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• |  September 1, 2024
• By Shaniya Harding
• -  September 1, 2024

–President Ali emphasises, points to crucial developments in mining, agriculture sectors

WITH the emergence of the nation’s booming oil and gas sector, the Government of Guyana continues to prioritise the country’s natural resources. Shedding light on the major strides the country’s natural resources and agricultural sector have made, President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, on Saturday, addressed the nation from the Kingston Seawall esplanade where he outlined the nation’s agricultural development and the government’s plan to sustainably develop the natural resources.

Since taking office, the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/c) has emphasised the significance of the country’s natural resources alongside the oil and gas industry. Over the past three and a half years, the government has worked tirelessly to ensure the continued development of the sector. Among the major investments in this area is the mineral mapping exercise with American company Global Venture Consulting. Emphasising the importance of this and similar ventures made by the government, President Ali said this is the first step in crafting a comprehensive plan for the sustainability of Guyana’s natural assets. “This study will give us a better understanding of our natural assets as we plan a comprehensive strategy in how we sustainably develop and target our natural assets in a diversification and expansion of our economy,” President Ali said.

According to the mid-year report shared by President Ali, the government’s countless investments continue to have far-reaching impacts on the mining and agriculture sectors. In providing a breakdown of the report, he shared that the country has experienced exponential growth in the first half of the year, and his administration is working to ensure Guyana continues on this upward trajectory. Addressing the mining sector, the Head of State shared there has been a more than 60 per cent boost.

“In the extractive sector, mining and quarrying sectors are estimated to have grown by 64.3 per cent in the first half of the year, driven by growth in the petroleum and other mining industries. “The bauxite industry has some challenges in the first half of the year, which contracted by 20 per cent. However, with the largest producer expecting to improve output in the second half, the outlook for the sector is very positive for the remainder of the year, with growth now projected at 41.3 per cent for the full year,” President Ali said. As one of the country’s major revenue areas, gold mining has been revitalised in the years and months; resulting in a positive impact on the sector, as the President stated, “The gold industry also had a contraction of 10.3 per cent in the first half of 2024.”

The President further elaborated stating, “The other mining and quarrying areas, which comprise sand, stone, diamond, and manganese, are estimated to have grown by 45.5 per cent in the first half of the year, driven by greater activity in the construction sector. This industry is now projected to grow by 24.7 per cent in 2024.” Shifting his focus to agriculture, the rice industry has seen a major economic development, with more than 15 per cent growth in the first half of 2024. This massive boost over just a few months is largely owed to the various innovative policies put in place by the Government of Guyana. As the Head of State explained.

“We had tremendous growth in the rice industry; the rice industry grew by an estimated 17.9 per cent in the first half of the year. And this growth is as a direct result of the impetus we have placed in the industry, the investment in drainage and irrigation.” The sugar industry has been a precedented boom as the government’s efforts to revitalise the sector continue to be seen. As President Ali shared, “In the first half of this year, not only did we have the issue of the drought that affected the growth of cane in the fields, but also the period of regrowth, the period of having new production ready for the factories.”

He further added that, “We are hoping and projecting that in this second crop, there will be an enormous bounce back from this contraction in the first half of the year.” Tackling the poultry and livestock sectors, the President shared the investment will continue in the sectors, advancing personnel, knowledge, and the use of technology. As he stated, “The large poultry investors and farms in the country are now investing in technology, especially given the fact that the demand for poultry is growing at an exponential rate.”

He then went on to state that, “The forestry sector is estimated to have grown by 13.2 per cent in the first half. The forestry sector is once again vibrant. Community forestry associations and organisations are once more revitalising themselves, expanding, reinvesting, and retooling.” He further added that, “The fishing industry is also estimated to have expanded by 27.7 per cent in the first half of this year and we are going to continue to see greater expansion in this industry.” President Ali’s address and report showcase the government’s commitment to sustainable development across all natural resource sectors. By balancing growth in traditional industries with the emerging oil and gas sector, Guyana aims to create a diversified and resilient economy.

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Leveraging China’s International Development Cooperation to Drive the Global Transition Towards Renewable Energy

August 30, 2024.

This brief aims at presenting a snapshot of China’s energy international development cooperation (IDC) and sharing lessons from two trilateral cooperation projects in renewable energy involving China, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia and UNDP. It provides key statistics showcasing the overall scale and trend, as well as the composition of China’s energy IDC. Building on insights from the trilateral cooperation projects, this note formulates a series of recommendations to China IDC stakeholders and other relevant actors. These recommendations aim to support China’s future IDC engagements in the renewable energy sector, enhancing its development impact and contribution to the global energy transition and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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Beijing+30 Youth Challenge: Innovations for Gender Equality

Event description

Location : Online and In-person (Seoul, Republic of Korea)

In 2025, the international community will celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPFA), a global bill of rights for gender equality. Leading up to the Beijing+30 anniversary, national-level reviews were conducted to assess progress and challenges, engaging with diverse stakeholders including youth groups, to mark the pivotal moment to renew commitments for gender equality. As part of these efforts, UN Women is hosting the “Forum on Beijing+30 and Beyond: Youth Leading the Way for Gender Equality” in Seoul and organising the “Beijing+30 Youth Challenge: Innovations for Gender Equality” that calls for youth to celebrate progress in gender equality and challenge peers to become agents of change beyond Beijing+30.

How to Participate

We invite youth to submit your unique perspectives, voices, and reflections on advancing gender equality in the context of Beijing+30. Take this as a momentum to reflect on the achievements in gender equality from your perspective, showcase the role of youth as key drivers for change for the implementation of the BPFA, build partnerships among youth and key stakeholders, and raise awareness on the importance of gender equality.

Themes : When submitting, you can select one or more theme(s) from the following six areas. They are the clustering of the clustering of the critical areas of concern of the BPFA that highlight the alignment of the BPFA and SDGs.

• Inclusive development, shared prosperity, and decent work
• Poverty eradication, social protection, and social services
• Freedom from violence, stigma, and stereotypes
• Participation, accountability, and gender-responsive institutions
• Peaceful and inclusive societies
• Environmental conservation, protection, and rehabilitation

Eligibility : Individuals aged 18 to 30 from countries in Asia and the Pacific* , either individually or in teams of up to three people.

* Refers to the following countries: Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji Multi-Country Office, India, Indonesia, Kiribati, Lao PDR, Maldives, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, Niue, Pakistan, Palau, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Viet Nam

Submission Deadline : Wednesday, 18 September 2024 (23:59 GMT)

Submission Language : English

Submission Channel : Ideas should be submitted through this form in the provided template . Alternatively, participants may choose to submit in a different format (presentation slide and notes, videos, innovative illustrations, etc.). Submissions that exceed the file size limit may be sent directly to [ Click to reveal ] , indicating your name, email address and phone number.

Review Process : Submissions will be assessed on their alignment with the objectives and themes of the challenge. Selected ideas will showcase several aspects including alignment with the BPFA and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; youth engagement and participation; impact; feasibility; technology and innovation; and creativity. Ideas will be reviewed by UN Women experts and a representative from the 30 for 2030 network. Winners will be notified via email by Wednesday, 25 September 2024.

Winner Benefits

• Event Participation and Stakeholder Engagement Top three or four ideas will be selected and invited to come to Seoul, the Republic of Korea to join the “Forum on Beijing+30 and Beyond: Youth Leading the Way for Gender Equality” on 24 October 2024. Winners will present their ideas at the Forum, expected to be attended by 70 Korean and regional stakeholders representing various sectors. They will also take part in the networking dinner with participants in the evening. Winners will be fully sponsored by UN Women, which will include a round-trip airfare from the home country's international airport to Incheon International Airport, domestic travel costs, and daily subsistence allowance in accordance with United Nations regulations. If winners are from the Republic of Korea, UN Women will sponsor their participation to an event in Bangkok, Thailand hosted by the UN Women in 2025.  
• Mentoring for Gender Equality Winners will have the opportunity to discuss their ideas with UN Women experts and a representative from the 30 for 2030 network at the Forum on 24 October 2024 who will provide valuable feedback and guidance. In addition, an in-depth technical discussion on gender equality with experts and the representative from the 30 to 2030 network will be arranged exclusively for the winners on 25 October 2024.

Wednesday, 18 September 2024 : Submission Deadline

Wednesday, 25 September 2024 : Announcement of the winner via email

Thursday, 24 and Friday, 25 October 2024 : Winners visit Seoul, attend and present at the Forum on Beijing+30 and beyond.

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• Published: 27 August 2024

Charting sustainable urban development through a systematic review of SDG11 research

• Abdulaziz I. Almulhim   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-5384-7219 1 ,
• Ayyoob Sharifi   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-8983-8613 2 ,
• Yusuf A. Aina   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-0763-9865 3 ,
• Shakil Ahmad 4 ,
• Luca Mora 5 , 6 ,
• Walter Leal Filho 7 , 8 &
• Ismaila Rimi Abubakar   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-7994-2302 9  

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• Social policy

The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 underscores the imperative of creating inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and communities by 2030. Here we employ bibliometric techniques to assess the evolving landscape of SDG11 research. Using a comprehensive dataset of over 21,000 scholarly publications, we investigate publication trends, thematic focus areas, authorship patterns, keyword co-occurrences and citation networks related to SDG11 research. The results reveal a consistent increase in research output, reflecting the growing global interest in urban sustainability studies. We identify influential authors, organizations and countries shaping the research landscape, highlighting existing global collaborative networks and emerging research hubs. Core thematic areas emphasize critical topics and interdisciplinary connections. Citation networks underscore the impacts of disseminating research outputs, including seminal works. This study offers insights for policymakers, academics and practitioners to align their collective efforts toward sustainable, inclusive and climate-resilient urban development. Moreover, it advances SDG11 by noting opportunities for further research, knowledge dissemination and international collaboration.

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A big data approach to assess progress towards Sustainable Development Goals for cities of varying sizes

Examining the unsustainable relationship between SDG performance, ecological footprint and international spillovers

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Are we successful in turning trade-offs into synergies?

The growing interest in sustainable urban development is driven by challenges posed by urbanization, socioeconomic activities and environmental issues 1 . Urban areas contribute 80% of the world’s gross domestic product 2 , but also account for around 75% of global resource consumption, 65% of energy use and over 70% of carbon emissions 3 . The ecological footprint of urban environments, which measures the resources required to sustain socioeconomic activities, has been increasing 4 , 5 , and the global urban extent is projected to double by 2030 6 . Similarly, the global urban population is projected to reach 68% by 2050 7 , which could surpass the capacity of most urban areas 8 . Africa and Asia will host most of the future urban populations despite housing and infrastructure inadequacies 7 . Rapid urbanization, poverty and climate change (CC) further intensify the vulnerability of urban dwellers 9 .

Sustainable urban development aims to balance economic production, environmental protection and social inclusiveness. It emerged as a response to the critique of modernist views that prioritized physical appearance and order in cities over context, equity and inclusion 6 . Due to the limited progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were established in 2015 to ensure that no country is left behind in achieving sustainable development by 2030 10 . Many of the SDGs are closely related to urban settings, where sustainability challenges are complex and interwoven 11 . SDG11 specifically focuses on urban challenges and aims to make ‘cities and human settlements inclusive, safe resilient and sustainable’ by reducing the negative effects of urban development while improving socioeconomic development 10 .

The importance of SDG11 stems from the principles of inclusive, safe and resilient city. An inclusive city is characterized by the idea that all individuals, irrespective of their economic status, gender, race, ethnicity or religion, have the ability and empowerment to actively engage in the social, economic and political opportunities available within urban environments 6 . It seeks to address environmental racism and promote inclusive and fair urban development through social justice and equitable distribution of environmental benefits and burdens. In such a city, everyone is afforded equal access and participation in the diverse aspects that cities provide. On the other hand, a safe city refers to a city that possesses the capacity to provide protection and security against potential dangers, harm or risks, while a resilient city denotes a city’s ability to recover and restore its fundamental functions and structures following natural disasters and crises caused by human activities 6 , 8 . SDG11 is significant because it aims to ensure that cities develop sustainably.

However, SDG11 has been criticized for its limited emphasis on urban inequalities, decentralization and funding for local authorities 6 . Other challenges include localizing the universal indicators 12 , governance issues 13 , data accessibility and comparability 14 and smart city development 12 , 15 . Nevertheless, SDG11 serves as a platform for directing and monitoring urban development, fostering socioeconomic development and ensuring equity, inclusion and environmental protection 16 . Therefore, it is crucial to assess the literature on progress toward SDG11 targets 10 , especially at the halfway point to the target year, to inform interventions necessary for their achievement 17 .

While SDG11 has attracted significant global research attention 18 , comprehensive reviews of SDG11 literature are limited. Existing studies have primarily focused on assessing all the SDGs 19 , 20 , which obscures specific challenges and makes it difficult to track progress or design targeted interventions for individual goals. Recent work has highlighted the insufficient achievement of the SDGs and the need for transformative governance and participatory approaches 21 . Other studies have underscored the gap between research and policies, the underutilization of cities as pivotal arenas for achieving SDGs 22 and the lack of indicators to measure progress toward implementing SDGs 15 . Some studies have assessed SDGs’ implementation in specific region 17 , their impacts on addressing risks 23 and crises 1 , and their implications for health and well-being 24 , environmental research 25 and private sector involvement 26 . Most of the SDG research emanates from developed countries, showing a gap in the coverage of developing countries 27 . The few SDG11 studies in the Global South have narrow focus. While one paper investigated the impact of SDG11 on forest-based livelihoods 28 , another study researched the challenges of SDG11 implementation using a single-country experience 6 . Therefore, an in-depth and broad review of SDG11 literature is necessary to bridge this knowledge gap and identify key challenges and opportunities as well as potential pathways for achieving the targets set in SDG11.

Therefore, this research aims to assess the SDG11 research trends and themes using a bibliometric technique. It is the first global and comprehensive scientometric study on the SDG11 domain. By focusing on research conducted since the formulation of the SDGs, the study addresses the following research questions: (1) what are the global trends in SDG11 research? (2) How has the thematic focus of SDG11 research evolved over time? (3) What are the challenges and priority areas for SDG11 research? The contributions of the study to theory and practice are to:

Identify significant thematic areas and trends in SDG11 research since the promulgation of the SDGs, which can inform researchers, policymakers and practitioners about the current state of knowledge within the field and highlight priority areas for SDG11 research.

