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This paper highlights how immersive educational experiences can help students understand the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their relation to leadership. The paper provides an example of how a carefully designed faculty‐led program using original research can cultivate cross‐cultural competencies and build student knowledge and skills to support sustainability. Educators can use this paper as a guide to other immersive experiences to address the SDGs while developing student leadership capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of forest degradation and loss has become the concern of many countries. To address this challenge, some collaborate in sustainable forest management. The most successful outcomes, however, are observed where local participation is an essential part of conservation efforts. In Ghana, forests have experienced various degrees of exploitation over the years, resulting in their ecological decline. Despite its designation as a protected area for biodiversity and ecosystem services, the Atewa Range Forest Reserve in Ghana has been significantly impacted by deforestation, illegal mining, and other destructive activities. The purpose of this paper is to examine ecologically based management approaches that could be adopted to generate beneficial outcomes for all forest stakeholders and actors in Ghana. The study sampled forest stakeholders in Kwabeng, the administrative capital of the Atewa West District, to understand forest governance challenges and outline strategies for overcoming them. The study revealed that a bottom‐up all‐inclusive approach to managing forest resources is necessary. This paper, therefore, proposes an integrated forest governance that prioritizes the UN Sustainable Development Goal 15—Life on Land‐related to forest preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability is a global goal of sustainable development aimed at ensuring a quality life on the Earth for the future generations. Buildings, infrastructure and the entire built environment should be better prepared for the new conditions—they should be sustainable, resilient and adaptable to new situations. This requires new technical solutions for the construction, reconstruction, and modernization of buildings and all other engineering structures. Concrete is gradually becoming a building material with great potential for realizing technical solutions that meet new requirements, leading to the necessary reduction of environmental impacts and consequent improvement of social and economic conditions. The paper presents implementation of sustainability principles in the new fib Model Code 2020 (MC2020). This represents a contribution of the International Federation for Structural Concrete (fib) to the achievements of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), set by the United Nations in 2015 as an action plan for the period up to 2030. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multicriteria mathematical modeling is an analytical framework for formally describing real‐life problems involving multiple and conflicting objectives. In the past decade, multicriteria decision‐making techniques have been applied in almost every area of the decision‐making including energy‐economic planning and sustainable development. Various mathematical and analytical models have been presented for the sustainable development planning and their assessment. In this paper, we discuss an approach related to multicriteria decision‐making and apply it for the assessment of the sustainable development goals of India by the year 2030. In the INDC report submitted to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (2015, http://www..unfccc.int/submissions/INDC/Published%20Documents/India/1/INDIA%20INDC%20TO%20UNFCCC.pdf), India has identified many goals related to the sustainable development like energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, GVA growth, and an increase in the employment by the year 2030. This paper overcomes the energy resource allocation problem in related literature due to the lack of sectorial data for the same year by calculating the estimates for each sector for the year 2030. We presented a multicriteria decision‐making model which allocates public labor force in the key economic sectors of India. The presented model is validated with the data of the key economic sectors and their contribution in the identified goals. The paper provides a decision support for the better management of future sustainable policies by assessing the efficiencies of the current policies toward future sustainable goals. We evaluated the identified goals using the multicriteria decision‐making approaches so that the strategic planning can be implemented by the policy makers and to present a quantitative justification of planning strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) can be used as a tool to understand how products and operating systems can meet the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, existing linkages between SDGs and LCSA are limited and an analysis of coverage in literature is needed. In this paper, we propose a generic methodological framework establishing connections between LCSA categories at micro‐level and SDGs at macro‐level based on derivation from the literature. The qualitative heuristic research method developed builds on keyword literature search, bibliometric analysis, mapping, and narrative literature review for connection rationales. By using qualitative assessment levels, an assessment of linkages between LCSA categories and SDGs reveal that "technology development," "public commitment to sustainability issues," "access to material resources," and "education provided in the local community" have the highest number of reported relationships with SDGs. Twenty‐two LCSA categories were found with no direct/indirect connection with any SDG; reasons include