Cited by 448Sustainable Development and Environmental PolicySustainability and Climate Change GovernanceClimate Change and Sustainable Development

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 237 of the 237 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 118 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Connecting the sustainable development goals by their energy inter-linkages

Open access

Abstract

The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide guide-posts to society as it attempts to respond to an array of pressing challenges. One of these challenges is energy; thus, the SDGs have become paramount for energy policy-making. Yet, while governments throughout the world have already declared the SDGs to be 'integrated and indivisible', there are still knowledge gaps surrounding how the interactions between the energy SDG targets and those of the non-energy-focused SDGs might play out in different contexts. In this review, we report on a large-scale assessment of the relevant energy literature, which we conducted to better our understanding of key energy-related interactions between SDGs, as well as their context-dependencies (relating to time, geography, governance, technology, and directionality). By (i) evaluating the nature and strength of the interactions identified, (ii) indicating the robustness of the evidence base, the agreement of that evidence, and our confidence in it, and (iii) highlighting critical areas where better understanding is needed or context dependencies should be considered, our review points to potential ways forward for both the policy making and scientific communities. First, we find that positive interactions between the SDGs outweigh the negative ones, both in number and magnitude. Second, of relevance for the scientific community, in order to fill knowledge gaps in critical areas, there is an urgent need for interdisciplinary research geared toward developing new data, scientific tools, and fresh perspectives. Third, of relevance for policy-making, wider efforts to promote policy coherence and integrated assessments are required to address potential policy spillovers across sectors, sustainability domains, and geographic and temporal boundaries. The task of conducting comprehensive science-to-policy assessments covering all SDGs, such as for the UN's Global Sustainable Development Report , remains manageable pending the availability of systematic reviews focusing on a limited number of SDG dimensions in each case.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

This review assesses the literature on interactions between SDG7 energy targets and the non-energy SDGs, scoring 107 targets with a seven-point interaction scale and an IPCC-style confidence assessment. It finds that positive interactions outweigh negative ones in number and magnitude, while highlighting context dependencies and knowledge gaps, especially for SDG2, SDG4, SDG5, SDG8, SDG9, SDG10, SDG14, and SDG15.

Key findings

  • Positive interactions between SDG7 (Energy) and the other SDGs clearly outweigh negative ones, both in number and magnitude (figure 2).
  • The review reports high or very high confidence for positive energy-related interactions with SDG1, SDG3, SDG6, SDG11, SDG12, SDG13, and SDG16; lower agreement and confidence remain for SDG8 and SDG14, among others. For example, air-pollution benefits under SDG3 are scored [+2] with robust evidence, high agreement, and very high confidence, while bioenergy competition with food and water under SDG2/SDG6 is scored [-1,+1] with medium confidence.
  • The two-stage literature review identified more than 170 studies through expert identification; systematic Scopus queries yielded 823 results, from which 100 full manuscripts were reviewed and 53 were classified as “definitely relevant.” The scoring exercise covered 107 individual targets: three for SDG7 and 104 others.
  • Interactions are context-dependent along time, geography, governance, technology, and directionality; for instance, energy access may enable education, employment, and health, but reverse-direction effects are not guaranteed.

Methods

  • Two-stage literature review: first, expert identification of more than 170 studies; second, systematic keyword searches in Scopus using 15 unique queries, one for each SDG other than SDG7 and SDG17, run between 13 and 24 November 2017.
  • Abstract review reduced 823 results to 100 “potentially relevant” papers; full-manuscript review reduced these to 53 “definitely relevant” studies included alongside expert-identified studies.
  • Interactions were scored at the SDG target level using the Nilsson et al (2016) seven-point scale, with evidence robustness (limited/medium/robust), agreement (low/medium/high), and confidence (very low to very high) assessed following IPCC AR5 uncertainty guidance and internal expert elicitation among subsets of authors.

