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The aim of this article is to review Latin American scientific production on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the field of education. For this purpose, a bibliometric analysis is performed on WoS articles, and a content analysis is carried out on empirical articles from 2015–2022. The main findings indicate that (1) since 2016, a considerable increase in scientific production is evidenced, reaching a peak of 30 articles in 2020; (2) Brazil is the most productive and influential nation in the region; (3) in general, good levels of international cooperation are evidenced, although only Brazil and Mexico show outstanding levels of scientific cooperation with countries in the Global North; (4) most of the analyzed papers were published in education journals, with a smaller percentage in specialized higher education journals; and (5) there are two main lines of research within the empirical papers: "Curriculum, extracurricular activities, projects, and pedagogical initiatives" and "Students' behaviors, perceptions, beliefs, concerns, and level of knowledge around issues related to the SDGs". We conclude that although Latin American production has increased in the last period, contributions continue to be marginal at global levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sustainable development goals (SDGs) are a guide for caring for the planet, guaranteeing the fundamental rights of its inhabitants and shaping sustainable economic growth. In the current context, characterised by great challenges and geopolitical conflicts, the figure of the CEO is key to driving the necessary transformation of companies and the prioritisation of their commitment to the current challenges of the world we live in. In this regard, the aim of this paper is to deepen current knowledge on the role of CEO visionary leadership in shaping inclusive and sustainable business models aligned with the goals of the 2030 Agenda. For the period 2019–2022, we study the information reported by the top 3910 companies worldwide on their contributions to the SDGs and analyse whether these commitments are determined by the structural power of the CEO within these companies. The results obtained confirm previous arguments, contradicting some of the previous evidence. In this sense, our findings show that the information disclosed by companies in relation to projects aligned with the SDGs is positively associated with leadership figures who wield power that allows them to influence the agenda and decisions made by the board of directors. The influence of leaders is reinforced in scenarios where companies excel in sustainability performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 threatens sustainable development and is a potential opportunity for downsizing the consumer economy. The virus's impacts on society are still unclear and additional contributions are required to investigate its effects on sustainable consumer behaviours. The paper aims to evaluate consumers' awareness regarding the emergency impacts on the 2030 Agenda SDGs achievement and sustainable consumption (SDG 12) in terms of societal and environmentally responsible behaviour. A qualitative study is planned to reach the research goal and 133 in-depth consumer interviews are performed. The sample is composed of young students informed on sustainability topics and issues. The thematic analysis is used to assess the data. The paper contributes to the existing literature about the 2030 Agenda and young consumers' sustainable behaviours by identifying the goal perceived by respondents as most negatively and positively impacted by the crisis and detecting those that can help overcome the emergency. Five themes (Social factors, Knowledge, Habits, Values, and Price) describing the main young consumer behaviour dimensions influenced by COVID-19 and lockdown in sustainability and social responsibility are detected. A theoretical framework is proposed to describe the effects of the five themes on sustainable behaviours. Finally, a roadmap for future research is identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to promote motor activity in children with autism spectrum disorder through the development of an adapted integrated soccer project played outdoors. The project is carried out in collaboration with the nonprofit "Smile Association" of the city of Frosinone (Lazio-Italy) and the Pegaso and Parthenope Universities. The main purpose of the Smile Association is to provide an educational and sports service in an area poorly provided with opportunities for children with intellectual disabilities, allowing them to change their predominantly sedentary condition and, through corporeality, to improve cognitive, affective, and relational processes. Participation in sports activities allows for the development of motor skills, social interactions, and cognitive stimulation. There is a need for available resources and programs dedicated exclusively to children with ASD to help them develop social, motor, and cognitive skills. One of the programs that might be helpful is a structured group play program involving physical activity. In addition, through the project, a dense social network has been activated between the third sector, sports companies, and local health authorities. The project aims to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda in Articles 3, 4, and 11. This paper describes the correlation between learning and motor activity. According to the hypotheses of this research, integrated soccer activity implements cognitive skills, particularly those related to memory for visual stimuli and to the theory of mind, as well as sense-motor skills. Work carried out to improve attentional skills can reduce stereotypical behaviours. The results showed that continuous and regular engagement in motor activities has positive health outcomes for children with autism in terms of reduced symptomatology and improved quality of life. A total of 108 statistical units (the control group consisted of 18 statistical units, and the sample comprised 90 participants) aged 8 to 11 years were examined. The project is aimed at girls (in compliance with Art. 5 regarding gender equality); however, the participants identified by the local health authority are predominantly male. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The People's Republic of China (PRC) has appeared to be inattentive towards the globally lobbied Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) movement that endeavors to leverage sport for non-sporting development, currently subscribing to the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By adopting the concept of 'tiyu (体育)'—the supposed Chinese counterpart of 'sport'—which also seeks to achieve wider objectives grounded on its premise of 'body cultivation', this paper proceeds with a text-based qualitative study incorporating document analysis and literature review to examine its current links to SDP. The findings suggest that: (1) While the national development foci of the PRC have demonstrated alignment with the SDGs, its tiyu policies have not. (2) Mainstream SDP projects have failed to be accommodated in the PRC, although some non-SDP tiyu practices have shown a commitment to SDP-desired outcomes. (3) The relative lack of interest in SDP in the PRC has not prevented some tiyu scholars from heeding this movement. Accordingly, this paper assesses the prospects of changing attitudes in the PRC toward SDP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several studies highlight the risks related to the growing water crisis, worsened by the effects of pollution, which increasingly make water sources non-potable. The current water-sensitive urban design (WSUD) approach improves resource efficiency and implements urban livability by combining natural water flows with all the scales of the urban landscape. The logistic and operational management of water disposal/treatment and distribution requires performing service design according to cities' physical and morphological features, starting from their architectural and landscape characteristics. This paper aims to prove that different landscapes can offer different inspirations and possibilities to imagine a WSUD-coherent system, fulfilling the integration requirements with the urban system. For this purpose, three case studies, differing by dimension, morphology, and urban typology, are analyzed, experimenting with circular water usage with no resource waste. This research proposes concrete actions such as conservation, restoration or addition of permeable surfaces, the installation of new accumulation and treatment systems, and the use of water-saving devices. Starting from redesigning the water system, they can also include punctual redevelopment interventions on the urban built environments and opportunities for network development with public administrations, private businesses, third-sector organizations, and end users. This experimentation has led to water savings of up to 80% of the current consumption scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research