Abstract
The monitoring report on progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a global context involves a large number of actors as it represents probably the biggest change that our society is implementing. Actions at all levels, from local, regional and national to the aggregation of multiple countries (e.g. EU 27) are needed to achieve a sustainable future. This work focuses on a national perspective (Italy) where multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) is used to measure current performance. A sustainability score for each region is calculated from a set of 175 indicators contained in all 17 SDGs. Additionally, sustainability scores are disaggregated along the three pillars – social (1–5, 10, 16, and 17), environmental (6, 13–15) and economic (7–9, 11, and 12). The results highlight the positive performance of northern regions and, in particular, of Trentino Alto Adige, which ranks first in the two considered scenarios. In addition, the relevance of territorial specificities emerges for which the analysis of individual SDGs shows different leading regions. It is noteworthy to highlight the performance of the environmental sub-group of SDGs in southern regions, in contrast to the social and economic sub-groups. Evidently, policy actions are needed to reduce the long-lasting North/South divide—yet the highlighted heterogeneous sustainability performance along the three dimensions calls for well targeted policy measures necessary to regain competitiveness at a European and global level, without compromising with environmental sustainability.
Highlights
The pursuit of sustainability goals is a feat shared by many researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders because it is considered essential to improving the quality of human life while respecting the surrounding environment
The Adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), targets and related indicators has further pushed towards the sustainable transition[6,7]
The literature highlights the need for an aggregate indicator that assesses as much the contributions associated with each SDGs as the interactions between them
Summary
The pursuit of sustainability goals is a feat shared by many researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders because it is considered essential to improving the quality of human life while respecting the surrounding environment. In the context of science and technology studies, researchers efforts have growingly focused on the identification of policies that can foster such c hange[1,2,3] This transition can be facilitated by acting on global carbon pricing, through either taxation or emissions trading, as it is considered the easiest instrument to negotiate and induce behavioural c hanges[4]. “Such cherry-picking defies the integrated and indivisible nature of the SDGs, and could negatively impact overall progress on sustainable development globally”[9,10]. To pursue such holistic approach, specific actions are encouraged: the use of Industry 4.0 technologies, the dissemination of education 4.0 to poorer nations, the collaboration between developed and developing countries and the development of a globalized circular e conomy[11]. These analyses can be conducted to a global level[20], and at the local level[21]
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