SDGs in the Americas and Caribbean Region

The Brazilian semiarid region faces the challenge of guaranteeing water security for rural communities, especially with the COVID-19 outbreak. The chapter presents how small-scale water system initiatives like the 1 million Cisterns Program and the Freshwater Program contribute to the access to water, pointing out its strengths and weaknesses. The methodology consisted in a thorough document analysis. These programs adopted a posture of coexistence with the drought and included rural populations as protagonists in the planning, installation and monitoring processes of the systems. Their continuity depends on the government’s willingness. Although they ease regional structural problems, they do not solve them.

The chapter debates how a conception of social governance of the 2030 Agenda emerged in Brazil from the agency of local governments, parliaments, and civil society organizations. To understand the Brazilian journey of engagement in the governance of the SDGs, we highlight initiatives at the national level, such as the National Commission for the SDGs (CNODS), the Multiannual Plan alignment to the SDGs, and experiences in setting and adaptation of SDG targets and indicators. Other relevant institutional adjustments took place for implementing the 2030 Agenda in Brazil, such as the incorporation into the Judiciary and Legislative initiatives. Articulations of civil society organizations (CSO) in implementing the SDGs are pivotal to monitoring the SDG targets. Brazilian localization of the SDGs by subnational actors working in transnational and national networks, including the presentations of VLRs at the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF). The main results of this research stress the impacts of political fragmentation around the governance of the 2030 Agenda in Brazil. At the same time, focus on the steering effects of the SDGs to redefine public policy priorities, reorienting agency, and inducing institutional adjustments. It also describes the emergence of a social governance architecture made by local governments, parliaments, and civil society actors. Non-state actors and subnational governments acted autonomously to territorialize the SDGs against the Brazilian Federal Government. The Brazilianization of the 2030 Agenda is relevant to understand SDG steering effects on discursive, relational, institutional, and resource social fields, connecting it to the purposes of this handbook SDGs in the Americas and Caribbean Region.

The tourism sector was one of the most affected during the COVID-19 pandemic, as global mobility restrictions severely affected tourism-based economies, particularly those located in Latin America and the Caribbean. This was due to the region’s accumulated economic and social vulnerabilities, which were exacerbated during the pandemic. In this context, the agenda towards sustainable tourism is compromised, as the economic impact suffered by tourist destinations has led to the public policies abandonment and projects that sought to improve the social, environmental, and economic balance of tourist destinations. Therefore, the objective of this research is to analyse through a case study the current situation of progress in SDGs 11 “make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”, 12 “ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns”, and 8 “promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all”, considering the pandemic context, in the tourist destination of Acapulco, Guerrero. The present investigation used the case study method together with a mixed methodology, a narrative analysis of the different actors’ accounts in the tourism system about their experience and participation in the destination’s sustainable tourism strategies, and comparative analysis. This important research findings provides a reference frame to identify the challenges that the tourism systems actors visualise to take up sustainable tourism strategies and to diagnose the progress status of other tourism destinations with similar characteristics.

The study of supply chains and the manufacture of finished goods is one of the main topics related to the impacts of globalization. In the context of Latin American and Caribbean regions, it is essential to understand the supply chain impacts on sustainability and its resilience to exceptional events. The COVID-19 pandemic culminated in supply crises worldwide, including medicines and hospital supplies. This problem embodies the need to identify and implement alternatives that allow for cost reduction and efficiency while maintaining a solid and sustainable supply chain of this supply. This chapter elucidates the factors that influence the sustainability and resilience of supply chains by modeling the chain as a graph or network. The model allows the network visualization and the generation and analysis of complex network metrics. Graph characterization uses these metrics and provides attributes for resilience and sustainability analysis. Considering the health crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemics, the case study was selected based on the production chain of one of the leading manufacturers and distributors of essential medicines of the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) Fiocruz/Farmanguinhos laboratory. After presenting the proposed methodology to approach the problem and practical application in the case study, the benefits of modeling via graphs and complex systems are discussed, ranging from greater visibility of chain flows, better comparison between different configurations of supply chains, in addition to greater autonomy for decision-making by industrial managers.

This chapter aims to review the sustainable development project of the Amazon biome, called Amazon 4.0. That way, their challenges and benefits of implementation were exposed, contributing to opinion formation and knowledge generation in this field. The study is characterized as an exploratory applied research, based on a qualitative approach. A bibliographic research was used for obtaining information. Benefits were verified through the application of sustainable management techniques grounded on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4RI) both for the improvement of already domesticated crops and for the discovery of new biological assets. Furthermore, this process contributes to the reduction of the environmental impact on the forest, helping in the process of capturing carbon from atmosphere and, consequently, to the reduction of global climate change across the globe. However, the study reiterates the importance of inspection practices developed from parallel practices to sustainable management in order to obtain greater control and punish those who use irrational exploitation as the only way to take advantage of the biome.

After more than 40 years, Chile started a process to remove its current constitution designed during the Pinochet dictatorship to what some expect to be a more inclusive, representative, and democratic constitution. Despite remarkable progress in reducing poverty, economic development, and access to health and education, many challenges still remain, and most Chileans voted in 2020 for a new constitution that would shape a new future for Chile. To achieve this purpose, Chileans elected mostly nonpartisan citizens from all over the country, including an equivalent number of men and women and indigenous peoples for the first time, to discuss and present a new constitution proposal to be voted on in a referendum in September 2022, which was rejected. Will Chile’s new constitution have a broad or narrow sustainability focus? Will there be a short- or long-term sustainability approach? Which are the sustainability challenges that the new constitution should prioritize? Will the new constitution propose a social, environmental, or economic emphasis for Chile’s future? Will the new constitution address Chile’s current sustainability challenges? To answer these questions, this chapter explores Chile’s potential new constitution by qualitatively assessing what the 155 elected constituents proposed for a new constitution, using the UN Sustainable Development Goals (the SDGs) as a sustainability framework. This chapter contributes to understanding how fundamental legal principles could shape a more sustainable future for society.

