The Russian‐Ukrainian armed conflict will push back the sustainable development goals

• Published in: Geography and sustainability 2022-09, Vol.3 (3), p.277-287
• Main Authors: Pereira, Paulo, Zhao, Wenwu, Symochko, Lyudmyla, Inacio, Miguel, Bogunovic, Igor, Barcelo, Damia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Economy; Environment; Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict; Society; Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• ISSN: 2666-6839; 2666-6839
• DOI: 10.1016/j.geosus.2022.09.003

The Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict is a dramatic world event. Apart from the loss of life, the present conflict has tremendous impacts on the environment, economy, and society. The conflict provoked a ripple of events with implications at the global level, especially in energy and food. The escalation of this conflict is imposing severe threats to achieving the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) not only to the countries directly involved in the conflict but also to other countries, especially the developing ones that are more vulnerable to the economic crisis. In this editorial, we assessed the impacts of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict on Biophysical SDGs, Social SDGs, Economic SDGs and Partnership for the Goals SDG that consider all the previous dimensions. The Russian-Ukrainian conflict’s impact on the SDGs is variable. Biodiversity SDGs are mainly affected at the regional level (Russia, Ukraine, surrounding and European Union countries). Society SDGs are affected at local (e.g., SDG3 good health and wellbeing; SDG4 quality education) and global (e.g., SDG2 zero hunger) levels. Finally, the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict has world-level implications for the economic SDGs. Nevertheless, the ongoing conflict’s impacts are not entirely understood, and several uncertainties exist. Peace is needed to achieve the UN’s SDGs in 2030.