Data & Analytics play a vital role in the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) specifically emphasizes the need to enhance the availability of high-quality, timely, and reliable data. Accurate data and insightful analytics are essential for assessing progress, identifying gaps, making informed decisions, and creating effective policies related to each of the SDGs. For instance, they can help enhance education systems (SDG 4), optimize health services (SDG 3), reduce poverty (SDG 1), and mitigate climate change impacts (SDG 13). Moreover, advances in data collection methods, including mobile technology and remote sensing, can provide valuable insights for achieving sustainability. Therefore, robust data and analytics are integral to monitoring and accomplishing the SDGs.
This review discusses the identification and quantification of microplastic (MP) using Raman microspectroscopy (RM). It addresses scientists investigating MP in environmental and food samples. We show the benefits and limitations of RM from a technical point of view (sensitivity, smallest particle sizes, speed optimizations, analysis artefacts and background effects) and provide an assessment of the relevance of lab analyses and their interpretation (sample sizes for the analysis, uncertainty of the analysis).
The Mediterranean Sea is affected by one of the most significant plastic pollution worldwide. This review critically evaluates the most recent literature on the presence of microplastics in sediments, suggested to be long term sinks and have a high potential to accumulate this kind of marine debris. A picture of microplastic levels in coastal environments is given, evidencing information gaps and considering also estuary, lagoons and areas influenced by the contribution of rivers. A wide range of contamination levels has been found, with the highest in lagoon and estuary environments.
Explore in-depth analysis on microplastic pollution in soil, its ecological risks, and innovative analytical methods for managing this emerging challenge.
Microplastics pollution in aquatic ecosystems has aroused increasing global concern, leading to an explosive growth of studies regarding microplastics published in the past few years. To date, there is still a lack of standardized methodologies used for the detection of microplastics within environmental samples, thus hampering comparison of the reported data.
Clarifying the scope and activity within the large field of artificial intelligence (AI) can help research leaders, policymakers, funders and investors, and the public navigate AI and understand how it has evolved over time. In doing so, this report provides clues to where AI is headed and how policies might be shaped to continue making advances in a responsible way, contributing to SDG 9.
A policy and research agenda has emerged in recent years to understand the interconnected risks natural resource systems face and drive. The so-called ‘Food-Energy-Water’ (FEW) nexus has served as a focal point for the conceptual, theoretical and empirical development of this agenda. This special issue provides an opportunity to reflect on whether natural resource use, as viewed through the FEW-nexus lens, provides a useful basis for guiding integrated environmental management.
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United Nations University, September 2018.
Directly relating to SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), this report offers an analysis of countries' development spending commitments to achieve target 8.7 (eradicate forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking).
Presents insights into emerging technologies and developments that are currently used or on the horizon in biological systems and mechatronics for rehabilitative purposes. This chapter addresses SDG 10 by providing detailed description of the bio-mechatronic systems used and then presents implementation and testing tactics to address the challenges of rehabilitative applications in areas of bio-signal processing, bio-modelling, neural and muscular interface, and neural devices.
As scientists and engineers, we must recognize the overwhelming evidence that we each harbor bias that influences our professional decisions. Yet, solving today's increasingly complex public health challenges requires diverse perspectives from multidisciplinary teams. We all have the opportunity to actively promote a more representative scientific community; let's harness the power of collective action to build diverse teams that deliver the most innovative science. Research shows that we all harbor bias that influences professional decisions.
Achieving the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) results in many ecological, social, and economic consequences that are inter-related. Understanding relationships between sustainability goals and determining their interactions can help prioritize effective and efficient policy options. This paper presents a framework that integrates existing knowledge from literature and expert opinions to rapidly assess the relationships between one SDG goal and another.