Map research clusters, knowledge sharing and collaboration patterns, thereby providing insights into the dynamics of research networks and facilitating the formulation of strategies to foster research excellence, interdisciplinary and international collaborations and the effective allocating of research resources.

Underscore the knowledge gaps, emerging topics and challenges within SDG11 research, offering evidence-based insights to align urban development initiatives with SDG11 research frontiers, enhance the efficacy of interventions and contribute to the development of inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities.

SDG11 research trends

Research on SDG11 has significantly grown in terms of annual publications and citations since 2016, indicating a rising interest in this field (Fig. 1 ). The number of publications has increased by 1.3-fold, and this upward trajectory is expected to continue. Notable emerging research areas include the institutionalization of SDGs within local and global settings 18 and the impact of smart cities on advancing the SDGs 12 , 15 . Previously, studies on the epistemology and challenges of urban population growth were prevalent 29 . However, SDG11 research has now evolved into multidisciplinary fields, driven by heightened attention to urban challenges such as CC, urbanization and population growth.

A total of 21,153 articles were published, receiving 229,182 citations. The number of publications rose from 9,238 in period 1 (2016–2019) to 11,915 in period 2 (2020–2022).

Source data

The increasing trend in SDG11 publications can be attributed to several factors, including the desire to improve institutional rankings, a supportive research environment, investments and endowments, faculty promotion requirements and advancements in information and communication technology. There are also socioeconomic factors, such as increasing urbanization rates and gross domestic product, urban expansion and transformation, a deeper understanding of urban dynamics and challenges. Additionally, the policy environments in different countries can influence academic interests and research in urban studies, shaping research priorities and collaborations. Other contributing factors include research challenges faced by low-income countries and research support by governments, the private sector, international development agencies and scholars, all focusing on sustainable urban development.

SDG11 research is further propelled by recent international summits and collaborations that highlight the urgency of protecting the ecosystem and ensuring human safety 1 . Since 2015, CC issues have received greater attention due to key factors. The adoption of the Paris Agreement raised awareness and urgency for action on CC, resulting in a greater focus on related issues in various sectors, including urban planning and policy 13 . Scientific consensus on CC impacts and the role of human activities has also strengthened over the years, with Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessments emphasizing the significance of cities in addressing CC 23 . As a result, CC considerations are increasingly integrated into research, policy and planning processes.

Urban planning and development strategies have prioritized climate mitigation and adaptation measures, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, promoting renewable energy, enhancing resilience to extreme weather events and incorporating green infrastructure. The focus on CC has accelerated the transition toward low-carbon and resilient cities, with efforts directed toward sustainable transportation, energy-efficient buildings, green spaces and climate-responsive infrastructure 6 . Collaboration and international cooperation are essential in addressing climate change, with cities and countries sharing best practices, knowledge and resources to develop and implement climate action plans 24 . Initiatives such as the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group facilitate knowledge exchange and collective action among cities 30 . The increased attention to CC signifies a shift toward more sustainable and resilient urban development, emphasizing the need for proactive measures to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to climate risks and promote equitable and sustainable urban environments.

Thematic focus of SDG11 research

There is an imbalance in the attention given to research themes within SDG11 as revealed by co-occurrence map (Supplementary Fig. 1 ). The dominant themes are affordable housing (SDG11.1), urban transport (SDG11.2), policy and governance (SDG11.3) and access to public spaces (SDG11.7). Housing affordability issues have consistently remained a focal point in SDG11 research, with urban studies, policy development and community-driven efforts for finding solutions to these complex challenges 30 , 31 . These issues were highlighted in Habitat I (Vancouver, 1976), which emphasized the importance of shifting governance and planning paradigms to develop policies and strategies to address rapid urbanization challenges, including shelter shortages and urban inequalities, and promote affordable housing options 30 , 32 . Habitat I has laid the foundation for subsequent global efforts and policy frameworks, such as Habitat II (Istanbul, 1996) and the New Urban Agenda, which continue to prioritize housing as a pivotal component of sustainable urban development. The persistent focus on affordable housing shows that cities still face many challenges in providing adequate housing for all 30 .

Urban policy and governance are other significant terms, indicating scholarly focus on strategies for promoting inclusive and sustainable urban development, enhancing participatory, integrated and sustainable urban planning and management. However, many cities lack the capacity to address urban inequalities, provide adequate housing 31 , public spaces and other urban services, which disproportionately affect women and racial minorities 30 . Moreover, urban redevelopment practices that lead to gentrification exacerbate existing inequalities 32 . Governance-based approaches seek to improve collaboration between public agencies and civil society to prioritize the implementation of urban planning strategies that enhance livability standards while addressing challenges such as CC and sustainability 30 .

Urban transport, which is related to SDG11.2 aiming to ensure safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transport systems for all, has emerged as a key research theme. Important issues related to mobility, transportation and urban form include increased automobile dependence amid growing urbanization and suburbanization, challenges faced by public transit systems, growing awareness of environmental concerns, shift toward sustainable and multimodal transportation, transit-oriented development, integration of technology in transportation systems and the relationship between transportation and urban densification, compact development, CC adaptation and resilience, equity and social inclusion, and shifts in policy and governance approaches 1 , 6 , 11 . This theme also emphasizes the importance of walkability, public transit infrastructure and their role in enhancing transportation accessibility and influencing mode choice 33 . The transportation cluster also suggests that improving accessibility through urban form and built environment interventions can impact the travel behavior of urban residents and offer cobenefits for human health and environmental sustainability 24 . Incorporating such cobenefits in SDG11.2 could provide more incentives for access to safe efficient, equitable and sustainable transport infrastructure and systems in cities.

The implications of urbanization and land-use changes for sustainability, resilience and CC adaptation and mitigation in cities are also major themes. SDG11.6 aims to reduce the environmental impacts of cities, particularly in relation to air pollution and waste. The literature suggests that regulating urban growth 6 , controlling land-use changes, conserving biodiversity 27 and promoting green infrastructure are essential for achieving this target 34 . These actions, when implemented within integrated planning frameworks, can also reduce vulnerability, enhance resilience and contribute to progress in CC adaptation and mitigation, as emphasized in SDG11.5 (ref. 6 ). Such integrated frameworks should recognize the interconnections between various urban systems, including water, food, energy, waste and transportation, to promote sustainable and resilient urban development 35 . Cities are adopting strategies to reduce their carbon footprint, enhance energy efficiency and prepare for climate risks.

Smart cities and innovation enabled by information and communication technologies have increasingly been utilized to tackle urban development challenges and facilitate innovative and transformative urban governance mechanisms that contribute to the SDGs 15 . The rapid development and integration of digital technologies, such as the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, big data analytics and sensor networks, have opened new possibilities for improving urban services, infrastructure and quality of life 33 . Smart cities leverage these technologies to enhance efficiency, connectivity and sustainability. The interest in smart cities stems from the recognition that technology can play a transformative role in addressing urban challenges, improving quality of life, promoting sustainability and fostering economic growth 12 , 36 . However, it is important to ensure that smart city initiatives are inclusive, equitable and responsive to the needs and aspirations of all residents.

Comparing the co-occurrence maps of period 1 and period 2 reveals limited changes in key thematic areas, despite the emergence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic during period 2 (Fig. 2 ). The key thematic areas in period 2, including urban governance and policy, transportation, urban sustainability and resilience, and urbanization and urban growth, remain consistent with period 1, indicating the continued relevance of these topics in research, albeit with potential expansions. However, a closer analysis of the clusters reveals that COVID-19 has emerged as a new area of SDG11 research in period 2, as attention has shifted toward adapting to the pandemic’s detrimental effects on cities. The pandemic has triggered paradigm shifts in various SDG11 domains, including public health, remote work, digitalization, vulnerabilities, inequalities, resilience, sustainability, urban spaces, proximity-based planning approaches such as the 15-minute city and global cooperation 9 . These shifts have influenced work, health, social equity, environmental stewardship 2 and urban planning, shaping innovative approaches and priorities in the postpandemic world. Urban inequality terms, such as slums and informality, inadequate housing and poverty, are brought to the forefront by the pandemic. Controlling the pandemic and addressing the citizen demand in slums and informal settlements has received significant attention 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 . Mobility restrictions and lockdowns to curb the virus’s transmission have presented challenges for service accessibility, particularly in disadvantaged neighborhoods where vulnerable groups reside. Lastly, the connection between sustainability and resilience has strengthened in the postpandemic period. The pandemic has offered new insights into the susceptibility of cities to various stressors and highlighted the inseparable connections between urban resilience and SDG11 (ref. 28 ).

a , b , The key thematic areas in period 1 (2016–2019) ( a ) are urban governance and policy (red), transportation (blue), urban sustainability and resilience (green), and urbanization and urban growth (yellow), while period 2 (2020–2022) ( b ) primarily focuses on urban governance and policies (red), urban studies (red), transportation (blue) and urbanization (green), particularly after the pandemic.

However, three SDG11 targets are not well-represented in both periods. One such target is SDG11.4, which aims to enhance efforts in preserving and conserving natural heritage, vital for improving urban sustainability 41 . Another target, SDG11.a, which focuses on strengthening urban–rural linkages, is also not adequately reflected in Fig. 2 . The intrinsic connection between cities and their surrounding rural areas necessitates the incorporation and strengthening of ties between urban and rural regions to achieve SDG11 (ref. 6 ). Gaps related to rural–urban linkages include limited understanding of interdependencies, inadequate infrastructure and services in rural areas, weak governance and coordination mechanisms, and social and cultural disconnect 13 . These gaps hinder the development of integrated strategies, contribute to economic disparities, limit access to services, impact agricultural productivity and food security, and create environmental and social challenges. Lastly, there is a lack of research on SDG11.c, which aims to support least-developed nations in developing safe and resilient urban areas, which is not surprising as these countries are often underrepresented in urban studies research 30 .

Major contributors to SDG11 research

Various countries, institutions, journals and authors have contributed to SDG11 research between 2016 and 2022. China leads in terms of the number of publications and citations generated, followed by the United States and the United Kingdom (Supplementary Fig. 2 and Supplementary Table 1 ). Among the top 20 productive countries, 14 are from the Global North countries, with South Africa and Brazil as the sole representative of Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean, respectively (Supplementary Fig. 3 and Supplementary Table 2 ). Increasing research collaboration among the top countries (Fig. 3 ), research infrastructure and facilities, manpower and financial support significantly contribute to their high SDG11 research output.

China followed by the United States and the United Kingdom dominates SDG11 research collaborations. There are significant connections among European, North American and Asian institutions, while Africa is less connected with Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean. Freq, frequently.

A co-citation analysis (Supplementary Table 3 ) reveals that Chinese institutions, such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have the highest number of articles and citation counts, followed by University College London and the University of Melbourne. The leading affiliations have changed over time, highlighting the strengthening of research institutes and the correlation between research collaboration and societal impacts (Supplementary Table 4 ). In terms of influential journals for SDG11 research, ‘land’ followed by ‘cities and land use’ policy tops the list (Supplementary Tables 5 and 6 ), with a growing interest in fields related to smart and sustainable cities, transport policies, regional planning and environmentally conscious building practices (Supplementary Fig. 4 ). These journals also address multiple issues related to environmental concerns, technological advancements, economic benefits, quality of life, justice and public awareness, driving the development of smart and sustainable cities.

The 15 most published authors in both periods focused on urbanization and urban growth, and the implementation, challenges and achievements of SDG11 (Supplementary Fig 5 ). This indicates an increased recognition of the SDG11 targets and their implementation over time, with the contributions of these authors significantly increasing from 2002 to 2016. Supplementary Table 7 shows that Chinese authors dominate the SDG11 publications, which correlates with China’s lead in institutions, affiliations and collaborations related to SDG11 research. The most cited SDG11 articles are revealed in Supplementary Table 8 , while the prominent authors that influenced SDG11 research are reported in Supplementary Table 9 . The top cited papers by SDG11 research are presented in Supplementary Tables 10 and 11 .

Key facts from the bibliometric analysis

The research on SDG11 has gained significant prominence across various fields, including urban studies, environmental sciences, geography, transportation and urban governance (Supplementary Table 12 ). The increasing environmental concerns, urbanization and global economic growth have spurred academic interest in SDG11 research from disciplines such as human geography, transportation, forestry, CC and sustainability science (Supplementary Table 13 ). Key thematic areas within SDG11 research encompass urban governance, affordable housing, transportation, urban sustainability and resilience, smart cities, urbanization and urban growth, which align closely with SDG11 targets 18 , 20 , 42 , 43 . However, research focus on SDG11 has remained relatively stable, with limited attention given to urban inequalities, safeguarding cultural and natural heritage 41 and specific impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on urban sustainability.

This study reveals a notable increase in the total SDG11 research output from 2016 to 2022, reflecting the growing emphasis on SDG11 research in recent years compared with earlier periods. China emerges as the leaders in terms of research outputs, citations, authors, institutions and collaborations, closely followed by the United States and the United Kingdom. These three countries contribute 47.71% of SDG11 research productivity within this period, which is higher than 31% reported in a previous similar study 28 .

The dominance of Global North countries in the top 20 countries with the highest number of publications and citations related to SDG11 research is expected given their strong institutional capacity, research funding, highly ranked universities and collaborations. China’s surge in publications on SDG11 can be attributed to rapid urbanization, economic growth, government support and active international collaborations 2 , 11 . Generally, the landscape of research on SDG11 demonstrates an Anglo–American hegemony, which may reinforce power asymmetries and have significant implications for sustainability and resilience 30 . It is concerning that while projections indicate that 90% of future urban population growth will occur in cities of the Global South, particularly Africa and Asia, there is limited research on urban development challenges in these regions 7 .