tests a sustainability assessment based on the 2030 Agenda's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through a process of their territorialization and implementation. This process enables the development of a spatial decision support system (SDSS) that can be integrated with strategic environmental assessments in urban planning. The assessment takes place on the transversality of the sustainability concept, considering the three dimensions (environmental, social, and economic) in a single assessment through the spatial sustainability assessment model (SSAM) by integrating geographic information systems (GIS) and multicriteria analyses. Economic development, social equity, and ecological integrity represent the three common visions for rethinking peri-urban edges. The choice of key indicators is due to the possibilities for action of urban plans and the vision of SDG 11a, which aims to support 'positive economic, social, and environmental links among urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning'. In addition, they were selected to be representative of sustainable planning processes in the peri-urban area. In recognizing the limits of urban expansion processes, in the peri-urban area, it is necessary to promote a different growth based on agri-environmental values, the production of biodiversity reserves and corridors, new models of inhabiting open space, and the consolidation of civic and collective uses. The paper tests the assessment methodology in two urban plans of the Metropolitan City of Naples that address the development of the peri-urban area with different strategies. This provides insight into how to support decision-making processes so that economic development, social equity, and ecological integrity represent three common and integrated visions to enable development that is consistent with SDGs. The results show that it is possible to identify trade-offs among the three dimensions. In fact, where there are environmental subtractions necessary to accommodate peri-urban land-relation functions, these are offset by the social values of collective use and by the values of the current economy that aim to redistribute present resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although school education, including the subject of physical education (PE), has the potential to contribute to the visions set out by the 2030 Agenda and its sustainable development goals (SDGs), little attention has been directed towards sustainable development perspectives in PE teacher education (PETE). In this explorative paper, we aimed to investigate how sustainable development perspectives are reflected in Swedish PETE course syllabi, focusing on learning outcomes. The source of data was 496 learning outcomes retrieved from PETE course syllabi at the eight Swedish PETE institutions that examine PE teachers for compulsory school grades 7−9 and upper secondary school. A qualitative thematical analysis was performed, and two educational resources developed to support how to use education in achieving SDGs were used as a guiding framework. The findings show eight learning outcomes (<2%) explicitly related to sustainable development perspectives. We found these learning outcomes in courses dealing with outdoor education, movement and health didactics, and work environment and ergonomics. Our further analysis suggests that 37 learning objectives (19% as cognitive, 43% as socio-emotional, and 38% as behavioural) and 31 competencies (35% within knowledge and understanding, 32% within skills and applications, and 32% within values and attributes) could be linked to our themes of learning outcomes. These learning objectives and competencies of the SDGs were for good health and well-being, quality education, gender equality, reduced inequalities, peace, justice, and strong institutions. The main findings signal a possibility to work with the conceptualisation of sustainable development perspectives and SDGs in PETE. PETE educators should be encouraged to critically reflect on what it can mean to include sustainable development perspectives in PETE course syllabi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the opinions of primary education teachers in relation to school trips (outdoor learning environment). The following questions are answered: What importance do educational trips have in the context of the curriculum? Does the teacher take advantage of the resources that the environment offers? Are the contents of the curriculum taught during field trips? Are outings planned with the aim of showing students the heritage of the surrounding area? What do students' families think? In order to answer these questions, a structured questionnaire (CUELX-M ©) was designed, which was then completed by 124 primary school teachers who work in the Region of Murcia (Spain). Through the analysis of the responses to this questionnaire, a detailed study of teachers' perceptions according to age, gender and teaching experience has been carried out. The reliability of the questionnaire was subjected to expert validation by judges (content, technical and methodological aspects). The reliability of each of the dimensions was also studied, and finally, the construct validity of the scales was studied. The results of Cronbach's alpha test (=0.867) show that the questionnaire is internally consistent. 98% of the teachers participating in the study agree that school field trips should not be merely recreational and that heritage resources located in the surroundings of schools and cities should be used. However, they also point out that parents of students are sometimes reluctant for their children to participate in such activities due to their economic cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we explore Science|Environment|Health, One Health, Planetary Health, and Sustainability/Education for Sustainable Development in the context of the 2030 Agenda as four major frameworks that take a step toward investigating health from different angles to tackle the grand challenges that lie ahead of humanity. In most of these frameworks, the topic of health is no longer limited to the health of humans; it also encompasses the health of ecosystems and planetary systems. Therefore, our ways of teaching and discussing health in science education may need to be adjusted. To this aim, we first shortly characterize the four frameworks and then analyze the concepts of health, the contributing sciences, and the role of values in the frameworks. In our opinion, three main questions have to be settled: (1) Which concept of health lies at the root of each framework? (2) Which sciences should be considered when teaching about health, and what role will they take in an interdisciplinary, integrative approach and under complexity restraints? (3) What is the role of values in these frameworks, and how can the is–ought fallacy be avoided? We finally discuss our findings in light of the concept of two-eyed seeing in science education. This concept helps us disentangle and sharpen the three main questions and draw implications for teaching about health in school science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the digital competences of teachers, students, and schools contributes to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 of the 2030 Agenda. That goal consists in enhancing the quality of education and offering learning opportunities. The knowledge of digital resources that teachers had and used during the COVID-19 confinement has contributed to the current awareness of the need to improve teachers' digital competence. The main objective of this paper is to analyse the digital resources that teachers participating in this research used the most in Spain between March and June 2020 due to the lockdown experienced in that country. A validated questionnaire, which was administered online in schools and high schools of the Community of Madrid, was answered by 97 teachers who were able to teach from home. The results reveal their assessment of the technological resources they used. In their opinion, the most useful were digital platforms, online classes, and videos, whereas the least useful were online tests and forums. Their answers also show that the training they received was mainly through Internet tutorials and consultations with colleagues. In order to ensure quality education, it is important to improve teachers' digital competence as a part of their training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shift of sustainability paradigms within the academic context has prompted universities to develop additional accountability tools to respond to the resulting demand for information. However, in terms of social reporting, universities have complete discretion regarding the content and nature of their sustainability budgets. The resulting diversity has led to greater heterogeneity with regard to information systems, which in turn poses the risk of making reports for stakeholders difficult to understand and complicates benchmark comparisons between different institutions. This paper aims to summarize the state of the art of sustainability