Reframing the sustainable development goals to achieve sustainable development in the Anthropocene—a systems approach

It’s a Hit! Mapping Austrian Research Contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals

“…This trend is also reflected by the outcomes of our study, where social objectives prevail. Because basic human needs are underpinned by environmental systems, some argue that environmental objectives should be mainstreamed, e.g., by integrating respective targets more strongly also into those SDGs with a social or economic focus [32]. Especially, goals, such as SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), bear the potential to be achieved through undermining the 'Earth's life-support system' [32].…”

“…The strong representation of SDG 4 (Quality Education) in publications and projects across all universities (Figures 2a and 3a) can be seen as an advantage because SDG 4 is the goal with the most impact on all other SDGs, and is considered to influence the whole SDG system [32]. Of course, it should be considered that this quantitative approach cannot express single research niches, which might not stand out in the results; however, nonetheless, it delivers valuable contributions to understanding and addressing the SDGs.…”

“…Environmental impacts of production and consumption in industrial states are often shifted to developing countries [34]. Lim et al further argue that SDG 1 shows some gaps, as it 'does not facilitate the redistribution and restructuring of wealth required to address poverty as a global issue' [32] (p. 5). Thus, achievement of SDG 1 in one country does not necessarily indicate progress on a global scale.…”

Open Innovation and Innovation Intermediaries in Sub-Saharan Africa

“…The relevance of the study rests on the need for systematic changes in order to bring about innovation, not in a linear fashion (e.g., based on isolated policies or innovation breaks), but as part of a systemic understanding and solutions that target the global sustainability challenges identified in the SGDs and by the European Commission [84,85] The study draws attention to the need for transformative, systemic innovation to influence and align the economic, societal and environmental aspects of development at the local and global levels, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, towards sustainable development [8]. This implies the formulation or restructuring of STI policies and the reformulation of growth strategies away from the traditional industry and infrastructure towards global societal goals (within an international agenda, but grounded in the local context).…”

A New Method for the Quantitative Assessment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and a Case Study on Central Asia

“…Aggregation for SDGs proceeds in two steps in this paper. First, based on the UN's interpretation of SDGs and other relevant studies referred to SDGs classification [21,[27][28][29][58][59][60], the 17 SDGs were aggregated into three general dimensions, i.e., economy, including SDG 8 (promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all), SDG 9 (build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation), SDG 10 (reduce inequality within and among countries) and SDG 17 (strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development); society, including SDG 1 (end poverty in all its forms everywhere), SDG 2 (end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture), SDG 3 (ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages), SDG 4 (ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong opportunities for all), SDG 5 (achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls) and SDG 16 (promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels); and environment, including SDG 6 (ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all), SDG 7 (ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all), SDG 11 (make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable), SDG 12 (ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns), SDG 13 (take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts), SDG 14 (conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development) and SDG 15 (protract, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss). Because the three dimensions are clearly interdependent and interconnected, it could therefore be argued that some social SDGs should be categorized into the dimensions of economy and environment, and vice versa.…”