The debate about the politics of knowledge production in SDG11 research often revolves around the controls of knowledge production processes. Large, well-funded institutions in developed countries tend to dominate research agendas, focusing on themes and solutions relevant to their own contexts, overlooking the unique needs and challenges of the Global South, which perpetuate existing inequalities and privileging certain types of knowledge. Also, knowledge production involves recognizing and integrating diverse ways of knowing. While Western scientific paradigms have traditionally dominated SDG11 research, there is an increasing recognition of the importance of indigenous and non-Western knowledge systems. Integrating these diverse epistemologies enriches understanding and leads to more effective and culturally relevant solutions.

Additionally, SDG11 research is inherently interdisciplinary, involving fields such as urban planning, sociology, environmental science and public policy. However, interdisciplinary collaboration can be challenging due to differing terminologies, methodologies and research priorities. Navigating these differences becomes crucial in the politics of knowledge production to create cohesive and comprehensive research outputs. Finally, bridging the gap between knowledge production and its implementation faces political, economic and social barriers. Researchers and practitioners are increasingly considering how knowledge on urban sustainability can effectively influence policymaking and practice in diverse urban contexts. Mobilizing knowledge to address these barriers becomes a key consideration in the politics of knowledge production.

Challenges to achieving SDG11

There are several challenges to achieving SDG11 targets, including inadequate provision of affordable housing 31 , essential services 24 , green spaces 2 , 34 , efficient transportation 33 and conservation of cultural and natural assets 25 . Rapid urbanization 1 , 7 , CC impacts 44 , insufficient investment in public infrastructure 30 , poor governance 13 and widening livelihood, land and resources inequalities 43 further exacerbate these challenges. For example, rapid urbanization puts immense pressure on housing, infrastructure, services and resources, making it challenging to effectively manage urban growth and ensure sustainable urban development 11 . Inadequate urban planning and land-use policies lead to inefficient land utilization, urban sprawl and inadequate provision of basic services 7 , 21 . The existence of slums and informal settlements where a large portion of the urban dwellers live in substandard housing conditions without tenure security 14 and limited access to electricity, water, sanitation, education, healthcare and employment opportunities 23 , 37 , and marginalized and vulnerable populations facing social exclusion, add to the complexity.

Moreover, competing priorities and trade-offs, lack of integration among various urban sectors and agencies 35 , inadequate human, technical and material resources at local government levels 45 , and insufficient local indicators and methods for implementation and monitoring 46 often hamper the implementation of SDG11 targets. Additionally, limited awareness of SDG-related challenges for policy formulation and implementation hinders context-depended decision-making and targeted interventions 21 , 27 . Addressing social inequalities, ensuring inclusivity in urban development and synergy among multiple fields, including social, technical, environmental, policy and management are crucial for achieving SDG11 (refs. 14 , 26 , 46 ). A valuable lesson can be learned from the success of the framework for assessing the implementation of SDG11 targets at the local level in Japan 42 .

Conclusions

This study aims to enhance our understanding of urban sustainability and provide insights for future research, policies and actions needed to achieve SDG11 targets. By conducting a comprehensive bibliometric assessment of over 21,000 publications from 2016 to 2022, it significantly contributes to the existing body of knowledge, highlighting trends, thematic areas and knowledge gaps related to SDG11 research across countries, institutions, authors and journals. SDG11 research has evolved into a multidisciplinary field, encompassing diverse themes, such as transportation, housing, urban sustainability, smart cities, urbanization and urban governance and policy. However, there is a need to address the gaps in research on urban safety and inclusion, which are critical dimensions often overlooked in favor of environmental and economic aspects of sustainability. This imbalance in research thematic areas risks perpetuation of already existing disparities within SDG11 research and its goals.

China, the United States and the United Kingdom emerge as the top contributors to SDG11 research and collaboration. To foster more SDG11 research in low-income economies, it is essential to provide increased funding support, capacity building and training for scholars, promote collaboration and knowledge exchange, and improve research infrastructure and data collection. Despite global challenges such as armed conflicts, CC and the COVID-19 pandemic, progress toward achieving the SDGs will become apparent by 2030. However, there are still opportunities for further research, knowledge dissemination and international collaboration toward developing safe, sustainable and inclusive urban development. The following are priority areas for SDG11 research:

Urban policy and governance: reforms should focus on providing equitable access to basic services such as water, sanitation, electricity, healthcare and education; upgrading and formalizing informal settlements; and improving living conditions of over one billion people residing in slums 37 . Participatory governance, community engagement and empowerment can enhance social inclusion by considering the voices and needs of marginalized groups 13 , 23 . Urban policy should also prioritize preserving historic and natural resources, protecting vulnerable areas and implementing sustainable urban design principles 47 . Future studies can help understand the dynamics, challenges and opportunities and monitor progress toward SDG11 targets 15 .

Localizing SDG11 targets: spatial planning and land-use strategies should consider the needs of diverse urban populations, promote inclusive zoning and engage local communities and stakeholders in decision-making processes, crucial for fostering ownership, empowerment and social cohesion, leading to more sustainable and inclusive urban development 3 . However, enhancing the capacity for localizing SDG11 targets requires building the knowledge and skills of local governments, policymakers and practitioners. Capacity-building initiatives, such as training programs, workshops and knowledge exchange, can promote interdisciplinary understanding and sharing of best practices.

Concerted and collaborative efforts: the international community, academics, policymakers and stakeholders can work together to create inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable communities. Collaborative efforts can facilitate a comprehensive understanding of urban challenges and potential solutions by integrating diverse perspectives, data and methodologies. Disseminating research findings contributes to evidence-based policy development and informed decision-making, enabling the learning of lessons and replication of successful interventions.

Breaking down silos: integrated and cross-sectoral approaches help narrow the gaps between sectors, local governments, policymakers and stakeholders, leveraging local resources and capacities while fostering communication, knowledge sharing and collaboration 31 . Cross-sectoral working groups, joint planning processes and integrated policy frameworks promote holistic and coordinated decision-making among various sectors, including urban planning, housing, transportation, health, education, environment and social welfare 47 .

Digitalization and smart city development: maximizing the benefits of digitalization and smart city solutions requires addressing challenges such as bridging digital divides and ensuring data access, privacy and security. Prioritizing citizen-centric approaches and public accessibility to technology 36 are essential for leveraging expertise and resources 15 . Interoperability, scalability, data-driven decision-making and inclusivity contribute to evidence-based planning and equitable access to smart city technologies 12 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 .

This study comprehensively assessed SDG11 research, emphasizing significant thematic areas, trends, challenges and suggestions for prioritizing SDG11, including effective urban policy and governance, localizing SDG11 targets, concerted and collaborative efforts, and digitalization and smart city development. To broaden the scope of SDG11 research, future bibliometric reviews should encompass non-Web of Science databases and gray literature, including publications from government and nongovernmental agencies. Despite its limitations, this study’s findings provide valuable references for further research on SDG11.

The present study utilized a bibliometric technique to analyze academic publication on SDG11, tracing the research trend, the evolving key themes and identifying contributing authors, institutions and countries. Bibliometrics is a quantitative technique that allows for the analysis of trends in scholarly publications, such as research articles, conference papers and books, and visualizes scholarly publication patterns 52 . This technique is instrumental in analyzing extensive literature sets by relying on statistical observations and text-mining capabilities, which qualitative review methods such as systematic reviews cannot accomplish 53 . Additionally, it presents a scientific landscape of authors, countries, organizations and collaborations that contribute to worldwide scientific literature.

Bibliometric analysis requires interpretation, introducing an element of subjectivity 54 . Therefore, a sensemaking approach was adopted to transition from describing the bibliometric results to interpreting them. Sensemaking helps derive insightful information from bibliometric analysis and can be integrated into systematic literature reviews 55 , 56 . It applies to various international indexing, abstracting and citation databases, such as Scopus, Web of Science, Dimensions, PubMed and Education Resources Information Center, which cover journals, books, reviews and conference proceedings from around the world and different regions. For this study, Web of Science was chosen as the database to obtain bibliographic data due to its wide range of topics in various fields of study such as natural sciences, health sciences, engineering, social science, computer science and materials sciences. It is one of the world’s largest peer-reviewed scientific literature databases, with 87 million indexed items.

Specialized bibliometrics software were employed, including VOSviewer (version 1.6.19) 52 , Biblioshiny (version 4.1.3) 55 and BibExcel (version 2017) 57 . VOSviewer, known for its user-friendly interface, was used to understand the thematic focus and evolution of research on SDG11. It generates networks of nodes and links, with node size representing the frequency of the studied item, and link width indicating the strength of connections between items. Clusters of intricately linked nodes are shown in distinct colors. The thematic focus was examined for two periods: period 1 (2016–2019) and period 2 (2020–2022), considering the time since the SDGs were introduced to the time of data collection in this study. Another reason for this categorization is that evidence shows that the pandemic has significantly affected progress toward achieving SDGs 58 . VOSviewer allows for various types of analysis, including term co-occurrence, co-citation, citation and bibliographic coupling 53 . A term co-occurrence analysis was used in this study to highlight key thematic areas. To ensure accuracy and avoid separate counting of synonyms, a thesaurus file was developed and added to the software before the analysis. A summary of the data, including the number of authors and journals, used in the analysis is presented in Table 1 and will be further explained below.

A comprehensive search query was formulated to retrieve relevant data on SDG11, and it was executed in the title, abstract and keywords fields (TS) in Web of Science on 5 July 2023. The initial query shown the following box resulted in a total of 334,224 documents. Co-citation analysis was employed to identify the most influential journals contributing to SDG11 research. Two works are considered co-cited when they are both mentioned in the works cited section of a subsequent publication 59 (Zhao, 2006).

TS = ((‘city’ OR ‘cities’ OR ‘human settlement*’ OR ‘urban’ OR ‘metropoli*’ OR ‘town*’ OR ‘municipal*’ OR ‘peri-urban*’ OR ‘urban-rural’ OR ‘rural-urban’) AND (‘gentrification’ OR ‘congestion’ OR ‘transport*’ OR ‘housing’ OR ‘slum*’ OR ‘informal settlement*’ OR ‘sendai framework’ OR ‘Disaster Risk Reduction’ OR ‘disaster’ OR ‘DRR’ OR ‘smart cit*’ OR ‘resilient building*’ OR ‘sustainable building*’ OR ‘building design’ OR ‘buildings design’ OR ‘urbani?ation’ OR ‘zero energy’ OR ‘zero-energy’ OR ‘basic service*’ OR ‘governance’ OR ‘citizen participation’ OR ‘collaborative planning’ OR ‘participatory planning’ OR ‘inclusiveness’ OR ‘cultural heritage’ OR ‘natural heritage’ OR ‘UNESCO’ OR ‘ecological footprint’ OR ‘environmental footprint’ OR ‘waste’ OR ‘pollution’ OR ‘pollutant*’ OR ‘waste water’ OR wastewater* OR waste-water* OR ‘recycling’ OR ‘circular economy’ OR ‘air quality’ OR ‘green space’ OR ‘green spaces’ OR ‘nature inclusive’ OR ‘nature inclusive building’ OR ‘nature inclusive buildings’ OR ‘resilient’ OR ‘resilience’ OR ‘healthy cit*’ OR ‘sustainable’ OR ‘sustainability’ OR ‘green’ OR ‘nature*’ OR ‘Green infrastructure*’ OR ‘nature-based solution*’ OR ‘nature based solution*’ OR ‘child*’ OR ‘wom?n’ OR ‘elderl*’ OR ‘disabl*’ OR ‘disabilit*’ OR ‘disabled’)) AND PY = (2016–2022) NOT PY = (2023)

The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework was used to report document search and filtration process. The PRISMA framework is designed to help scholars transparently report why their review study is conducted, what activities are performed and what discoveries are made, ideal for both systematic reviews and bibliometric studies 60 . PRISMA presents the four stages of the above query’s overall searching and filtration process (Fig. 4 ). The identification stage yielded 334,224 records, which were then screened to select only article-type documents ( n  = 277,165). Subsequently, documents were further screened based on language, selecting only English documents ( n  = 257,374). In the final stage, documents were screened based on specific categories closely related to cities and SDG11, resulting in a selection of six major categories: urban studies, environmental studies, geography, urban and regional planning, architecture, transportation and physical geography ( n  = 21,168). Finally, 15 duplicated documents were removed, resulting in a final dataset of 21,153 documents.

A four-phase flow diagram of the data extraction and filtration process of SDG11 literature, adapted from Priyadarshini 57 . WoS, Web of Science.

Reporting summary

Further information on research design is available in the Nature Portfolio Reporting Summary linked to this article.

Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available as supplementary information. The steps for curating the data from the Web of Science have been provided in the text. If there is a further need, data are available on figshare at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.26360125 . Source data are provided with this paper.

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Acknowledgements

A.I.A. acknowledges Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, for their support in conducting this study. A.S. acknowledges the support of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science KAKENHI grant number 22K04493. We appreciate Hiroshima University for supporting the open-access publication of this article.

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Abdulaziz I. Almulhim

The IDEC Institute and Network for Education and Research on Peace and Sustainability, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan

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Department of Geomatics Engineering Technology, Yanbu Industrial College, Yanbu, Saudi Arabia

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Directorate of Library Affairs, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia

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The Business School, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, UK

Academy of Architecture and Urban Studies, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia

Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK

Walter Leal Filho

Research and Transfer Centre ‘Sustainable Development and Climate Change Management’, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg, Germany

College of Architecture and Planning, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia

Ismaila Rimi Abubakar

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A.I.A.: conceptualization, methodology, formal analysis, data curation, writing—original draft, writing—review and editing, investigation and project administration. A.S.: methodology, software, formal analysis, visualization and writing—original draft. Y.A.A.: conceptualization, writing—original draft, investigation and validation. S.A.: methodology, software, formal analysis, visualization and data curation. L.M.: writing—review and editing, and investigation. W.L.F.: writing—review and editing, and investigation. I.R.A.: writing—review and editing, investigation, supervision, validation and resources.

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Correspondence to Abdulaziz I. Almulhim or Ayyoob Sharifi .

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Almulhim, A.I., Sharifi, A., Aina, Y.A. et al. Charting sustainable urban development through a systematic review of SDG11 research. Nat Cities (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44284-024-00117-6

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Global Energy Crisis

How the energy crisis started, how global energy markets are impacting our daily life, and what governments are doing about it

• English English

What is the energy crisis?