Limitations

  • Stated: systematic database queries alone are insufficient and risk missing seminal gray literature, IPCC assessments, and the Global Energy Assessment; expert elicitation is needed to capture such sources.
  • Stated: no explicit or quantitative weights were given to papers; weighting was implicit/qualitative, and evidence, agreement, and confidence assessments relied on author judgment.
  • Stated: uncertainty remains for some interactions because of context dependencies and less mature quantitative tools; no energy systems or integrated assessment models capture feedback effects between educational attainment and renewables, efficiency, and energy access endogenously. Evident from the text: the review is an expert-scored synthesis rather than a formal meta-analysis, and figure 2 shows only one positive or negative score per SDG, which can mask target-level variation.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1088/1748-9326/aaafe3

Cites

237 of 237 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

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Verification

Claims the paper makes

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Show all 46 claims

  • Probably not a substantial claim. 62
  • It may state two separate claims as one. 33
84 of 84
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The SDGs are relatively new as a framing concept.

    “Because the SDGs are relatively new as a framing concept, and perhaps also because they are so extensive in their reach, there have been few reviews of the SDG interactions literature to date.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Scopus is the largest database of peer-reviewed literature in existence and therefore provides a powerful tool for identifying such literature.

    “Scopus is the largest database of peer-reviewed literature in existence and therefore provides a powerful tool for identifying such literature.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The SDGs are extensive in their reach.

    “perhaps also because they are so extensive in their reach”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Access to modern energy is necessary for schools to have quality lighting and thermal comfort, as well as modern information and communication technologies.

    “Access to modern energy is necessary for schools to have quality lighƟng and thermal comfort, as well as modern informaƟon and communicaƟon technologies.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Quality education throughout a society raises its general level of human capital, and this collection of knowledge and skills can be drawn upon to promote sustainable development.

    “Quality educaƟon throughout a society (i.e., more and beƩer trained teachers) raises its general level of human capital.This collecƟon of knowledge and skills can then be drawn upon to promote sustainable development, potenƟally influencing the technological, financial, and poliƟcal soluƟons that are feasible to”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Ensuring access to basic housing services implies that households have access to modern energy forms.

    “Ensuring access to basic housing services implies that households have access to modern energy forms.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Improving air quality and bettering human health are major concerns of local policy-makers in India and China.

    “On the one hand, for instance, improving air quality and bettering human health (SDG3) are major concerns of local policy-makers in India and China.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has called on the international donor community and non-governmental organizations to help countries shape policies that cut across sectors, disciplines and geographies.

    “In fact, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has called on these entities to do exactly that.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Many regional and national institutions, both large and small, have begun using the 2030 Agenda as the focus of their actions for the next decades.

    “Many regional and national institutions, both large and small, have begun using the 2030 Agenda as the focus of their actions for the next decades.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    With the arrival of the UN's 2030 Agenda, the notion of integrated and holistic thinking has entered into the global policy discourse in a highly visible way.

    “With the arrival of the UN's 2030 Agenda, the notion of integrated and holistic thinking has entered into the global policy discourse in a highly visible way.”
10 of 10

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Citations

Cites

Items 201–237 of 237

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Research works printed but not linked: 41

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Metadata

Authors
McCollum, D. L., Echeverri, L. G., Busch, S., Pachauri, S., Parkinson, S., Rogelj, J., Krey, V., Minx, J. C., Nilsson, M., Stevance, A.-S., & Riahi, K.
Affiliations
  • International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (AT)
  • University of Leeds (GB)
  • Stockholm Environment Institute (SE)
  • International Council for Science (FR)
Corresponding author
McCollum, David L
Venue
Environmental Research Letters
Published
2018-03-01
Volume
13
Issue
3
Pages
033006
ISSN
1748-9326 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2617245930
Cited by
448
References
237
Citations by year
2026: 27 · 2025: 48 · 2024: 61 · 2023: 61 · 2022: 51 · 2021: 69 · 2020: 57 · 2019: 56 · 2018: 18
FWCI
87.60
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Environmental Research Letters (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • White Rose Research Online (University of Leeds, The University of Sheffield, University of York) (acceptedVersion)
  • IIASA PURE (International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis) (acceptedVersion)
  • IIASA PURE (International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis) (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
  • Publication Database PIK (Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)) (submittedVersion)
  • Spiral (Imperial College London) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • Horizon 2020 Framework Programme (642147)
  • Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law › Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Sustainability and Climate Change Governance
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Global and Planetary Change › Climate Change and Sustainable Development
Keywords
Sustainable Development Goals, SDG interactions, energy policy, policy coherence, integrated assessment, context sensitivity, interdisciplinary research

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