This document discusses various indicators for measuring sustainable development, including the Millennium Development Goals, Sustainable Development Goals, Living Planet Index, Planetary Boundaries, Environmental Performance Index, and Ecological Footprint. It provides details on each indicator, including trends over time for various countries and regions of the world. Overall, the document analyzes a wide range of metrics to assess progress toward global sustainable development goals and outlines some of the challenges around balancing economic growth, social welfare, and environmental protection.

1. Development and
Sustainability
Sustainable Development
Indicators
Vitor Vieira Vasconcelos
Thais Tartalha do Nascimento Lombardi
São Bernardo do Campo - SP
October 2021

2. Content
 Sustainable development indicators
 Millennium Development Goals
 Sustainable Development Goals
 Alternative indexes
• Living planet index
• Planetary boundaries
• Environmental Performance Index
• Ecological footprint

3. Bellagio Principles
1. Guiding vision and goals
2. Holistic perspective
3. Essential elements (current and future inequality,
resource use, over-consumption and poverty, human
rights, access to services, ecological conditions,
economic development and non-market activities that
contribute to well-being)
4. Adequate scope (time, space, links with past and
future)
5. Practical focus (links indicators to objectives, limited
number of questions and indicators, standardization)
6. Open and accessible
7. Effective communication
8. Broad participation
9. Ongoing assessment
10. Institutional capacity
Sustainability Indicators
HARDI, Peter; ZDAN, Terrence. Assessing sustainable development: principles in practice. International Institute for
Sustainable Development. 1997.

4. Diaz‐Sarachaga, J. M., Jato‐Espino, D., & Castro‐Fresno, D. (2018). Is the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) index
an adequate framework to measure the progress of the 2030 Agenda?. Sustainable Development, 26(6), 663-671.
Agenda 21
Partitioning the indicators
Millennium
Development
Goals
UN Sustainable
Development
Commission
(2007)
Sustainable
Development
Goals
(1992) (2002) (2015)

5. Millennium Development Goals
(2002 – 2015)

6. Millennium Development Goals
 Improvements in all social goals
 Brazil achieved 7 objectives
 Did not achieve maternal mortality goal
 Problems in achieving environmental goals
UN. The Millenium Development Goals Report. 2015.

7. UN. The Millenium Development
Goals Report. 2015.
Brazil decreased
emissions halting
deforestation in
Amazon

8. UN. The Millenium Development
Goals Report. 2015.

9. UN. The Millenium Development
Goals Report. 2015.

10. Why were ‘protected areas’
chosen, and not percentage
of native vegetation, or
deforestation?
UN. The Millenium Development
Goals Report. 2015.

11. UN. The Millenium Development
Goals Report. 2015.
Why was sanitary
sewage chosen over
sewage treatment?

12. https://sdgs.un.org/goals
https://youtu.be/89tInECFdQ4
(2015-2030)

13. Barrett, M., Belward, A., Bladen, S., Breeze, T., Burgess, N., Butchart, S., Clewclow, H., Cornell,
S., Cottam, A., Croft, S. and de Carlo, G., 2018. Living Planet Report 2018: Aiming Higher.
Sustainable Development
Goals and
Strong Sustainability
ECONOMY
BIOSPHERE
SOCIETY

14. Life bellow water
United Nations. The second world ocean assessment. 2021. Volume II.
Ano
Quadratic trend
Measurements
Fisheries stocks at biologically sustainable levels

15. Life bellow water
Marine dead zones in 2018
(Eutrofication)
Fertilizer Pollution
Algal bloom
Low oxygen levels
The Gulf of
Mexico is the
largest dead zone in
the US, with
22,000 km2 in 2017
United Nations. The second world ocean assessment. 2021. Volume II.

16. https://datatopics.worldbank.org/sdgatlas/goal-14-life-below-water/
Life below water
Protected marine areas – 2020
(7.4% of the ocean)

17. https://sdg-tracker.org/biodiversity#targets
What about native non-forest ecosystems?
% of land covered by forests
Excludes forestry and urban green areas
Life on land

18. Life on land
https://sdg-tracker.org/biodiversity
% of important terrestrial biodiversity sites that
are protected
Why wasn't “percentage of
protected area in relation to
total land area” chosen?

19. https://sdg-tracker.org/biodiversity
Life on land
% of important terrestrial biodiversity sites that
are protected - 2020

20. https://sdg-tracker.org/biodiversity#targets
% of important sites for freshwater biodiversity that are covered by
protected areas
Life on land

21. Protected areas in the world
https://story.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=d14f53dcaf7b4542a8c9110eeabccf1c
IUCN. World Database of Protected Areas. In: Carroll, Allen. Welcome to the anthropocene: the age of humans.