Record prices, fuel shortages, rising poverty, slowing economies: the first energy crisis that's truly global.

Energy markets began to tighten in 2021 because of a variety of factors, including the extraordinarily rapid economic rebound following the pandemic. But the situation escalated dramatically into a full-blown global energy crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The price of natural gas reached record highs, and as a result so did electricity in some markets. Oil prices hit their highest level since 2008. 

Higher energy prices have contributed to painfully high inflation, pushed families into poverty, forced some factories to curtail output or even shut down, and slowed economic growth to the point that some countries are heading towards severe recession. Europe, whose gas supply is uniquely vulnerable because of its historic reliance on Russia, could face gas rationing this winter, while many emerging economies are seeing sharply higher energy import bills and fuel shortages. While today’s energy crisis shares some parallels with the oil shocks of the 1970s, there are important differences. Today’s crisis involves all fossil fuels, while the 1970s price shocks were largely limited to oil at a time when the global economy was much more dependent on oil, and less dependent on gas. The entire word economy is much more interlinked than it was 50 years ago, magnifying the impact. That’s why we can refer to this as the first truly global energy crisis.

Some gas-intensive manufacturing plants in Europe have curtailed output because they can’t afford to keep operating, while in China some have simply had their power supply cut. In emerging and developing economies, where the share of household budgets spent on energy and food is already large, higher energy bills have increased extreme poverty and set back progress towards achieving universal and affordable energy access. Even in advanced economies, rising prices have impacted vulnerable households and caused significant economic, social and political strains.

Climate policies have been blamed in some quarters for contributing to the recent run-up in energy prices, but there is no evidence. In fact, a greater supply of clean energy sources and technologies would have protected consumers and mitigated some of the upward pressure on fuel prices.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine drove European and Asian gas prices to record highs

Evolution of key regional natural gas prices, june 2021-october 2022, what is causing it, disrupted supply chains, bad weather, low investment, and then came russia's invasion of ukraine.

Energy prices have been rising since 2021 because of the rapid economic recovery, weather conditions in various parts of the world, maintenance work that had been delayed by the pandemic, and earlier decisions by oil and gas companies and exporting countries to reduce investments. Russia began withholding gas supplies to Europe in 2021, months ahead of its invasion of Ukraine. All that led to already tight supplies. Russia’s attack on Ukraine greatly exacerbated the situation . The United States and the EU imposed a series of sanctions on Russia and many European countries declared their intention to phase out Russian gas imports completely. Meanwhile, Russia has increasingly curtailed or even turned off its export pipelines. Russia is by far the world’s largest exporter of fossil fuels, and a particularly important supplier to Europe. In 2021, a quarter of all energy consumed in the EU came from Russia. As Europe sought to replace Russian gas, it bid up prices of US, Australian and Qatari ship-borne liquefied natural gas (LNG), raising prices and diverting supply away from traditional LNG customers in Asia. Because gas frequently sets the price at which electricity is sold, power prices soared as well. Both LNG producers and importers are rushing to build new infrastructure to increase how much LNG can be traded internationally, but these costly projects take years to come online. Oil prices also initially soared as international trade routes were reconfigured after the United States, many European countries and some of their Asian allies said they would no longer buy Russian oil. Some shippers have declined to carry Russian oil because of sanctions and insurance risk. Many large oil producers were unable to boost supply to meet rising demand – even with the incentive of sky-high prices – because of a lack of investment in recent years. While prices have come down from their peaks, the outlook is uncertain with new rounds of European sanctions on Russia kicking in later this year.

What is being done?

Pandemic hangovers and rising interest rates limit public responses, while some countries turn to coal.

Some governments are looking to cushion the blow for customers and businesses, either through direct assistance, or by limiting prices for consumers and then paying energy providers the difference. But with inflation in many countries well above target and budget deficits already large because of emergency spending during the Covid-19 pandemic, the scope for cushioning the impact is more limited than in early 2020. Rising inflation has triggered increases in short-term interest rates in many countries, slowing down economic growth. Europeans have rushed to increase gas imports from alternative producers such as Algeria, Norway and Azerbaijan. Several countries have resumed or expanded the use of coal for power generation, and some are extending the lives of nuclear plants slated for de-commissioning. EU members have also introduced gas storage obligations, and agreed on voluntary targets to cut gas and electricity demand by 15% this winter through efficiency measures, greater use of renewables, and support for efficiency improvements. To ensure adequate oil supplies, the IEA and its members responded with the two largest ever releases of emergency oil stocks. With two decisions – on 1 March 2022 and 1 April – the IEA coordinated the release of some 182 million barrels of emergency oil from public stocks or obligated stocks held by industry. Some IEA member countries independently released additional public stocks, resulting in a total of over 240 million barrels being released between March and November 2022.

The IEA has also published action plans to cut oil use with immediate impact, as well as plans for how Europe can reduce its reliance on Russian gas and how common citizens can reduce their energy consumption . The invasion has sparked a reappraisal of energy policies and priorities, calling into question the viability of decades of infrastructure and investment decisions, and profoundly reorientating international energy trade. Gas had been expected to play a key role in many countries as a lower-emitting "bridge" between dirtier fossil fuels and renewable energies. But today’s crisis has called into question natural gas’ reliability.

The current crisis could accelerate the rollout of cleaner, sustainable renewable energy such as wind and solar, just as the 1970s oil shocks spurred major advances in energy efficiency, as well as in nuclear, solar and wind power. The crisis has also underscored the importance of investing in robust gas and power network infrastructure to better integrate regional markets. The EU’s RePowerEU, presented in May 2022 and the United States’ Inflation Reduction Act , passed in August 2022, both contain major initiatives to develop energy efficiency and promote renewable energies. 

The global energy crisis can be a historic turning point

Energy saving tips

1. Heating: turn it down

Lower your thermostat by just 1°C to save around 7% of your heating energy and cut an average bill by EUR 50-70 a year. Always set your thermostat as low as feels comfortable, and wear warm clothes indoors. Use a programmable thermostat to set the temperature to 15°C while you sleep and 10°C when the house is unoccupied. This cuts up to 10% a year off heating bills. Try to only heat the room you’re in or the rooms you use regularly.

The same idea applies in hot weather. Turn off air-conditioning when you’re out. Set the overall temperature 1 °C warmer to cut bills by up to 10%. And only cool the room you’re in.

2. Boiler: adjust the settings

Default boiler settings are often higher than you need. Lower the hot water temperature to save 8% of your heating energy and cut EUR 100 off an average bill.  You may have to have the plumber come once if you have a complex modern combi boiler and can’t figure out the manual. Make sure you follow local recommendations or consult your boiler manual. Swap a bath for a shower to spend less energy heating water. And if you already use a shower, take a shorter one. Hot water tanks and pipes should be insulated to stop heat escaping. Clean wood- and pellet-burning heaters regularly with a wire brush to keep them working efficiently.

3. Warm air: seal it in

Close windows and doors, insulate pipes and draught-proof around windows, chimneys and other gaps to keep the warm air inside. Unless your home is very new, you will lose heat through draughty doors and windows, gaps in the floor, or up the chimney. Draught-proof these gaps with sealant or weather stripping to save up to EUR 100 a year. Install tight-fitting curtains or shades on windows to retain even more heat. Close fireplace and chimney openings (unless a fire is burning) to stop warm air escaping straight up the chimney. And if you never use your fireplace, seal the chimney to stop heat escaping.

4. Lightbulbs: swap them out

Replace old lightbulbs with new LED ones, and only keep on the lights you need. LED bulbs are more efficient than incandescent and halogen lights, they burn out less frequently, and save around EUR 10 a year per bulb. Check the energy label when buying bulbs, and aim for A (the most efficient) rather than G (the least efficient). The simplest and easiest way to save energy is to turn lights off when you leave a room.

5. Grab a bike

Walking or cycling are great alternatives to driving for short journeys, and they help save money, cut emissions and reduce congestion. If you can, leave your car at home for shorter journeys; especially if it’s a larger car. Share your ride with neighbours, friends and colleagues to save energy and money. You’ll also see big savings and health benefits if you travel by bike. Many governments also offer incentives for electric bikes.

6. Use public transport

For longer distances where walking or cycling is impractical, public transport still reduces energy use, congestion and air pollution. If you’re going on a longer trip, consider leaving your car at home and taking the train. Buy a season ticket to save money over time. Your workplace or local government might also offer incentives for travel passes. Plan your trip in advance to save on tickets and find the best route.

7. Drive smarter

Optimise your driving style to reduce fuel consumption: drive smoothly and at lower speeds on motorways, close windows at high speeds and make sure your tires are properly inflated. Try to take routes that avoid heavy traffic and turn off the engine when you’re not moving. Drive 10 km/h slower on motorways to cut your fuel bill by around EUR 60 per year. Driving steadily between 50-90 km/h can also save fuel. When driving faster than 80 km/h, it’s more efficient to use A/C, rather than opening your windows. And service your engine regularly to maintain energy efficiency.

Analysis and forecast to 2026

Fuel report — December 2023

Europe’s energy crisis: Understanding the drivers of the fall in electricity demand

Commentary — 09 May 2023

Where things stand in the global energy crisis one year on

Commentary — 23 February 2023

The global energy crisis pushed fossil fuel consumption subsidies to an all-time high in 2022

Commentary — 16 February 2023

Fossil Fuels Consumption Subsidies 2022

Policy report — February 2023

Background note on the natural gas supply-demand balance of the European Union in 2023

Report — February 2023

Analysis and forecast to 2025

Fuel report — December 2022

How to Avoid Gas Shortages in the European Union in 2023

A practical set of actions to close a potential supply-demand gap

Flagship report — December 2022

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What Do Students Really Know About Sustainability?

• Business schools are integrating more sustainability content into their curricula, but often, they are doing so based on assumptions about students’ knowledge and attitudes toward the topic.
• When faculty at BI Norwegian Business School recently surveyed their students, they were surprised to discover that less than one quarter of the students could describe a single United Nations Sustainable Development Goal in specific terms.
• In response to student feedback, BI has revised its curriculum in ways that will require students to engage more frequently with the SDGs and apply sustainable principles in multiple business contexts.

  Most business students today care about sustainability, believe in the importance of adopting responsible business practices, and want to see more sustainability content in their courses. But as business schools integrate sustainability into their courses and programs, what assumptions are faculty making about what students know and believe about sustainability and social responsibility in practice?

At BI Norwegian Business School in Oslo, we wanted to discover our own assumptions. Earlier this year, we surveyed 112 students enrolled in Ethics and Sustainability in Organizations, a mandatory six-week MSc course held in the second half of the spring semester. Their responses offered us a clearer understanding of their perspectives, which we are using to tailor our teaching to how students actually view this important topic.

How Do Students Define Sustainability?

In our survey, we asked students questions such as the following to gain a more complete picture of their attitudes:

How would you define the term “sustainable development” in three words? Here, about one-third of students offered future-oriented responses that aligned with the 1987 report from the United Nations’ Brundtland Commission. The report defines sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” The remaining two-thirds of students placed less emphasis on social conditions and more on the environment; renewable energy; and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies.

When you think about the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which goals do you think of first? At BI, we display a large poster featuring the U.N.’s 17 SDGs in public and private spaces throughout our building. Even so, we found that only about half of the students surveyed could refer to terms related to the goals, and less than one quarter could name one specific goal or describe it in exact terms. The majority of those who could name specific SDGs referred to SDG 4 (quality education) and SDG 5 (gender equality).

What do you think is the world’s biggest sustainability challenge? Students’ top answer to this question was climate change, followed by war and waste. In addition, we asked students to rank six sustainability challenges in order of greatest priority. Once again, they ranked climate change first, followed by pollution, food insecurity, resource depletion, loss of biodiversity, and social inequality.

Are you pessimistic or optimistic about the future of sustainable development? Students were evenly split on this question—a finding that is especially important to us as teachers. If half of our students are lacking hope for the future, how can we deliver content in ways that inspire students to imagine positive solutions? We did not ask students why they were optimistic or pessimistic, but we plan to add that question to the survey we conduct next semester.

How well do you think BI integrates sustainability into its curriculum? In 2022 and 2023, BI worked to better integrate the topic into our courses, and we wanted to learn whether students thought we had succeeded. We found that 80 percent of first-year students either strongly agreed, agreed, or somewhat agreed that sustainability was a part of BI’s courses. Now, however, we must continuously update our curriculum to reflect the rapidly changing world.

If half of our students are lacking hope for the future, how can we deliver content in ways that inspire students to imagine positive solutions?

How can we do a better job at integrating sustainability at BI? We received a range of answers to this question. Students recommended that we put “more focus on coming up with actual sustainable solutions for real companies,” offer a “view of both sides, both negative and positive,” and provide “more concrete examples.”   

Their most common request was that we integrate more examples of successful sustainability practices into the curriculum. With their feedback in mind, this upcoming semester we are including more relevant examples in our courses. On top of that, we will use more mini case studies, particularly from IMD , which students will then discuss in groups.

Students also suggested that we put more emphasis on the basics and cover issues currently in the news. In our own observations, we also have noticed that students are particularly engaged with assignments that focus on debates they have had in previous classes. Therefore, in Ethics and Sustainability, students are required to write two well-informed opinion essays on an assigned topic for the final exam. There are no right or wrong perspectives—rather, assessments are based on their critical analyses.

For example, two semesters back, a debate was underway in Norway about whether to open the continental shelf to deep sea mining. On the final exam, we asked students to pick a country and write an argument about whether its government should ban or allow deep sea mining, discussing the tradeoffs involved. After the course, many students told us how much they liked the final exam question. They noted that it helped them understand the public debate in a completely new light and showed them how they might engage in debate with others on the topic.

It was students’ positive feedback on this teaching experiment that shaped the way we designed exam questions going forward. Their feedback also prompted us to encourage and require students to read and reference more primary sources. Before, for instance, we would ask students simply to read about the Paris Agreement . Now, we ask them to read the Paris Agreement, think about its benefits and shortcomings, and develop and argue for solutions they believe in. Knowing the value of this approach has been especially useful for faculty who teach courses that focus on sustainability.