In developing nations such as Brazil, the mining industry generates benefits such as jobs and income generation, but also environmental degradation. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), implemented in 2015 by the United Nations, provide a framework through which mining companies and the government can guide their actions to be environmentally sustainable, economically responsible, and socially sensitive. There is an urgent need for strengthening the commitment of mining companies and municipal governments in Brazil to the SDGs, because of the severe environmental and social impacts of the industry, especially in the Brazilian Amazon region. The present research aimed at analyzing the relationship between the mining industry and some SDGs in the municipalities of Parauapebas and Canaã dos Carajás, the most prominent mining municipalities in Brazil’s Amazon. It is discussed that the municipal governments in both municipalities need to significantly improve their use of mining taxes, to effectively engage with the SDGs and improve local quality of life in the long term. Mining environmental impacts negatively and significantly affect people’s lives in the Amazon region, especially in indigenous and rural communities. Businesses, governments, and civil society must join forces to monitor each other to achieve together the SDGs.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals highlight the importance of solid waste management, emphasizing the priorities of reduction, reuse, and recycling, as well as the development of environmentally adequate alternatives for final disposal. This chapter aims to discuss the most recent advances and challenges of reverse logistics for post-consumer waste in Brazil to comply with the Brazilian Solid Waste Policy and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 11 and 12. Initially, a review of the scientific literature of reverse logistics for post-consumer waste practices in Brazil, from 2016 to 2021, will be performed, related to the SDGs. The practices will need to satisfy both the Brazilian Solid Waste Policy and the Sustainable Development Goals 11 and 12. Barriers that prevent compliance with both the Brazilian Solid Waste Policy and the Sustainable Development Goals 11 and 12 will also be identified. This chapter presents the most recent advances made in Brazil regarding the challenges that still exist for the reverse logistics for post-consumer waste and that contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals 11 and 12.

The process of transformation of the natural landscape in watersheds is an indicator of soil infiltration loss, as a result of the increase in impervious cover due to land use and cover change (LUCC). This condition of environmental vulnerability (EV) increases runoff and the risk of flooding. The Acapulco de Juarez Bay (AJB), located in the state of Guerrero, Mexico, presents important changes in its watersheds due to urban growth and agricultural development in recent decades. In this region of Mexico, floods show greater frequency and magnitude. This research compares the effect of the LUCC between 1970 and 2013, to determine the increase of EV and flood risk in the AJB, using rainfall intensity values recorded during the flooding that occurred on September 15, 2013, due to Tropical Cyclone Manuel. We used the curve number (CN) method to determine flood zones, integrating EV and intense rainfall values. The result showed an increase in EV and risk levels, for regions where the LUCC was higher. The model proved to be efficient in reproducing flood zones when compared with satellite information. It can be concluded that the LUCC contributes to flood risk, due to the loss of infiltration of soils in watersheds, so the preservation and conservation of natural ecosystems are the main mitigation and disaster prevention measure.

Rural community tourism plays a vital role in the economic reconfiguration of rural spaces. It is considered a tool for territorial development with multiple economic and social benefits. This tourism modality is essential for generating jobs, economic inclusion of women and young people, and a tool for preserving heritage. As tourism is an economic activity, its implementation is a form of productive diversification of the territory and a complementary action aimed at rural development, specifically in rural contexts of poverty. Due to human mobility restrictions derived from the COVID-19 pandemic, non-crowded forms of tourism, such as rural tourism, are the first to be activated through proximity trips to open, natural, and no crowded spaces perceived as safer in the context of the emerging need for social distancing as a health measure. The reactivation of rural tourism is an opportunity to stimulate the implementation strategies of the SDGs, which have been slowed down by the pandemic and which can be retaken from the recreational leisure practices of urban societies. Through multiple case studies, eight rural community tourism enterprises are analyzed to identify how this activity contributes to the continuity of the SDGs in rural areas in the pandemic context.

The interdependent planetary boundaries highlight that our natural and social system limits are being exceeded. This is evidenced by scientific, ecological, and business impact assessment studies, which draw attention to how anthropogenic activities or inactivity is influencing environmental well-being, in particular deforestation. Humanity faces key grand challenges. Globally, 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offer a blueprint for the most pressing issues. Removal of specific critical barriers can help to resolve local societal problems and support widespread environmental conservation. Addressing a grand challenge requires changing individual, organizational, and societal behaviors. This study focuses on food security being a priority challenge (SDG 2).A socio-ecological framework of cosmopolitan resilience is conceptualized. Application is to produce case of soya from Brazil. Issues identified are across different levels impacting biodiversity loss, deforestation, and freshwater sustainability at individual, firm, and government level. Cultural, moral, and governance components form recommendations towards ameliorating adverse influences and promoting integrated sustainability improvements towards systemic resilience. Case learnings have implications for better environmental, business, and policy collaborations.

Ending child labor has been a long-held goal for mankind and remains relevant as one of humanity’s priorities for the short-time future as acknowledged by the inclusion of this issue in the Sustainable Development Goal, target SDG 8.7. This study analyzes Brazil’s efforts toward ending child labor within its territory and draws three main conclusions: (i) the key concepts in the matter are subjective and open to interpretation, (ii) Brazil has made significant but insufficient progress on ending child labor, and (iii) the end of child labor has significant relationships with several other SDGs.

After a 7-year slowdown in economic growth in the previous decade, LAC opened this decade with the adverse effects of Covid. The economic slowdown and the health crisis jeopardized the SDGs’ implementation in the region. In this chapter, the authors revisit the old question of whether the previous decade of LAC is another lost decade, mainly adding the environmental dimension to the economic and social dimension. In this line, the latest reports show that SDGs related to the biosphere capacity like SDGs 6 (water), 13 (greenhouse gases), 14 (blue biodiversity), and 15 (terrestrial ecosystems) have stalled. However, a higher diversity of pathways can be observed. To illustrate different trajectories, their trade-offs, and complementarities, the focus is on the transitions to the blue economy in a selection of small island developing states (SIDS) in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The scientific community is an important actor in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) regarding education, knowledge production, and public engagement. The aim of this chapter is to identify and analyze how Latin American universities have been addressing the SDGs from the production of scientific knowledge and, along with that, influencing policy documents. In particular, it aims to identify whether this knowledge production has been articulating the SDGs’ agenda through its citation impact in policy documents. The chapter considers the following Latin American universities: University of São Paulo (Brazil), National Autonomous University of Mexico (Mexico), and Los Andes University (Colombia). At the theoretical level, it articulated the debate on the role of universities and the scientific community in the implementation of the SDGs within the discussions on the social commitment of public universities in Latin America. Methodologically, the chapter is divided into two procedures: (1) bibliographical and documentary research on the incorporation of the SDGs in the institutional framework of the selected universities was conducted; (2) centrally, the research used the Overton.io software to identify how the knowledge production of the universities, classified according to their related SDGs, has been used in governmental documents. The results show that the knowledge production of universities has been used by governments and intergovernmental agencies, especially classified under SDGs 10, 11, 3, 8, and 1 stand out. Furthermore, the results contribute to shedding light on incipient discussions about the interconnection between the SDGs, universities/scientific knowledge production, and public policies.

Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) guarantees an inclusive and equitable education that promotes learning opportunities for all. To successfully meet SDG 4, the UN fostered the Incheon Declaration, establishing a series of actions to operationalize education policies worldwide. The outlook seemed optimistic with adopting a decade of action toward fulfilling the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. Regretfully, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic stopped the momentum by generating significant disruption at all levels of schooling worldwide. With restrictive measures keeping a large part of the population in quarantine, schools found themselves in the dilemma of maintaining the institutions open while protecting the health of their students, teachers, and administrators. Several strategies were put into operation with different outcomes. Among the most popular was the shift to virtual education, which at the beginning, its implementation was deficient but proved its usefulness and value over time. However, recent reports from several international agencies, such as UNESCO, IMF, World Bank, and ECLAC, to mention a few, have warned of the risk of leaving a good part of the Latin American and Caribbean region without educational opportunities.This conceptual chapter explores the COVID-19-related issues that have collapsed two of the main SDG 4 pillars crumbling: quality and inclusion. In addition, the content highlights diverse strategies used to overcome vulnerabilities in educational systems worldwide, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean. Hopefully, with the insight gained from this unfavorable situation, administrators, educators, policymakers, and other critical stakeholders of the education systems might focus better on building resilience to further disruption and progress toward SDG 4.

Social, economic, and poverty problems persist worldwide, including in Mexico and Yucatan, primarily in rural areas. These problems are frequently addressed by public, private, or social institutions, by designing. The design, implementation, and evaluation of SPs with a focus on the exchange of knowledge through dialogue – under the framework of the University’s Social Responsibility in rural areas – have the purpose of addressing these local problems through civil society and the universityUniversity, as well as aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to 2030. The Autonomous University of Yucatan, with a grant from the WK Kellogg Foundation, carried out 45 social projects from 2013 to 2017, covering 22 municipalities in the southern and central areas of the state of Yucatan. The impact assessmentImpact assessment (IA) on local development and the fulfillment of the SDGs at a regional scale were carried out through a quantitative cross-sectional study with a quasi-experimental design using the propensity score matching Propensity Score Matching (PSM)econometric analysis. A total of 313 households were interviewed, with 135 (43.1%) receiving at least one SP. The results indicate a higher monthly income Incomeper capita of $439.76 MXN, a reduction in the probability of food povertyFood poverty by 17.5%, a greater use of agrobiodiversityAgrobiodiversity with 4.07 species, and the performance of green work in 0.42 of the households that participated in SPs. The findings show strong evidence of the great potential that civil society and universities have in achieving SDGs, but above all in strengthening grassroots capacities in the inhabitants involved in the knowledge exchange.

According to the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund, sexual and reproductive health rights are the cornerstone of sustainable development. This is particularly true in the Americas and the Caribbean Region where, although birth rates have continued to fall since the 1960s, other metrics of gender equity, including access to safe reproductive and abortion care, remain severely limited or entirely out of reach. The COVID-19 pandemic has generated major setbacks toward Sustainable Development Goal 5: Achieving gender equity, particularly as poverty increases and healthcare resources are rationed. This chapter seeks to historicize, contextualize, and analyze continuing struggles over reproductive health rights, as a key component of sustainability in the Americas and Caribbean Region. Special attention is paid to the crucial role of social movements for reproductive health rights that employ novel strategies, including the use of telehealth and telemedicine to further gender equity goals in the region.

Agriculture production emits approximately 29% of greenhouse gases, contributing to climatic changes. These changes increase pests and disease outbreaks according to the frequency and severity of droughts and floods, which results in crop failures and high livestock mortality. The phenomenal global impacts of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic are creating new standards for the continued support of human development and well-being, due to these rapid changes. SDG 2 identified sustainable agriculture and the role of smallholder farmers as integral to addressing food and nutrition issues. Yet, these farmers comprise a vulnerable social group, especially in developing countries, due to their limited adaptive capacity. Despite possessing a wealth of traditional knowledge, smallholder farmers’ marginalized input resources, capital, assets, and technical information impede their adaptive ability and resilience to climate change.This case study examines smallholder farming as a catalyst for nature-based solutions utilizing agroecology concepts in coping with climate change. It provides an empirical account of an Agroecological farm in Trinidad, which The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) presented as a model on its Agroecology Knowledge Hub. The research consists of an exploratory qualitative case study analysis, which provides an in-depth holistic view of the problems of implementing sustainable agriculture and the innovative solutions based on the model farm of resilient agriculture, during the past 25 years, in the Caribbean. The qualitative method used documentary analysis, which contributed to building the narrative between the actors involved.

In accordance with international agendas and commitments (Sustainable Development Goals), Mexico reiterated its responsibility to improve mobility in its urban areas, considering that, without public transport systems and safe mobility, Mexican cities will not be able to reach their maximum potential. Linking economic growth with quality of life and environmental sustainability in transport within cities requires leaving behind models that have proven ineffective and creating innovative alternatives that are applicable to a complex context such as the one that exists in the main Mexican cities.Historically, the growth of urban areas in Mexico has occurred in a scattered and expansive way, fragmenting the urban space and increasing distances and travel times. Likewise, the mobility model that has accompanied this process of urban growth is clearly unsustainable. During the last two decades in Mexico, there has been an alarming trend in the increase of automobile use. This trend implies an increase in all the negative impacts generated by this type of transport, especially the increase in greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. Given this situation, this chapter aims to present the main trends and characteristics of urban growth in Mexico compared to the LAC region and the world.

When reflecting about the subjectivity implicit in the tasks’ execution and in the affective relationships developed in the work environment, the psychosocial factors influencing work are frequently ignored. Excessive demand, hierarchical requirements, and discontent are issues that, if poorly managed, can contribute to the worker’s mental illness and have a significant impact on the quality of the work performed. In the specific case of a public university, where workers interact directly with people, illness goes beyond the limits of the work environment. It disqualifies the service provided to the university’s community and the society that needs it. In line with this, actions to attain a better quality of life and well-being at work will be discussed, as well as demands to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 in particular, i.e., good health and well-being. In discussion’s scope are the challenges faced by the Quality of Work Life Centre (QWLC) at the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA) in implementing a quality of work life (QWL) policy. QWLC has the mission of taking care of issues involving relationships at work, including remote work, during the COVID-19 pandemic. In University’s documents, exploratory research was conducted to collect data related to the QWL policy. A descriptive qualitative analysis was then performed, analysing scientific publications available in selected databases. The results demonstrate UFBA’s effort to improve the social-affective conditions in the institution’s workplaces and its effective interest in contributing to SDG 3.

Local governments are the cornerstone of regional and sustainable development. This chapter aims to describe the situation regarding the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) among those municipalities belonging to the state of Chihuahua, located in the northwest region of Mexico. The study was performed through a review and description of the results from a questionnaire developed and applied by the National Institute for Federalism and Municipal Development (INAFED). The questionnaire includes 132 key indicators classified into eight dimensions: (1) Management, (2) Treasury, (3) Territory Management, (4) Public Services, (5) Environment, (6) Social Development, (7) Economic Development, and (8) Open Government. This effort is an attempt to provide a timely and precise diagnosis for these local governments, to improve their management and decision making related to the aforementioned areas. It is said that this tool has been aligned with the 2030 SDG agenda. The diagnosis provided by each municipality was validated through regional Higher Education Institutes, which act as verifiers. The analysis focused on data associated with economic, environmental, and social dimensions, with some emphasis on water management, since it is a scarce resource with a transversal impact for development. Exploratory findings show advances in some areas, but there is a systematic lack of evidence to support the notion that local governments have achieved real sustainability. Hence, as a conclusion, due to this lag the promise of strengthened municipalities, along with sustainable development, is still far away.

