Geopolitical shifts affect the sustainability agenda

Meeting sustainability goals such as the SDGs, requires different strategies in different countries. And, current geopolitical shifts around the world affect the long-term sustainability agenda and how countries prioritise.

“Recent global geopolitical reshuffling is significantly confounding the long-term sustainability agenda, as the international community’s focus is increasingly diverted to managing short-term emergencies,” said Matteo Pedercini, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at the Millennium Institute.

Policymakers on a national level must address questions such as:

• What resources are needed to achieve the goals?
• How would we best distribute investments across different areas?
• Where should investments be prioritized and how can they be financed?

The iSDG-model has been designed and developed to help decision-makers address such questions. It integrates key economic, social, and environmental factors, providing a comprehensive platform for systemic policy analysis and strategic planning.

“The adaptation of the model to the Swedish context, and the explicit ambition to also consider geopolitical risk, represents a novel application of the model with the potential to advance both theoretical insights and practical policy planning in Sweden,” said Therese Bennich at SEI and Mistra Geopolitics.

Applied in over 40 countries worldwide

The iSD-model has already been used in over 40 countries. For example, it has supported national governments in preparing strategic development plans in Nigeria and Jamaica, and in testing net-zero scenarios in Germany and Pakistan.

“Governments must enhance their preparedness and foresight, anticipating how geopolitical tensions might disrupt supply chains for essential technologies, or impact the availability of critical resources. By integrating these risks, the development of resilient and adaptive sustainability strategies will be more successful,” said Matteo Pedercini, Vice President at the Millenium Institute.

In sum, the iSD-model is a cutting-edge tool that leverages real-world data to model the long-term consequences of policy choices. By simulating different policy interventions, it reveals complex interdependencies, making it a valuable resource for informed decisions about the future.

Note: The model was previously called the iSDG-model and has changed name to the iSD-model.