reporting in Italian state universities, and to assess the compliance of these reports with global sustainability trends. This is achieved by determining the extent to which the sustainable development goals, outlined by the 2030 Agenda, are integrated into the substantive indicators used in the preparation of sustainability reports. The results show that sustainability reporting in universities is still in its early stages. Although only 29 universities—which represent 42% of the total number of universities initially surveyed—have pursued a sustainability reporting process, this research highlights a gradual increase in the implementation of SDGs as a criterion for assessing sustainable performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attending both the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005–2014) and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, this review is presented, bearing in mind that green chemistry is essential to contribute to sustainability. This work has compiled all the information relating to green chemistry metrics, so that stakeholders can select an appropriate model, under the Green Chemistry Protocol, to evaluate how much green is a process. The review was organized considering the following convenient sections: the mass valuation, the recognition of the human health and environmental impact, metrics using computational programs (software and spreadsheets), and finally global metrics. This review was developed by consulting the principal databases, since the appearance of the first green chemistry textbook in 1998. A massive number of references were attained involving the keywords proposed below, with six languages observed, highlighted by the English language. It is important to emphasize that the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry are conceptual and offer little quantitative information. In addition, almost all the reported metric green propositions do not consider the 12 principles and few papers offer how to obtain an appropriate evaluation about the greenness of a research. In this sense, it is convenient to note that only in the Spanish literature are there two metrics that consider all the principles. Finally, to our knowledge, and after a deep search in the literature, it is the first review that covers the different features of green chemistry: mass, environment/human health. and in some cases, the use of computational programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cannot be met without the private sector. In order to contribute to the fulfillment of the SDGs, companies have to identify their influence and select relevant SDGs. However, so far no research has been conducted on the influence of companies or industries at the most concrete level in the SDG framework—the 247 SDG indicators. In this paper, a criteria-based approach to select relevant environmental SDG indicators for the automobile industry is developed. The three criteria—environmental impact, direct impact, and automobile impact—are defined. By means of a qualitative analysis, 31 influenceable indicators are selected and substantiated by an empirical analysis of the automobile industry's impact. These indicators belong to 12 SDGs and demonstrate the broad influence of the automobile industry. The outcome of this study is a structured procedure for selecting relevant environmental SDG indicators. This procedure can be applied by companies and can also be adapted to other economic sectors. Finally, it is possible to quantify the level of influence of the selected indicators and thus measure the contributions of companies or economic sectors to the fulfillment of the SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews recent studies that address water sustainable management opportunities and challenges in megacities around the world, with an emphasis on the case of Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Region, one of the two megacities in Brazil. With reference to recent debates on water, megacities, and the climate crisis, as well as UN Water and Global Report Initiative documents, we focused on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda Sustainable Development Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation for All. The new Brazilian sanitation legal framework regulates public–private partnerships. In this context, the manuscript discusses the main question concerning water, sanitation, and hygiene that arises in the Brazilian case study: is universality possible in profit-oriented models? Through the current technical and academic literature consulted, the paper compares initiatives involving multiple stakeholder governance models that depend on private resources to implement universal access to drinking water, sanitation, and water-related extreme event controls, pointing out alternatives that can help to achieve the targets of SDG. Validation by key informants supports the synthesis of the reviewed documents, and the findings illustrate that concerted public efforts together with market mechanisms can help to overcome challenges and surpass the profit-oriented logics of private companies to achieve access to healthy and safe water, adequate sanitation, and improved hygiene, especially for vulnerable populations. This finding has transferability to other megacities in emerging countries that are facing public–private partnership debates on the provision of clean water and sanitation for all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study is to identify a sustainability development measure. The United Nations announced 17 development objectives in Agenda 2030. This research attempts to identify a measurement which captures all of the UN objectives. It uses the Baltic Sea Region as a natural laboratory for the sustainability discussion. This paper provides an analysis of a sample from the population of 159 research papers, published between 1990 and 2019. With the application of citation count regression, the population of papers is reduced to a sample of the heterogenic papers. These papers were then analysed for the existence of an integrated sustainability development measurement. The results indicate that there is no available applied or theoretical model for an integrated measurement of sustainable development across all of the United Nation's goals. The study provides the framework for a further matrix in reference to gross domestic product. The results are robust in terms of different sample specifications. The identified research gap has a policy implication. There is a need to develop a universal and comprehensive sustainable value measure to support policymakers and their public choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2030 Agenda for sustainable development emphasizes the interconnectedness of environmental issues with socio-economic development, recognizing their fundamental role in human prosperity, while the sustainable development goals (SDGs) serve as a pivotal framework globally. This study provides a critical assessment of the progress made by EU Member States in pursuing the SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities) targets as set out in the 2030 Agenda. The analysis is based on official data published by the EU Statistical Office—Eurostat—and uses the AAA (Holt-Winters) exponential smoothing algorithm for the trend analysis of specific indicators. The results show significant progress during the first seven years of implementation of the Agenda 2023, while indicating concerns about the achievement of the 2030 targets in some Member States. The mapping of potentially negative trends emphasizes the need for firm corrective actions, underlining the urgency of early interventions to address expected negative developments before they have potentially irreversible consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the UN Summit in New York 2015 it was agreed that a sustainable development of the planet is essential to strengthen universal peace in a broader capacity. On that basis, a call was made to all nations to achieve this through the 2030 Agenda. The issue is a complex one, as is evident from its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their interwoven interaction. Engineering plays a leading role in achieving the great majority of the SDGs. For this reason, engineering education should focus its efforts on training engineers to be active agents of sustainability in the world. Our research question is, in fact, how the engineering higher education institutions around the world are deploying the 2030 Agenda. To answer it, we carried out a systematic review of the literature regarding SDGs and engineering schools in the Scopus and Web of Science (WOS) databases. We applied PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses) methodology and, as a result, 22 papers were thoroughly studied. The results showed a consensus on the need for collaboration among the different stakeholders to achieve the desired degree profile of responsible engineers. Proposals to ensure this are diverse. They range from changes in curricula and competencies to a variety of