The 2030 Agenda through its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is meant to be a new way to improve life through eradicating poverty and hunger, combating climate change, and providing education. In addition, plans include efforts to create equality for women and improve the environment with a more responsible consumption of and care for water. The governments of each country must establish clear public policies that favor and facilitate the fulfillment of the 17 SDGs. The main objective of this chapter is to analyze the State Development Plans as well as the results reported for the United States of Mexico, to determine if they include the SDGs of the 2030 Agenda within the guiding principles of their plans, specifically the one referring to the end of poverty. According to the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) 2019 prepared by the UN Development Program (UNDP), there are more than 1.3 billion people who are poor in multiple dimensions in 101 countries. In Mexico there are eight million people who are living in multidimensional poverty, that is, 6.3% of its population. In addition, 4.7% of the population is at risk of falling into this type of poverty. As of YEAR, 43.6% of the Mexican population lives below the poverty line, and 2.5% of Mexicans are living on less than $1.90 USD per day.

Within the logic of modern urban planning as one of the main elements in the management of urban areas, it is necessary to promote sustainable culture, which incorporates both the present and future generations. From this perspective, it is important to consider how urban planning promotes sustainable development and “green” cities. This approach is based on the current challenges of urban space and the model of modern urban planning (including the concepts of “green” vs. “gray”), which has gained prominence in cities through the accelerated process of urbanization. The authors use the expression “green” to describe environmentally sustainable, aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and “gray” refers to the modern, artificial architectural style of design that currently prevails. The aim of this chapter is to analyze the transition from gray cities to green (sustainable) cities in South America through a literature review. This chapter permeates the interdisciplinary nuances of environmental, social, and legal sciences inherent in the SDGs. The results show that, although the transition of a city from gray to green presents significant challenges, mainly due to the logic of modern planning, cities should promote environmentally sustainable policies aligned with the SDGs. This review highlights the need to (re)think urban planning models, especially their environmental-spatial aspects, to promote a culture that prioritizes green cities, seeking sustainable innovations, through infrastructure and urban sustainability that are in line with UN SDGs 9, 11, and 13.

Obesity, at the end of the twentieth century, mainly affected developing countries with accelerated epidemiological and nutritional transition, such as the Latin American countries of Brazil and Chile. The obesity rate in the Americas is almost double the global average (24.2% vs. 13.1%, respectively). In Latin America and the Caribbean, 58% are overweight (more than 360 million) and almost 25% of the population (28% of women and 20% of men) are obese. The Sustainable Health Agenda for the Americas 2018–2030, based on the UN Agenda 2030, constitutes the main policy framework and local strategic planning. The chapter describes the policies, actions, and strategies that have been implemented over the past two decades in Brazil and Chile to combat the growing prevalence of obesity, demonstrating that there are no results without incisive state action and governance. In a scenario dominated by market politics, the application of inhibitory and regulatory measures adds to public health policies and incentives for healthy eating. Chile has chosen to confront the economic interests of the food industry in order to improve the health indices of its population. Brazil has made voluntary agreements to reduce sodium and developed an innovative food guide with great global repercussions, which values fresh and minimally processed foods as one of the ways to fight obesity and achieve SDG 3. In both countries there is a movement to include civil society and academia in policies to address obesity.

Climate change communication (CCC) is a key aspect of the United Nations’ Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) guidelines (UNESCO and UNFCCC, Action for Climate Empowerment: Guidelines for accelerating solutions through education, training and public awareness. UNESCO Publishing, 2016). CCC, which consists of public awareness, public participation, and public access to information, is expected to ensure that citizens are informed about climate challenges and risks, while fostering climate action and resilience. During the past decade, policy interest and academic research in CCC have increased, although most studies have been focusing on Global North contexts.The lack of internationally comparable data around CCC, especially in the Global South, weakens policy advocacy, undermines national and regional target-setting, and impedes monitoring processes. While the prevalence, uneven quality, and lack of comparability of relevant data are salient issues in many regions, they are especially acute in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) (Eise et al., Climate change communication research: a systematic review. SSRN Electron J, 2020).In this chapter, findings from a systematic exploration of data availability and quality regarding public awareness, public participation, and public access to information regarding climate change among countries in the LAC region are reported. More than 80 relevant datasets have been reviewed, most of which are complete, although some are still in process. A small set of the most promising data sources based on the following four criteria have been reviewed: 1. Validity: data collection has been peer-reviewed and, in the case of a survey, refers to a nationally representative sample. 2. Temporal coverage: data refers to at least two points in time within 2015–2030. 3. Accessibility: disaggregated data is open and free to access. 4. Geographical coverage: the data covers at least 50% of the 197 UNFCCC members and at least 1 LAC country (Much of the analytical strategy employed in this chapter draws from a larger and more comprehensive study, known as the Monitoring and Evaluating Climate Communication and Education (MECCE) project (mecce.ca). MECCE is a 6-year partnership grant with core funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and under the direction of Professor Marcia McKenzie from the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Melbourne. While the reported analyses are aligned with several MECCE project objectives, they do not represent an official outcome of the MECCE project). Overall, this chapter highlights major data gaps in climate change communication in Latin America and the Caribbean regions. Identifiable inequalities are pointed out. Policy implications are highlighted especially if urgent steps are not taken by national and regional authorities to remedy the current situation.

This chapter focuses on the enablers and barriers to climate change education (CCE) in the first sustainable and self-sufficient public school in Latin America: School No. 294 in Jaureguiberry, Uruguay. Furthermore, this research studied how the CCE policies and practices carried out in the school have been interpreted by the school community. Data was collected through interviews and document analysis; 17 participants took part in this case study, and 6 documents were analyzed. The semistructured online interviews were conducted between November 2020 and March 2021.The active and sustainability-oriented educational approach was defined as transformative education for sustainability and a Theory of Change for the school project was developed. Findings include a review of enablers and barriers to transformative education for sustainability using Ball’s four contextual dimensions for policy enactment as a lens. This analysis indicates that the community has had a mixed reception to the CCE policies and practices. For instance, at the start of the school project in 2016, only 15% of families had an organic vegetable garden at home, whereas in 2019, 80% of families did. On the other hand, only a few members of the community actively participate and support school activities. Moreover, there have been tensions in the school community due to different expectations and reactions to CCE policies and practices. The findings presented in this chapter highlight the importance of the support from the community and authorities for CCE projects.

