Structuring Ethical Interpretations of the Sustainable Development Goals—Concepts, Implications and Progress

Abstract

Abstract:The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), like the sustainable development (SD) concept itself, are open to multifaceted interpretations, and the same is true for their ethical implications. While SDG values are widely accepted as universal, the ethical structure of the SDGs is complex, with differing interpretations and ideas, e.g., on how to regard and value nature. This article is a conceptual attempt to clarify and structure ethical interpretations based on an environmental ethics framework consisting of two branches: anthropocentrism and biocentrism. The aim is to provide an overview of SDG positions and locate them in the wider field of environmental ethics, addressing the human-nature relationship as a recurring topic in the SDGs. Section 1 of this article presents environmental ethics and briefly discusses anthropocentrism and biocentrism. Section 2 outlines ethical similarities of SD and the SDGs and locates representative SDG interpretations within the environmental ethics framework. Section 3 summarizes findings and suggests a possibility of integrating biocentrism and anthropocentrism with regard to the further interpretation and discussion of SDG ethics. Insights from this article will aid researchers in adopting a better overview on ethical positions in the SDG debate.

Translating Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Interdependencies into Policy Advice

“…At the same time, however, these conceptualizations reflect an interpretation of sustainable development that has been criticized for its anthropocentric nature. Anthropocentrism is a current in the philosophic discipline of environmental ethics that perceives nature as the human habitat which has a mere instrumental value insofar as the wellbeing of present and future generations depends on its preservation [16]. In this line of thinking, clearly what is considered worthy of being sustained is human well-being rather than the environment [17].…”

“…In this line of thinking, clearly what is considered worthy of being sustained is human well-being rather than the environment [17]. Critics of anthropocentric interpretations have postulated complementing anthropocentric interpretations of sustainable development with biocentristic interpretations that emphasizes the intrinsic value of all living beings and facilitate the adoption of new perspectives for a broader ethical foundation of the SDGs [16,18].…”

Human Rights Pathways to Just Sustainabilities

“…The worrying rift between human activity and the natural world has always been met with resistance [53], and many people continue to be deeply pained by the violence inflicted on the planet. The challenge is how to confront the logic of domination that sustains a global economic system of such destructive capacity [54], and that, incidentally, also characterizes patriarchy [55,56] and colonialism [26,50,57].…”

“…They have much more to lose and much less power to protect themselves. It is not a "political" act for us to consider the ethical root of these ruptures [34,53,64] or the wisdom driving resistance. It is a choice to attend to all available data and engage with a more expansive, socially grounded understanding of "meaningful limits or boundaries" that "provide effective warning of conditions beyond which the nature-society systems incur a significantly increased risk of serious degradation" [65]; see also [12].…”

“…As Larson [111] argues, participatory processes can "build a 'normative community' within which values of equity and sustainability develop organically, ultimately leading to equitable and sustainable water policy and provision of sufficient and affordable clean water" (p. 2260-2261). They can also open the door for "inspection of attitudes and values" underpinning sustainable development practices [53].…”