Abstract
In 2015 the United Nations drafted the Paris Agreement and established the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for all nations. A question of increasing relevance is the extent to which the pursuit of climate action (SDG 13) interacts both positively and negatively with other SDGs. We tackle this question through a two-pronged approach: a novel, automated keyword search to identify linkages between SDGs and UK climate-relevant policies; and a detailed expert survey to evaluate these linkages through specific examples. We consider a particular subset of SDGs relating to health, economic growth, affordable and clean energy and sustainable cities and communities. Overall, we find that of the 89 UK climate-relevant policies assessed, most are particularly interlinked with the delivery of SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and that certain UK policies, like the Industrial Strategy and 25-Year Environment Plan, interlink with a wide range of SDGs. Focusing on these climate-relevant policies is therefore likely to deliver a wide range of synergies across SDGs 3 (Good Health and Well-being), 7, 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), 11, 14 (Life Below Water) and 15 (Life on Land). The expert survey demonstrates that in addition to the range of mostly synergistic interlinkages identified in the keyword search, there are also important potential trade-offs to consider. Our analysis provides an important new toolkit for the research and policy communities to consider interactions between SDGs, which can be employed across a range of national and international contexts.
Highlights
As the world approaches the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) deadline, there is increasing scrutiny on how far we have come in achieving these goals since their inception in 2015
Whilst our study looks at the United Kingdom (UK), rather than EU context, we argue that the use of national- rather than bloc-level policy allows for greater granularity across both the keyword search and expert survey
By designing and implementing a hybrid methodology comprised of a keyword search combined with expert survey, we have developed an approach which can rapidly identify and assess SDG interactions, both synergies and trade-offs, in a national policy context
Summary
As the world approaches the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) deadline, there is increasing scrutiny on how far we have come in achieving these goals since their inception in 2015. A key question is the extent to which climate action (SDG 13) interacts, both positively and negatively, with other SDGs (as shown in Fig. 1), such as the extent to which the pursuit of renewable energy policies impact on environmental or human health. Understanding these questions should allow policy makers to mitigate the trade-offs and amplify the synergies between taking climate action and delivering on the core objectives captured by the SDGs. Significant questions remain around how best to integrate these necessarily broad and internationally conceived goals into national policy frameworks and institutions. The UK policy approach provides fertile ground for the identification and evaluation of the extent to which SDG 13 interacts with other SDGs and how far these interactions can inform policy-making across the UK’s administrations
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