Six Transformations to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

Jeffrey D. Sachs, Guido Schmidt-Traub (), Mariana Mazzucato, Dirk Messner, Nebojsa Nakicenovic and Johan Rockström
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Jeffrey D. Sachs: Columbia University
Guido Schmidt-Traub: Sustainable Development Solutions Network
Mariana Mazzucato: University College London
Dirk Messner: United Nations University
Nebojsa Nakicenovic: International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
Johan Rockström: Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

Nature Sustainability, 2019, vol. 2, issue 9, 805-814

Abstract: Abstract The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change call for deep transformations in every country that will require complementary actions by governments, civil society, science and business. Yet stakeholders lack a shared understanding of how the 17 SDGs can be operationalized. Drawing on earlier work by The World in 2050 initiative, we introduce six SDG Transformations as modular building-blocks of SDG achievement: (1) education, gender and inequality; (2) health, well-being and demography; (3) energy decarbonization and sustainable industry; (4) sustainable food, land, water and oceans; (5) sustainable cities and communities; and (6) digital revolution for sustainable development. Each Transformation identifies priority investments and regulatory challenges, calling for actions by well-defined parts of government working with business and civil society. Transformations may therefore be operationalized within the structures of government while respecting the strong interdependencies across the 17 SDGs. We also outline an action agenda for science to provide the knowledge required for designing, implementing and monitoring the SDG Transformations.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41893-019-0352-9

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