Reflecting on the Results

Every semester, the faculty involved in teaching the sustainability component of the Ethics and Sustainability in Organizations course meet to discuss what worked, what did not work, and what we should consider adjusting for the next semester. These discussions cover not only how we might improve course content, but also how we can continuously improve course delivery by experimenting with different teaching and assessment approaches.

Our survey, along with other student feedback, has been instrumental in helping us question our assumptions and has inspired us to make some substantive changes for the upcoming fall semester. For example, we took note of the fact that students ranked climate change as the biggest sustainability challenge both globally and locally. Is this why students feel pessimistic about the future of sustainable development? Do they view the challenge as too big for a solution? This reflection led to new questions about how we can overcome students’ pessimism and help them see sustainability in context beyond climate-focused issues.

For example, even though BI’s faculty align sustainability content with the SDGs, few faculty connect the topics explicitly to the SDGs in course descriptions or in the classroom. In an internal mapping of our curriculum, we found that more than 50 percent of our courses integrate SDG topics, but only 6 percent explicitly mention the SDGs. How can we ensure that students apply sustainability concepts to all that they learn, even if not explicitly instructed to do so?

In other words, how do we teach them to recognize sustainability content in their other classes even if we do not tag that content directly to terms such as sustainability, green business, and ESG issues in the syllabus? If faculty teaching a strategy course use a case study on an African agritech startup without calling it an ESG case, will students still connect it to the relevant SDGs?

We must train students to think in terms of sustainability, responsibility, and societal impact even when these terms are not directly mentioned in course content.

Our survey question on the SDGs offered us some initial insights. Yes, BI students are familiar with the SDGs, but if less than a quarter of the students can describe the specific focus of a single SDG number (for example, that SDG 13 relates to climate change), it signals to us that these goals are not in their working memory. It tells us that students have not deeply engaged with the framework. Have we been incorrectly assuming that students are taking the opportunities available to apply the SDGs in business contexts? We will find out in the upcoming semester, when we will spend more time in class having students actively engage with the SDGs.

We spent the early part of this summer evaluating different SDG tools and projects, determining which would best allow students to work hands-on with and actively apply the SDGs in a business case. Our hypothesis is that this deeper engagement will help students not only see how the SDGs apply to real-world business contexts, but also recognize sustainability content in their subsequent courses—and, eventually, in the workplace.

Creating a Ripple Effect

We realize that current trends of unsustainable development have stemmed, at least in part, from many of the theories that have long been taught in business and economics courses. These theories have led businesses to focus on economic growth over societal welfare and to measure their success in terms of their gross national product rather than sustainable progress. If we want to reverse that trend, we must diverge from “business education as usual” and prepare students for a future that is yet unknown to us.

For this to happen, we must do more than include words such as “environment” and “sustainability” in our course descriptions. We must train students to think in terms of sustainability, responsibility, and societal impact even when these terms are not directly mentioned in course content.

We realize that what students say they want is not necessarily what will help them learn the most—or what they most need to learn. That said, our survey’s results provide a valuable window into students’ understanding of and attitudes about sustainable development.

Over the next semester, we are interested to see if the minor changes we have made in Ethics and Sustainability will have a ripple effect throughout students’ studies. In the future, we plan to conduct a slightly revised survey, so that we can gain insights into each incoming class. We also plan to design a short exit survey to see whether we are achieving our intended objectives.

As sustainability becomes even more important to business, we offer the following suggestions to other business schools and faculty: Question your assumptions. Experiment with your teaching, measure the effects of each approach, and adjust as necessary. Finally, maintain strong connections with practitioners so that you not only know what is happening in the real world today, but also can anticipate what competencies students will need in the future.

As educators, we must all be critical and teach our students to be critical. We need to ask students tough questions, have them struggle to understand the big picture, and let them reach their own conclusions. Through this process, they will develop systems thinking, a skill they will need as they tackle the world’s biggest problems.

Most importantly, instead of preaching sustainability, we need to foster students’ ability to cultivate informed opinions, understand opposing perspectives, and remain optimistic about future possibilities. Students need to discuss sustainability challenges in different fora—not just in dedicated sustainability courses or modules. They must be ready to confront sustainability issues in every relevant business context.

Educators who would like to read or replicate our survey can contact [email protected] .

• climate change
• learner engagement
• societal impact
• sustainability
• sustainable development goals

Sustainable Development Essay

500+ words essay on sustainable development.

Sustainable development is a central concept. It is a way of understanding the world and a method for solving global problems. The world population continues to rise rapidly. This increasing population needs basic essential things for their survival such as food, safe water, health care and shelter. This is where the concept of sustainable development comes into play. Sustainable development means meeting the needs of people without compromising the ability of future generations. In this essay on sustainable development, students will understand what sustainable development means and how we can practise sustainable development. Students can also access the list of CBSE essay topics to practise more essays.

What Does Sustainable Development Means?

The term “Sustainable Development” is defined as the development that meets the needs of the present generation without excessive use or abuse of natural resources so that they can be preserved for the next generation. There are three aims of sustainable development; first, the “Economic” which will help to attain balanced growth, second, the “Environment”, to preserve the ecosystem, and third, “Society” which will guarantee equal access to resources to all human beings. The key principle of sustainable development is the integration of environmental, social, and economic concerns into all aspects of decision-making.

Need for Sustainable Development?

There are several challenges that need attention in the arena of economic development and environmental depletion. Hence the idea of sustainable development is essential to address these issues. The need for sustainable development arises to curb or prevent environmental degradation. It will check the overexploitation and wastage of natural resources. It will help in finding alternative sources to regenerate renewable energy resources. It ensures a safer human life and a safer future for the next generation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need to keep sustainable development at the very core of any development strategy. The pandemic has challenged the health infrastructure, adversely impacted livelihoods and exacerbated the inequality in the food and nutritional availability in the country. The immediate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic enabled the country to focus on sustainable development. In these difficult times, several reform measures have been taken by the Government. The State Governments also responded with several measures to support those affected by the pandemic through various initiatives and reliefs to fight against this pandemic.

How to Practise Sustainable Development?

The concept of sustainable development was born to address the growing and changing environmental challenges that our planet is facing. In order to do this, awareness must be spread among the people with the help of many campaigns and social activities. People can adopt a sustainable lifestyle by taking care of a few things such as switching off the lights when not in use; thus, they save electricity. People must use public transport as it will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. They should save water and not waste food. They build a habit of using eco-friendly products. They should minimise waste generation by adapting to the principle of the 4 R’s which stands for refuse, reduce, reuse and recycle.

The concept of sustainable development must be included in the education system so that students get aware of it and start practising a sustainable lifestyle. With the help of empowered youth and local communities, many educational institutions should be opened to educate people about sustainable development. Thus, adapting to a sustainable lifestyle will help to save our Earth for future generations. Moreover, the Government of India has taken a number of initiatives on both mitigation and adaptation strategies with an emphasis on clean and efficient energy systems; resilient urban infrastructure; water conservation & preservation; safe, smart & sustainable green transportation networks; planned afforestation etc. The Government has also supported various sectors such as agriculture, forestry, coastal and low-lying systems and disaster management.

Students must have found this essay on sustainable development useful for practising their essay writing skills. They can get the study material and the latest updates on CBSE/ICSE/State Board/Competitive Exams, at BYJU’S.

Frequently Asked Questions on Sustainable development Essay

Why is sustainable development a hot topic for discussion.

Environment change and constant usage of renewable energy have become a concern for all of us around the globe. Sustainable development must be inculcated in young adults so that they make the Earth a better place.

What will happen if we do not practise sustainable development?

Landfills with waste products will increase and thereby there will be no space and land for humans and other species/organisms to thrive on.

What are the advantages of sustainable development?

Sustainable development helps secure a proper lifestyle for future generations. It reduces various kinds of pollution on Earth and ensures economic growth and development.

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Essay on Sustainable Development: Samples in 250, 300 and 500 Words

• Updated on  
• Nov 18, 2023

On 3rd August 2023, the Indian Government released its Net zero emissions target policy to reduce its carbon footprints. To achieve the sustainable development goals (SDG) , as specified by the UN, India is determined for its long-term low-carbon development strategy. Selfishly pursuing modernization, humans have frequently compromised with the requirements of a more sustainable environment.

As a result, the increased environmental depletion is evident with the prevalence of deforestation, pollution, greenhouse gases, climate change etc. To combat these challenges, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in 2019. The objective was to improve air quality in 131 cities in 24 States/UTs by engaging multiple stakeholders.

‘Development is not real until and unless it is sustainable development.’ – Ban Ki-Moon

Sustainable Development Goals, also known as SGDs, are a list of 17 goals to build a sustained and better tomorrow. These 17 SDGs are known as the ‘World’s Best Plan’ to eradicate property, tackle climate change, and empower people for global welfare.

This Blog Includes:

What is sustainable development, essay on sustainable development in 250 words, 300 words essay on sustainable development, 500 words essay on sustainable development, what are sdgs, introduction, conclusion of sustainable development essay, importance of sustainable development, examples of sustainable development.

As the term simply explains, Sustainable Development aims to bring a balance between meeting the requirements of what the present demands while not overlooking the needs of future generations. It acknowledges nature’s requirements along with the human’s aim to work towards the development of different aspects of the world. It aims to efficiently utilise resources while also meticulously planning the accomplishment of immediate as well as long-term goals for human beings, the planet as well and future generations. In the present time, the need for Sustainable Development is not only for the survival of mankind but also for its future protection. 

To give you an idea of the way to deliver a well-written essay, we have curated a sample on sustainable development below, with 250 words:

To give you an idea of the way to deliver a well-written essay, we have curated a sample on sustainable development below, with 300+ words:

We all remember the historical @BTS_twt speech supporting #Youth2030 initiative to empower young people to use their voices for change. Tomorrow, #BTSARMY 💜 will be in NYC🗽again for the #SDGmoment at #UNGA76 Live 8AM EST welcome back #BTSARMY 👏🏾 pic.twitter.com/pUnBni48bq — The Sustainable Development Goals #SDG🫶 (@ConnectSDGs) September 19, 2021

To give you an idea of the way to deliver a well-written essay, we have curated a sample on sustainable development below, with 500 + words:

Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs are a list of 17 goals to build a better world for everyone. These goals are developed by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations. Let’s have a look at these sustainable development goals.

• Eradicate Poverty
• Zero Hunger
• Good Health and Well-being
• Quality Education
• Gender Equality
• Clean Water and Sanitation
• Affordable and Clean Energy
• Decent Work and Economic Growth
• Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
• Reduced Inequalities
• Sustainable Cities and Communities
• Responsible Consumption and Production
• Climate Action
• Life Below Water
• Life on Land
• Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
• Partnership for the Goals

Essay Format

Before drafting an essay on Sustainable Development, students need to get familiarised with the format of essay writing, to know how to structure the essay on a given topic. Take a look at the following pointers which elaborate upon the format of a 300-350 word essay.

Introduction (50-60 words) In the introduction, students must introduce or provide an overview of the given topic, i.e. highlighting and adding recent instances and questions related to sustainable development. Body of Content (100-150 words) The area of the content after the introduction can be explained in detail about why sustainable development is important, its objectives and highlighting the efforts made by the government and various institutions towards it.  Conclusion (30-40 words) In the essay on Sustainable Development, you must add a conclusion wrapping up the content in about 2-3 lines, either with an optimistic touch to it or just summarizing what has been talked about above.

How to write the introduction of a sustainable development essay? To begin with your essay on sustainable development, you must mention the following points:

• What is sustainable development?
• What does sustainable development focus on?
• Why is it useful for the environment?

How to write the conclusion of a sustainable development essay? To conclude your essay on sustainable development, mention why it has become the need of the hour. Wrap up all the key points you have mentioned in your essay and provide some important suggestions to implement sustainable development.

The importance of sustainable development is that it meets the needs of the present generations without compromising on the needs of the coming future generations. Sustainable development teaches us to use our resources correctly. Listed below are some points which tell us the importance of sustainable development.

• Focuses on Sustainable Agricultural Methods – Sustainable development is important because it takes care of the needs of future generations and makes sure that the increasing population does not put a burden on Mother Earth. It promotes agricultural techniques such as crop rotation and effective seeding techniques.
• Manages Stabilizing the Climate – We are facing the problem of climate change due to the excessive use of fossil fuels and the killing of the natural habitat of animals. Sustainable development plays a major role in preventing climate change by developing practices that are sustainable. It promotes reducing the use of fossil fuels which release greenhouse gases that destroy the atmosphere.
• Provides Important Human Needs – Sustainable development promotes the idea of saving for future generations and making sure that resources are allocated to everybody. It is based on the principle of developing an infrastructure that is can be sustained for a long period of time.
• Sustain Biodiversity – If the process of sustainable development is followed, the home and habitat of all other living animals will not be depleted. As sustainable development focuses on preserving the ecosystem it automatically helps in sustaining and preserving biodiversity.
• Financial Stability – As sustainable development promises steady development the economies of countries can become stronger by using renewable sources of energy as compared to using fossil fuels, of which there is only a particular amount on our planet.

Mentioned below are some important examples of sustainable development. Have a look:

• Wind Energy – Wind energy is an easily available resource. It is also a free resource. It is a renewable source of energy and the energy which can be produced by harnessing the power of wind will be beneficial for everyone. Windmills can produce energy which can be used to our benefit. It can be a helpful source of reducing the cost of grid power and is a fine example of sustainable development. 
• Solar Energy – Solar energy is also a source of energy which is readily available and there is no limit to it. Solar energy is being used to replace and do many things which were first being done by using non-renewable sources of energy. Solar water heaters are a good example. It is cost-effective and sustainable at the same time.
• Crop Rotation – To increase the potential of growth of gardening land, crop rotation is an ideal and sustainable way. It is rid of any chemicals and reduces the chances of disease in the soil. This form of sustainable development is beneficial to both commercial farmers and home gardeners.
• Efficient Water Fixtures – The installation of hand and head showers in our toilets which are efficient and do not waste or leak water is a method of conserving water. Water is essential for us and conserving every drop is important. Spending less time under the shower is also a way of sustainable development and conserving water.
• Sustainable Forestry – This is an amazing way of sustainable development where the timber trees that are cut by factories are replaced by another tree. A new tree is planted in place of the one which was cut down. This way, soil erosion is prevented and we have hope of having a better, greener future.

