Methodological approaches on synergies and trade-offs within the 2030 Agenda

The world is lagging in achieving the 2030 Agenda's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), emphasizing social, economic, and environmental dimensions. Meeting one target may either help or hinder meeting another, but the high number of potential interactions complicates the evaluation of synergies and trade-offs. Here, we focus on the water-energy-food nexus to assess how the knowledge of SDG interlinkages has been operationalized to inform policymaking. Specifically, we review the effectiveness of research methodologies, such as correlation analysis, network analysis, meta-analysis and literature reviews, expert-based assessments, and integrated assessment models in characterizing SDG interlinkages. Most studies indicate that synergies are more prevalent than trade-offs, but they have seldom analyzed whether such infrequent trade-offs might nevertheless have a greater impact on sustainable development. Further, existing methods do not always reveal the directionality and strength of SDG interactions or consider projections of future interlinkages such as transboundary and intergenerational spillovers. In this context, it may be worth revisiting earlier definitions of sustainable development that prioritized intergenerational aspects and future needs.