This chapter analyzes the advances in SDG6 for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region. Using the leading indicators proposed by the United Nations, the goals of SDG6 are evaluated along with a discussion of the region’s main problems concerning access to water and sanitation, wastewater treatment, and the loss of crucial ecosystems for water generation. Those countries that have made improvements to meet the SDG6 targets are identified, as well as those countries that are still behind in achieving improvements. Finally, there are recommendations for improving access to water, sanitation, and strengthening conservation measures for ecosystems relevant to water security.

Plastic debris is among the most documented beach litter in the Caribbean seas with negative consequences on local marine ecosystems. However, the magnitude of the problem and its root causes are open streams for research. This chapter aims to advance knowledge around the most common measures to tackle marine litter, as well as their contributions towards achieving SDG 14 (Life below water) and other ocean-related goals. Using the coastal city of El Astillero in Nicaragua as a main case study, this chapter addresses the issues related to plastic pollution and their main drivers, supplementing the present paucity of data on beach and marine litter in this region. It provides implications and recommendations for the use of citizen science and participatory approaches to monitor the state of marine pollution, collect information on the distribution of plastic debris, and localize interventions to prevent plastic waste from entering the ocean. These results provide guidance for local stakeholders and policy-makers with regard to surveilling the management of plastic waste and pollution in coastal areas. Moreover, this study suggests future research directions to engage local communities for a cleaner environment.

Higher education institutions have increasingly adopted sustainability concepts in their teaching, research, campus operations, and outreach realms. Global agendas such as the Talloires Declaration and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have influenced universities’ sustainability objectives and pushed for institutional transformations. Even more, education for sustainable development can be regarded as a key element in the achievement of the SDG 4 of Quality Education. However, sustainability remains a concept that intrinsically comes along with a variety of discourses and interpretations. In light of this pluralism and given the fact that it is a subjective and context-specific conceptualization, the purpose of this chapter is to understand the Chilean higher education perception of sustainability. Examining sustainability viewpoints at universities provides valuable feedback to higher education stakeholders for better decision-making, which facilitates the organizations’ transformational processes toward sustainable development. This study uses a survey design with two open-ended questions, administered to students, professors, and non-academic staff at Chilean universities. The main findings indicate that there is an alignment between the participants’ main ideas expressed with those of the academic and/or traditional sustainability definitions and that there seems to be an approach toward the sustainability meaning where the environmental dimension prevails. The results also suggest that there might be a potentially inclusive collective discourse about what sustainability means for the higher education community in Chile. Based on these analyses, a three-layer framework for sustainability enhancement at universities is proposed. Thus, a Latin American perception of the matter of sustainability and higher education is explored, which also allows to grasp the conceptual context in which the SDGs might (or not) succeed at universities.

Master’s and doctoral programs (PPGs, in Portuguese) play an important role in the SDG implementation process since higher education is crucial for human and technological development (dissemination of innovation). The field of Environmental Science is capable of finding solutions for the 2030 Agenda since it covers environmental-economic-social and institutional dimensions from an interdisciplinary perspective. CiAmb (the initials of Environmental Sciences, in Portuguese) is one of the knowledge areas of the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Level Personnel (CAPES), a department of the Brazilian Ministry of Education. CiAmb encompasses 142 PPGs (in all national territory) that are evaluated by their impact on the society (knowledge transfer), among other indicators. The aim of this chapter was to show the contribution of the PPGs-CiAmb to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in Brazil and bring the international emblematic cases of Environmental Sciences in higher education up for discussion the implementation of the 17 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). Data were collected from the Sucupira platform (CAPES), Scopus, and Web of Science databases (systematic analysis). As a result, PPGs-CiAmb are aligned with the guidelines of the 2030 Agenda, incorporating the SDGs in their teaching, research, and science outreach activity in crucial areas in order to generate social impact, taking into account the vocational, institutional, and geographic constitution of the PPGs. However, it appears that a methodology for measuring social impact and related indicators has not yet been consolidated, a fact that may result from differences between the teaching and research systems and the scientific fields, as well as difficulties associated with its own operationalization. Few works involving international cases were found which related simultaneously to PPG studies, the 2030 Agenda, and the SDGs. Those that were studied reported case studies, course reports, and research that was carried out mainly in the USA, Holland, Spain, Latvia, Cyprus, Finland, and Portugal.

Considering the global scenario that goes through several challenges to expand the scope of sustainable development, new mechanisms are invited to be studied and appreciated, especially with the perspective of promoting sustainable development in locations with a late development, such as Latin America. In this context, one of the essential mechanisms to be studied and debated is the role of universities in promoting a culture for sustainable development, which has a crucial role in strengthening debates, studies, research, and results together with society. Thus, it was from this perspective that this chapter aims to weave theoretical-methodological considerations on the topic under discussion, aligning the discussion with the objectives of sustainable development. Therefore, this chapter, in addition to a refined structure on higher education, also brings a structure of methods that enable a systematic discussion on the subject, including examples and different perspectives on the role of universities in promoting education for sustainable development. And in view of the above, this chapter signals both the continuity on the topic as a real and necessary perspective, as well as the relevance and contributions of this chapter.

Public-private-academia collaborations present ingenious solutions to achieve Sustainable Development Goals in Latin America. This chapter explores the potential of these collaborations in supporting the goals – particularly SDG 4 – and supplying qualified public school teachers in Ecuador. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need to train and equip teachers with innovative tools and methods for their work. To improve practices and provide knowledge to teachers, the Ministry of Education in Ecuador established cooperation processes with higher education institutions and other entities so that public school teachers’ preparation could be strengthened through virtual platforms. A Laboratory of Innovative Models of Teacher Professional Development in the context of the pandemic was established to strengthen online teacher professional development in Ecuador through the interinstitutional work of the Ministry of Education, a Chilean NGO, and a private liberal arts university. The first pilot activity of this collaboration included the implementation of two online professional development courses for teacher tutors that included both mentoring and coaching elements. Lessons learned around this collaboration included the importance of connectivity, promoting teacher participation, allowing teachers to be part of the design process, ensuring that teachers are technologically savvy, providing adequate technical support, giving follow-up and timely feedback to teachers, and encouraging professional learning communities, among others. These lessons can be applied in broader and future professional development processes and collaborations in Ecuador and Latin America.

