Spatio-temporal changes in the causal interactions among Sustainable Development Goals in China

Min Cao, Min Chen (), Junze Zhang, Prajal Pradhan, Huadong Guo, Bojie Fu, Yue Li, Yuying Bai, Lijiao Chang, Yu Chen, Zhongchang Sun, Zhenci Xu, Rui Zhu, Michael E. Meadows and Guonian Lü
Additional contact information
Min Cao: Nanjing Normal University
Min Chen: Nanjing Normal University
Junze Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences
Prajal Pradhan: Member of the Leibniz Association
Huadong Guo: International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals
Bojie Fu: State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences
Yue Li: Nanjing Normal University
Yuying Bai: Nanjing Normal University
Lijiao Chang: Nanjing Normal University
Yu Chen: International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals
Zhongchang Sun: International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals
Zhenci Xu: The University of Hong Kong
Rui Zhu: Institute of High Performance Computing, A*STAR
Michael E. Meadows: University of Cape Town
Guonian Lü: Nanjing Normal University

Palgrave Communications, 2023, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Extensive efforts have been dedicated to deciphering the interactions associated with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, these developments are hampered by a lack of efficient strategies to avoid beneficial synergies being offset by harmful trade-offs. To fill these gaps, we used causal diagnosis and network analysis methods to construct 1302 directed networks of SDGs for 31 provinces in China from 2000 to 2020. We observed a dramatic offsetting effect of SDG synergies and trade-offs in China from 2000 to 2020, with approximately 27% of trade-off indicator pairs turning into synergies and about 25% of the synergy indicator pairs turning into trade-offs. However, our findings suggested that prioritising the progress of high-frequency indicators in virtuous cycles could multiply the positive systemic effects of the SDGs. Moreover, controlling the transition from passive to active in the trade-off network of SDGs remains a challenge in advancing the SDGs holistically.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1057/s41599-023-01952-z

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