David Griggs 'Sustainable Development Goals for People And

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COMMENT ENVIRONMENT Conservationists HISTORY Ripping yarn of the EVOLUTION First biography of FUNDING Australia’s grant call for a global zoning ape-man of Victorian W. D. Hamilton, the gentle system wastes centuries of exercise for roads p.308 England p.310 giant of genetics p.313 researchers’ time p.314 ILLUSTRATION BY PHIL DISLEY BY ILLUSTRATION

Sustainable development goals for people and planet Planetary stability must be integrated with United Nations targets to fight poverty and secure human well-being, argue David Griggs and colleagues.

he United Nations Rio+20 summit life-support system and poverty reduction a prerequisite for a thriving global society. in Brazil in 2012 committed govern- must be the twin priorities for SDGs. It is not With the human population set to rise to ments to create a set of sustainable enough simply to extend MDGs, as some are 9 billion by 2050, definitions of sustainable Tdevelopment goals (SDGs) that would be suggesting, because humans are transform- development must be revised to include the integrated into the follow-up to the Millen- ing the planet in ways that could undermine security of people and the planet. nium Development Goals (MDGs) after development gains. Defining a unified set of SDGs is challeng- their 2015 deadline. Discussions on how to As mounting research shows, the stable ing, especially when there can be conflict formulate these continue this week at UN functioning of Earth systems — including between individual goals, such as energy headquarters in New York. the atmosphere, oceans, forests, waterways, provision and climate-change prevention. We argue that the protection of Earth’s biodiversity and biogeochemical cycles — is But we show here that it is possible. By

21 MARCH 2013 | VOL 495 | NATURE | 305 © 2013 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved COMMENT A UNIFIED FRAMEWORK A set of six sustainable development goals (SDGs) follow from combining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) with conditions necessary to assure the stability of Earth's systems. NEW PARADIGM Earth’s life- support system NEW DEFINITION Sustainable development in the Anthropocene: “Development that meets Society the needs of the present while safeguarding Earth’s life-support Economy system, on which the welfare of current and future generations depends.”

People Planet UPDATED MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS + PLANETARY MUST-HAVES = SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS End poverty and hunger Materials use riving lives and livelihoods Universal education Clean air Sustainable food security Gender equality Nutrient (N and P) cycles Sustainable water security Health Hydrological cycles Universal clean energy Environmental sustainability Ecosystem services Healthy and productive ecosystems Global partnership Biodiversity Governance for sustainable societies Climate stability

MDGs start SDGs begin

2000 205 2030

combining the MDGs with global envi- people of all nations make the transition to of current and future generations depends”. ronmental targets drawn from science and sustainable lifestyles. To set appropriate goals and targets, from existing international agreements, we By coordinating actions internationally, environmental conditions have to be propose six SDGs with provisional targets SDGs can address these risks. The MDGs identified that enable prosperous human for 2030. have shown that a goal-setting approach development and set tolerable ranges for raises both public and policy support and the biosphere to remain in that state. The ENTER THE ANTHROPOCENE channels funds effectively towards urgent extraordinarily stable Holocene epoch that Since 2000, the MDGs have focused on reduc- global problems2. However, the political allowed our ancestors to develop agricul- ing extreme poverty in developing countries. reluctance to go beyond merely extending ture and modern societies during the past But pursuing a post-2015 agenda focused the MDGs is a concern. 10,000 years provides a scientific reference only on poverty alleviation could undermine The targets for the SDGs must be measur- point. Indeed, these are the only conditions the agenda’s purpose. Growing evidence and able, based on the latest research and should we know that can support modern life. real-world changes convincingly show that apply to developed and developing coun- Building on decades of research, a 2009 humanity is driving global environmental tries. First, however, we need to reframe the analysis defined planetary boundaries change and has pushed us into a new geologi- UN paradigm of three pillars of sustainable which would be unsafe to transgress for cal epoch — the Anthropocene1. development — economic, social and envi- nine Earth-system processes3: climate Further human pressure risks causing ronmental — and instead view it as a nested change; rate of biodiversity loss (terrestrial widespread, abrupt and possibly irrevers- concept. The global economy services soci- and marine); interference with the nitrogen ible changes to basic Earth-system pro- ety, which lies within Earth’s life-support and phosphorus cycles; stratospheric ozone cesses. Water shortages, extreme weather, system. The definition of sustainable devel- depletion; ocean acidification; global fresh- deteriorating conditions for food produc- opment, as laid out in the 1987 report from water use; change in land use; chemical pol- tion, ecosystem loss, ocean acidification the UN World Commission on Environ- lution; and atmospheric aerosol loading. and sea-level rise are real dangers that ment and Development (the Brundtland Adapting this planetary boundaries work, could threaten development and trig- Commission), should therefore be rede- and using recent credible scientific studies ger humanitarian crises across the globe. fined to “development that meets the needs and existing international processes — such Growing affluence and the right to develop- of the present while safeguarding Earth’s as the United Nations Framework Conven- ment among the world’s poor demand that life-support system, on which the welfare tion on Climate Change — we extracted a

SIX SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS Some provisional targets for 2030