Related Articles

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 global goals established by the United Nations in 2015. These include: No Poverty Zero Hunger Good Health and Well-being Quality Education Gender Equality Clean Water and Sanitation Affordable and Clean Energy Decent Work and Economic Growth Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure Reduced Inequality Sustainable Cities and Communities Responsible Consumption and Production Climate Action Life Below Water Life on Land Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions Partnerships for the Goals

The SDGs are designed to address a wide range of global challenges, such as eradicating extreme poverty globally, achieving food security, focusing on promoting good health and well-being, inclusive and equitable quality education, etc.

India is ranked #111 in the Sustainable Development Goal Index 2023 with a score of 63.45.

Hence, we hope that this blog helped you understand the key features of an essay on sustainable development. If you are interested in Environmental studies and planning to pursue sustainable tourism courses , take the assistance of Leverage Edu ’s AI-based tool to browse through a plethora of programs available in this specialised field across the globe and find the best course and university combination that fits your interests, preferences and aspirations. Call us immediately at 1800 57 2000 for a free 30-minute counselling session

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119 Environmental Sustainability Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best environmental sustainability topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good essay topics on environmental sustainability, ✅ interesting topics to write about environmental sustainability, 📌 simple & easy environmental sustainability essay titles, ❓ environmental sustainability questions.

• McDonald’s: Human Rights and Environmental Sustainability Core values of the company One of the core values of the company is the respect for the fundamental rights of human beings.
• The Nestle Company’s Environmental Sustainability Efforts What I like about Nestle’s environmental sustainability efforts: Nestle’s environmental sustainability efforts are concise and clear towards the company’s sustainability plans, that is, clear goals and objectives which are time bound. The company’s sustainability efforts […]
• Personal Environmental Sustainability Action Plan Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion and contamination of resources such as air, water, and soil, which leads to the destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of wildlife.
• The Environmental Sustainability Concept in the Hospitality Industry Environmental sustainability refers to the responsible management of natural resources in order to preserve the lives of human beings and other organisms in the ecosystem.
• The Components of Environmental Sustainability On page 6, Sutton, is of the opinion that there is a great connection between environmental damage, industrialisation and urbanisation; he observes that human beings have altered the natural environment and resulted to living in […]
• Attaining Sustainability in the Environment In fact, the treatment of waste is among the first aspects that need to change for a sustainable future to be possible. Therefore, in a sustainable future, the use of plastic will be reduced to […]
• Sustainability and Human Impact on Environment Sustainability entails the analysis of ecosystem functioning, diversity, and role in the balance of life. It is the consideration of how humanity can exploit the natural world for sustenance without affecting its ability to meet […]
• Environmental Education for Sustainability There are several characteristics that can be associated with environmental education as a learning process, with the most significant being the unit’s predisposition to enhance the knowledge and responsiveness of individuals about the environment and […]
• The Trends, Opportunities and Challenges of Environmental Sustainability The environmental issues on earth have extended radically in the past decades and are currently among the main threats and challenges which have impacts on people lifestyles and organizations processes around the world.
• Environmental Sustainability on a Global Scale Compared to the world at the beginning of the 21st century, it required perceptional changes toward nature, biodiversity, and ecosystems, as well as reforms in agriculture and management of water, energy, and waste.
• Risk Factor Analysis and Environmental Sustainability This project was evaluated using a methodical process that included listing ten potential dangers, followed by a risk assessment matrix and an explanation of how the dangers would be managed.
• Sustainability and Environmentally-Friendly Practices The crucial ideas are that the term “tree justice” is far from “yes, we can” in terms of effective political rhetoric, but it is a reference to research showing that more canopies can save lives.
• Coates Chemicals: Environmental, Sustainability, and Safety Improving the safety of chemical production, use, and disposal is a critical component of activities to safeguard human health and the environment.
• Achieving Environmental Sustainability Consequently, it causes a tremendous decline in the number of trees available globally, and the trees are viewed to be of significance towards the reduction of the amount of carbon dioxide available in the atmosphere.
• Climate Change: Sustainability Development and Environmental Law The media significantly contributes to the creation of awareness, thus the importance of integrating the role of the news press with sustainability practices.
• Mega-Events and Environmental Sustainability Carbon emissions and the amount of waste produced during the preparation, execution, and post-operation of such events have the potential to cause great damage to the environment.
• Cruise Liners’ Environmental Management and Sustainability According to GAO, the number of vessels and the number of passengers docking at a port at one time definitely may have a strain on the marine environment. Growth of algae in the marine environment […]
• Greenwashing: Full Environmental Sustainability? For companies, to be 100% sustainable and ethical would mean that each time they are presented with a decision, they would make people or nature their priority.
• Customer-oriented Environmental Sustainability Customer-oriented environmental sustainability would also help evaluate the environmental impacts of activities, products as well as processes on the environment and human health.
• Environmental Sustainability of Veja First of all, this organization strives to gain the loyalty of ethical consumers who are concerned about the practices of manufacturers.
• The Role of Food for Sustainability in the Built Environment Sustainability refers to a movement that attempts to meet the needs of the present generation without compromising the capability of the subsequent generations to meet the needs of the future.
• Environmental Sustainability and Businesses The Amazon rainforests, which are also called the “lungs of the planet,” produce 20% of the oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere.
• Environmental Sustainability in Different Countries: U.S. and AUS The AUS has many programs that help greatly in reducing the amount of water consumed within the campus. Egypt also has taken part greatly in the conservation of water for agricultural activities.
• Global Warming Issues Review and Environmental Sustainability Whether it is the melt down of Arctic ice, the damage of the Ozone layer, extra pollution in developing countries; all sums up to one thing in common and that is global warming.
• Green Meetings: Environmental Impact and Sustainability The author argues that Green meetings can have positive environmental impact by engaging in certain practices from the beginning to the end of the Green meetings and events.
• China’s Economy and Environmental Sustainability The critical problem that the authors are attempting to address in the article is the effect of economic growth on pollution.
• Sustainability: Future Environments and Economies The authors suggest that the role of sustainability management in organizations and its contribution to the overall sustainability of society and the environment is well-recognized by the researchers.
• Ceres Organization’s Environmental Sustainability The environment should be managed for the equal benefits of the current and future generations. The local communities should take the initiative to rehabilitate the environment.
• Environmental Geology and Sustainability Taking soil as an example, one will have to admit that the changes in the soil will necessarily pose a threat of extinction to several plants. The carbon cycle can be referred to as an […]
• Sustainability Against Environmental Degradation This is because the technological solutions are also covered by sustainability and form part of the other things that ought to be handled by sustainability above the technical fixes.
• Strategic Environmental Sustainability It is apparent that the world has focused on targeting big companies and industries in the quest to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and the pollution of the environment.
• Information Technology and Environment Sustainability The aim of this research paper is to analyze the available literature in order to obtain the information on the possible effects of IT on environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility, determine its validity, locate […]
• Environmental Sustainability in the Construction Sector This paper aims at exploring the evidence of climate change in the UK, the contributing factors, and the potential consequences of it, including the floods.
• Environmental Sustainability in Clean City Organization Furthermore, our organization will give preference to those projects that involve the students of the school because it is important to make sure that young people attach the importance to protecting the environment of the […]
• Capitalism Versus Environmental Sustainability Free market refers to a market where prices are derived through competition among the individual businesses and not under the regulation of the government.
• Environmental Studies: Transforming Cultures From Consumerism to Sustainability The trade fair portrayed the potential of the then and future civilizations to deploy technology, creativity, and innovation to create more consumables to boost the life of future generations.
• Managing For Environmental Sustainability The website also summarises some of the projects that the company has engaged in as well as the strategic decisions that it has made.
• Effectiveness of Carbon Tax in Environmental Sustainability This research will seek to achieve the following objectives: To investigate the extent to which assessing the social cost of carbon is valuable in enhancing environmental sustainability To find out the effectiveness of assessing carbon […]
• “Clarke: Transformation for Environmental Sustainability” by Laszlo, McCabe, Aheam and Ghatde Dissatisfaction among the staff due to the lack of comfort in transportation; Drops in the speed of the product delivery, as well as the transportation of raw materials and, thus, the overall reduction in the […]
• Managing Environmental Sustainability With reference to the above purpose, the scope of the report will be around the stakeholders as well as the reasons behind managerial consideration of stakeholders’ views, the monetary and non monetary incentives for going […]
• Environmental Sustainability Audit: The Oman Environmental Services Holding Company The government used to handle the task of waste management in the Sultanate but with the establishment and legalization of Be’ah, the task of such is delegated to the said company.
• Learning of Environment Sustainability in Education Humans pay much attention to satisfying their needs but they do not bother to reserve the resources because they do not understand that the resources they are using today are not replaced when they are […]
• Sustainability in Canada and the Impact of Coca-Cola Company on Environmental Protection This paper is an in-depth analysis of sustainability in Canada and the impact of the Coca-Cola Company on environmental protection. In addition to this, the Canadian government has established the Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators, which […]
• Impact of Economic Growth on Environmental Sustainability Because of constant development of the richest economies, such as the United Kingdom, and United States, the consumption levels of the global population surpass the actual amount of natural resources that the Earth has prepared […]
• Wind Energy for Environmental Sustainability Production of this energy is important to the survival and enhancement of lives of people in a society. It refers to the role of that business or a corporate towards the society.
• Sustainability Development: Balancing Economic, Social and Environmental Dimensions Nonetheless, the company has also been very keen on ensuring that it creates a good reputation of ecological stewardship and sensitivity to the social matters in the society in the spirit of sustainable development in […]
• The Concept of Environmental Sustainability in the Hotel Industry In the quest of the players in the hospitality industry to achieve sustainability in their operations, it is important that the environmental sustainability is made part of the plans for the businesses.
• Environmental Sustainability and Economic Benefits of Dairy Farm Biogas Energy Production
• Social and Environmental Sustainability of Travelling Within Family Networks
• Corporate Responsibility: Integrative New Approaches for Coastal and Environmental Sustainability
• Economic Policy Instruments and Environmental Sustainability: Another Look at Environmental-Use Permits
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• Accountability and Environmental Sustainability: Nigerian Maritime Experience
• Agriculture, Technological Change and Environmental Sustainability: Win-Win Water Policy Strategy
• Environmental Sustainability and Organic Wine Production: Evidence From Italian Industry
• Anti-consumption for Environmental Sustainability: Conceptualization, Review, and Multilevel Research Directions
• Asia’s Energy Adequacy, Environmental Sustainability, and Affordability: An Overview
• Environmental Sustainability of Electricity Generation in Turkey on a Life Cycle Basis
• Banks and Environmental Sustainability: Reflection From the Perspective of Financial Stability
• Biofuel From Jatropha Curcas: Environmental Sustainability and Option Value
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• The Link Between Business Ethics, Social Responsibility, Environmental Sustainability
• Can Big Data and Predictive Analytics Improve Social and Environmental Sustainability?
• Environmental Sustainability Can Only Be Achieved Through Population Control
• Coinquiry for Environmental Sustainability: The UK Beacons for Public Engagement Review
• Environmental Sustainability Report and Its Communicative Values to Stakeholders
• Australian Government Policies Relating to Environmental Sustainability
• Energy and Environmental Sustainability of Malaysian Universities Through Energy Conservation Measures
• Environmentally Sustainable National Income: Indispensable Information for Attaining Environmental Sustainability
• The Relationships Between Environmental Sustainability and Global Warming
• Environmental Sustainability and Its Effects on the Energy Sector
• The Link Between Environmental Sustainability and Social Sustainability
• Exploring Acceptance Towards Environmental Sustainability of Distance Education in Malaysia
• Gender Equality and Environmental Sustainability in Uganda’s Water Sector
• The Relationships Between Global Economic Development and Environmental Sustainability
• Global Green Economy and Environmental Sustainability
• How Globalization and Environmental Sustainability Influence Strategic Management
• Correlation Between Human Rights and Environmental Sustainability
• India’s Economic Growth and Environmental Sustainability: What Are the Tradeoffs
• Innovation and Environmental Sustainability: Analysis of the Brazilian Metal-Mechanic Industry
• Integrating Environmental Sustainability Considerations Into Food and Nutrition Policies
• International Linkages and Environmental Sustainability: The Effectiveness of the Regime Network
• Mainstreaming Green Product Innovation: Why and How Companies Integrate Environmental Sustainability
• Managing Human Resources for Environmental Sustainability
• Mobile Phone Innovation and Environmental Sustainability in Sub-Saharan Africa
• National Culture and Environmental Sustainability: A Cross-National Analysis
• Analysis of Palm Beach Community College Environmental Sustainability
• Does Environmental Sustainability Contradict Prosperity?
• What Are the Factors Affecting Environmental Sustainability?
• How Does Environmental Sustainability Influence Organizational Behavior?
• Why Do We Need to Study Environmental Sustainability?
• What Are the Main Components of Environmental Sustainability?
• Does Income Inequality Affect Environmental Sustainability?
• Why Is Environmental Sustainability Important to the Organization?
• How Does Environmental Sustainability Affect Business?
• What Are the Environmental Sustainability Issues We Need to Address?
• Why Is Environmental Sustainability a Problem?
• Does Intelligence Improve Environmental Sustainability?
• What Causes Environmental Sustainability?
• How Does Environmental Sustainability Affect Employees?
• What Are the Principles of Environmental Sustainability?
• Why Is Environmental Sustainability Important to the Economy?
• How Can Environmental Sustainability Contribute to Economic Development?
• What Will Happen if Environmental Sustainability Is Not Achieved?
• Why Are Issues of Environmental Sustainability Important in Corporate Governance?
• How Does Poverty Affect Environmental Sustainability?
• What Are Environmental Sustainability Issues and Solutions of Sustainable Development?
• Why Is Environmental Sustainability a Global Issue?
• What Is the Biggest Threat to Environmental Sustainability?
• Is There a Relationship Between Economic Development and Environmental Sustainability?
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Sustainability - Free Essay Examples and Topic Ideas

• 📘 Free essay examples for your ideas about Sustainability
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Sustainable development essay topics. Challenges Of Sustainable Development Free Essay Example 2022-10-16

Sustainable development is a concept that refers to the idea of meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It is a holistic approach that considers the economic, social, and environmental impacts of actions and policies, and seeks to balance these competing interests in a way that promotes long-term sustainability. There are many topics related to sustainable development that are worth exploring in an essay, including:

Climate change and sustainability: Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing the world today, and it has significant implications for sustainable development. This topic could explore the ways in which climate change impacts economic, social, and environmental systems, and the ways in which we can mitigate and adapt to these impacts through sustainable practices.

