WASHINGTON – A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine identifies possible action steps that governments, nongovernmental and philanthropic organizations, universities, and the private sector can take to operationalize the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The world is currently not on track to meet the SDGs by the designated time target of 2030, and a key challenge is that stakeholders lack a shared understanding of how the SDGs can be operationalized, the report says. In addition, despite the high degree of interest in the types of activities included in the SDGs, recognition of the SDGs is low in the United States.

The Sustainable Development Goals were adopted by 193 national leaders in 2015 with the expressed hope of providing a “shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future.” The 17 goals and their 169 targets embrace economic growth, social inclusion, and environmental protection.

“The SDGs were already a challenge to achieve by 2030, and the COVID-19 pandemic and heightened conflict worldwide have disrupted fragile progress and sharpened existing inequities,” said Cherry Murray, professor of physics and deputy director for research at the University of Arizona’s Biosphere 2, and co-chair of the committee that wrote the report. “We hope our recommendations can help inform the adoption of evidence-based actions that can move progress forward at the global and local levels.”

To aid operationalization of the SDGs, the report identifies priority areas for research, together with action steps for a range of stakeholders. “These recommendations are ambitious but realistic and, taken together, they can make a measurable difference in a sustainable future for all,” said committee co-chair E. William Colglazier, editor-in-chief of Science & Diplomacy and senior scholar at the Center for Science Diplomacy, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The report builds on discussions among scientists, policymakers, business leaders, and youth leaders during the Nobel Prize Summit: Our Planet, Our Future in April 2021. The study committee then convened two virtual public workshops to gather information on positive case studies across eight interrelated themes, which served as the primary source of evidence for its work.

The priority research areas and action steps include:

Education and capacity building.  Educational institutions at all levels are powerfully positioned to operationalize sustainable development across society, the report says. For example, universities could undertake initiatives to assist faculty and students in developing Voluntary University Reviews that evaluate needs and prioritization among SDGs based on an institutional mission, take actionable steps that advance progress on the SDGs at their universities, and ensure that every student regardless of major is exposed to the challenges and opportunities in sustainable development. Cities and school districts could initiate and support locally relevant K-12 learning on the SDGs.

Localization of the SDGs and indigenous knowledge networks. While the SDGs embrace global aspirations, they must be rooted in local buy-in and implementation, says the report. Urban and community leaders, practitioners, and philanthropic organizations could learn from case studies and knowledge networks, including how others effectively incorporate indigenous knowledge for advancing sustainability. The U.S. government could commit to creating a Voluntary National Review and provide financial incentives for local and state Voluntary Local Reviews to accelerate progress toward the SDGs.

Food systems.  The current food system – including food production, transportation, processing and packaging, and consumption and waste disposal -- is responsible for one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions and 70 percent of global water use. And while the system produces an abundance of food, approximately 30 percent of the global population lacked access to adequate food in 2020, even before the current rise in global food prices and supply chain disruption exacerbated the situation. Addressing these issues and operationalizing the SDGs will entail holistic reform of each link in the food system, the report says. For example, federal and local governments could work together to promote supply chains that are resilient and sustainable in the short- and long-term. Academic leaders and the private sector could support training and workforce development at universities, community colleges, and tribal colleges to promote sustainable and equitable food systems.

Urbanization.  Many opportunities exist for synergies among SDG goals related to urbanization. For example, one priority is to improve data collection and reporting at the local level, including of disaggregated and city-level data, and to create open data hubs and portals to capture information from local agencies and community-generated data sets. Another priority is to improve the understanding of the types of data needed from cities to monitor SDG transitions along environmental, social, and economic considerations.

Decarbonization. Decarbonization of energy systems is central for global decarbonization efforts and the achievement of all SDGs. In addition to reducing net emissions across all sectors and transitioning to zero-carbon energy sources, both organic and inorganic carbon dioxide removal (CDR) will minimize global warming, the report says. There is a need for massive scale-up, financial investment, and research that examines the fundamental science of ocean and nature-based CDR; the shift toward zero-carbon sources of energy such as renewables and nuclear; efficiency improvement across the whole energy system, especially in energy end use; and new behaviors and lifestyles including circularity and sufficiency.

Science, technology, and innovation for the SDGs.  Evidence demonstrates that partnerships across sectors and disciplines, including science, technology, and innovation (STI) cooperation, offer hope for innovative approaches to advance the SDGs. Digital and other technological advances offer new possibilities across sectors and communities. Studies could examine the current status of achieving the SDGs and how STI can facilitate their achievement in the context of the economic crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and conflicts including the war in Ukraine.

Science and peace. Conflict undermines the achievement of all SDGs, the report says, noting that there is a need to strengthen SDG data hubs, partnerships, and data for monitoring and enforcement related to the reduction of violence, with a focus on science and peace. Governments and nongovernmental organizations could create a new global social pact to promote a system for science helping to advance peace, as part of the effort to negotiate what initiative follows the SDGs beyond 2030. Funding agencies and philanthropic organizations could invest in organizations between state and society that can contribute to solutions that address the increasing number of wars, conflicts, and migration of displaced people. Scientific societies and academies can conduct studies and dialogues that help to advance control of new and emerging weapon systems.

Financing to achieve the SDGs.  Opportunities exist to realize tangible and intangible benefits from SDG-related investing, the report says. Place-based initiatives could help to attract private investment and unlock financing. Public, private, and other organizations could create more blended finance options given the growing demand for positive environmental, social, and governance investments.

The study — undertaken by the Committee on Operationalizing Sustainable Development — was sponsored by Academia Sinica, Arizona State University’s Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Elsevier, JPB Foundation, the Peace Department, and the George and Cynthia Mitchell Endowment for Sustainability. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are private, nonprofit institutions that provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions related to science, technology, and medicine. They operate under an 1863 congressional charter to the National Academy of Sciences, signed by President Lincoln.

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