Summary Well behind at halftime: here’s how to get the UN Sustainable Development Goals back on track theconversation.com
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The world is struggling to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals due to a lack of funding, poor governance, and industry opposition, requiring governments to integrate these goals into their decision-making processes.
Slides
Slide Presentation (11 slides)
Key Points
- The world is not on track to achieve any of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, with only 2 targets on track and 8 targets still going backwards
- Insufficient financial resources, weak governance, resistance from vested interests, and the need for big lifestyle changes are holding back progress on the goals
- Governments need to play a more active role by setting targets, stimulating innovation, shaping markets, and regulating business to accelerate progress on the goals
- Scientists can help redesign institutions, systems, and practices to overcome resistance to change and manage negative side-effects
- Australia ranks 40th in the world on the Sustainable Development Goals, with poor performance on environmental goals, economic inequality, and cost-of-living pressures
Summaries
24 word summary
The world lags in meeting UN Sustainable Development Goals. Insufficient funding, weak governance, and industry resistance hinder progress. Governments must integrate SDGs into decision-making.
53 word summary
The world is off track to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Only 2 of 36 targets are on track, with insufficient funding, weak governance, and industry resistance hindering progress. Governments must integrate the SDGs into decision-making and address root causes. Renewed commitment and concerted efforts can turn the trajectory around.
99 word summary
The world is not on track to achieve any of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. Only 2 out of 36 targets are on track, while 12 show limited or no progress. Factors like insufficient funding, weak governance, and industry resistance are holding back progress. To accelerate change, governments must fully integrate the SDGs into decision-making and address root causes. Accountability remains a challenge, as the goals are not legally binding. Scientists can help redesign systems to overcome resistance. With renewed commitment and concerted efforts, the trajectory can be turned around and the ambitious 2030 Agenda achieved.
336 word summary
The world is currently not on track to achieve any of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the 2030 deadline, a concerning reality with severe consequences. However, there is hope - with decisive action, the trajectory can be shifted towards a fairer, more sustainable, and prosperous world.
The latest Global Sustainable Development Report found that only 2 out of 36 targets reviewed were on track, while 14 showed fair progress. Worryingly, 12 targets showed limited or no progress, and 8 were still going backwards, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, fossil fuel subsidies, preventing species extinction, and ensuring sustainable fish stocks.
Several factors are holding back progress, including insufficient financial resources, weak governance, and powerful vested interests resisting change, particularly in the fossil fuel industry. Achieving some goals, such as responsible consumption and production, will require significant shifts in habits and lifestyles, which can be challenging.
To accelerate progress, the authors emphasize the need for governments to fully integrate the SDGs into their core decision-making, budgeting, and planning processes. Prioritizing the areas that are lagging the most and addressing the root causes of inadequate outcomes, often in institutional and governance systems, are crucial.
Accountability remains a significant challenge, as the SDGs are not legally binding, and countries' expressions of support have not always translated into tangible policy and investment. Policymakers are called upon to develop tailored action plans to accelerate progress, including measures to improve accountability.
The authors highlight the important role that scientists can play in redesigning institutions, systems, and practices to overcome resistance to change and manage negative side-effects. They point to examples from countries like Denmark, Finland, and Wales, which have taken concrete steps to mainstream the SDG targets and ensure accountability.
As the world reaches the halfway point of the SDG timeline, the authors emphasize that the game is not over. With a renewed commitment and concerted efforts, the trajectory can be turned around, and the world can achieve the ambitious goals set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
506 word summary
The world is currently not on track to achieve any of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the 2030 deadline. This is a concerning reality, as failure to meet these goals would have severe consequences, including 600 million people living in extreme poverty, over 80 million children and young people out of school, and humanity overshooting the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C temperature rise target.
However, there is hope. With decisive action, the trajectory can be shifted towards a fairer, more sustainable, and prosperous world by 2030. The authors, who were part of the team that authored the latest Global Sustainable Development Report, provide insights on the current state of progress and recommendations for accelerating progress.
The report found that only 2 out of the 36 targets reviewed were on track, while 14 showed fair progress. Worryingly, 12 targets showed limited or no progress, and 8 were still going backwards, including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, fossil fuel subsidies, preventing species extinction, and ensuring sustainable fish stocks.
Several factors are holding back progress. In many developing countries, insufficient financial resources and weak governance hinder advancement. Powerful vested interests have also resisted changes, particularly in the fossil fuel industry. Achieving some goals, such as responsible consumption and production, will require significant shifts in habits and lifestyles, which can be challenging.
To accelerate progress, the authors emphasize the need for governments to fully integrate the SDGs into their core decision-making, budgeting, and planning processes. Prioritizing the areas that are lagging the most and addressing the root causes of inadequate outcomes, which often lie in institutional and governance systems, are crucial.
Accountability remains a significant challenge, as the SDGs are not legally binding, and countries' expressions of support have not always translated into tangible policy and investment. Policymakers are called upon to develop tailored action plans to accelerate progress, including measures to improve accountability.
The authors also highlight the important role that scientists can play in redesigning institutions, systems, and practices to overcome resistance to change and manage negative side-effects.
In the case of Australia, the country ranks 40th in the world on the SDGs, performing poorly compared to its OECD peers. While some progress has been made, the goals are often seen as an international development issue rather than a central part of domestic policy efforts. Australia lacks a high-level strategy or action plan for the SDGs, and there is no lead unit or coordination mechanism in place.
The authors point to examples from countries like Denmark, Finland, and Wales, which have taken concrete steps to mainstream the SDG targets and ensure accountability, such as requiring new government bills to be screened for their impacts on the goals and placing sustainable development at the heart of policy and decision-making.
As the world reaches the halfway point of the SDG timeline, the authors emphasize that the game is not over. With a renewed commitment and concerted efforts, the trajectory can be turned around, and the world can achieve the ambitious goals set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.