Earth Science, Systems and Society (Nov 2024)
Sustainable Development Goals and the Geosciences: A Review
Abstract
The 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) collectively represent the global population’s ambition to improve the wellbeing of Earth and its inhabitants by 2030. The ambitious goals require that a dedicated, focused, and integrated effort is taken—now. The geoscientific community is well positioned to positively directly influence many of the SDGs, notably SDGs 7 (Affordable Energy), 11 (Sustainable Cities) and 13 (Climate Action), and may also directly or indirectly contribute to all other SDGs. In this contribution, I systematically review the SDGs in the framework of the broader geosciences. Firstly, I outline the concept of the SDGs and their indicators, before linking them to specific geoscientific disciplines illustrated with case studies. Finally, I present some of the ongoing developments in the geosciences that need to be clearly tied to the global SDG ambitions.
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