teaching–learning strategies. Finally, future lines of research are identified from this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on assessing collaborative governance from the perspective of power dynamics in a disadvantaged neighbourhood in southern Spain: Las Palmeras. Increasing global urbanisation in recent decades has exacerbated problems of segregation within cities, posing a major challenge to achieving healthy urban environments for harmonious coexistence. Public policies have struggled to address this challenge, particularly following the adoption of the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which have underlined the importance of fostering inclusiveness and sustainability in urban environments. In this context, collaborative governance has emerged as a prominent strategy for democratising the implementation of public policies in urban contexts. However, the efficacy of collaborative governance is hampered by the dynamics of power relations, which limits its effectiveness. The aim of this study is understanding how these dynamics mediate collaborative processes in urban regeneration contexts, an area little addressed so far. Through a case study and the systematisation of experiences, the study proposes strategic recommendations for managing these dynamics within collaborative governance. The insights drawn from this study can serve as a basis for better addressing urban challenges, thus fostering greater inclusiveness and sustainability in urban areas as well as offering valid lines for future research in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its adoption in September 2015, the 2030 Agenda has laid the foundations for a model of shared prosperity for a sustainable world. The current global pandemic highlights profound inequalities affecting our economies, health, and quality of life. For this reason, the aim of this study was to present the current state of scientific research related to inequality, poverty, and climate change, and to propose lines of improvement that can contribute to achieving three of the 17 SDGs (end poverty, SDG 1; reduce inequality, SDG 10; and climate action, SDG 13), proposed in the 2030 Agenda. For this purpose, we undertook a systematic literature review. The results show that the subject of poverty, inequality, and climate change has been little studied or articulated by researchers, and significant differences exist between the different areas studied. The highest number of publications (51.7%) is associated with topics related to sustainability—environment and economics. The remainder are distributed among 12 other research areas. Another relevant finding is that the effects of climate change are more pressing for more vulnerable populations, including impoverished women from rural areas and children from underdeveloped countries. This gender and social inequality has been rarely addressed in studies. Food security and energy poverty is another under-researched area. According to the results obtained in this work, we consider that the circular economy may improve these indicators, constituting a line of future research. Thus, one of the main objectives of this approach is to eliminate negative externalities, specifically the existing social inequalities within the current linear economy model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into national development policies and development trajectories remain one of the desired outcomes to 2030. This paper teases out how South Africa landed the climate action SDG into its development trajectory, with a focus on mitigation policies, strategies and institutional setup. The study uses an online survey, key informant interviews, as well as policy documents and critical discourse analysis. The study concludes that South Africa has landed SDG 13 into its policies designed to respond to climate mitigation. However, there were several inherent challenges in the policies and strategies resulting in implementation inefficiencies, including the fact that the policy on climate change is driven more by international pressures and expectations rather than domestic awareness and activism. There are also challenges with institutional capacity to implement the policies at sub-national levels. Furthermore, reliance on a few experts makes the system vulnerable and fragile. The study also found that not enough is being done to support sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12) as there are energy intensive industries failing to comply with mitigation policies in place. Hence the paper recommends the need to fix the disjuncture between the energy policy and climate mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emerging of the fourth industrial revolution, also known as Industry 4.0 (I4.0), from the advancement in several technologies is viewed not only to promote economic growth, but also to enable a greener future. The 2030 Agenda of the United Nations for sustainable development sets out clear goals for the industry to foster the economy, while preserving social well-being and ecological validity. However, the influence of I4.0 technologies on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) has not been conclusively or systematically investigated. By understanding the link between the I4.0 technologies and the SDGs, researchers can better support policymakers to consider the technological advancement in updating and harmonizing policies and strategies in different sectors (i.e., education, industry, and governmental) with the SDGs. To address this gap, academic experts in this paper have investigated the influence of I4.0 technologies on the sustainability targets identified by the UN. Key I4.0 element technologies have been classified to enable a quantitative mapping with the 17 SDGs. The results indicate that the majority of the I4.0 technologies can contribute positively to achieving the UN agenda. It was also found that the effects of the technologies on individual goals varies between direct and strong, and indirect and weak influences. The main insights and lessons learned from the mapping are provided to support future policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) serve as a pivotal framework globally, addressing environmental concerns. The 2023 Agenda emphasizes the interconnectedness of environmental issues with socio-economic development, recognizing their fundamental role in human prosperity. This research critically evaluates the mid-term progress of EU Member States in achieving the 2030 Agenda's environmental targets. Using Eurostat data for SDGs 6, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15, we've analyzed trends via the AAA (Holt–Winters) exponential smoothing algorithm. Results highlight progress from 2015–2022 but signal concerns for 2030 targets in several Member States. These findings urge local, national, and EU stakeholders to intensify efforts toward environmental sustainability goals. Corrections are imperative, given the predicted negative trends, emphasizing the need for immediate action to rectify trajectories before it is too late. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses two ostensibly antagonistic themes: right-wing populism (RWP) and the UN 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). European politics has seen a sharp increase in right-wing populist influence over the last few election periods. More recently, such political influence has led to questions about right-wing populism's impact on environmental and sustainable development policy. This paper takes a novel approach to understanding the potential connections between the rise of RWP in Europe and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and SDGs in two ways. First, the paper is based on two workshops, informed by a preceding literature review on the topic of RWP in Europe, requested and organised by the European Sustainable Development Network (ESDN). Secondly, the results from the workshops are used to discuss and interpret the role of potentially differing worldviews (ontology, axiology, epistemology and societal vision) and how these relate to specific policy and governance responses, thereby impacting upon the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and SDGs in European countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims at contributing to the debate on the relationships between the European financial sector and sustainable development. Using a non-financial disclosure analysis of 262 European banks, the research sought, first, to investigate the "scope" of the contribution of European banks to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and, second, to explore the factors that seem to differentiate the SDGs approach among banks. The results show that country of origin, legal system, and adoption of an integrated report seem to differentiate banks in terms of contribution to the SDGs. The business model and stock exchange listing, conversely, do not seem to represent discriminatory factor in the contribution of banks toward the SDGs. The study can be useful for managers and decision makers to develop policies to support