22. Life on land
Red list index of species threatened by extinction - 2021
Least concern
Most concern
https://sdg-tracker.org/biodiversity

23. Life on land
https://sdg-tracker.org/biodiversity
Most
concern
Least
concern
Red list index of species threatened by extinction

24. WWF (2020) Living Planet Report 2020 - Bending the curve of biodiversity loss. Almond, R.E.A.,
Grooten M. and Petersen, T. (Eds). WWF, Gland, Switzerland.

25. Cycads
http://plantarum.free.fr/Cycadophytes%20APG/imgcol/_00005.htm

26. http://sdgindex.org/
Sustainable development goals index
Sachs, J., Schmidt-Traub, G., Kroll, C., Lafortune, G., Fuller, G. (2021): SDG Index and Dashboards Report
2021. New York: Bertelsmann Stiftung and Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).
% SDG
achievement
Information not available

27. Spillover effect
http://sdgindex.org/
Positive
Negative
Sachs, J., Schmidt-Traub, G., Kroll, C., Lafortune, G., Fuller, G. (2021): SDG Index and Dashboards Report
2021. New York: Bertelsmann Stiftung and Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).
Information not available

28. Spillover of environmental impact vs. GDP
Sachs, J., Schmidt-Traub, G., Kroll, C., Lafortune, G., Fuller, G. (2018): SDG Index and Dashboards Report 2018. New
York: Bertelsmann Stiftung and Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).
GDP per capita (PPP) 2016
Average
spillover
effect
(0-100)

29. Sustainable Developent Goals Index
Brazil
http://sdgindex.org/
Sachs, J., Schmidt-Traub, G., Kroll, C., Lafortune, G., Fuller, G. (2021): SDG Index and Dashboards Report
2021. New York: Bertelsmann Stiftung and Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).

30. 1. Eradication of poverty
2. Zero hunger and sustainable agriculture
3. Health and well-being
4. Quality education
5. Gender equality
6. Clean water and sanitation
7. Clean and affordable energy
8. Decent work and economic growth
9. Innovation and infrastructure
10. Reduction of inequalities
11. Sustainable cities and communities
12. Responsible consumption and
production
13. Action against global climate change
14. Life on water
15. Earth life
16. Peace, justice and effective institutions
17. Partnerships and means of
implementation
Brasil – SDG index
Sachs, J., Schmidt-Traub, G., Kroll, C., Lafortune, G., Fuller, G. (2021): SDG Index and Dashboards
Report 2021. New York: Bertelsmann Stiftung and Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).

31. Brazil – Trend dashboard
http://sdgindex.org/

32. Competing trade-offs between SDGs
 Installation of
projects
(economic growth)
• Industry
• Mining
• Hydropower
Improvement in
economic and social
indicators
Worsening in
environmental
indicators
 Investment in:
(production efficiency)
• Education
• Health
• Ecoefficient
technology
Improvement in
economic and social
indicators
Environmental indicators
do not worsen
Spaiser, V., Ranganathan, S., Swain, R. B., & Sumpter, D. J. (2017). The sustainable development oxymoron: quantifying and modelling the incompatibility of sustainable development goals.
International Journal of Sustainable Development & World Ecology, 24(6), 457-470.

33. Alternative indicators to the
Sustainable Development Goals

34. Living Planet Index
 Integrates monitoring of vertebrate
animal biodiversity on the planet
 Declining trend in each taxonomy
 Assesses uncertainties about
impacts on biodiversity

35. Living Planet Index
Barrett, M., Belward, A., Bladen, S., Breeze, T., Burgess, N., Butchart, S., Clewclow, H., Cornell,
S., Cottam, A., Croft, S. and de Carlo, G., 2018. Living Planet Report 2018: Aiming Higher.
Birds
Mamals
Fish
Reptiles and Amphibians
Habitat
degradation/loss
Exploitation
Invasive species
and diseases
Pollution
Climate change

36. Living Planet Index
WWF (2020) Living Planet Report 2020 - Bending the curve of biodiversity loss. Almond, R.E.A.,
Grooten M. and Petersen, T. (Eds). WWF, Gland, Switzerland.

37. WWF (2020) Living Planet Report 2020 - Bending the curve of biodiversity loss. Almond, R.E.A., Grooten M. and
Petersen, T. (Eds). WWF, Gland, Switzerland.
Living Planet Index by region in the world

38. Steffen, W. et al. (2015). "Planetary boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet". Science. 347 (6223): 1259855.
Planetary boundaries
Stratospheric ozone
depletion
Climate
change
Increase in
atmospheric aerosols
Novel pollutants
Change in
Earth
Systems
Freshwater
use
Phosphor
Nitrogen
Biochemical
fluxes
Acidification of
the oceans
Genetic
diversity
Functional
diversity
Biosphere
integrity

39. Environmental Performance Index (EPI)
 Dimensions of Sustainable Development
• Environmental health: influence on human
health
• Ecosystem vitality: situation of natural systems
https://epi.envirocenter.yale.edu/
Hsu, Angel, and Alisa Zomer. "Environmental performance index." Wiley StatsRef: Statistics Reference Online (2016): 1-5.

