Abstract
The achievement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is of paramount importance “for the peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and in the future” (United Nations, 2015; Økland, 2015). Important changes are needed in order to achieve these goals, and infrastructure projects (IP) are critical to facilitate these changes at local and global levels, across health, energy, education, transport, communication and other critical infrastructure needs. However, a gap exists in understanding how SDGs are applied below the global-national levels. In order to increase global and local impact of infrastructure investments, an improved understanding is needed at organisational and infrastructure project levels. In this context, the purpose of this research study is firstly to build on a comprehensive literature review to investigate the existing UN SDG targets in relation to IP, and secondly, to lay a foundation for a comprehensive framework to structure research systematically in this field. This approach can help further our understanding of the topic, thereby providing an important contribution for regulators, policymakers, academia and practitioners on how to align IP to SDGs objectives. This will deliver increased value from infrastructure investments and enable the project management community to generate local impact on global issues, for ‘people and the planet, now and in the future’.
Highlights
The defining research by Morris (2017) into what the project management profession should be doing about climate change and other grand challenges, as well as by many others (Sachs et al, 2016; Seinfeld and Pandis, 2016; United Nations, 2018), suggests that the planet is in crisis and we need radical change
In the context of climate change as an existential threat to the human race, alongside the COVID19-exacerbated threats of growing social and economic inequalities, rising social tensions, and mass migration (United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), 2018), the international community has responded to the Journal Journal of Cleaner Production Journal of Environmental Management Sustainability (Switzerland) Business Strategy and the Environment Environmental Science and Policy Research Policy Global Environmental Change International Journal of Project Management Project Management Journal Journal of Social Policy
0 65 100 on how to align infrastructure projects (IP) and their impacts to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? Question one was answered through a Level 1 analysis of an systematic literature review (SLR), which identified 7 SDG-IP thematic areas
Summary
The defining research by Morris (2017) into what the project management profession should be doing about climate change and other grand challenges, as well as by many others (Sachs et al, 2016; Seinfeld and Pandis, 2016; United Nations, 2018), suggests that the planet is in crisis and we need radical change. Morris (2017), concentrating on project management, and Sachs et al (2016), focusing on socio-economics, have shown that never before have we had such confidence in the evidence that demonstrates how many species are threatened and our ecosystem ‘faces massive change and collapse unless action is taken immediately’ (Morris, 2017). The urgency of finding solutions to these challenges is highlighted by the United Nations (UN) Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which released their most damning report on eighth October 2018 (United Nations, 2015,2018). Alongside the ‘climate emergency’, the widening gap between rich and poor, which is at its highest point in a decade, and growing social inequalities are fuelling social tensions and mass migration (United Nations, 2015,2018)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