organizations in contributing to the SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sustainable and circular bioeconomy is a pathway to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 because the bioeconomy relates to a number of SDGs. We therefore focused on whether and how these SDGs are considered in national bioeconomy strategies, and on their indicator-based progress monitoring and assessment. This paper is based on eight countries that already have elaborated indicators in their national bioeconomy strategies. We analyzed the coverage of SDG issues in national bioeconomy strategies and the indicators used. We focused on how the different national indicators used to monitor the progress of the bioeconomy are related to the SDGs indicators and the already well established and widely applied intergovernmental regional or international forest-related indicators, as the forest sector is one of the key sectors for the development of a bioeconomy. Our material and methods are based on a document review and qualitative analysis of national bioeconomy strategies and their inherent indicator sets for progress monitoring. Based on our findings on the coverage of SDG-related issues of up to 14 out of the 17 SDGs in the bioeconomy strategies and of the high share of forest-related indicators within the bioeconomy indicators used, we derive recommendations for the further development of bioeconomy indicators. Our paper does not contribute to proposing the most suitable indicators, but it does encourage national and regional actors to carefully and holistically develop their bioeconomy monitoring systems using synergies from the already existing SDGs and forest monitoring processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender equality and women's empowerment are essential for sustainable development, yet several constraints make achieving them difficult. A strategic management tool is required to address these challenges and manage objectives and goals effectively. This study aims to redesign Balanced Scorecard (BSC), a strategic management tool for gender equality, to enable the strategic management of goals and indicators related to the fifth sustainable goal (SDG 5) proposed by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The BSC for gender equality was developed through a comprehensive literature review on gender-specific targets and indicators and the restructuring of the traditional architecture of the BSC to include new dimensions, guiding questions, and objectives to achieve this study's goals. Moreover, a strategy map was constructed to illustrate the strategy and cause-and-effect relationships across the BSC dimensions. This research provides concrete gender strategies that help organizations implement a management tool to measure and manage their performance related to gender equality and sustainable development. The findings suggest that the BSC for gender equality can contribute significantly to a clearer understanding of how organizations can measure and promote gender equality. The implications of this study are significant for promoting and advancing gender equality, helping organizations, researchers, and civil society translate this goal into practical terms, and applying the concepts discussed for sustainable development and women's empowerment in practical circumstances. Ultimately, using the BSC for gender equality is expected to result in social and economic benefits for current and future generations, making it a valuable tool for organizations and policy makers to promote sustainable development and gender equality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of the bioeconomy on regional and national levels is heavily reliant on the establishment of precise and efficient governance frameworks. These structures encompass a wide range of components, spanning from financial support to regulatory tools and limitations. These mechanisms play a pivotal role in addressing the challenges that emerge during the bioeconomy's growth. In this context, the necessity for continuous research to underpin and guide bioeconomy policies, while also bridging existing knowledge gaps, is glaringly evident. The current study brings a new perspective, using hierarchical cluster analysis as an exploratory approach and a technique for generating hypotheses. Its aim is to assess the progress of EU countries concerning the bioeconomy, including sectors involved in biomass production and conversion. The research draws on data published by the European Commission and Eurostat for the years 2015 and 2020, to capture the changes brought about by the adoption of the 2030 Agenda. The research findings furnish valuable insights into advancements in the bioeconomy and the clustering of countries based on their performance levels. Notably, Belgium and Denmark emerge as standout performers, potentially offering exemplary models of best practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combined annual Congress of the Italian Geological Society (Società Geologica Italiana, SGI) and the Italian Mineralogical and Petrological Society (Società Italiana di Mineralogia e Petrologia, SIMP), dedicated to Geosciences for a sustainable future, took place in Turin in September 2022. This was an opportunity to critically reflect on the role of geosciences for our society and planet, and the role that geoscientists have to play in the education of citizens, for the prevention of natural hazards and the conservation of cultural and natural heritage. In continuity with our previous work on the awareness of the Sustainable Development Goals among young geoscientists in Italy, the present study attempts to expand the investigated sample to include the entire Italian community of geoscientists. The aim is to highlight: (1) the most widespread opinions on the link between Earth Sciences and the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda; (2) what steps have been taken by Italian Earth Sciences departments for sustainability education and what could be the best strategies to develop sustainability related to geoscience topics. According to 229 answers to a questionnaire sent to congress participants (corresponding to 20% of the total amount), the results highlight that the Italian geocommunity (at least its younger members) has a high awareness of the implications of its work and research with sustainability issues, and, in particular, their responsibility to the environment; notwithstanding this awareness, the level of average familiarity with the 2030 Agenda and its goals is still low. In order to bridge this gap, it is recognized that there is an urgent need for sustainability education efforts in departments and the use of inter- and trans-disciplinary teaching approaches that can educate both students and practitioners to be capable of addressing the challenging issues of today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic agriculture is considered an important component of sustainable development because it promotes environmental sustainability and social responsibility, involving the use of practices that minimize the negative impact of agriculture on the environment and human health. Through this research, we aim to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the current state of and perspectives on specific indicators of organic agriculture from the perspective of the SDGs assumed by EU member countries in the context of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Based on Eurostat data covering the timeframe from 2008 to 2021, an ARIMA model was used to analyze the data and forecast trends in the selected indicators until 2030. The results of this unique study provide relevant information on the indicators and countries for which positive developments are expected up to 2030, as opposed to those indicators for which mixed or negative developments are forecast. The findings of this research empower policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders to identify possible negative developments and take appropriate corrective action, with the aim of achieving the goals proposed in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the prevalence of climate change and sustainable development in the new curriculum of compulsory secondary education (ESO) and the baccalaureate is crucial for educational communities in Spain. However, there was a lack of studies that examined the integration of climate change and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as cross-cutting themes in the new education framework, particularly in the technology disciplines. This study aimed to address this gap by conducting a comparative analysis of the new legislative content (LOMLOE) and the previous legislation (LOMCE). The analysis quantified the presence of keywords related to climate change and sustainable development in both legal texts, focusing on the definition of objectives, level skills, evaluation criteria, and blocks of knowledge. Additionally, the study assessed the inclusion of SDGs and the ethical implications associated with the use and production of technologies at both education levels. The