absence of life cycle thinking perspective in SDGs and lack of sustainability‐based discussion for workers, consumers, and value chain actors' stakeholder groups. Despite these gaps, the results provide new insights for industries looking to measure the contribution of their product systems along their life cycle in the context of SDGs supporting them to some extent, to select LCSA categories with either highest number of identified relationships to SDGs or that contribute to prioritized list of SDGs. The approach provides a starting point to improve transparency and consistency of reporting of sustainability performance of product systems by connecting LCSA to the global agenda for sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artisanal and small‐scale gold mining (ASGM) is the principal anthropogenic activity that globally contributes to overloading our environment with mercury. Although the Minamata Convention, led by the United Nations, is a crucial instrument to eliminate its use progressively, novel approaches to accelerate this difficult transition are welcome. This article proposes a framework for policy‐making or improvement, fostering the enforcement of mercury elimination through the lens of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), focusing on the excluded artisanal and small‐scale gold miners and their dependents. We move forward with a literature review of the Artisanal and Small Mining topic, taking each SDG as a unit of analysis. Understanding the problem as a puzzle of four sets of pieces, namely: (1) social, (2) environmental, (3) economic, and (4) institutional, the paper offers potential opportunities for the decision‐makers and practitioners to accelerate the substitution of this heavy metal and develop sustainable futures for the ASGM communities. We conclude by proposing a pragmatic framework that synthesizes the means, actions, and ends to accelerate a sustainable transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2015 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the new global development goals guiding the work of mainstream development actors until 2030. The shift to "sustainable development" marks a response to climate change and constitutes a rebranding of international development as global development, prominently by the UN, World Bank, and IMF. In this paper, I draw from recent fieldwork in Bolivia to question what is being globalised. In response to calls for northern geographers to better attend to new forms of coloniality and knowledge production, I take seriously indigenous agendas for development, land, and sovereignty to critique Agenda 2030 with decolonial territorial agendas and theories of environmental justice. I argue that the implementation of Agenda 2030 has reconfigured the borderlands between international development and indigenous territorial agendas. In a drastic reworking of the "boomerang effect," development infrastructure is being disconnected from anti‐extractive indigenous territorial politics, as the modes of engagement between states, the private sector, and NGOs are reconfigured by the unifying agenda of sustainable development – weakening both indigenous struggles for territorial sovereignty and the environmental remit of the SDGs. An environmental justice perspective locates the case of the Territorio Indígena y Parque Nacional Isiboro (TIPNIS) Secure case within a bigger struggle between local claims to land and global extractive capital, foregrounding that decolonial agendas for territory are entangled with contemporary extractive capitalism. In seeking consensus between states, the private sector, and civil society, the SDGs minimise the sites of conflict that instruct "sustainable development," revealing both a critical weakness of the SDGs and a pathway towards their greater effectiveness. The 2015 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the new global development goals guiding the work of mainstream development actors until 2030 and constituting a rebranding of international development as global development, prominently by the UN, World Bank and IMF. In this paper, I draw from recent fieldwork in Bolivia and take seriously indigenous agendas for development, land, and sovereignty, critiquing Agenda 2030 with decolonial territorial agendas and theories of environmental justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper is an attempt to define and analyse the concept of the blue economy (BE) and its implications for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This study covers aspects such as building a blue economy to achieve SDGs, the importance of a healthy ocean for current and future generations, maintaining the momentum to save the ocean, achievements of the United Nations (UN) conference on the Sustainable Blue Economy, and the highlights of the UN World Water Development Report 2020. This study specifically analyses the health effects and threats to biodiversity, adaptation and mitigation, improved wastewater management, prioritizing water, accessing climate funds, water and climate change, and the relationship between the blue economy and UN SDGs as well as identification of key stakeholders. This is achieved through a detailed literature review on the blue economy that identifies global organizations working on creating a blue economy, elements of the blue economy and current development efforts, United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, sustainability and equity, ocean governance, international law and frameworks, and improvement in governance frameworks among other issues. The methodology used attempted to develop a macro, comprehensive, and systematic aggregate database at the country level on macro parameters, namely blue economy, blue finance, BE‐SDGs linkages, water development, marine sector, SDGs data on SDG‐14 (life underwater), SDG‐6 (access to safe drinking water and sanitation), SDG‐3 (good health and well‐being), and optimal