Global Sustainability, 5
Apr 21, 2022
Make nature's role visible to achieve the SDGs
David G. Hole, Pamela Collins, Anteneh Tesfaw, Lina Barrera, Michael B. Mascia, Will R. Turner
Implicit in the UN's Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Agenda is the notion that environmental sustainability is intertwined with, and underpins, the 17 Goals. Yet the language of the Goals, and their Targets and indicators is blind to the myriad ways in which nature supports people's health and wealth – which we argue represents a key impediment to progress. Using examples of nature–human wellbeing linkages, we assess the language of all 169 Targets to identify urgent research, policy, and action needed to spotlight and leverage nature's foundational role, to help enable truly sustainable development for all.