Food insecurity among students has gained increased attention from policymakers in the United States. The high prevalence of food insecurity rates among students, with some studies reporting that more than 50% of students are food insecure, along with the threats this poses to student health, degree completion, and success, demands a thorough understanding of this issue.The previous decades and the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that more needs to be done in the United States to understand food insecurity issues and develop practical, effective solutions to attain the sustainable development goal of achieving zero hunger (SDG 2). The growing population of low-income students, high college costs, and insufficient financial aid may explain the high rates of food insecurity to a certain extent, but declining resources provided by higher education and nutritional assistance programs must also be considered.This chapter reviews the causes of food insecurity, its consequences, and how campuses responded to it during the pandemic. It also examines data from peer-reviewed and gray literature to understand the role of government policy and local community actions in limiting food insecurity during the pandemic. Finally, it suggests some tools (at the state and local levels) that could facilitate a more robust response to food insecurity among university students in the United States.

In many places, the advances of urbanization, population concentration, and increased consumption have intensified the generation of urban solid waste and caused significant environmental problems. Faced with such challenges, the United Nations created the Sustainable Development Goals, and among them is SDG 12, whose goals are consumption and sustainable production. Thus, it is necessary to reduce waste, recycle, and reuse. In Brazil, the National Solid Waste Policy addresses the objectives and guidelines relating to an integrated management of solid waste throughout the national territory. But in addition to the instrumental framework, it is essential to highlight the positive management experiences in several Brazilian municipalities, such as Atibaia (São Paulo State, Brazil), that established a municipal policy of solid waste. However, for the policy to be effective, society must understand this issue and get involved to guarantee a better quality of life. The population’s awareness is crucial for the success of environmental public policies, allowing the participation and action between society and the executive power to contribute to the implementation of public policies in the municipality. Environmental perception has been adopted as a diagnostic tool in social and environmental contexts, where each individual can present a particular vision and interpretation of the environment in which they are inserted, considering their previous experiences, expectations, and anxieties. Given the above, the knowledge and perception of the Atibaia population regarding their household recycling practices and composting of organic waste were investigated. The approach used to achieve the purposes, from a quantitative perspective, was the application of electronic forms that were answered by the local population. The results indicate and reflect the habits and practices of the population regarding the disposal of household waste, as well as pointing out that it is necessary to broaden society’s engagement.

There is need to rapidly reduce global greenhouse gas emissions to avoid runaway climate change. Over 2% of global emissions are produced from the marine shipping industry, roughly equivalent to those generated by Germany. This chapter examines the social and environmental impacts of the modern shipping industry and highlights more sustainable alternatives in the form of the emerging sail cargo industry that uses sailing vessels to reduce the environmental impacts of shipping within global supply chains. Sail cargo initiatives represent a more equitable, environmental, and just transition to meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. These are well suited to achieve development goals in the Americas and Caribbean Region. Also, this chapter highlights theoretical tensions in various approaches to sustainable development solutions, including the Jevons paradox, where increases in energy efficiencies often lead to increases in overall energy use thus, presenting a challenge to policies that rely solely on technological improvements, as a principal means of reducing overall energy use.

Among the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) proposed in the 2030 Agenda adopted by the United Nations, the SDG 8 emphasizes the importance of promoting inclusive and sustainable economic development, employment, and decent work for the population. In Brazil, the SDGs are implemented under the United Nations Sustainable Development Partnership Framework (UNSDPF), in which the country commits to the 2030 Agenda using its multiannual plan. Hence, this chapter aims to present the socioeconomic, demographic, work, and structural conditions that surround the recyclable waste pickers (RWPs) in Brazil and how their activities contribute or are affected by the SDG 8 along with the Brazilian regulation, thus highlighting the challenges and opportunities to strengthen the sustainable development and decent work. To provide those findings, it was conducted a literature search of national studies to characterize RWP activities and their current context in Brazil. In parallel, research was conducted about the SDGs, the 2030 Agenda, and the Brazilian regulation related to the topic of interest to support discussions. As a result, it was raised a list of challenges related to the targets from SDGs 8.3, 8.4, 8.5, and 8.8 to accomplish the 2030 Agenda and the opportunities to overcome them and increase the valorization of RWP activities, potentially reducing environmental and leveraging a sustainable economic development.

The Sustainability paradigm is modifying companies’ strategy, which is now much more oriented to the generation of shared value with society, guided by commitments to business ethics and to the preservation of the environment.The main objective of the case study here described was to analyze how the largest companies located in the north of Brazil (Pará state) are contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The methodology used was the collection and analysis of information disclosed by these companies in their Sustainability Reports and/or in the companies’ websites, published in 2021.The sample of this study included 15 companies that represent the main economic activities in the region of Pará. The results obtained show that all these companies have developed strategies to promote Sustainable Development, particularly through projects and activities directed to local communities in the state of Pará, thus contributing to the sustainable growth of this region.The reported Sustainability-oriented practices show commitment with all the 17 SDGs, particularly with SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth, and SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production, all of which have been referred by 73% of the sampled companies. The least referred SDG was SDG 14 Life Below Water, focused only by 4 of the 15 sampled companies.This study highlights the important role of business in the achievement of the SDGs, particularly through the support to a sustainable economic, social, and environmental development of local communities.

Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows have been on an increasing trend since the beginning of the 1990s in Latin America. This increase was largely a result of the implementation of the Washington Consensus which led to structural reforms in most Latin American economies. Foreign direct investment was seen as an important instrument to stimulate economic growth, increase employment opportunities, and foster technological progress. In the same period, local pollutants such as carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane have also increased. Many reasons are behind these emissions, including population growth, economic growth, and increasing urbanization rates. However, there is less understanding about the impact that this increase in foreign direct investment has had on local pollution in Latin American countries. On the one hand, foreign direct investment can be a source of technological progress and associated adoption of cleaner technologies (a technique effect). On the other hand, foreign direct investment can adapt to local laxer environmental regulations and intensify pollution through the scale effect. Finally, foreign direct investment can bring in new industries and sectors, which are in less or more polluting sectors (a composition effect). Therefore, to provide an estimate of the impact of foreign direct investment on local pollution, this chapter controls additionally for the three types of effects by using data on foreign direct investment and combining with data from the World Bank on among others, emissions, population density, GDP per capita, trade openness, and human capital. Similar to other papers, this chapter employs panel data estimation for Latin American countries but performs the empirical analysis for a more recent period, 1990–2019. Our main results indicate that FDI has intensified CO2 emissions in Latin American countries. Finally, this chapter discusses the findings in light with the efforts by Latin American governments to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Throughout the pandemic, there was an increased urban solid waste generation because of the lifestyle change brought on by a rise in consumption regime that is unsustainable, mainly operating under a linear economy, and so we must change towards a circular economy. The circular economy interferes with the object’s design, inducing it to use renewable energies, avoid using toxic substances, reintegrate waste into its biogeochemical cycles, or extend its life-use for a longer time, thereby preventing environmental impacts from extraction to final disposal waste.For Mexico, the concept of a circular economy is new. Still, the action of keeping products in use is not, with businesses dedicated to renting, maintaining, repairing, reusing, recycling, renovating, and sharing objects with the community for decades; there is even a word from Nahuatl to refer to markets where you can buy secondhand things, tianguis. However, these businesses have threats and weaknesses, such as not giving guarantees, objects or repair parts of doubtful origin, and low-quality repairs. That’s why it is necessary to understand how the informal circular economy works in Mexico; the present work proposes to describe it.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a sui generis worldwide crisis, where the economic recession was one of the earliest and direct health impacts. In addition to being an unprecedented situation globally, the recovery form is uncertain. As mentioned by António Guterres, Secretary-General of the UN, the usual responses will not work, and creative responses are needed aiming at a more sustainable and inclusive recovery. In this context, the present research aims to analize public policies in Latin American and Caribbean countries to implement a “green” recovery that aims not only to get out of the current economic crisis but also to reduce the effects of climate change and avoid falling back into an economy based on fossil fuels and environmental degradation, i.e., a recovery oriented towards the decarbonization of the economy. For this purpose, five sectors were considered – management of water resources, renewable energy, management and treatment of waste, sustainable construction and management, and recovery of oceans and basins – that have in common the intensive use of labor and moderate investments. These sectors can contribute to the generation of green jobs and development focused on fulfilling the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and the agreed-upon planned national determined contributions (NDCs). Macroeconomic analysis of investment estimation was used as the primary study method. This analysis made it possible to estimate the investments needed to recoup the jobs lost due to the pandemic and the possibility of greening these jobs with the support of hindcasting techniques (or projections for the future). The various scenarios and necessary actions were drawn up to cause the Latin American economy to recover without neglecting sustainability in its development.