management of water resources through scientific techniques, such as building several small reservoirs instead of mega projects, develop small catchment dams and protect wetlands, soil management, micro catchment development, recharging of underground aquifers thus reducing the need for large dams, which has encountered challenges due to data limitations. The results of this research study emphasize broader stakeholder consultations at the global level to resolve the issues relating to blue economy, blue finance, and ocean governance. The most important conclusion and policy implications of the study are that international organizations including the United Nations, the Asian Development Bank, and the World Bank are working towards achieving the SDGs in general, and the blue economy, blue finance, and ocean governance in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper intends to fill a gap in available literature by debating the role of human geography in the elaboration of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. More particularly, it elaborates on the relevance of spatial planning and territorial cohesion processes to implement sustainable development. This paper explores potential points of intersection and complementarity between several human geography related policy goals and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). At the same time, it identifies promising directions for delving more deeply into fundamental policy goals associated with spatial planning and territorial cohesion. Inspired by the advantages associated with the holistic and interdisciplinary approach of human geography, the paper proposes two additional SDGs for the 2030 Agenda to reinforce territorial cohesion and planning processes. It concludes that the identification of SDGs is excessively predicated on a prevailing conceptual triad (economy + society + environment). Thereby, it undercuts a common assumption that crucial human geography related policy arenas are not seen as essential pillars of sustainability processes. In particular, the research intends to fuel the clamour for more holistic approaches to sustainable development policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of soils to society has gained increasing recognition over the past decade, with the potential to contribute to most of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With unprecedented and growing demands for food, water and energy, there is an urgent need for a global effort to address the challenges of climate change and land degradation, whilst protecting soil as a natural resource. In this paper, we identify the contribution of soil science over the past decade to addressing gaps in our knowledge regarding major environmental challenges: climate change, food security, water security, urban development, and ecosystem functioning and biodiversity. Continuing to address knowledge gaps in soil science is essential for the achievement of the SDGs. However, with limited time and budget, it is also pertinent to identify effective methods of working that ensure the research carried out leads to real‐world impact. Here, we suggest three strategies for the next decade of soil science, comprising a greater implementation of research into policy, interdisciplinary partnerships to evaluate function trade‐offs and synergies between soils and other environmental domains, and integrating monitoring and modelling methods to ensure soil‐based policies can withstand the uncertainties of the future. Highlights: We highlight the contributions of soil science to five major environmental challenges since 2010.Researchers have contributed to recommendation reports, but work is rarely translated into policy.Interdisciplinary work should assess trade‐offs and synergies between soils and other domains.Integrating monitoring and modelling is key for robust and sustainable soils‐based policymaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) embrace an ambitious and wide ranging set of environmental, social, and economic issues designed to effect a transition to a more sustainable future. Although the SDGs are global in nature, there is an increasing awareness that they also have an important local dimension. With this in mind, this commentary paper outlines the characteristics of the SDGs, reviews their importance at the local level, provides some illustrations of how they are being addressed locally within North Western Europe and United Kingdom, and offers some reflections on localising the SDGs. The paper suggests that progress in launching and developing local initiatives within the United Kingdom has, to date, been limited. In part, this reflects the lack of a clear national policy framework for the localisation of the SDGs and in part, it reflects the challenges of raising awareness of the importance of local SDG initiatives and of funding such initiatives. Looking to the future, communications and public relations professionals may have an important role to play in raising awareness of the importance of the SDGs at the local level, and this may help to change hearts and minds in addressing the policy making and financial challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social impacts of novel technology can, parallel to environmental and economic consequences, influence its sustainability. By analyzing the case of hydrogen production by advanced alkaline water electrolysis (AEL) from a life cycle perspective, this paper illustrates the social implications of the manufacturing of the electrolyzer and hydrogen production when installed in Germany, Austria, and Spain. This paper complements previous environmental and economic assessments, which selected this set of countries based on their different structures in electricity production. The paper uses a mixed method design to analyze the social impact for the workers along the process chain. Appropriate indicators related to working conditions are selected on