Technology

Technology plays a central role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), and SDG 13 (Climate Action). The transformative power of technology can accelerate progress towards all the SDGs by driving economic growth, reducing inequalities, enhancing access to basic services, and promoting sustainability.

Under SDG 9, technology, particularly in terms of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), is a key enabler of industrial innovation and infrastructure development. ICT has the potential to drive economic growth by enhancing productivity, creating jobs, and fostering entrepreneurship. Moreover, it can contribute to making industries more sustainable by facilitating the transition towards smart manufacturing and circular economy models.

Regarding SDG 4, technology can greatly enhance access to quality education. Digital technologies, including e-learning platforms, can break down barriers to education, such as geographical distance, socio-economic status, and physical disabilities. They can also enrich the learning process by enabling personalized, student-centered learning experiences.

In the context of SDG 3, technology has a profound impact on health outcomes. Medical technologies, from simple devices like thermometers to complex systems like MRI machines, have revolutionized healthcare delivery. Furthermore, digital health technologies, such as telemedicine and mobile health apps, can enhance access to health services, improve patient outcomes, and reduce healthcare costs.

For SDG 13, technology offers powerful tools for mitigating and adapting to climate change. Renewable energy technologies can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while climate information services can enhance resilience to climate impacts. Furthermore, digital technologies can facilitate the monitoring and reporting of climate actions, contributing to greater transparency and accountability.

However, the benefits of technology are not automatic, and there are significant challenges to overcome, including the digital divide, cybersecurity threats, and ethical issues related to privacy and data ownership. Thus, policy interventions and multi-stakeholder partnerships are needed to ensure that technology serves as a catalyst for sustainable development and does not exacerbate inequalities.

The researchers examined the use of footwear that incorporates force-sensing resistor sensors to classify lower limb disorders affecting the knee, hip, and ankle joints. The outcomes of the study reveal promising findings for future gait analysis and injury diagnosis, and the potential of force-sensing resistors (FSRs) and machine learning techniques for improving the assessment of lower limb injuries, and thereby furthering SDG3.
In this episode of the "World We Want" podcast, Márcia Balisciano interviews Filip Neele, Lead Scientist at TNO in Utrecht, the Netherlands. They discuss carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology as a “key” in energy transition and its role in supporting global sustainability.
In this episode of the "World We Want" podcast, Márcia Balisciano speaks to Gaythri Raman, Managing Director of Southeast Asia, LexisNexis. They talk about Ms. Raman’s efforts in leveraging AI-powered legal innovations in transforming the legal business and advancing the rule of law across Southeast Asia, with the goal to address statelessness and enabling access to justice through key projects with world leaders committed to social justice even in remote jungles across Borneo.
This article supports SDG 11 by discussing Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) which may offer an unparalleled approach to combining sustainability and resilience while preserving ecosystems.
This article tackles the issue of high energy consumption created by data centers. They find an immediate way to quickly mitigate some of the massive energy sink is by simply operating data centers at higher temperatures. As such, this article supports SDGs 9 (ensuring data centers that are key to current society are sustainable) and 13 (a rapid solution to immediately reduce fossil-fuel driven energy consumption).
This study supports SDGs 9 and 15. The permafrost on the Tibetan Plateau has been significantly degraded becuase of global warming. This article assessed the future stability of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.
Hands under water tap

RELX Environmental Challenge 2023: five shortlisted projects to bring safe water and sanitation to communities around the world

An image of a laptop displaying LexisNexis report
In a first-of-its-kind report, learn which companies are the world’s leading patent owners with the potential to drive transformative innovation toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In this study, the authors use topic modeling and critical discourse analysis to answer this question: what are the most significant topics of discussion within the Colombian feminist movement on Twitter during the COVID-19 pandemic?
In addressing the SDGs in general, the authors pose the question, “What is the potential role of SDGs as an accountability mechanism?”. A case study approach using interviews is taken to examine how certain organisations may use the SDGs as an accountability mechanism, and whether or not meaningful accountability is actually being achieved. It is concluded that the full opportunities offered by the SDGs are not yet in full use.

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