analysis of the curriculum content revealed a significant presence of references to climate change, sustainable development, and SDGs throughout the LOMLOE curriculum, particularly in the baccalaureate. Notably, education's role in addressing climate change and promoting sustainable development was explicitly recognized as an objective at this level. Regarding technology disciplines, LOMLOE placed considerable emphasis on fostering awareness of the environmental impact of technological development by introducing a new cross-level knowledge block named "Sustainable Technology", spanning from ESO to the final courses of baccalaureate. This integration was further reinforced by evaluation criteria and specific skills that strongly aligned with sustainability principles, encouraging assessments centred around environmental awareness, ethical responsibilities, and sustainable entrepreneurship. Further studies are required to evaluate the effectiveness of incorporating SDGs and climate change into technology disciplines following the implementation of LOMLOE, with the aim of identifying best practices for effectively combatting climate change and promoting sustainability in technology education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Science education plays a key role in promoting Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) through the training of informed and participatory citizens committed to the management of our planet and its resources. This work presents the design and assessment of an In-Service Teacher Education Program (ISTEP) through an Educational Design Research approach aiming at developing skills that make it possible to operationalize the experimental practical teaching of science topics, within the scope of ESD, in an articulated, coherent, and progressive way throughout Basic Education. It was implemented with 14 teachers from the three cycles of Portuguese Basic Education (ages 6–15), and focused on "Soils". An integrated set of activities and respective didactic resources were co-built (the trainer-researcher with the in-service teachers) with a progressive, systematic, and sequential vision of the "Soils" theme. The content analysis of the teachers' answers to questionnaires and during the final reflection point to an improvement in their practices regarding the ability to plan and design didactic resources on science topics from a Sustainable Development perspective. This ISTEP can be adapted to other themes and educational contexts, namely through close cooperation on education issues, which is one of the lines of action of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda requires strong and accountable institutions. However, the focus on sustainability outcomes set forth in the Agenda's 17 SDGs has side-lined the debate on accountability mechanisms to ensure effective policy implementation. Six years into the adoption of the 2030 Agenda, it is time to assess progress made in this regard. Drawing on theories of public interest and rational choice, this paper argues that horizontal accountability between different state organs will be key to the emergence of national SDG accountability regimes. We provide evidence on monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for SDG progress based on an original database (AccountSDG) built through a document analysis of 136 Voluntary National Reviews (VNR) submitted between 2016 and 2019. Our analysis provides the first systematic cross-national empirical analysis of the role assigned to parliaments, Supreme Auditing Agencies (SAI), and National Human Rights Institutions (NHRI) in national processes of SDG implementation. We conclude that horizontal accountability, especially the role of SAI and NHRI, remains under-institutionalized in most countries. We conclude by discussing best practices and addressing the most important lacunae, as well as by pointing out limitations of our study and avenues for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple-criteria decision making (MCDM) methods have been widely employed in various fields and disciplines, including decision problems regarding Sustainable Development (SD) issues. The main objective of this paper is to present a systematic literature review (SLR) on MCDM methods supporting decisions focusing on the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in regional, national, or local contexts. In this regard, 143 published scientific articles from 2016 to 2020 were retrieved from the Scopus database, selected and reviewed. They were categorized according to the decision problem associated with SDGs issues, the MCDM methodological approach, including the use (or not) of fuzzy set theory, sensitivity analysis, and multistakeholder approaches, the context of MCDM applications, and the MCDM classification (if utility-based, compromise, multi-objective, outranking, or other MCDM methods). The widespread adoption of MCDM methods in complex contexts confirms that they can help decision-makers solve multidimensional problems associated with key issues within the 2030 Agenda framework. Besides, the state-of-art review provides an improved understanding of this research field and directions for building a research agenda for those interested in advancing the research on MCDM applications in issues associated with the 2030 Agenda framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide, many developing countries are making efforts to achieve sustainability through the 17 SDGs and at the same time to contribute to environmental security. The Nexus approach enables a more integrated and sustainable use of resources that extends beyond traditional siloed thinking and is applicable at multiple scales. This is especially important in a globalized world where collaboration is becoming increasingly important for societies. In this framework, we present an analysis that will assist policymakers set priorities in investments by investigating the influence of the WEF nexus on the 17 SDGs and vice versa. Following the Nexus approach may thus enhance synergies and contribute to increased performance in connected SDGs that are positively influenced. In this article, we present an analysis that allows stakeholders to adapt it to their specific needs by entering new scores based on the characteristics of each case study; the results of this methodology should be considered in light of the specific conditions, including socio-cultural aspects and geographical, geopolitical, and governance realities, as well as the scale of the case study in question. A Fuzzy Cognitive Map analysis is also conducted on the scores to quantify SDG impact and identify the SDGs that most strongly "influence" nexus-coherent policies and the SDGs that are most strongly "influenced by" the nexus. This is achieved by analyzing the causality in this complex system of positive and negative interlinkages. Through this analysis, three SDGs, namely SDG 2 (Food), SDG 6 (Water) and SDG 7 (Energy), are indicated as the most influenced by the WEF nexus, revealing either synergies or trade-offs, while other SDGs are identified as having little interaction with the WEF nexus system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2015, the United Nations adopted the Sustainable Development Goals. Several experts on sustainable development have highlighted the need for educational transformation to achieve them on time. Simultaneously, the influence of teen series on the personal and social development of teenagers has been increasingly demonstrated, especially after their boom through video-on-demand digital platforms. Therefore, it is worth asking how the 2030 Agenda goals are presented in teen series, especially in those of public television, such as the Spanish one, due to its commitment to young people and the SDGs (ratified in its official documents). The aim of this study is to propose an analysis tool and, subsequently, to apply it to a content analysis of the digital teen series Boca Norte. The results of the analysis reveal that social issues are presented in Boca Norte, while environmental ones are not. In addition, the results show limitations in the integration of SDG-related issues, especially because they are focused on social relationships between characters rather than on realities, contexts and consequences. The tools' findings could impact or be linked to teenagers' education. These conclusions prove that the proposed tool is useful, even for the development of new series for public television aligned with its public commitment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sustainable Development Goals are part of the formative management in multiple universities that are committed to a better and more sustainable future for all; contributing to this from the postgraduate management in education involves rethinking educational research from lines that ensure that the research work has a real impact on the 2030 agenda. In this regard, the objective of this study was to identify and characterize specific lines of educational research for sustainable development in a private university in Lima, specifically in Postgraduate