the basis of the UN Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The focus on workers is chosen as a first example to test the relatively new Product Social Impact Life Cycle Assessment (PSILCA) database version 2.0. The results of the quantitative assessment are then complemented and compared through an investigation of the underlying raw data and a qualitative literature analysis. Overall, advanced AEL is found to have least social impact along the German process chain, followed by the Spanish and the Austrian. All three process chains show impacts on global upstream processes. In order to reduce social impact and ultimately contribute to Sustainable Development, policymakers and industry need to work together to further improve certain aspects of working conditions in different locations, particularly within global upstream processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioethanol production in Brazil gained momentum in the 1970s and 1980s as an energy security and energy sufficiency measure due to the well‐known world oil crisis. However, the increase in bioethanol production and consumption in the past couple of decades has been backed by the country's efforts and measures to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the transport sector. Brazil is the second largest producer of biofuels, and its production continues to increase because of the commitments made in the Paris Agreement in 2015. This study reviews several key policies designed to develop Brazilian bioethanol production and to protect the environment. It is argued that many of these policies do not consider land use change or encourage land protection to achieve sustainable land use and agricultural production. Thus, this work aims to understand the importance and impacts of public policies in expanding sugarcane in Brazil in the past 34 years, with regard to land use and native vegetation. The discussion in this paper addresses the inadequacy of current policies to avoid direct and indirect land use change caused by sugarcane expansion, despite incentives such as 17 Sustainable Development Goals from the United Nations and certification schemes. The data presented indicate an indirect effect caused by the expansion of sugarcane over pasture areas, which leads to further clearing of natural vegetation to establish new pasture areas. Ultimately, this study addresses the importance of zero deforestation in Brazil, regardless of the crop that causes the conversion. Without conjoint efforts by all sectors of the economy to curtail deforestation, the sustainability of producing biofuels is not guaranteed, as the emissions caused by deforestation will not be offset by the lower GHG emissions obtained by using ethanol as a transport fuel. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A call for papers on sustainable development of the United Nations is presented.

Purpose: To highlight ongoing and emergent roles of nurses and midwives in advancing the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 at the intersection of social and economic inequity, the climate crisis, interprofessional partnership building, and the rising status and visibility of the professions worldwide. Design: Discussion paper. Methods: Literature review. Findings: Realizing the Sustainable Development Goals will require all nurses and midwives to leverage their roles and responsibility as advocates, leaders, clinicians, scholars, and full partners with multidisciplinary actors and sectors across health systems. Conclusions: Making measurable progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals is critical to human survival, as well as the survival of the planet. Nurses and midwives play an integral part of this agenda at local and global levels. Clinical Relevance: Nurses and midwives can integrate the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals into their everyday clinical work in various contexts and settings. With increased attention to social justice, environmental health, and partnership building, they can achieve exemplary clinical outcomes directly while contributing to the United Nations 2030 Agenda on a global scale and raising the profile of their professions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The health of the world's oceans is intrinsically linked to the biodiversity of the ecosystems they sustain. The importance of protecting and maintaining ocean biodiversity has been affirmed through the setting of the UN Sustainable Development Goal 14 to conserve and sustainably use the ocean for society's continuing needs. The decade beginning 2021–2030 has additionally been declared as the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. This program aims to maximize the benefits of ocean science to the management, conservation, and sustainable development of the marine environment by facilitating communication and cooperation at the science–policy interface. A central principle of the program is the conservation of species and ecosystem components of biodiversity. However, a significant omission from the draft version of the Decade of Ocean Science Implementation Plan is the acknowledgment of the importance of monitoring and maintaining genetic biodiversity within species. In this paper, we emphasize the importance of genetic diversity to adaptive capacity, evolutionary potential, community function, and resilience within populations, as well as highlighting some of the major threats to genetic diversity in the marine environment from direct human impacts and the effects of global climate change. We then highlight the significance of ocean genetic diversity to a diverse range of socioeconomic factors in the marine environment, including marine industries, welfare and leisure pursuits, coastal communities, and wider society. Genetic biodiversity in the ocean, and its monitoring and maintenance, is then discussed with respect to its integral role in the successful realization of the 