Connecting the sustainable development goals by their energy inter-linkages

Abstract

View the article online for updates and enhancements. Recent citationsTargeted policies can compensate most of the increased sustainability risks in 1. 5 AbstractThe United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide guide-posts to society as it attempts to respond to an array of pressing challenges. One of these challenges is energy; thus, the SDGs have become paramount for energy policy-making. Yet, while governments throughout the world have already declared the SDGs to be 'integrated and indivisible', there are still knowledge gaps surrounding how the interactions between the energy SDG targets and those of the non-energy-focused SDGs might play out in different contexts. In this review, we report on a large-scale assessment of the relevant energy literature, which we conducted to better our understanding of key energy-related interactions between SDGs, as well as their context-dependencies (relating to time, geography, governance, technology, and directionality). By (i) evaluating the nature and strength of the interactions identified, (ii) indicating the robustness of the evidence base, the agreement of that evidence, and our confidence in it, and (iii) highlighting critical areas where better understanding is needed or context dependencies should be considered, our review points to potential ways forward for both the policy making and scientific communities. First, we find that positive interactions between the SDGs outweigh the negative ones, both in number and magnitude. Second, of relevance for the scientific community, in order to fill knowledge gaps in critical areas, there is an urgent need for interdisciplinary research geared toward developing new data, scientific tools, and fresh perspectives. Third, of relevance for policy-making, wider efforts to promote policy coherence and integrated assessments are required to address potential policy spillovers across sectors, sustainability domains, and geographic and temporal boundaries. The task of conducting comprehensive science-to-policy assessments covering all SDGs, such as for the UN's Global Sustainable Development Report, remains manageable pending the availability of systematic reviews focusing on a limited number of SDG dimensions in each case.

Global exposure and vulnerability to multi-sector development and climate change hotspots

“…Efforts to meet the SDGs and low temperature targets of the Paris Agreement will substantially reduce global exposure to multi-sector risks, especially if recognized co-benefits are targeted [79]. Energy sector targets will facilitate achievement of other SDGs, particularly climate [80][81][82]. Without action on climate change (SDG13), including slowing the rate of warming, achieving the goals for water, energy, food and land (SDGs 6, 7, 2 and 15), amongst others [83], will be more difficult.…”

Are the Sustainable Development Goals self‐consistent and mutually achievable?

“…ICSU () continues the science‐based approach initiated in the earlier ICSU report (ICSU, ) on which we focus here. McCollum et al () discuss Goal 7 (Energy) and its links in detail using the 7‐point scale introduced by Nilsson, Griggs, and Visbeck (). Weitz, Carlsen, Nilsson, and Skåanberg () select two targets per Goal and analyse directed linkages between these, drawing directly on the context of Sweden.…”

Targeted policies can compensate most of the increased sustainability risks in 1.5 °C mitigation scenarios

“…Yet there have been few attempts so far to study synergies and trade-offs of mitigation policies across multiple sustainability objectives quantitatively (McCollum et al 2018). These studies typically include either a systematic assessment of existing research on individual SDG dimensions, within a matrix of potential policy measures (Weitz et al 2017), or integrated analysis examining the trade-offs between climate change mitigation, food security, biodiversity (van Vuuren et al 2015), food consumption and the land system (Obersteiner et al 2016).…”