IREES Colloquium: Insights on sustainability: A systematic review on interactions, modeling, and indicators| Teun Kluck, Jing Li, Utkarsh Khot, PhD students

Speakers: Teun Kluck, Jing Li, Utkarsh Khot, PhD's at IREES

Title: 'Insights on sustainability: A systematic review on interactions, modeling, and indicators'

Abstract: Many countries remain off track to fulfil the 2030 Agenda’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets. Overlooking the SDG interactions, i.e., synergies and trade-offs, risks creating conflicting policies that undermine the interconnected nature of sustainable development. Models are vital tools for scenario analysis, identifying optimal pathways, and revealing interactions among SDGs and their indicators. Hence, there is a need to comprehensively understand how the interactions and modeling are being addressed in the growing body of literature. We performed three systematic reviews on interactions between SDGs, SDG modeling, and well-being indicators.

Our results indicate that equity, collaboration, and social justice (SDGs 5, 10, 16, and 17) receive limited attention in articles on the SDGs. We argue that more attention to these SDGs is needed in model-based studies to accelerate the SDGs holistically. We highlight that only a small portion of the studies on SDGs account for regional variations, while these variations significantly impact which SDGs require prioritization and how the goals can be achieved. A need to develop new approaches to analyze the interactions underlying causal mechanisms. By identifying key gaps and trends, this review can be leveraged to advance the research landscape, guiding the prioritization of SDGs.

To move beyond SDGs, we also need to look at other frameworks, such as social foundations. A growing number of sustainability studies establish well-being frameworks for building social foundations within environmental limits. Numerous indicators are used to track and monitor the progress of well-being. Yet, the overlap and differences among frameworks limit a holistic, consolidated, and systemic understanding. We compared these indicators with two major frameworks, the ‘Safe and Just Space for Humanity’ and the ‘2030 Agenda’ with its Sustainable Development Goals, and identified the potential extensions. We also found indicators that do not align with existing frameworks and extended the social foundations by incorporating indicators across five themes and 21 dimensions. Our extended framework integrates individuals, social groups, society, and the environment, considering future impacts and various forms of equity.