Table 2.

Some of the consequences of not reaching the SDGs.

Source: prepared by the authors

SDGs	Implications of not achieving them
	More than half of the world’s population would still have no access to social protection and hundreds of millions would be living in extreme poverty, mostly in Africa [31] If other SDGs would also not be met, conflicts and climate change would worsen the situation. Children would keep being disproportionally affected and it would distress their whole lives [32] If climate action is not taken, extreme weather events would certainly endanger the poverty situation [33]
	Following the tendency currently observed, more people would be undernourished and malnutrition and overweight would still be a serious problem (especially for children) [34] Extreme weather events and conflicts would further threaten food availability [35, 36], affecting also food price. Additionally, food production systems and resilient agricultural practices might not have been implemented, worsening land and soil quality [37] and failing to care for ecosystems
	Local or even global health crisis could be a reality if this goal is not achieved. Spread of epidemics would cause impacts in social life but also in economic issues and supply of medicines, food and water, among other basic needs, demanding a framework of actions for response [38]. The number of deaths and illnesses from the most varied types of risk [39] would demand major investments in treatment interventions
	Not realising this goal would imply in approximately 50% of children in the world without minimum proficiency standards in mathematics and reading and out of school [34], making it more difficult to escape poverty and participate in a tangled global economy (jeopardising also economic growth) Despite the advances in early childhood education, low-income countries would still lack behind and suffer the consequences (primarily related to difficulties for learning at later years) [40]. Lack of investments on lifelong learning and illiterate adults would compromise future opportunities and awareness of the need for behaviour change to more sustainable lifestyles [41]
	Not achieving gender equality would have two main types of consequences: one related to economic issues and other even more worrying, concerning social and physical violence. The former includes unpaid work, denied decision-making positions to women and disproportional salary, among others [42, 43]; the latter refers to millions suffering from forced marriage or physical/sexual violence [44]
	Hundreds of millions would still remain without basic drinking water services and practising open defecation [34]. Clean water and proper sanitation would be unattainable for billions Due to the consequences of not reaching other SDGs as well (including increased infrastructure demand and climate consequences) people could be displaced and experience water stress. This situation would certainly affect education and health [45, 46], among other sustainability goals
	By not increasing considerably the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix, the consequences would be mainly related to climate (e.g. substantial carbon emissions and reduced air quality) [47] in addition to probable conflicts for the consumption of fossil fuels. This might happen especially due to the inefficacy in electrifying the transportation sector [48]. Additionally, billions would still be using polluting cooking systems [34] Despite the positive trend of improvements in energy efficiency, not meeting this target would also prevent the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions [49]. Consequently, increase in temperature and negative effects on climate would be observed
	The current concern of lack of job opportunities, especially for young people [50], and the spread of informal employment would continue to be a preoccupation if this goal is not met. This one might be the SDG with the highest level of disparities among world regions [34]. Unemployment and lack of engagement in education or training could impact other goals [51], worsening poverty and inequality, for example
	The lack of development of manufacturing sectors, especially in developing countries, would endanger productivity and competition [52]. Smaller industries and business would probably not have enough resources to invest in innovation and efficiency This inevitably affects employment and reduction of carbon emissions. Moreover, considering that infrastructure was not deployed to be resilient [53], cities would be at risk to suffer from infrastructure loss or damage
	Inequality within and among countries would imply in prosperity not being shared equally between different population groups [54]. It would negatively affect employment, life quality and probably health as well. If inequality persists in the future, the world would experience more events of migration [55], which expose migrants to several risks and danger in the journey across borders
	The urbanisation represents a challenge to the targets of SDG 11 [56] and if not met it would imply in cities with living conditions that favour carbon emissions and exacerbated use of resources. It pressures waste and water management systems and infrastructure Millions would keep lacking proper waste collection and provision of basic needs (such as sanitation) and living in bad conditions [57]. Harmful air quality, not enough provision of public transportation, and bad network among streets and open public spaces [34] would lead to public dissatisfaction and could cause city crisis
	Not seeing a decoupling of economic growth and natural resources use would imply in bigger global material footprint [58] putting much pressure on the environment. Inappropriate waste management and lack of investments in production and supply chains (i.e. to avoid food waste) would considerably affect availability of resources and pollution of air, water and soil. Detrimental production patterns will also impact greenhouse gas emissions [59]
	Failing in limiting global warming, the concentration of carbon in the atmosphere and the global temperature would entail catastrophic consequences to social systems, to the economy and to the environment, especially due to extreme weather events. Several studies point out these consequences [60, 61], which include sea-level rise and heat waves More resources would be needed to work on mitigation, especially if not invested previously on resilience and adaptation [62, 63]
	Marine life would be endangered due to ocean acidity (that can rise to 100–150% by 2100) [34] and marine pollution. It would also affect the ocean’s role to moderate climate change (attributable to the capacity to absorb carbon dioxide) causing more impacts on water, including sea-level rise By not encouraging sustainable use of oceans and preserving coastal and marine areas, part of marine biodiversity would be in severe risk of extinction [64, 65]
	Not protecting biodiversity and territorial ecosystems would lead species to extinction (or risk of being extinct) [66]. Erosion, deforestation and land degradation would affect millions of people, especially due to loss of essential services of well-being and land productivity [67]. Preservation of biodiversity and different ecosystems is fundamental to climate regulation, so this could be an irreparable loss and worsen extreme weather events
	Not achieving peaceful, just and inclusive societies would prevent millions to experience their security, rights and opportunities [34]. The most serious consequences would be related to risk of murder, sexual exploitation, and forced labour. Conflicts among different territories would also compromise life quality and endanger many lives [68]
	Not realizing this goal might be one of the primary reasons not to achieve the others. Not enough investment and resources would have been mobilised to implement global partnership for the goals [69, 70]. For being the SDG with the highest number of global targets, it complies several approaches for a more sustainable world, including finance, technology, capacity-building, trade and systemic issues, and all of these should have progressed together to achieve the goals