Currently natural freshwater resources around the globe are threatened by population growth; worsening food crisis, which battles bioenergy for land and water resources; and climate change that is disturbing the overall water balance. Skyrocketing energy prices have forced public and private response, and the same is beginning to happen with water. Public utilities are discussing how to restructure water rates to better reflect true costs without causing public harm. There is an impending water crisis, which will threaten crops and cause population movements as water refugees away from places of water scarcity and famine. One of the solutions to this impending crisis is on-site treatment of wastewater with the goal of reuse as irrigation water to promote agriculture and prevent famine. This on-site treatment is possible with decentralized treatment systems instead of large collection systems and centralized wastewater treatment plants. Sustainable, decentralized treatment requires treatment using minimal energy consumption with high treatment efficiencies. In this chapter, a low-energy consuming method for aeration using micro-nanobubbles will be presented, which when used with a high surface area biomedia allows efficient treatment in a compact design. The use of self-cleaning filters and membranes allows the treatment system to operate unattended and deliver clear treated water with non-detect suspended solids, BOD, and COD less than 10 mg/L with total nitrogen less than 5 mg/L.

The identified 169 targets in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) refer to agriculture and smallholder farmers’ contributions toward eliminating human hunger globally between 2015 and 2030. Notwithstanding the potential of smallholder farming, the sector encounters substantial challenges, limiting its competitiveness and sustainable capacity to reduce poverty. Worldwide, approximately 570 million small farms cultivate less than 2 hectares and comprise over two billion people operating with traditional or informal tenure, generally in risk-prone and marginal settings. These farmers and participants comprise approximately three-quarters (75%) of the underprivileged, hungry, and malnourished people. Smallholder farmers lack resources, information, technology, and capital assets, limiting their adaptive capacity to climate change and rendering them inadequate to achieve sustainable production, which can contribute to their decline.Additionally, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively influenced food and nutrition security overall prospects by stalling efforts to achieve ‘Zero Hunger.’ This chapter examines major agricultural activities in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region, which provided data on its agricultural output, smallholder farms, climate action, and investment opportunities. The researchers implemented a qualitative method to gather data using interviews, observations, and documentary analysis. The findings suggest that innovative approaches implemented on a model smallholder family farm on 1.5 ha of agricultural land (equivalent to 3 football fields) in Trinidad could be a source of innovation for other farmers in different countries in the region. The chapter provides information and discussion on the innovative measures implemented in building resilience to climate change, which opens new avenues for a sustainable smallholder farming system in the region to achieve the SDGs.

There are many challenges that micro and small entrepreneurs face on a daily basis. Most of these challenges are related to the lack of administrative knowledge and the lack of capital. The objective of this study is to verify what is the perception of men and women in relation to the challenges of entrepreneurship. To this end, a quantitative research of an exploratory and descriptive nature was carried out with the aid of bibliographic research and the application of a questionnaire. As a result, significant statistical differences were found for some groups of challenges. Although women have challenges similar to those of men, they encounter specific barriers when undertaking, due to gender stereotypes. This study deepens the discussions about the barriers that women face when undertaking in Brazil and creates a tool so that the research can be replicated in other locations and contribute to the achievement of sustainable development goals, specifically on gender equality.

Circular economy (CE) in Latin America and the Caribbean is gaining visibility as a regional approach to developing sustainable economies is showcasing support for the Agenda 2030 as well as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and related targets, as many countries are either implementing or planning new and innovative interventions, policies, and programs with nexus thinking and integrated objectives for use and reuse of resources. In this synthesis, a multi-scale approach is adopted to explain the barriers and support structures to CE adoption in the region based on the review and analysis of CE-focused literature, projects, and programs in Latin America, particularly in Bolivia. The overall contribution is to provide a comprehensive overview of the CE regional landscape as well as to map gaps and needs within existing CE practices to ensure that future regional and national resource use policies can help support the integration and implementation of the sustainability framework (SDGs) for the region. The chapter reflects how industrial and research advances by public, private, and nongovernmental organization interventions and financing agencies in different sociocultural settings in the region and in Bolivia are contributing toward comprehensive strategies for integration of CE practices to ensure that future regional and national resource use policies align to the implementation of the SDGs related to resource use.

Indigenous sustainable finance has emerged as a promising research field to understand how indigenous communities can address sustainable governance and economic development issues based on their relationship with the land and cultural aspects. Furthermore, the SDGs have offered a development guide for economies worldwide while it pushes forward the applied efforts in pursuing a sustainable future based on its 17 principles. Indigenous territories, in this case, can be understood as an essential asset that can contribute to maintaining biodiversity and remunerating communities for preserving forests, with REDD+ projects constituting a vital initiative to encourage compensation processes for economic activities. This study describes a case of indigenous sustainable finance in Brazil using REDD++ and provides linkages to the Sustainable Development Goals Agenda. Results reveal that new parameters that can contribute to REDD+ processes developed by indigenous communities in Brazil should be set, facilitating the organizational strategy, credit access, and territory governance status. Implications for sustainable finance are centered on developing successful constellations of stakeholder action toward social good through green, transitional, and heritage bonds.

