The United Nations 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) define a path towards a sustainable future, but given that uncertainty characterises the outcomes of any SDG-related actions, risks in the implementation of the Agenda need to be addressed.
At the same time, most risk assessments are narrowed to sectoral approaches and do not refer to SDGs.
In a new paper from the scientists in the PEER TRISD Project in Ambio is analysed how SDGs and risks relate to each other’s in different communities.
The PEER TRISD Project have shown that as soon the mathematical definition of risks is broadened to embrace a more systemic perspective, acting to maintain socioenvironmental systems within their sustainability domain can be done by risk minimisation.
It is a paradox that the SDGs—as the outcome of political negotiations—rest on an assumption that all the goals can be reached, even though biophysical, economic and social trade-offs and side effects in implementing the goals may hamper their
overall achievement.
A comprehensive framework to assess and mitigate the risk of failure to achieve the goals, including those caused by neglecting the interlinkages among goals and other adverse effects such as political rebalancing is critically lacking within the 2030 Agenda.
