Advancing sustainability science for the SDGs

In September 2015, the world’s leaders agreed to the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 for sustainable development (UN 2015 ), including 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs). The SDGs provide a remarkable common global vision towards a safe, just and sustainable world for all human beings to thrive on the planet. The goals are seen as ambitions, and challenges, for all countries of all income levels, without exception. Between them, they provide a more resolved view of sustainable development than simply talking about economic, social and environmental dimensions; indeed, most goals are at least partially integrated across these dimensions. As such, the SDGs provide a normative framing that is “indivisible and universal” for the emerging discipline of sustainability science.