Education (Doctorate, Master's and Second Specialty). The methodology deployed a qualitative approach, synchronizing the methods of systematization of experiences and grounded theory. A total of 186 students and 16 teachers participated, and the collection of information used three techniques: (1)—documentary review (5398 titles and other normative documents), (2)—asynchronous focus group (16 experienced teachers), and (3)—interview (202 participants). The results show four specific lines of research: (1)—Quality educational management, (2)—Teaching–learning–assessment, (3)—Educational innovation and ICT, and (4)—Training, research, and psychosocial factors in education. It concludes with a characterization of these lines based on an epistemic foundation that integrates current trends in educational research for sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This policy review overviews the Chinese path to sports modernization within the theoretical framework of the Chinese path to modernization, which is centered on the principle of Fitness-for-All. Over a century of endeavors, the modernization of sports in China has created a new and comprehensive sports civilization in a developing country with a large population and inadequate sports resources. The essence of the Chinese path to sports modernization can be summarized as a people-centered process of sports modernization led by the Communist Party of China that relies on a top-level design with universal participation and seeks to develop a diverse global sports governance. The development of Chinese sports will not only make a transformative contribution to China's commitment to its second Century Goal, but it will also provide a renaissance for the ancient Chinese philosophy of health first into a people-centered modernization theory, and contribute a Chinese blueprint for the pursuit of the advancement of cross-cultural, diverse world sports civilizations and sustainable development goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measuring the advances performed in the 2030 Agenda and the contribution of public policies remains a key issue. Budgets are acknowledged as one of the most powerful tools made available to administrations to push forward this contribution, and so several initiatives have risen to align budget items and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) performance at all levels. The aim of this paper is to go beyond simple alignment and statistically analyze the interlinkages between budget and SDG achievement data. We have used the Spanish local administrations budget, together with indicators used to measure the 2030 Agenda goals at the same level, and computed a correlation test in order to find where budget allocation has an impact. We have then looked further into the relevant impacts to split them into direct and indirect. The research found ca. 25% of the budget items with relevant statistical links to the SDGs, with the SDGs 11 and 15 being the least impacted and SDGs 1, 4, 7, 8 and 16 the most connected ones. This research aims to set the bases of an evidence-based decision-support tool for a more efficient and sustainable policy design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2030 Agenda sets out seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The educational goal is to promote the education of citizens on sustainable development, among other things. Educating today's digital citizens on sustainability means training them for justice and social activism, commitment and political engagement. However, research into the subject shows a lack of consistency in the education of university students. This paper presents a study of students of Education, on education on sustainability through the practice of active and critical digital citizenship. A quasi-experimental method was used to learn about the behaviors of digital citizens, and intervention was carried out by means of an SDG-focused workshop and observation of the final level of commitment. The results show a positive level of commitment and digital activism around content related to sustainable development, which can be addressed from the university syllabus in a cross-curricular way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UN's 2030 Agenda defined 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In order to ensure the implementation of this global agenda, the UN proposed a systematic follow-up and review through indicator-based tracking and reporting of the progress with statistical and geospatial information toward SDGs at national, regional, and global levels. This has posed many technical and institutional challenges. Although international communities have devoted great attention to this hot topic, most of their work has focused on the conceptual design and preliminary testing. There are very few good practices for a comprehensive measurement and assessment of progress toward SDGs with the integration of statistical and geospatial information at national or local levels. This paper presents the methodology and results of a pioneer project which measured the progress toward SDGs at a local level in China (i.e., Deqing County) by integrating statistical and geospatial information. In this study, a number of technical/institutional issues have been tackled, such as the adoption of appropriate indicators at a local level, availability and acquisition of reliable data sets, and spatiotemporal analysis with a geographical perspective, interaction between SDGs and cross-sector coordination. The major conclusions are (a) the comprehensive progress toward SDGs in Deqing can be most appropriately measured and assessed by integrating geospatial and statistical information; (b) Deqing has made significant economic and social advances while maintaining a good ecological environment over the past few years. The results were released at the first United Nations World Geospatial Information Congress as a good practice and a live example to stimulate discussions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations calls upon all signatory countries to localize its goals through National and Regional Sustainable Development Strategies (SDS). As in Italy the SDS constitute the framework of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of Plans and Programmes (P/P), the question arises as to whether the SEA can represent a fundamental tool for SDS. Although the mutual relationship between 2030 Agenda goals and SEA is recognized in the literature, there is a lack of focus on SDS and SEA. The SEA monitoring system is an essential instrument to redirect P/P trajectories, although it represents a constant weakness of the SEA process. Opening a discussion about the relationship between SDS and SEA, the present contribution aims at assessing SEA monitoring potential in mediating the 2030 Agenda SDS's objectives into P/P. To this end, the study delves into the SEA monitoring structure through a qualitative and comparative approach, the feasibility of which is illustrated by an application to a set of spatial plans. Results show both good potential and the criticalities of the SEA monitoring system, which allow us to outline practical inputs to update SEA monitoring guidelines and new paths to foster the mutual relationship between the SDS and SEA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education is recognized as a dimension in which a more sustainable future can be promoted and supported. It is described both as a specific goal under the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and as a goal within other SDGs. Since sustainability can be taught at all levels of education, students progressively acquire a variable knowledge of these issues and find academic, professional and social contexts in which they are expected to implement this knowledge. Italian universities could gradually adapt to incorporate this knowledge through specific courses, the integration of sustainability in learning programs, and the promotion of sustainable behaviors. This offers a unique opportunity to integrate sustainability in didactic activities and in the whole academic environment, presenting the university as a model for a more sustainable life. The same path can be followed by other institutions engaged in lifelong learning and improving general education and sustainability literacy. This essay presents a general diagnosis of the current situation in the global and national integration of sustainability in education, the level of knowledge of Italian students and teaching staff about sustainability, why this knowledge should be enhanced, and how lifelong learning can harmoniously continue the process to achieve such integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of sustainable agriculture is treated as a priority at the EU level, and the importance and role of agriculture, in general, and sustainable agriculture, in particular, is undeniable. The European Commission pushes for sustainability in agriculture in rural areas across the EU through the common agricultural policy (CAP), and the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development