Assessing research trends related to Sustainable Development Goals: local and global issues

Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals agreed by the United Nations in September 2015 comprise 17 goals and 169 targets aimed at integrating matters related to sustainable development into the overall economic, environmental and social frameworks of countries. Whereas the SDGs have a global dimension, their action implementation depends on the level of priority different countries give to them, and on how sustainability issues compete with a country´s main problems. The aim of this paper was to identify the main Sustainable Development Goals approached by experts from different geographic regions, according to their experience and research area, and to discuss the relation between these goals and the main local issues and challenges of each region. The methodology starts with snowball sampling to collect information from experts from all geographic regions, through contact networks of universities in different countries. With the information about the goals researched by the participating experts, an analysis of the relation between the study focus and the geographical regions of origin was conducted. A total of 266 specialists from North America, Latin America/Caribbean, Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania participated in the survey. Based on the sample used, it can be said that there is a relation between the local problems or challenges observed in some regions and the main areas of interest of the surveyed experts, with a general emphasis on the study of goals 4, 11 and 13. Based on the data gathered, the paper presents a set of examples of positive and negative situations in the various regions, and considers the extent to which some Sustainable Development Goals are being pursued by research on a worldwide basis.

Integrating the Sustainable Development Goals in Building Projects

“…While they found limitations in the successful implementation of human development targets in all the scenarios explored, their most significant conclusion is that the goals and targets required to be completely reorganized under each of the scenarios (i.e., each scenario dictated its own priorities and presented different needs) [68]. Their findings are supported by the multi-criteria analysis conducted by Allen, Metternicht and Wiedmann [73], the assessment of the experts' SDG priorities conducted by Salvia, Leal Filho, Walter, Brandli and Griebeler [70], and the mapping and network analysis completed by Le Blanc [69]. By combining these academic findings, it can be concluded that, not only that existing programs and policies present gaps and limitations to the agenda's implementation, but that the priorities and focus of programs need to be adapted dynamically based on local factors (i.e., political, social, economic and environmental factors) and programspecific factors (i.e., its scope, nature, stakeholders and goals).…”

“…are structured around what are commonly known as the five Ps (Planet, Prosperity, Peace, People and Partnership) and are considered to be comprehensive to both human and natural needs [17,39,[68][69][70]. Since the 2030 agenda came into effect at the beginning of 2016, there has been an increasing number of publications, by both academics and practitioners, which aim at analyzing its goals and targets; exploring its implementation means, processes and progress; studying its connection with existing policies and practices; or criticizing its economic growth focus or the contradictions within its targets [16,18,69,[71][72][73][74].…”

“…2019;1:e190010. https://doi.org/10.20900/jsr20190010 based on fitting and linking the goals with existing policies and programs and that there is a limited number of programs and policies specifically developed based on the agenda [22,70]. Gusmão Caiado, Leal Filho, Quelhas, Luiz de Mattos Nascimento and Ávila [22] found that some of the operational hurdles in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda require new strategic frameworks to be developed.…”

Tracking Sustainable Development Goals – A Case Study of Pakistan

“…Following the concept of sustainability approved by United Nations, the Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) have been devised. All the countries which are a member of United Nations adopted these goals as their main motive to end the world's poverty, protect the atmosphere and make sure that all people get harmony and well-being [2]. The nations are targeting the achievement of SDGs by the end of 2030.…”

Evaluation of Sustainable Development Management in EU Countries

“…Results showed that the high level of inclusive and sustainable development can be explained by the high level of labor productivity, as well as the efficient employment structure by sectors, but also by the low level of precarious employment. The authors of [8] started from the fact that the implementation of SDGs, which have a global dimension, in different regions and countries, depends on the set priorities of the observed country, as well as on the main problems the nation is currently struggling with. For this reason, the authors, who are from different geographical regions, have considered and analyzed the link between SDGs and the underlying local problems and challenges of the region.…”