Tracking Sustainability through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Synergies and Trade-Offs

Dear Colleagues,

The United Nations Resolution “The Future We Want”, adopted by the General Assembly on 27 July 2012 (UN, 2012), defined sustainability as three interconnected pillars (the environmental, social and socioeconomic). There can, however, be no long-term sustainability in the absence of a balance and equilibrium between these three dimensions. The challenge lies in finding a blend of the three to engender an equilibrium that can last across time. Scholars worldwide have and continue to strive to develop methodologies for the assessment of sustainability, as defined by this UN Resolution.

This arduous challenge is further exacerbated when the achievement of the UN sustainable development goals is intertwined with the task of defining and evaluating scenarios that encompass the sustainability equilibrium.

The sustainabile development goals aim to achieve prosperity and wealth while also protetcting the planet. Again, the achievement of sustainable goals implies the definition of sustainable equilibria that may generate both synergies (for instance, social sustainability might necessitate improvements to the quality of education) and trade-offs (such as, for example, those between economic sustainability and climate action).

In this context, it is important to conceptually define and empirically measure the synergies and trade-offs originated by the goals, in order to properly track sustainability and to enhance understanding and implementation.

This Special Issue gathers a number of peer-reviewed papers that address the issues described above. The selected papers should either (1) provide conceptual frameworks that highlight synergies and trade-offs between the SDGs and sustainability itself and/or (2) empirically evaluate the economic value of those synergies and trade-offs. Case studies may also be included.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome and research areas may include (but are not limited to):

• Environmental sustainability and climate change;
• Achieving the SDGs in the post-COVID19 era;
• The SDGs and sustainable economic growth;
• The SDGs and the zero hunger target;
• The SDGs and sustainable production and consumption.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Anil Markandya
Dr. Laura Onofri
Guest Editors

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• sustainable development goals
• synergies and trade-offs
• UN three pillars of sustainability
• economic sustainability
• social sustainability
• environmental sustainability