Our Sustainable Development Report Card Has Arrived. Did We Pass? 

The US recovery from COVID-19 is clearly underway, with not only the federal government but also state and local governments putting forward proposals for the investments we will make as a society during the coming years. From jobs to climate change to reducing health disparities, our needs are many and investments to meet those needs will require mobilizing significant resources. However, in this pivotal moment, the first step should be to take stock of where we have made progress and where we are falling behind. While much has been said about the ground lost over the past several years in both public health and economic vitality, the truth is there has been a much broader disruption of our progress toward a sustainable future. That future is framed within the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) along with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development agreed upon by all member nations of the United Nations in 2015. 

 The 2021 Sustainable Development Report released on June 14th, 2021 by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network uses a sweeping set of quantitative metrics across economic, social and environmental indicators to demonstrate how far the US and other countries have to go toward achieving the long-term goals agreed upon by the international community. Despite its wealth and technological prowess, the US ranks 30th out of 37 OECD countries. Finland ranked number one. Bangladesh was the most improved. 

 At the global level, the average SDG Index Score for 2020 decreased from the previous year for the first time: a decline driven to a large extent by increased poverty rates and unemployment following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The US, meanwhile, is particularly behind on addressing crucial indicators, such as racial inequality, hunger and food security, gender equality, and environmental indicators like ocean health and ecosystem biodiversity. However, the news isn’t all bad, including improvement in education, clean water and sanitation, industry, innovation, infrastructure, and sustainable cities and communities. The COVID-19 pandemic has also accelerated the expansion of digital technologies and services, though more needs to be done. 

 Major efforts are also needed to mitigate climate change and biodiversity loss (SDGs 12–15) in the US and abroad. Many developed countries, including the US, generate significant waste and negative environmental, financial and trade impacts that spillover into the backyards of poorer nations hampering their ability to achieve the SDGs. Regarding climate change, the US is marked “critically insufficient” for 1.5°C Paris-agreement compatible climate action according to the November 2020, Climate Action Tracker. US fossil fuel subsidies are $219 per capita, the third highest of all G20 countries according to the April 2021, Energy Policy Tracker. 

 Given we face challenges across many aspects of our society and its sustainability, the SDGs offer an opportunity for all of government and all of society to align and plan around shared goals.  The 17 SDGs can be achieved through six major societal transformations: (1) education and skills, (2) health and well-being, (3) clean energy and industry, (4) sustainable land use, (5) sustainable cities, and (6) digital technologies. Focusing on these six transformations can help government departments, businesses, and civil society develop action plans that integrate the SDGs across regulatory and policy frameworks. The US has made little to no national government efforts to implement the SDGs or to incorporate them into any sectoral action plans, national budget, or guiding documents. We must do better.

In addition to taking bold action across these six areas, the US should rise to SDG 17’s call for partnerships at the global, regional, national and local levels that build upon the UN’s “Leave No One Behind” agenda, which maintains that those who have been least served by development progress must be addressed first through the SDGs. The world’s difficult challenges cannot be solved by a few countries alone, and robust international cooperation will be needed to solve the climate crisis, end the COVID pandemic globally, and ensure that every country has the opportunity to build back better.

At times it seems we agree on very little, whether on the global stage or in our domestic politics. Yet the SDGs are something we have all agreed on. They help us envision a better future for human welfare, and a commitment to protect the natural world that we critically depend on. They are humanity’s goals for 2030. The 2021 Sustainable Development Report shows how using them as our shared goalposts can help us work together towards a sustainable, inclusive, and resilient future.