Sustainable Development Goals: Good and Bad
Authors: Rai Vikas 
Published: December 2024

The central theme of human ecology is sustainable development. United
Nations Organization (UNO) in 2015 identified 17 goals; known as <b><i>sustainable
development goals</i></b> (SDGs), to be achieved by 2030. SDG1 (No poverty) and SDG2
(Zero hunger) are difficult to achieve. For the former, a workable measure of poverty is
to be evolved. The poverty line defined by the United Nations Department of
Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) is linked with the Gross Domestic Product
(GDP), which varies significantly for countries rich and poor. There is no relationship
between poverty in the USA and India. It is <i><b>relative poverty</b></i>. A universal absolute
poverty, which is not linked with Gross Domestic Product, needs to be considered. The
prospect of whether the goal of zero hunger would be achieved, depends on the state of
<b>sustainable agriculture</b> in a country at any given time. SDG2 may be achieved by
2030 with cooperation among rich and poor countries. If developing countries are
provided soft credit by developed countries from time to time, a few targets could be
achieved.
Agricultural productivity depends on capital. The interaction of disease and human
capital leads to dynamics in the state space of the system represented by multiple
equilibria (two stable equilibria and an intervening unstable equilibrium). If compared
with the famous Lorenz attractor, which presents trajectories of two convective cells;
one lying over the other, in the state space of the system (the bottom convective cell is
heated up from below, with two unstable foci and an intervening saddle point), it is
clear that the interaction of disease and human capital would generate oscillations in
system’s state space. This explains why agricultural productivity varies; and oscillates
between two states of low and high productivity. The incidence of unpredictable
epidemics in this system would lead to chaos; which allows only short-term
predictability. Therefore, SDG 3 (Good Health and Well–Being) appears to be wishful
thinking. This knowledge adds value to SDG 12 (<b>responsible consumption and
production</b>). Production refers to both agricultural and industrial.Occupational Choice (SDG 3, SDG 8) is a critical factor. It depends on the beliefs and
practices of the people of a nation. Banerjee &amp; Newman (1993) developed a model of
economic development. Economic development is considered as a process of
<b>institutional transformation</b>. Capital market imperfections drive the dynamics of the
system considered. Depending on the initial distribution of wealth, the economy
generates two scenarios:1) either widespread cottage industry or factory production, 2)
prosperity or stagnation. An individual’s decision of occupation depends on whether
he/she is wealthy or poor. The poor go for employment contracts (factory production)
and the wealthy go for entrepreneurship (widespread cottage industry). A society needs
both kinds of people. An economy that is poised between two scenarios is desirable.<b>SDGs</b> 13, 14, 15, and 17 are linked with each other in the sense that rain depends on
tree cover present on the land surface. Water bodies receive water through precipitation
which depends on the interaction between the sun and ocean; the reservoir of resources.
Forest cover and land use patterns also affect climate. If rich countries help poor
countries under the aegis of UNO through its different developmental programs, a few
of the SDGs can be partially achieved. If developed nations continue to exploit
situations in poor (developing) countries, then, there is no hope.