Editor’s choice
The authors present an empirically based and transparent method for developing “consistent scenarios” that identifies which SDGs will be unattainable if historical patterns of interaction between SDGs are maintained. Using historical data on SDG indicators and correlation analysis together with cross-impact balance analysis, they identify such scenarios for a set of high- to low-income countries.
The 2030 Agenda states that the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) make parts of an indivisible whole, and research on SDG implementation highlights how managing goal interactions – synergies and trade-offs – is key for implementation to be successful.
The authors of this paper find no consistent scenario where progress can be made on all 17 SDGs for any of the countries. Their findings demonstrate the importance of policies that target interactions and resolve trade-offs rather than individual goals to unlock a sustainable future trajectory. This reflects what was novel about the SDGs as a framework for global development; that the goals are indivisible and achieving them all require systemic changes that alter how social and economic processes interact with the environment.
Project / SEI’s SDG interactions method uses a seven-point typology to assess how progress in one target affects progress on another target.
Tool / A practical tool for understanding how groups of policy areas and targets interact, using systems thinking.
Past event / Understanding trade-offs and synergies is key for SDG implementation. Discover ongoing research and examples from Japan, Finland, and Sweden about them.
Press release / Kersti Kaljulaid and Per Mickwitz have been appointed to SEI's Board by the Swedish Government.
Journal article / This article addresses civil society’s understudied roles in the SDGs framework, focusing on discursive and practical dynamics in the Forum LAC.
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