Unraveling the complex underlying mechanisms behind Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) interactions using systems model | Utkarsh Ashok Khot
Field | Discipline
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Environmental Sciences
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Social sciences interdisciplinary
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Climate action
Expertise
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Sustainable science
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Geographic Information System (GIS)
Summary
Many countries remain off track to fulfill the 2030 Agenda’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets. Failing to achieve these goals will undermine socioeconomic stability and intensify environmental challenges globally, affecting the lives of billions of people across the globe. One key challenge to achieving the 2030 Agenda lies in the trade-offs that arise from cherry-picking goals or targets at the expense of others. Overlooking these SDG interactions, i.e., synergies and trade-offs, risks creating conflicting policies that undermine the interconnected nature of sustainable development. Recognizing and understanding the complex interactions among the SDGs is crucial for enabling policymakers to also anticipate externalities and design more effective, integrated strategies for sustainable development.
This research aims to understand these complexities by moving beyond simple correlation of goals to identify causal mechanisms behind the interactions by combining qualitative and quantitative approaches. The geographic context influences the nature of the interactions. Considering this factor, the uncovered patterns of interactions can then be used to prioritize the goals according to the set context.
Supervision by
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Promotor: Prof. Dr. K.S. (Klaus) Hubacek | Integrated Research on Energy, Environment and Society - IREES | ESRIG, University of Groningen.
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Co-promotor: Dr. Prajal Pradhan | Integrated Research on Energy, Environment and Society - IREES | ESRIG, University of Groningen.
This PhD research is part of the project: BeyondSDG, Transformation towards long-term sustainability beyond Sustainable Development Goals (2023-2028).
More information and contact details can be found on the personal profile of Utkarsh Ashok Khot.