The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations are an urgent call for all developed and developing countries to join in a global partnership.  The SDGs recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand in hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality and bo ...

Buildings are responsible for around 40% of energy and process-related global CO₂ emissions, 50% of all materials used, 33% of water consumption and 35% of waste.  Other environmental impacts include resource depletion, pollution of air, water and soil, and biodiversity loss.  By 2050, the global population is expected ...

SDG 8 is the UN Sustainable Development Goal that recognizes the importance of sustained economic growth and high levels of economic productivity for creating well-paid quality jobs and achieving global prosperity for everyone.  It promotes full and productive employment and decent work for everyone while eradicating f ...

The financial cost of climate change has been significantly underestimated, according to new research saying it could cut the world’s GDP by almost half.  A recent study from UNSW Sydney factors in the full global reach of extreme weather, suggests the damage to the world’s economy could be far worse than previously th ...

It is well known that recessions have economic and social impacts, while little attention is paid to their impact on the environment and ongoing climate action.  Past recessions have shown that a slowdown in economic activity and a shift in government priorities can have both positive and negative impacts on climate ch ...

Understanding the challenges and priorities in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires consideration of the complexity and diversity within the SDGs, addressing the unique geographic and economic conditions, and reliable and comprehensive data for performance-based evaluation.  While the SDGs Index ...

The US tariffs enacted by the Trump administration pose a significant threat to environmental sustainability in both the short and long term.  In the near term, supply chains are disrupted, the cost for clean technologies increases, and adoption of solar power and electric vehicles is delayed.  Over the longer term, tr ...

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stated during a monthly cabinet meeting on Sunday that Washington’s imposition of a 46% tariff on imports from Vietnam should be viewed as an opportunity for the Southeast Asian country to restructure its economy and diversify products and markets toward sustainable development ...

Uncertainties characterizing climate science, the economy and their interrelationships are a compelling argument for considering ambiguity and misspecification in the economics of climate change.  The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) approach to dealing with uncertainty is like risk as defined in deci ...

Scientists at EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) have developed a climate model rating system and classified climate model outputs generated by the global climate community and included in the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.   The tool evaluates the climate models and reveal ...

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) attributes observed climate fluctuations primarily to anthropogenic CO₂ emissions and claims that these emissions have caused a net radiative forcing of about 1 Wm-² (watt per square meter) since 1750, resulting in a global temperature increase of 0.8 to 1.1 °C.  Thi ...

Bottom-up data is key for addressing distributional impacts, as data on social dimensions often comes from local stakeholders.  Good examples of localized data exist that help understand the disproportionate impact of climate change and disasters across sectors, populations, and geographies.  Data collection methods, s ...

The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) is the central United Nations platform for the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  The HLPF brings together ministerial and high-level representatives of governments, as wel ...

“I’m at a total loss for words at how dramatically the rejection of knowledge, hostility toward science – and censorship – have escalated.  […] But one thing that has already shocked me is this: a hurricane is such an immediate and tangible threat – there should be no ideological debate about it.  [… ...

The SDG Transformation Center platform brings together tools and actionable instruments to support SDG data, policies and financing building on the latest insights from science and collaborates with stakeholders and decision makers.  Its SDG Index and Dashboards rank countries on SDG attainment and report global SDG pr ...