How Space Contributes Towards UN SDG Objectives
Credit: UNOOSA
All 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) are positively impacted by the benefits of space.
| Goal | Objective | Space Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| No Poverty | End poverty in all its manifestations by 2030. | Space technologies are essential in forecasting natural disasters and better coordinate subsequent aid provision, providing efficient support to vulnerable populations, and mapping populated areas and their access to basic services. It contributes in preventing people from falling under the poverty line and help target specific support to those in need. |
| Zero Hunger | End hunger and all forms of malnutrition, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture. | Space technologies are central in optimizing crop productivity through informed management process and increased efficiency in using existing resources such as land, seeds, fertilizers, and water, and improving livestock management through enhanced monitoring and identification of suitable grazing. |
| Good Health and Well being | Ensure health and well-being for all, at every stage of life. | Space technologies are crucial in many health applications such as studying disease epidemiology, by using spatial analysis to identify the ecological, environmental and other factors that contribute to the spread of vector-borne diseases, monitoring disease patterns and defining areas that require disease-control planning, addressing issues related to vision, cognition and disability assistance, monitoring factors that affect human health and well-being like air quality and traffic, supporting health promotion and disease prevention, through the use of wearable monitoring devices, and enabling remote healthcare. It contributes to the prevention of people falling under critical conditions and help target specific support to those in need. |
| Quality Education | Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for all and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. | Space technologies can provide high-speed internet connectivity and tailored online educational content delivered via satellite, electronic attendance monitoring and provision of incentives for parents to reduce dropout rates, remote learning, e-learning and lifelong learning opportunities for remote and isolated communities, and many more. |
| Gender Equality | Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. | Space technologies can support this goal by giving access to quality education even in remote and isolated communities, supporting female entrepreneurship, through access to training, soft infrastructure, information and safety in the work environment, and providing career development opportunities, often within STEM. |
| Clean Water and Sanitation | Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. | Space technologies enables water quality monitoring, meteorological forecasting, access to infrastructural support and technical know-how, and many more. |
| Affordable and Clean Energy | Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. | Space technologies are key in critical infrastructure monitoring, particularly with energy networks, power grid synchronization, seismic surveying, identification of optimal sites for the production of renewable energy, and solar and wind energy production forecasting to estimate the amount of energy needed from other sources. |
| Decent Work and Economic Growth | Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. | Space technologies supports global economies and GDP growth, contributing to a range of sectors, particularly service delivery, utilities, banking and finance, agriculture, and communications. It also supports lone workers monitoring, establishing safe and secure working environments, as well as, providing job opportunities for all. |
| Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure | Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation. | Space technologies are central in infrastructure mapping and monitoring, as well as, maintenance of road infrastructure in rural environments, where the most reliable technology is satellite-based. It is also crucial in construction surveying through machine automation and smart mobility, such as reduced fuel consumption by smarter planning and monitoring of driving behavior. |
| Reduced Inequalities | Reduce inequality within and among countries. | Space technologies contribute in many areas such as connectivity in remote and isolated areas, remote participation in democratic processes, and reliable access to information. |
| Sustainable Cities and Communities | Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. | Space technologies are used in urban planning, to pinpoint structures and reference points for cadastral and urban planning purposes, smart cities, through the application of GPS systems, EO and satellite telecommunications (ST), improvement of city services, such as smart waste management systems, air quality monitoring, disaster management, infrastructure monitoring, and search and rescue operations. |
| responsible Consumption and Production | Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. | Space technologies support natural resources management, food and dangerous goods traceability, monitoring of endangered species trafficking and products of human slavery, smart agriculture by combining EO, ST and GPS systems, and spin-offs of In-situ resources utilization (ISRU), such as 3D printing technologies. |
| Climate Action | Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. | Space technologies are key in climate change monitoring, weather forecasting, disaster management, as well as, search and rescue operations. |
| Life Below Water | Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. | Space technologies provide mapping and monitoring of natural and protected areas, fishing vessel tracking and navigation, monitoring of illegal, unregulated and unreported fisheries, fishery product traceability (endangered species, exploitation of fishery resources), assessment and monitoring of marine and coastal resources, climate change monitoring, particularly water temperature, and identification, detection and monitoring of algal blooms. |
| Life on Land | Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss. | Space technologies can be used in bio-geophysical land surface monitoring, terrestrial biodiversity monitoring, and monitoring of poaching and identification of smuggling routes. |
| Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions | Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. | Space technologies are essential in conflict monitoring, enabling participation of remote and isolated communities in democratic processes, enforcement of legislation, and access to reliable information. |
| Partnerships for the Goals | Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development. | Space technologies allow international cooperation initiatives, exchange of data and information, open source databases, and sharing of infrastructure and exchange of technical know-how. |