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Published on: March 31, 2023
Characterizing a sustainability transition: goals, targets, trends, and driving forces
Thomas M Parris1, Robert W Kates
1ISciences, LLC, 685 Centre Street, Suite 207, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130-2559,USA parris@isciences.com.
Summary
Defining a sustainability transition is challenging. This study identifies key goals and targets for sustainable development, revealing policy-driven "levers of change" to accelerate progress in areas like hunger reduction and climate stabilization.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Sociology
- Policy Studies
Background:
- Sustainable development is politically popular but lacks precise definition.
- A sustainability transition involves meeting future needs while reducing poverty and preserving planetary systems.
- International agreements provide a basis for defining sustainability goals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify quantitative goals, targets, and indicators for a sustainability transition.
- To analyze processes influencing the attainment of key sustainability goals.
- To uncover policy-relevant "levers of change" for accelerating sustainable development.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of consensus from international agreements and action plans.
- Review of scholarship on factors influencing goal attainment.
- Identification of policy intervention points.
Main Results:
- A set of goals, quantitative targets, and indicators characterizing a sustainability transition were identified.
- Scholarship on four key goals (hunger reduction, literacy, climate stabilization, freshwater availability) was examined.
- Analysis revealed "levers of change" that can be influenced by policy.
Conclusions:
- Characterizing a sustainability transition requires specific goals and indicators.
- Understanding the processes influencing goal attainment is crucial for effective policy.
- Policy interventions can accelerate progress towards sustainable development goals.
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