Renewable energy and sustainability: The use of fossil fuels is a major contributor to climate change and environmental degradation. This topic could explore the ways in which renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, can contribute to sustainable development and help reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.

Biodiversity and sustainability: Biodiversity refers to the variety of plant and animal species in an ecosystem. This topic could explore the importance of biodiversity to the health and sustainability of ecosystems, and the ways in which we can protect and preserve biodiversity through sustainable practices.

Sustainable agriculture and food systems: Food systems have a significant impact on the environment and can contribute to climate change and other environmental problems. This topic could explore the ways in which sustainable agriculture practices, such as regenerative agriculture and agroforestry, can contribute to sustainable development and help protect the environment.

Sustainable urban development: The majority of the world's population now lives in urban areas, and cities are major drivers of economic and social development. This topic could explore the ways in which sustainable urban development practices, such as green infrastructure and energy-efficient buildings, can contribute to sustainable development and improve the quality of life for urban residents.

Overall, sustainable development is a complex and multifaceted concept that touches on a wide range of issues and challenges. Exploring these topics in an essay can help deepen our understanding of the importance of sustainability and the steps we can take to promote it.

Sustainable development

However, though urbanization provides great convenience to some individuals, it also brings about negative effects. It acknowledges the importance of the environment and the resources in it in our survival. Australia's National Report to the UN Commission on Sustainable Development. Corporate Environmentalism in the Hotel Sector: Evidence of Drivers and Barriers in Penang, Malaysia. The ethics of sustainable development in the sciences also includes the "precautionary principle.

Challenges Of Sustainable Development Free Essay Example

Aspects of Sustainable Development The world is changing, advancing and growing in all aspects. The article conducts an extensive literature review to accomplish just this task ibid. Fortunately, there is proof that a country could actually achieve development in a sustainable manner. We must ensure that decision making addresses the cumulative, long-term, indirect, long distance, and global consequences of human activities. This way, soil erosion is prevented and we have hope of having a better, greener future.

Sustainable Development Essay

The Pearl River Tower was carefully shaped to minimize load effects from wind and to reduce the cost construction materials. Business Strategy and the Environment 20: 222-237. A SWOT analysis of Canada World Youth CWY is provided in Table 1 below. We also need stability in other aspects for us to truly enjoy economic growth. The Business of Sustainability. My future career will definitely depend on what are of the world I would like to dedicate my services towards. Due to the airline industry, people became able to travel to places once considered remote and as such to expand their cultural horizons, but also the business operations.

Sustainable Development essay

Steffen There are many ways in which humans could quicken -- in a humane way -- reindustrialization from the petroleum based overshoot industrial society of the present to a more diverse, efficient and flourishing society based on energy sources such as solar, wind geothermal, water, resource production, and creativity, as well as on such values as compassion, altruism and fairness. Like with many building standards, each country has its own method of measurement and evaluation to the level of sustainability achieved, and because of globalization, there have been several different international standards competing for international recognition and control over the green design process. Proprietary interests have resulted in the world's biggest polluter, the United States, refusing to ratify… It can be especially bad if it appears that the company was trying to cover up the problem. The role of government in an economy, therefore, should be limited if long-term sustainable growth is the objective. Although the power of wind has always been used in certain areas, the situation has changed drastically in recent years.

Results Page 2 for Sustainable Development Essay Topics

Ensure that information of vital importance to human health and environmental protection, including genetic information, remains available in the public domain. In 2001, Lanvin found a critical and financial success with the help of designer Alber Elbaz… Sustainable Rules Drake Nash RLMT 307 Food and Beverage Reverse Logistics -- Fall 2015 Ayers The implementation of sustainable rules and regulations as well as constraints in the markets across the world, have compelled international industries, in this case, the food and beverage industry, to establish reverse logistics, which is the backflow management of the supply chain system. Sustainability Sustainability and its elevance to Business and Accounting Sustainability and its elevance to WML Implication of Sustainability in WML The current study has been conducted in order to analyze the strategic practices of Wave Master Ltd. Reverse logistics encompasses the waste management of products and merchandises in the backward supply chain. The expansion and the development of new communities must satisfy the need for social equity, economic efficiency, and environmental sustainability. The UNEP United Nations Environmental Programme chemicals roundtable was a conference that discussed specific areas of concern with respect to chemical pollution. The repurposing of the existing conditions into the new designs would be ideal, as you would also eliminate the waste production.

Aspects of Sustainable Development Essay Example

Students are not encouraged to explore their relationship with the outside world either by literally going outside or through their studies. Write on the key concepts and issues of sustainable development and show relationships between sustainable development and sustainable tourism planning. The totalitarian… Maison LANVIN 2016 Company Analysis Company Description Lanvin is A French multinational company specializing in high fashion. The policy was adapted by many countries… REFERENCES Butler, Richard W. If you consider the three to be overlapping circles of the same size, the area of overlap in the center is human well-being. The danger that Jetstar faces in cost-cutting is that the number of airline tickets sold may not outweigh the costs of the domestic carrier. Any 'interested person' may petition the Interior Secretary to list a species as either endangered or threatened.

Criticism Of Sustainable Development

Another problem is that the spontaneous rainwater flow, mixed with wastewater in a heavy downpour, pollutes the river or lake once again and provides more problems for gaining potable water. This affects almost all areas of human activity, including many that might seem not directly related to sustainability issues such as import and export levels. Compensation and Benefits Review, 23, 33-38. That is why most common sustainability is understood as sustainable development. The definition of sustainability has transformed over time along with our knowledge and continually evolving understanding of the word. However, in its medium and long-term strategy, it also needs to consider an additional factor that is likely to have an impact on the evolution of the business model: more and more, information is either online or, even more plausible, it needs to be readily accessible to the client at any moment in time.

Essay on Sustainable Development

In addition, to further complicate the issue, another concept has recently s emerged on the international scene: globalization. The other challenges include, collaboration, making the case for prosperity through sustainability, taking a comprehensive approach to green empowerment, and data Institute for Sustainable Communities — ISC, 2011, p. Large scale economic expansion and industrialization caused environmental problems such as pollution and massive depletion of natural resources. Agger 2010 reiterated that Scandinavian countries hold in high regard the dictates of Agenda 21 and that's why they have een so fast to implement it. Sustainable Development Essays: Using Sample Papers for Guidance Writing academic papers may be boring and challenging, but when it comes to sustainable development, most students are excited. Journal of Busines Ethics, 88 1 , pp.

Sustainable Development Essay Examples by SpeedyPaper

Perhaps nowhere are these challenges more in evidence than in the issue of greenhouse gas emissions. Body of Content 100-150 words The area of the content after the introduction can be explained in detail about why sustainable development is important, objectives and highlighting the efforts made by the government and various institutions towards it. Sustainable Development Research Advances. It is also a free resource. Tourism Management, 22, 289-303. Every legal entity, including individuals, governments and corporations, will protect its own interests. This is the first full definition, but the definition is ambiguous.

Sustainable Development Essays: Examples, Topics, Titles, & Outlines

Earth Dialogues Forum, Green Cross International. A brand-new monetary center has actually been built and analyses recommend that 'every a-g 1 million of public sector expense produced net extra advantages in the Urban Advancement Location of 23 tasks, 8300 sq m of workplace flooring area, 7. Climate righton is reported to have an Oceanic climate much as does the majority of southern ritain with the summer months affected by sea breezes lowering the temperature by five degrees as compared to inland. However, the lack of time, writing skills, and competence are the worst enemies of the students, which frequently make flawless sustainable development essay writing impossible. For example, sustainability refers greatly to an accounting framework with three parts: social, environment and financial. Cole concludes as well that in order to help keep the cultural and community influences and positive attitudes intact, it is important to consider the local community as a major stakeholder in the sustainability of a tourist destination.

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• India Abroad: Legacy of Indian Diaspora
• Social Identities and Structural Transformation in India
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Table of Content

• 1.1 Special Packages
• 1.2 Auditing of Local Bodies
• 1.3 Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)
• 1.4 Constitution of India And France
• 1.5 Election of Prime Minister in Nepal
• 1.6 News in Shorts
• 2.1 Instability In India’s Neighbourhood
• 2.2 International Humanitarian Law
• 2.4 India-Russia Relations
• 2.5 India-United Kingdom Relations
• 2.6 India-Pacific Islands Nations Relations
• 2.7 Western Indian Ocean
• 2.8 News in Shorts
• 3.1 Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI)
• 3.2 Angel Tax
• 3.3 Gig Economy
• 3.4 Transshipment Port
• 3.5 India's Structural Transformation
• 3.6 Space Economy
• 3.7 E-Mobility
• 3.8 City Gas Distribution (CGD) Network
• 3.9 Coal Sector in India
• 4.1 Sustainable Development Goals
• 4.1.1 Why in the News?
• 4.1.2 Key findings of the report 
• 4.1.3 About Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• 4.1.4 Reasons of lagging in progress of SDG target
• 4.1.5 India’s status in achieving SDGs 
• 4.1.6 Way forward
• 4.2 News in Shorts
• 5.1 Terrorism in J&K
• 5.2 National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS)
• 5.3 Security of Indian Dignitaries
• 5.4 News in Shorts
• 6.1 High Seas Treaty
• 6.2 Urban Development and Disaster Resilience
• 6.3 Landslides
• 6.4 International Solar Alliance (ISA)
• 6.5 Great Indian Bustard
• 6.6 Soil Health
• 6.7 News in Shorts
• 7.1 India's Sports Ecosystem
• 7.2 News in Shorts
• 8.1 Genetically Modified (GM) Crops
• 8.2 National Green Hydrogen Mission
• 8.3 Facial Recognition Technology
• 8.4 India’s Ballistic Missile Defence Program
• 8.5 News in Shorts
• 9.1 Assam’s Charaideo Moidam
• 9.2 Pilgrim Corridor Projects
• 9.3 News in Shorts
• 10.1 Balancing Work and Leisure
• 10.2 Public Infrastructure and Public Service Delivery
• 10.3 Conflict of Interest of Public Officials
• 10.4 Ethics of Online Gaming
• 11.1 Smart City Mission
• 13.1 Appendix
• Sustainable Development Goals

Posted 22 Aug 2024

Updated 29 Aug 2024

Why in the News?

The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2024 is released by UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA).

Key findings of the report 

• Overall progress across targets based on 2015–2024 global aggregate data.
• With less than one fifth of targets on track the world is failing to deliver on the SDG promise.

For details on current status of each SDG, refer to the Appendix.

About Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

• Background: The concept of sustainable development was described by the 1987 Brundtland Commission Report  as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
• Each MDG has targets set for 2015 and indicators to monitor progress from 1990 levels.
• They address the global challenges  we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice etc.
• It sets out 17 Goals , which include 169 targets to achieve them all by 2030.

Reasons of lagging in progress of SDG target

• This has also disrupted international financial flows for clean energy in developing countries affecting SDG-7 .
• Escalation of conflicts: For e.g., in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and beyond have left an unprecedented 120 million forcibly displaced people worldwide.
• Financial constraints: UNFCCC estimates that nearly $6 trillion is needed for developing countries’ climate action plans by 2030, which will impact SDG-13.
• For e.g., IPCC warns that up to 90% of corals could be lost by 2050 at 1.5°C of warming and up to 99%  at 2°C impacting SDG-14.
• From 2015 to 2022, this Least developed countries (LDCs) accounted for 6.9% of global reported economic losses from disasters impacting SDG-1.

Way forward

• Peace: Resolve ongoing armed conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy, and prevent future conflicts by upholding the principles and values of the Charter of the United Nations .
• Must deliver concrete changes to the international policies through Summit of the Future, G20, international financial institutions, COP29 of UNFCCC etc.
• Climate change: The upcoming 2025 cycle of nationally determined contributions (NDCs) presents a chance for more ambitious climate action plans.
• Tailored Approaches:  Countries should prioritize a subset of SDGs based on national priorities, capacities, and immediate needs.   
• Create synergies between the different targets: For e.g., efforts to eradicate poverty must go hand in hand with improving education opportunities and gender equality.
• SDG Report 2024
• UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA)

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – National Indicator Framework (NIF) Progress Report, 2024

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What You Need to Know About Sustainable House Design

From the layout of the house to the appliance you fill it with, there are many things you can do to make your home more eco-friendly.

Green Coast is supported by its readers. We may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you if you buy through a link on this page . Learn more .

When it comes to a new build, there are many things you can do to minimize the impact on the environment, from the construction to actually living in your new home. It’s crucial to do your research and get these decisions right in the planning stages, as many things can be expensive, not to mention wasteful, to change later.

Read on for 16 sustainable house design tips to make your home as eco-friendly as possible.

Tips for designing your own sustainable home

Sustainable homes may be sustainable in the way they’re built, from the building materials used to the building techniques, or eco-friendly to live in – or preferably both!

We’ll look at different ideas, tips, and inspiration for designing a sustainable home. These tips can be used when building a house from scratch, and some can be incorporated into an existing home to make it more eco-friendly, helping you to reduce your energy bills while being kinder to the planet.

1. Choose your location wisely

When it comes to sustainable house design, the first thing you’ll need to do is choose the right location.

