SYNERGISTIC BARRIERS AFFECTING THE PROGRESS ON SDGS

Why in the News?

At the SDG Summit in New York, which was held on September 18 and 19, the world leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to eradicate poverty and end hunger.

• It was observed that only 15% of the 169 SDG targets that make up the 17 goals can be met by the world.
• The investment gap in SDGs in developing countries stands greater than $4 trillion, out of which nearly $2 trillion will be needed towards energy transition alone. 

Lack of synergistic action:

1. The Agenda 2030 document detailing the SDGs, recognises the indivisible and integrated nature of the 17 SDGs and contribution to the three pillars of sustainable development.
2. There are 5 types of (dis)synergies observed in the value chain of an SDG intervention:
   1. resource allocations
   2. creation of enabling environments
   3. co-benefits
   4. cost-effectiveness
   5. saturation limits.

Way forward:

1. Multi-stakeholder approaches by recognising interlinks is required in policymaking.
   1. For instance, India, the push for renewable energy started with both energy security and air pollution but eventually received an impetus with climate commitments. However, it failed to leverage the health benefits arising from lower air pollution to strengthen arguments for greater incentives for renewables.
   2. Also, ambitious renewable energy targets themselves became a barrier for small scale applications. For instance, energy departments had targets in gigawatts while primary health centres had needs in kilowatts, which led to the latter’s neglect.
2. Analysing and understanding of institutional barriers is important to strengthen the environment for synergistic action for achieving SDG goals.
3. Investing in clean energy options can lead to a significant synergistic impact on air pollution and human health, increasing the attractiveness of such interventions.