2030 vision for the Decade of Ocean Science. Finally, we suggest how ocean genetic diversity might be better integrated into biodiversity management practices through the continued interaction between environmental managers and scientists, as well as through key leverage points in industry requirements for Blue Capital financing and social responsibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The EU's fishing fleet engages in extensive fishing activities in the Exclusive Economic Zones of non‐EU countries as well as in areas beyond national jurisdiction. These activities are regulated by an external dimension in the EU's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). We review the relationship between the CFP, including regulations for the Sustainable Management of External Fishing Fleets (SMEFF) and the role of Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements (SFPAs) and Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs), and the internationally agreed aims and definitions of sustainability provided by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDG that most directly relates to fish and fisheries is goal 14, to "conserve and sustainably use the oceans." This paper, however, focuses on relationships between the CFP and SDGs that target social and economic dimensions, including those aiming to eliminate poverty (1) and hunger (2), improve health (3), provide decent work and economic growth (8), and achieve gender equality (5) and peaceful institutions (16). We identify several areas where the EU's external fishing fleet interacts with different facets of those goals, and suggest some important improvements that can be made to support the development of the EU's external fleet into a contributor, rather than counterforce, to sustainable development in line with commitments under Agenda 2030. We provide a first and broad overview of an important area for future interdisciplinary research. We conclude by identifying specific questions that can provide starting points for further in‐depth analyses of the sustainability of EU fishing activities in external waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a world of 9 billion people and a widening income gap between the rich and poor, it is time to rethink how aquaculture can strengthen its contribution to the second UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of zero hunger in our generation. The disparity in the level of sustainable aquaculture development at present, between and within countries, especially regarding human access to farmed aquatic food remains highly variable across the globe. This paper offers a fresh look at the opportunities from using systems thinking and new open innovation measuring tools to grow sustainable aquaculture. Political will in many nations is the main constraint to aquaculture in realising its potential as an: accessible source of micronutrients and nutritious protein; aid to meeting conservation goals; economic prosperity generator where benefits extend to locals and provider of indirect social benefits such as access to education and well‐being, among others. Resources to enable strong partnerships (SDG 17) between academia, civic society, government and industry should be prioritised by governments to build a sustainable aquatic food system, accessible to all, forever. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article announces the call for papers on the sustainable development in Africa, which will be issued by the United Nations Department of Economic and published by Blackwell in May 2008. The topics include combating desertification, educational promotion, poverty eradication, food security and health and post-conflict development. An overview of the article requirements are offered together with its submission deadline which is on October 15, 2007. The focus of the future issue's theme will be considered by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development in its 16th and 17th sessions.

This article examines the intersections among peace education and environmental education to understand how these commonalities frame education for sustainable development. The authors trace the intersection of the two disciplines and explore the role of the United Nations in promoting and empowering individuals with the values to advance the twin goals of peace and ecological sustainability. The paper profiles the United Nation’s Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, particularly as formal education, nonformal learning channels, and popular culture have embraced the holistic notion of ecological responsibility, peace, and social justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the topic of financing adaptation in future climate change policies. A major question is whether adaptation in developing countries should be financed under the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), or whether funding should come from other sources. We present an overview of financial resources and propose the employment of a two-track approach: one track that attempts to secure climate change adaptation funding under the UNFCCC; and a second track that improves mainstreaming of climate risk management in development efforts. Developed countries would need to demonstrate much greater commitment to the funding of adaptation measures if the UNFCCC were to cover a substantial part of the costs. The mainstreaming of climate change adaptation could follow a risk management path, particularly in relation to disaster risk reduction. ‘Climate-proofing’ of development projects that currently do not consider climate and weather risks could improve their sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A call for papers by the "Natural Resources Forum: A United Nations Sustainable Development Journal" (NRF) for a special issue regarding institutional framework applicable to sustainable development that will be published in 2012 is presented.