52
refer to the modern period as “the Anthropocene.”
This is defined as the era marked by the detrimental impact of human activity on the planet
(Steffen et al. 2011). We no longer live in an
“empty world” (empty of us and our waste), but
rather in a “full” one (Daly 2005), with significant implications and repercussions for current
and future generations.
The necessity for limits to growth, initially
expressed in the 1970s, is now strongly supported
by up-to-date research on planetary boundaries
that have been exceeded, such as genetic diversity and climate change (Steffen et al. 2015;
Hamstead and Quinn 2005; Meadows et al.
1992). Current generations now have both the
knowledge and the responsibility to lead humanity away from putting further pressure on the
planet and toward a safer and more sustainable
future (Rockström 2009; Steffen et al. 2011).
In this spirit, in 2000, the UN Member States
adopted the Millennium Declaration aspiring to
eradicate extreme poverty and reduce inequalities, with a particular focus on developing countries; the Global North would mostly contribute
to development aid and financing. The
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were
composed of 8 goals, 21 targets, and 60 indicators and encouraged action by a broad range of
stakeholders in an effort to address the multidimensional issue of extreme poverty by 2015.
Several of the goals were achieved in the
15-year period in the developing world, with
notable decreases in extreme poverty, child and
maternal mortality, and disease rates and rising
rates of primary school enrollment and of life
expectancy (United Nations 2015c). Severe problems however persisted in areas such as subSaharan Africa and South Asia, because of the
extensive slums and limited access to freshwater,
sanitation, and medicines. The MDGs were generally criticized as vague, disconnected from a
whole-system view, difficult to measure (partly
due to data insufficiency), and potentially causing further inequality in urban areas (Harcourt
2005; Meth 2013).
Building partly on the achievements of the
MDGs but mainly acknowledging the continuing
struggles in social, economic, and ecological systems around the world, the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) were unanimously
and ceremoniously approved by the UN Member
States in September 2015 (United Nations
2015b). The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development, which includes the 17 Global
Goals (SDGs) and 169 concrete targets, is a significant step forward and a turning point for
global sustainability.
Despite the long consultation and negotiation
process (more than 3 years), the initial promoters
of an inclusive agenda (Colombia, Guatemala,
Peru, and United Arab Emirates) achieved their
objective: that the SDGs address sustainable
development and not simply development (often
confused with growth) like their predecessors,
the MDGs (Dodds et al. 2017). The new goals
offer a more integrated vision and plan for this
millennium: they apply to both developed and
developing nations; and they are grounded in a
holistic, systemic view of sustainability
(Woodbridge 2015). The acknowledgment that
the principal global challenges, this century (ecological integrity, social equity and cohesion, and
economic prosperity), need to be addressed in a
holistic way is also reflected in the 2015 UN
Climate Change agreement (United Nations
2015a) and in the UN New Urban Agenda (United
Nations 2017).
Achieving the 17 SDGs with their 169 targets
and numerous associated indicators is a complex
undertaking that must be addressed at numerous
scales from global to local. In response, we have
framed our research to focus on the full set of
SDGs at the local scale as a way to address, monitor, and achieve the SDGs nationally and
globally.
5.2
Developing and Monitoring
Sustainable Communities
Since the negotiations stage, people and organizations involved in the SDGs development process stressed the importance of localizing the
global goals (Dodds et al. 2017). The success of
the SDGs is conditional on creating and implementing successful, monitorable, and transferable
M. Spiliotopoulou and M. Roseland
refer to the modern period as “the Anthropocene.”
This is defined as the era marked by the detrimental impact of human activity on the planet
(Steffen et al. 2011). We no longer live in an
“empty world” (empty of us and our waste), but
rather in a “full” one (Daly 2005), with significant implications and repercussions for current
and future generations.
The necessity for limits to growth, initially
expressed in the 1970s, is now strongly supported
by up-to-date research on planetary boundaries
that have been exceeded, such as genetic diversity and climate change (Steffen et al. 2015;
Hamstead and Quinn 2005; Meadows et al.
1992). Current generations now have both the
knowledge and the responsibility to lead humanity away from putting further pressure on the
planet and toward a safer and more sustainable
future (Rockström 2009; Steffen et al. 2011).
In this spirit, in 2000, the UN Member States
adopted the Millennium Declaration aspiring to
eradicate extreme poverty and reduce inequalities, with a particular focus on developing countries; the Global North would mostly contribute
to development aid and financing. The
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were
composed of 8 goals, 21 targets, and 60 indicators and encouraged action by a broad range of
stakeholders in an effort to address the multidimensional issue of extreme poverty by 2015.
Several of the goals were achieved in the
15-year period in the developing world, with
notable decreases in extreme poverty, child and
maternal mortality, and disease rates and rising
rates of primary school enrollment and of life
expectancy (United Nations 2015c). Severe problems however persisted in areas such as subSaharan Africa and South Asia, because of the
extensive slums and limited access to freshwater,
sanitation, and medicines. The MDGs were generally criticized as vague, disconnected from a
whole-system view, difficult to measure (partly
due to data insufficiency), and potentially causing further inequality in urban areas (Harcourt
2005; Meth 2013).
Building partly on the achievements of the
MDGs but mainly acknowledging the continuing
struggles in social, economic, and ecological systems around the world, the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) were unanimously
and ceremoniously approved by the UN Member
States in September 2015 (United Nations
2015b). The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development, which includes the 17 Global
Goals (SDGs) and 169 concrete targets, is a significant step forward and a turning point for
global sustainability.
Despite the long consultation and negotiation
process (more than 3 years), the initial promoters
of an inclusive agenda (Colombia, Guatemala,
Peru, and United Arab Emirates) achieved their
objective: that the SDGs address sustainable
development and not simply development (often
confused with growth) like their predecessors,
the MDGs (Dodds et al. 2017). The new goals
offer a more integrated vision and plan for this
millennium: they apply to both developed and
developing nations; and they are grounded in a
holistic, systemic view of sustainability
(Woodbridge 2015). The acknowledgment that
the principal global challenges, this century (ecological integrity, social equity and cohesion, and
economic prosperity), need to be addressed in a
holistic way is also reflected in the 2015 UN
Climate Change agreement (United Nations
2015a) and in the UN New Urban Agenda (United
Nations 2017).
Achieving the 17 SDGs with their 169 targets
and numerous associated indicators is a complex
undertaking that must be addressed at numerous
scales from global to local. In response, we have
framed our research to focus on the full set of
SDGs at the local scale as a way to address, monitor, and achieve the SDGs nationally and
globally.
5.2
Developing and Monitoring
Sustainable Communities
Since the negotiations stage, people and organizations involved in the SDGs development process stressed the importance of localizing the
global goals (Dodds et al. 2017). The success of
the SDGs is conditional on creating and implementing successful, monitorable, and transferable
M. Spiliotopoulou and M. Roseland