Holistic modelling of sustainable development |Teun Kluck

Field | Discipline

• Sustainable development
• SDG system modelling

Expertise

• Complex systems

Summary

The sustainable development goals (SDGs), adopted by the United Nations, are widely used to measure sustainability. However, countries are not on track to achieve them in 2030. The SDGs are important in themselves, but they might not be good indications of sustainability in the long term.
To warn policymakers, we need to know the consequences of underachieving the SDGs for the decades to come. To predict the long-term effect of the achievement of SDGs, I relate them with the planetary boundaries by simulating scenarios for multiple degrees of (under)achieving SDGs both on a global and a regional level. For these scenarios, I will also calculate the extra efforts that have to be done post-2030 to achieve long-term sustainability. So far, there are no models including all SDGs and planetary boundaries. Such holistic models are necessary for the scenario analysis of sustainable development post-2030 I want to do.
I am now doing a systematic literature review about the current state of SDG system models. With the outcome of the systematic literature review, I will determine which models I can expand, such that all SDGs and planetary boundaries are covered.

This research is part of the project: BeyondSDG, Transformation towards long-term sustainability beyond Sustainable Development Goals (2023-2028).

Supervision by

• Promotor: Prof. dr. K.S. (Klaus) Hubacek | Integrated Research on Energy, Environment and Society - IREES | ESRIG, University of Groningen.
• Co-promotor: Dr. P. (Prajal) Pradhan | Integrated Research on Energy, Environment and Society - IREES | ESRIG, University of Groningen.

More information and contact details can be found on the personal profile of Teun Kluck.