●●Goal 1: Thriving lives and livelihoods. End atmosphere; phosphorus flow to the oceans ecosystem services through better poverty and improve well-being through should not exceed 10 million tonnes a year; management, valuation, measurement, access to education, employment and and phosphorus runoff to lakes and rivers conservation and restoration. information, better health and housing, and should halve by 2030. This combines the MDG environmental reduced inequality while moving towards targets with 2030 projections of the Aichi sustainable consumption and production. ●●Goal 3: Sustainable water security. Targets adopted by the Convention on This extends many targets of the Achieve universal access to clean water Biological Diversity (see www.cbd.int/sp/ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) on and basic sanitation, and ensure efficient targets). Extinctions should not exceed ten poverty, health and urban environments allocation through integrated water- times the natural background rate. At least and applies them to developed nations. It resource management. 70% of species in any ecosystem and 70% should include targets on clean air that build This would contribute to MDG health of forests should be retained. Aquatic and on World Health Organization guidelines for targets, restrict global water runoff to less marine ecosystems should be managed pollutants such as black carbon6; reductions than 4000 cubic kilometres a year and limit to safeguard areas crucial for biodiversity, in emissions of stratospheric ozone-depleting volumes withdrawn from river basins to no ecosystem services and fisheries. substances in line with projections from the more than 50–80% of mean annual flow3,9. Montreal Protocol; critical loads for man-made ●●Goal 6: Governance for sustainable chemical compounds and toxic materials; and ●●Goal 4: Universal clean energy. Improve societies. Transform governance and sustainable practices for extraction, use and universal, affordable access to clean energy institutions at all levels to address the other recycling of scarce minerals and metals and that minimizes local pollution and health five sustainable development goals. other natural resources. impacts and mitigates global warming. This would build on MDG partnerships This contributes to the UN commitment and incorporate environmental and social ●●Goal 2: Sustainable food security. to sustainable energy for all, and addresses targets into global trade, investment and End hunger and achieve long-term food MDG targets on education, gender equity and finance4. Subsidies on fossil fuels and policies security — including better nutrition — health. To ensure at least a 50% probability of that support unsustainable agricultural and through sustainable systems of production, staying within 2 °C warming10, sustainability fisheries practices should be eliminated by distribution and consumption. targets should aim for global greenhouse- 2020; product prices should incorporate The MDG hunger target should be extended gas emissions to peak in 2015–20, drop by social and environmental impacts. National and targets added to limit nitrogen and 3–5% a year until 2030, and fall by 50–80% monitoring, reporting and verification phosphorus use in agriculture3,7,8. Nutrient- by 2050. systems must be established for sustainable- use efficiency should improve by 20% by development targets; and open access to 2020; no more than 35 million tonnes of ●●Goal 5: Healthy and productive information and decision-making processes nitrogen per year should be extracted from the ecosystems. Sustain biodiversity and should be secured at all levels. list of sustainability ‘must-haves’ for human by addressing other sustainability concerns. planet ceases to function for the benefit of a prosperity (see ‘A unified framework’). The SDG framework manages trade-offs global population. ■ We combined these with the MDG and maximizes synergies between targets, targets, updated and extended for 2030, and can be implemented from international David Griggs is professor and director of to produce six SDGs: thriving lives and to city scales. It integrates social, economic the Monash Sustainability Institute, Monash livelihoods, sustainable food security, and environmental dimensions and pro- University, Victoria 3800, Australia. Mark sustainable water security, universal clean vides guidance for humanity to pros- Stafford-Smith, Owen Gaffney, Johan energy, healthy and productive ecosystems, per in the long term. A small number of Rockström, Marcus C. Öhman, Priya and governance for sustainable societies goals is essential for Shyamsundar, Will Steffen, Gisbert (see ‘Some provisional targets for 2030’). “None of this focus; others could Glaser, Norichika Kanie, Ian Noble. The driving principles remain: reduc- is possible be added but should e-mail: [email protected] ing poverty and hunger, improving health build on the core six. without 1. Steffen, W. et al. Ambio 40, 739–761 (2011). and well-being and creating sustainable changes to There are many 2. United Nations. The Millennium Development production and consumption patterns. A the economic gaps and uncertain- Goals Report 2012 (UN, 2012). goal of improving lives and livelihoods, for ties in our knowledge 3. Rockström, J. et al. Nature 461, 472–475 (2009). playing field.” 4. Biermann, F. et al. Science 335, 1306–1307 example, would promote sustainable access of global environ- (2012). to food, water and energy while protecting mental risks and how to enable societies to 5. Glaser, G. Nature 491, 35 (2012). biodiversity and ecosystem services. become resource-efficient, sustainable and 6. Shindell, D. et al. Science 335, 183–189 (2012). 7. Sutton, M. A. et al. Our Nutrient World (Centre for None of this is possible without changes wealthy. Research initiatives such as Future Ecology and Hydrology, 2013). 4 to the economic playing field . National Earth, a ten-year programme coordinated 8. Carpenter, S. R. & Bennett, E. M. Environ. Res. policies should, like carbon pricing, place a by the International Council for Science5, Lett. 6, 014009 (2011). 9. Smakhtin, V. U. & Batchelor, A. L. Hydrol. Process. value on natural capital and a cost on unsus- are needed to refine targets and provide 19, 1293–1305 (2005). tainable actions. International governance sustainable solutions for human well-being. 10. Huntingford, C. et al. Environ. Res. Lett. 7, 014039 of the global commons should be strength- But the first step is for policy-makers to (2012). ened, for example through binding agree- embrace a unified environmental and social Supplementary information and full author ments on climate change, by halting the loss framework for the SDGs, so that today’s affiliations accompany this article online at of biodiversity and ecosystem services and advances in development are not lost as our go.nature.com/zowqiw.