A few location factors can influence how eco-friendly your home and/or your lifestyle will be:

• Proximity to infrastructure: Installing new infrastructure and utilities systems will inevitably have a huge impact on the local environment, so try to look for a site that takes advantage of existing infrastructure, unless you’re planning to go off-grid.
• Proximity to transportation: Sustainable house design has wider considerations than the house itself. For example, living close to public transport can help you to pursue a much more eco-friendly lifestyle compared to driving your car everywhere. So consider how close your potential new home is to public transport routes, and look for a site within walking distance if possible. Walkscore is a great resource to check how walkable your new neighborhood is.
• Vulnerability to natural disasters – Many regions are prone to natural disasters of one kind or another, so it’s not always possible to avoid this. However, if you build your house in an area vulnerable to flooding, earthquakes, or hurricanes, for example, make sure it is built to withstand such disasters so that it is sustainable over the long term.

2. Incorporate recycled materials into your design

Building materials can be harmful to the environment in a variety of ways, from the air, water, and land pollution they generate in production to the energy required to create them. When it comes to sustainable house design, It’s important to consider the embodied energy – the total impact of all greenhouse gas emissions created by a given material throughout its entire lifecycle – of solar panels.

Using recycled materials not only avoids many of these issues, but it also stops these items from ending up in landfill . There are a large range of such building materials available these days, from those which were originally used for the same purpose, such as recycled tiles, to materials that have been completely repurposed, such as composite decking made from recycled plastic.

Some of the fantastic recycled building materials you’ll find to aid you with your sustainable house design and building project are:

• Recycled glass countertops
• Doors, floors, and other elements made from wood reclaimed from demolished or remodeled buildings
• Bricks and masonry that has also been reclaimed from old buildings
• Roof shingles made from recycled car tires
• Landscaping soil from excavations

If you cannot find recycled materials, try to go for those that are recyclable, to minimize their long-term impact on the environment.

3. Use locally sourced building materials

Another way to keep your building materials eco-friendly is to source them locally as much as possible. Transporting local materials will generate fewer emissions compared to supplies that need to come from across the country or even across the world.

For example, in the Pacific Northwest, hardwoods such as Douglas fir, red alder and western juniper are readily available and make excellent building materials.

This may mean adapting your design to take advantage of the amazing materials available in your area. You may need to rethink the kind of house you want, but this will give your new home an authentic, local vibe!

You may even decide to build your home in a certain location based on the local building materials that are available.

4. Consider an energy-efficient layout

When drafting your sustainable house design blueprint, taking energy efficiency into account can make a huge difference to the building’s impact on the environment. Any structure with a large surface area is less energy-efficient, as the increased surface allows more heat to escape.

Therefore, a taller and more compact house is generally more energy-efficient than a low and wide structure with the same number of square feet. Similarly, cubes and spheres are more efficient than more irregular, spread out shapes.

Furthermore, how you orientate your house is also a key component of sustainable house design. Where you put your windows, in particular, can help you take advantage of natural light and heat. In the Northern Hemisphere, south-facing windows will give you more sunlight in winter, allowing you to minimize your reliance on artificial heating and lighting.

On the other hand, too many west-facing windows will provide more light and heat on sweltering summer afternoons and encourage you to use your air conditioning more. Similarly, roof overhang will block the sun in summer, keeping your home cooler for longer.

However, don’t worry about your roof obstructing precious winter sunlight! Because the sun is lower in winter than it is in summer, the right amount of roof overhang will block harsh rays in summer while letting the light in during winter.

Your landscaping can also make your home more energy-efficient. Plant a deciduous tree in front of south facing windows to provide shade in summer but let light through in winter.

For even more tips, check our separate post on how to build an energy-efficient home on a budget .

5. Use low energy consumption appliances

An eco-friendly home goes far beyond the design, location, and building materials you use – you also need to consider the appliances you use. Sustainable house design is also about filling your home with appliances that consume lower energy is not only better for the environment, but it will also greatly reduce your energy bills, or let you run your home on renewable energy .

Manufacturers are now offering low energy consumption appliances in just about any niche you can think of, from washing machines to kitchen appliances. At a minimum, look for Energy Star rated appliances – this should cover everything from computers and TVs to kitchen appliances and water heaters. 

LED lighting is also much more energy efficient, and lasts much longer. Even though it requires a larger upfront investment, this pays itself off over time because you won’t need to change your LED light bulbs for years!

6. Incorporate smart home technology

Along with low energy consumption appliances, using smart home technology can also help to make your home more eco-friendly. Smart home systems have features such as automated lighting, temperature, and security controls which allow you to make your energy use as efficient as possible.

Most smart home systems also allow you to monitor the amount of energy you use, helping you to live more efficiently and use less electricity.

7. Opt for energy-efficient HVAC

While energy-efficient appliances can make a difference, your heating and cooling is even more important, as this is where most homes’ energy consumption comes from. Therefore, energy-efficient HVAC (heat ventilation air conditioning) is a key part of sustainable house design.

This should start with the design of the building and the heating and cooling systems. For example, breaking your home into zones which can be heated or cooled when you’re using them means you’ll use much less energy than trying to control the temperature of the entire home.

In particular, you should separate out areas that do not need to be heated or cooled because they’re not often used, such as the basement or laundry.

8. Consider geothermal heating

One fantastic example of sustainable heating is geothermal heating , sometimes also called geoexchange, earth-coupled, or earth energy systems. Residential geothermal heating systems take advantage of the sun’s radiant energy that has been absorbed by and stored in the ground near your house.

In this way, geothermal heating is an indirect form of solar energy, which is available any time of day or night!

There are a few different types of geothermal heating, but all use a buried or submerged “loop field”, typically made of polyethylene tubing. There are both open and closed-loop systems, but these essentially work in the same way by bringing the heat energy stored in the soil or groundwater to your home via these tubes.

9. Opt for eco-friendly insulation

Good insulation is essential for sustainable house design, and planning for an eco-friendly home, as it plays a big part in keeping the building energy efficient. A well-insulated building doesn’t need as much heating and cooling, so uses much less energy.

However, insulation has traditionally been made from hazardous, toxic materials which have a range of negative impacts on the environment.

If you want your home to be truly environmentally-friendly, it is important to make sure that it is not only well-insulated, but with eco-friendly insulation. Take a look at our wrap up of the different types of eco-friendly insulation for more.

10. Harness the sun and the rain

To maximize the energy efficiency of your sustainable house design, it’s important to consider not only how much energy you use, but also where that energy comes from. Therefore, being more energy-efficient while relying on renewable energy is a win-win for sustainability!

One of the most popular (and best) ways to power your home with renewable energy is using solar panels. It is relatively easy to install a solar system in your home to give you free, eco-friendly energy, while adding value to your home.

For more on the best solar panels for residential properties, check out this guide .

You can also harness the natural water resources through rainwater harvesting. There are various methods you can use to collect and store rainwater for your bathroom, laundry, or even for drinking.

This not only allows you to make better use of this precious resource, but properly-harvested rainwater is also pure and chemical-free, and so better for your health. For instance, water collection is an essential part of an Earthship home .

You can read more about the pros and cons of rainwater harvesting in our detailed guide. 

11. Consider living walls or roofs

Sustainable house design involves a certain amount of ‘outside the box’ thinking, and incorporating a living roof or wall into your plan is an example of just that.

A living roof is topped with a water-retaining layer that supports living grasses, flowers, or even shrubs. This creates a highly energy-efficient and eco-friendly surface that naturally insulates your home, not to mention that it looks stunning!

Likewise, incorporating living walls into your home can make the building more energy-efficient, not to mention aesthetically pleasing. Not only this, but studies have shown that plants improve air quality by filtering toxins from the air.

12. Try an eco-friendly lawn alternative

Grass may be a popular lawn option, but it is also water-intensive, difficult to maintain, and can cause allergies. There are plenty of grass alternatives that are not only better for the environment and your health, but many need little to no maintenance.

Eco-friendly lawn alternatives include:

• Sedum plants
• Ground covers like creeping thyme, Corsican mint, chamomile, and soleirolia soleirolii
• Eco-lawn (a mix of grass seeds and ground covers like micro leaf clover and moss)
• Wood chippings or bark

Alternatively, you can simply let your lawn lie fallow and let native plants and flowers take over, creating your own mini wildflower meadow.

13. Consider prefab homes

Sustainable house design is a concept that already exists tobe rolled out to the masses – in the form of prefabricated, or ‘prefab’, homes.

A prefab home is partially constructed in a factory, and then these component parts are put together onsite, where the dwelling is to be permanently. 

Certain characteristics of these types of constructions make them better for the natural environment than many other types of builds:

• Efficient in construction – Because these homes are pre-built on a large scale in a factory, they are usually more precise in their use of materials and generate less waste.
• Efficient transportation – Additionally, all the parts are transported and delivered at the same time, minimizing the cost and environmental impacts of transportation.
• Durable – Contrary to what you may think, prefab homes can actually be more durable than traditional builds, because materials are reinforced for transport. This means they last longer and minimizes the negative impacts of repairs and upgrades on the environment.

Of course, not all prefab homes are as kind to the environment as others – check out our guide to the best eco-friendly prefab homes . These prefabs are made from sustainable materials and partially built offsite using environmentally-sound practices, and may also incorporate eco-insulation.

14. Consider the best size for a sustainable home

Sustainable house design means applying careful consideration to size and space. The size of your house has two main implications for the environment:

• A larger home will take more energy to heat, cool, and power in general
• A larger construction requires more materials and energy to build in the first place

Therefore, the smaller the house you build, the more efficient and less wasteful it will inherently be. It may not be practical or desirable for everyone to live in a super small house, but the more you can keep the size of your new home down, the more eco-friendly your house is likely to be.

You can even take this to the extreme with a tiny home, which we’ll talk about in the next point!

15. Consider a tiny home

The tiny home trend has surged in popularity in recent years, and it’s not hard to see why. These houses have an average size of 186 square feet and are extremely efficient, eco-friendly, and cost-effective.

Consider their carbon footprint for example:

• An averaged-sized US home of around 2600 square feet would produce around 28,000 pounds of CO2 per year through heating, cooling, and energy use if run on non-renewable energy.
• The electricity required to heat, cool, and power a tiny home would only generate around 2,000 pounds of CO2 if produced by a coal power plant.

(You can calculate your own home’s greenhouse gas emissions using the EPA’s carbon footprint calculator .)

An Australian study confirmed that tiny homes can reduce an individual’s personal carbon emissions by 70% over their lifetime.

This is because such a small space is very efficient to heat or cool, and these homes typically use smaller and more efficient appliances. Furthermore, because of the low energy requirements, it is very easy to power an entire tiny house on a solar system, so your tiny home may not generate any greenhouse emissions at all!

Beyond the energy efficiency and low emissions, tiny homes also require far fewer (potentially environmentally-hazardous) building materials and are portable. So if you want to move you can simply take your home with you instead of having to build again!

16. Go Electric

All-electric homes can also be very eco-friendly, depending on where your energy comes from. A study by the Rocky Mountain Institute showed that not only are all-electric houses more economical than mixed-fuel homes, but they also have significantly fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

The study found that homeowners in Seattle reduced their carbon emissions by 93% by making their house all-electric, while those in many states experienced reductions of more than 50%. Of course, this is only possible if you get your electricity from renewable sources, such as your own solar system or an energy provider who runs on renewables.

How to build a sustainable house

Sustainable house design starts from where you decide to build your home and the layout you choose, to how you power it and the insulation. 

There are many ways you can make your home more eco-friendly, ranging from smaller actions such as switching out the traditional grass lawn to the kind of house you choose to build. You may choose a sustainable tiny home or prefab house, but there are plenty of other ways to make your house more environmentally friendly.

For more inspiration on creating a sustainable home, take a look at our posts on truly green prefab homes and recycled building materials .

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sustainable development

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

• Salt Lake Community College Pressbooks - Introduction to Human Geography - Sustainable Development
• Academia - Sustainable Development and its Dimensions

sustainable development , approach to social, economic, and environmental planning that attempts to balance the social and economic needs of present and future human generations with the imperative of preserving, or preventing undue damage to, the natural environment .

Sustainable development lacks a single detailed and widely accepted definition. As a general approach to human development , it is frequently understood to encompass most if not all of the following goals, ideals, and values:

• A global perspective on social, economic, and environmental policies that takes into account the needs of future generations
• A recognition of the instrumental value of a sound natural environment , including the importance of biodiversity
• The protection and appreciation of the needs of Indigenous cultures
• The cultivation of economic and social equity in societies throughout the world
• The responsible and transparent implementation of government policies

The intellectual underpinnings of sustainable development lie in modern natural resource management , the 20th-century conservation and environmentalism movements, and progressive views of economic development . The first principles of what later became known as sustainable development were laid out at the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment , also called the Stockholm Conference. The conference concluded that continued development of industry was inevitable and desirable but also that every citizen of the world has a responsibility to protect the environment. In 1987 the UN -sponsored World Commission on Environment and Development issued the Brundtland Report (also called Our Common Future ), which introduced the concept of sustainable development—defining it as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”—and described how it could be achieved. At the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (also called the Earth Summit), more than 178 countries adopted Agenda 21, which outlined global strategies for restoring the environment and encouraging environmentally sound development.

Since that time, sustainable development has emerged as a core idea of international development theory and policy. However, some experts have criticized certain features of the concept, including:

• Its generality or vagueness, which has led to a great deal of debate over which forms or aspects of development qualify as “sustainable”
• Its lack of quantifiable or objectively measurable goals
• Its assumption of the inevitability and desirability of industrialization and economic development
• Its failure to ultimately prioritize human needs or environmental commitments, either of which may reasonably be considered more important in certain circumstances

Although the implementation of sustainable development has been the subject of many social scientific studies—so many, in fact, that sustainable development science is sometimes viewed as a distinct field—a number of public intellectuals and scholars have argued that the core value of sustainable development lies in its aspirational perspective. These writers have argued that merely attempting to balance social, economic, and environmental policymaking—the three “pillars” of sustainable development—is an inherently positive practice. Even if an imbalance of results is to a certain extent inevitable, it is better that policymakers at least attempt to achieve a balance. Abandoning the notion of sustainable development altogether, they argue, would likely worsen social, economic, and environmental conditions throughout the world, thus undermining all three pillars.

Despite widespread criticism , sustainable development has emerged as a core feature of national and international policymaking, particularly by agencies of the United Nations . In 2015 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which included 17 sweeping goals designed to create a globally equitable society alongside a thriving environment.