to be addressed in a systematic and holistic way. However, a lack of stakeholder perspective, fragmented responses, and a dearth of integration across sectors have long been perceived as the SDGs’ main pitfalls. In recent years, scholars are calling to address these issues by adopting a systems engineering perspective, as this approach espouses a stakeholder-focused position, embraces a holistic and dynamic mindset, and provides a variety of technical and managerial toolkits, which can help to untangle the complexity and interactions inherent in global sustainability. Nevertheless, little has been done to map the existing literature, comprehensively review, and synthesize research evidence in this field. Therefore, this paper aims to conduct a scoping study that analyzes the extant evidence to uncover the contributions of systems engineering in advancing the SDGs. A three-phase methodology integrating natural language processing and systematic literature review is used to investigate this space. We conclude that systems engineering has been an active catalyst promoting the SDGs, and that systems engineering has the potential to support more transdisciplinary research to achieve long-term transformational and sustainable change across sectors and disciplines.


Author(s):  
Mohammed Jashim Uddin ◽  
Md. Nezum Uddin

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted by United Nations General Assembly on September 25, 2015 are a universal consensus to end poverty, eradicate inequality, protect the globe, tackle the climate change and make sure that all people of the planet enjoy peace and prosperity. Most of the goals are present in Bangladesh. This paper’s aim is to overview the challenges having faced by Bangladesh to acquire the recent phenomenon sustainable development goals.  The National Preliminary Report, FAO analysis, the sustainable Development Goals Report 2016, various articles, and newspaper writings have been scrutinized and secondary data have been used to complete the present study. The study finds that the goals are interconnected with one another. Eradicating all challenges will be daunting task for government alone. Sincere and fruitful policy agenda’ taken and implementation can be supportive and successful way to this idealistic wishes and utopian dreams. The policy makers, politicians, philanthropists, Financial Institutions etc can find it easy to solve SDGs related problems. Further analysis can be done on each and separate target and goal of SDGs in the context of the country.


Author(s):  
K. V. Bezverkhiy

The sustainable development of societies, countries, economic sectors or business enterprises is based on the assumption that economic growth, production and consumption has the limitations imposed by the possibility for rehabilitating ecological systems. Issues of the rational use of resources form the conceptual framework for the sustainable development. But the emergence of information support in form of integrated reporting of the enterprise causes much debate in the theoretical and practical field. The purpose of the study is to analyze the evolution of the provisions of the sustainable development concept and identify the preconditions for the emergence of integrated reporting of the enterprise. The components of the sustainable development and its purpose are highlighted; the sustainable development goals of UN and their respective indictors are illustrated. The relation of the categories of capital (financial, industrial, intellectual, human, social and nature capital), reflected in the integrated reporting of the enterprise, with the sustainable development goals is substantiated. The analysis shows that the top category of capital contributing in all the sustainable development goals (the total of 17) is social capital; financial capital (contributing in 14 goals) ranks second, human capital (12 goals) ranks third, production capital (10 goals) comes fourth, intellectual capital (9 goals) is the fifth, and nature capital (8 goals) ranks sixth. These results are indicative of high relevance of integrated reporting of the enterprise to the sustainable development goals.


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