targets becomes essential. Through our research, we aimed to investigate the status of sustainable agriculture development in EU Member States by assessing the current level of the achievement of SDG 2 targets, as well as the potential achievement of these targets by 2030. Based on data collected from Eurostat, we forecast the evolution of indicators for each country considered until 2030 using the ARIMA model and dynamic indicator analysis. The results obtained suggest, on the one hand, the existence of positive developments at the level of European countries, but also highlight a number of existing disparities, together with evidence of potentially significant deviations from the targets assumed by the 2030 Agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quality education is understood as one of the most powerful and proven drivers for ensuring sustainable development, which can be applied in various educational contexts, formal and non-formal, and which can generate multiple benefits for the general public. Given its relevance, this article presents a bibliometric approach of the scientific production generated around Sustainable Development Goal (SPG) 4 that seeks to "Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning" as a priority objective of 2030 Agenda. To develop this research, a literature search was conducted in the Web of Science and Scopus databases. The final sample was 240 publications. The data were analyzed around ten variables: year of publication, type of document, area of indexation, periodical publications, most productive authors, institutions, countries, languages, most cited articles, and key words. The findings of this study indicate that quality education, within the Sustainable Development Goals, is gaining relevance, with 2019 being the year with the highest scientific production. This is a growing theme that is transmitted mainly through articles and papers in English, and there are no institutions, research groups or authors with a broad scientific background and production. The conclusion is that this bibliometric approach is important and necessary to know the reality of scientific production on this subject and to be able to make proposals and lines of research for its development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this period of extreme changes in our society, issues related to the health and well-being of citizens are considered essential for the future of a united and prosperous Europe. Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at EU level by 2030 requires hard work done in a transformative way in order to implement a set of coherent, evidence-informed policies that address health, well-being and all their determinants throughout the course of life and across all sectors of government and society. The objective of this paper is to assess the stage of fulfillment of all SDG targets in relation to health and well-being at EU level, based on the current trend of each indicator, for each EU member country. Based on the Eurostat SDG data set for 2007–2018, the individual trends were forecast using the AAA (Holt-Winters) version of the exponential smoothing (ETS) algorithm. The research results are surprising, on the one hand showing the possibility that some targets will be reached, but also indicating that a large percentage of targets will not be reached if the current trend is continued, especially due to disruptive change generated by the current pandemic. There is a need to increase the involvement of all member states, but also ensure a deeper involvement at the level of EU institutions, to provide full support for meeting the targets proposed by the 2030 Agenda, ensuring prosperity and health for all European citizens, and becoming a model for all the states of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fundamental issue in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda at the national level refers to the systemic analysis of interactions of global targets, considering the context-specific understanding of these interactions within a long-term vision. Another critical issue is how to apply and combine different approaches and tools to provide a consistent analysis for evidence-based decision-making on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and global targets. Consistent with both concerns, a systemic and contextual framework to prioritize SDG targets for a country's 2030 Agenda is proposed, by integrating fuzzy multicriteria decision-making methods, prospective structural analysis, and network theory tools. The applicability of the proposed framework could be demonstrated through a socio-technical experiment carried out during 2018 for the definition of the 2030 Agenda in Brazil. The experiment is especially designed to bring methodological insights to this decision-making process, and empirical results highlight the targets that will drive the Brazilian 2030 Agenda. Although the empirical results presented in this paper are exclusive to Brazil, we believe that the proposed framework can be replicated in other countries, especially those that are going to prioritize the global targets to be included in their respective Agendas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuclear science and technology (NST) offers a multitude of applications and tools and has a high level of regulation. However, its contribution to the achievement of global development goals is still incipient. Although its application is directly related to many fields, especially sustainability, the current literature does not relate it to socio-environmental issues, hindering the adoption of public policies based on isotopic and nuclear solutions. In large and megacities, the promotion of human well-being and the conservation of ecosystems are urgent global challenges, especially as a function of the growing expansion of land use modification, water scarcity, and climate change. The relationship between society and NST is addressed in this study, which aims to show how and in what ways the emerging and innovative nuclear and isotopic solutions contribute to the urban dimension of the United Nations 2030 Agenda, expressed by SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), and its connection to land, water, and climate change in cities. This gap in knowledge compromises the targeting of resources to improve NST as a development strategy. Demystifying NST and increasing collaboration between ecosystem services and other issues related to sustainability in cities are key to implementing global development policies, especially at the local governance level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increasing population and increasing industrial demand for resources has created a need to ensure the supply can keep up. With sustainable development on the agenda, the European Union established the strategy 2030 Agenda with set goals to fulfil. Some of those are connected to the principles of the circular economy. This study aimed to identify the state of the circular economy based on the current level of waste management in the agricultural sector of EU27 countries in the context of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The main focus was on the 12th goal of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, for which countries are analyzed according to five indicators. The results showed heterogeneity between EU countries, and while we analyzed this in relation to countries' GDP, no relationship between the agricultural waste management and GDP was found. To confirm and develop the results obtained, we outline possibilities for future research and methodological improvements that will support more robust conclusions, such as expanding the research sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper proposes a model for evaluating environmental, social, and economic impacts exerted by the diffusion of electric vehicles (EVs), which is a phenomenon that can significantly affect the achievement of some of the objectives set by the Sustainable Development Agenda. The impact evaluation is carried out through the System Dynamics methodology, combined with scenario analysis. Considering the Piedmont region (Italy) as a case study, the model forecasts the impacts of EV diffusion using a simulation timeframe of 12 years and leveraging eight EV diffusion scenarios. According to the model, an increase in the number of EVs results in less air pollution and, therefore, minor public health expenditure. These cost savings can be turned into incentives for purchasing new EVs, which make the fleet increasingly greener as part of a self-reinforcing loop. Despite the fact that the model could be improved through additional research on some variables' definitions, this ex ante evaluation tool represents a valuable instrument for policy-makers. In fact, it provides a comprehensive picture of EV diffusion in view of the triple sustainability principles: System Dynamics, in particular, allows singling out causal relationships among variables, thus anticipating possible effects of planned policy actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]