40. Weighted by
influence on
life expectancy
Dimension:
Aspects:
Indicators:
Air quality (65%) Water quality (30%) Heavy metal (5%)
MP2.5 exceeded (30%) Sanitation (50%) Heavy metals exposition (100%)
MP2.5 exposure (30%) Drinking water(50%)
Household solid fuels
(40%)
Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy (2018) 2018
Environmental Perfomance Index. Policy makers summary.
Yale: Yale University.

41. Weighted by relevance in planetary
boundaries
Ecosystem vitality
(60%)
Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy (2018) 2018 Environmental
Perfomance Index. Policy makers summary. Yale: Yale University.

42. Wendling, Z. A., Emerson, J. W., de Sherbinin, A., Esty, D. C., et al. (2020). 2020 Environmental Performance Index. New Haven, CT: Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy.
Environmental Performance Index (EPI)
2020

43. Wendling, Z. A., Emerson, J. W., de Sherbinin, A., Esty, D. C., et al. (2020). 2020 Environmental Performance Index. New Haven, CT: Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy.
Environmental
performance
index
-
2020

44. Environmental Performance Index (EPI)
2020
Wendling, Z. A., Emerson, J. W., de Sherbinin, A., Esty, D. C., et al. (2020). 2020 Environmental
Performance Index. New Haven, CT: Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy. .

45. Ecological footprint
https://www.squamishchief.com/news/local-news/carbon-marketplace-on-its-way-to-squamish-1.9025372

46. Ecological footprint
http://blog.tstc.org/2015/07/20/why-new-york-has-the-lowest
Forest use
Compensation
for greenhouse
gases
Grazing land
Crop land
Built area
Fishing area

47. Biocapacity
Seethi, S. (2012) Ecological Footprint. https://www.slideshare.net/drsuneel/ecological-footprint-11736726
1.8 ha per person is the limit for planet Earth
Biologically
productive
ocean
BIOPRODUCTIVE SEGMENTS
Ocean with
low
productivity
Biologically
productive land
Deserts, ice caps and
degraded soil

48. Ecological Footprint - 2017
http://www.footprintnetwork.org/content/documents/ecological_footprint_nations/
Per capita ecological footprint per national population (in global hectares)

49. Seethi, S. (2012) Ecological Footprint. https://www.slideshare.net/drsuneel/ecological-footprint-11736726

50. Ecological footprint - 2017
http://www.footprintnetwork.org/content/documents/ecological_footprint_nations/
Biocapacity Creditors
Biocapacity greater than footprint
Biocapacity debtors
Footprint larger than biocapacity

51. Ecological footprint
Hennig, Benjamin D (2013). Rediscovering the World: Map Transformations of Human and Physical Space. Heidelberg /
New York / Dordrecht / London (Springer)

52. Change in Ecological Footprint 1993-2009
Venter, O. et al. 2016. Sixteen years of change in the
global terrestrial human footprint and implications for
biodiversity conservation. Nature Communications, 7,
p.12558.
Improved
Improved a little
Worsened a little
Worsened
Worsened a lot
Change
in
Ecological
footprint

53. Ecological footprint
http://www.footprintnetwork.org/licenses/public-data-package-free-edition-copy/
Global ecological footprint per component
Carbon
Fishing
Agriculture
Built area
Forest products
Grazing land

54. Ecological footprint of Brazil
http://www.footprintnetwork.org/licenses/public-data-package-free-edition-copy/
Years
Ecological footprint
Biocapacity
Global
hectares
per
person

55. HDI above 0.6 and Ecological Footprint
below Global Biocapacity:
Algeria, Colombia, Ecuador, Georgia, Jamaica,
Jordan and Sri Lanka
HDI above 0.7: Cuba
Per capita ecological footprint and HDI of countries,
by region of the world (2014)
UN Human Development Index (HDI)
Pegada
Ecológica
per
capita
(gha)

56. Earth Overshoot Day (EOD)
 Formerly known as Earth Debt Day (EDD)
 Hypothetical calendar in which resource
consumption by humanity exceeds the capacity to
regenerate these resources in 1 year.
 Calculated by dividing the Earth's biocapacity (natural
resources produced by the Earth in 1 year) by the
global ecological footprint (consumption of resources
by humanity in 1 year) and multiplying the result by
365 (days in a year).
https://www.overshootday.org/

58. Total water footprint
(m3/inhabitant/year)
https://worldwaterexchange.com/water-footprint-per-capita-per-year-m3/
Global average

59. Activity
 Calculate your ecological
footprint at:
https://www.footprintcalculator.org
(add as much details as possible)
Reflect:
- Do you think it would be possible to
improve your ecological footprint?
Why? How?

60. Reflection
Analyzing the indicators throughout this
class, and the content of this course so
far, do you consider that human society
is moving towards sustainable
development? Why?

61. Questions?
Comments?
Thank you!
Vitor Vieira Vasconcelos
vitor.v.v@gmail.com