The objective of the chapter is to propose a sustainable route and certification criteria for the creation of a Consortium on Tourism in the Southern Santa Catarina and Highland Plateau Region based on regional vocations and possibilities. This is a qualitative study based on secondary data and documents, interviews, and visits to tourist spots in the cities in the target regions of the chapter. The researchers executed journal techniques and unstructured interviews with local actors, namely, residents and public and private institutions that support tourism and entrepreneurs in local tourism. The chapter allowed for a greater understanding of the structure of tourism by indicating a continuous entry of new ventures and tourism modalities with challenges and problems that have not yet been overcome, such as deficient infrastructure, the absence of a culture of belonging to the territory on behalf of some actors and citizens affected by touristic activity, economic activity aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the lack of an innovative spirit and institutional support from some governing officials. Tourism business arises from individual initiatives that are still disconnected from a sustainable regional tourism plan. The Consortium on Sustainable Tourism offers great possibilities for contributing decisively to the achievement of the main goals and actions related to at least nine SDGs: 1 (eradication of poverty), 4 (quality education), 5 (equality and gender), 6 (clean water and sanitation), 8 (employment and economic growth), 9 (industry, innovation, and infrastructure), 10 (reduction of inequalities), 11 (cities and sustainable communities), 12 (responsible consumption and production), and 17 (partnerships in support of goals).

In the Amazonas State (Brazil), the Manaus Metropolitan Region is a vast territory of “urbanised forest”, featuring a long-standing high deforestation rate, culminating in the loss of biodiversity and ecosystems. Given its specific characteristics, this region is used as a case study to argue that the current spatial planning and environmental protection tools are insufficient to significantly limit deforestation and promote sustainable development. According to the authors, this trend should be inverted adopting an alternative, bottom-up development model based on the circular bioeconomy paradigm. Indeed, bioeconomy is a notion widely discussed at the international level and is central in the discourse on Amazon’s sustainable development. More specifically, the AmazonasAmazonas State has developed a multi-scalar definition of bioeconomy, focusing on (i) the valorisation of sociogeobiodiversity, (ii) the level of forest exploitation and (iii) the production of commodities. Aiming at shedding light on the matter, the chapter discusses the circular connotation that bioeconomy may assume, as well as the importance of its acknowledgement as a sustainable spatial planning practice. In particular, it analyses the existing spatial planning and environmental protection tools and how the latter may be adjusted to promote a circular bioeconomy in the Manaus Metropolitan Region. In doing so, the authors envisage an innovative local development paradigm for the urbanised regions of the Amazon, that can contribute to the achievement of the multiple targets composing SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), while also touching upon selected targets of SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 13 (Climate Action).

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), advocated by the UN, have been enhanced in business organizations under the spotlight of the financial sector, which guides the selection of investors in companies committed to ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) goals. People are reassessing their individual choices, which affect business practices. This has leveraged sustainability and placed more sustainable commitments on the CEOs’ agenda and the corporations’ strategic planning. Movements such as Conscious Capitalism and Humanized Companies have grown while the style of companies’ business management becomes evident. Thus, the activity of humanized companies should be reviewed against the indicators of the sustainable development goals. Companies that place customers’ focus at the core of their business, must develop their staff’s awareness to act connected to a network for a greater purpose. Thus, within these dynamics, this survey aimed at reviewing the ESG and SDG guidelines in connection with sustainable and responsible activities carried out by the Irani paper and packaging company (one of the four largest paper mills in Brazil). Thus, the result of ESG business practices and the standards exhibited by Irani shows that there are people who are more aware, satisfied and who contribute better to the business, and the planet. Therefore, it is noteworthy that a conscientious company voluntarily contributes to the sustainable development of the surrounding communities. They favor people, the environment and the economy. Corporate social responsibility begins from within, the ego and further expresses and shares its values and develops its environment, the eco.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12, Responsible Consumption and Production, focuses on ways to reduce the environmental impact of commodity extraction, distribution, and consumption, while ensuring the flourishing of human life across the globe. However, the precarity of commodity chains, and thus the metrics used to measure them, were fundamentally altered by the COVID pandemic. Global trade was disrupted, leading to higher prices for producers and consumers. All of a sudden, just-in-time production, environmental accounting systems, and global commodity chains were called into question. As consumers, long-held environmental concerns and ethical concerns seemed quaint, as disposable masks and single-use plastic gloves saved the lives of those around us. Psychologically, consumers were disoriented as these invisible and allegedly solid commodity distribution systems melted into air, resulting in new purchasing behaviors.This chapter lays out the foundations of commodification, as well as the history and evolution of commodity chains. More precisely, it asks the Covid pandemic affected commodity chains themselves, as well as ethical purchasing behavior by consumers. How did the psychological impacts of commodity chain disruption affect those quarantined, and how were consumer segments affected differently? Certain things are given – shopping moved online and demand for gloves and masks increased. But another key point is that consumers regressed to the local. While a logical response to empty shelves, it ignores the way in which most of us in developed world are fully embedded in global commodity chains. More problematically, it supports an ideology of exclusionism and ignorance of inherent global integration. A second key point is the way in which ethical consumption is secondary to simple consumption. Many consumers abandoned visions of recycled toilet paper in favor of toilet paper. Moving forward, more attention should be paid to the impacts of uncertainty on producers and consumers, and how that will affect ethical consumerism going forward. In a world where climate change is a reality, uncertainty will undoubtedly be wrestled with moving forward.

This chapter aims to verify how issues related to adaptation to climate change are inserted in the scope of the 2nd Pluriannual Plan for the Grande ABC Paulista Region, corresponding to the period 2019–2021, to understand how this planning instrument at a regional level may contribute to adapting to the effects of climate change, as recommended by Sustainable Development Goal 13. The Grande ABC Paulista Region is located in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, and its main characteristics are the strong presence of the industrial sector, a factor that shaped how the municipalities that are part of the region are organized, which share common socio-environmental problems and a political engagement on the part of organized civil society, which is also expressed in the scope of the ABC inter-municipal consortium, the entity responsible for the elaboration and coordinated implementation of public policies for the region. The methodology used to achieve the objective was content analysis (BARDIN, Análise de conteúdo. Editora Edições, Lisboa, 1977) applied to the Pluriannual Plan, so that the maximum amount of information relevant to the objective of the study was obtained from the document. As a result, the analysis revealed that the plan has actions within the scope of the challenges identified by the working groups that may contribute to the adaptation to the negative effects of climate change, with emphasis on those related to the theme of urban drainage, management of risks, housing, environment, and urban planning. It is also noted that the popular participation shown in the annex of the plan may have contributed to the inclusion of issues related to adaptation to climate change, mainly in the scope of the risk management working group, demonstrating the importance of stimulating social mobilization and civil society participation in public planning.

The goal of UN SDG 6 is to ensure sustainable water management. It states that water security is especially important during times of climate change and that in order to achieve sustainable water management, it is important to implement integrated water resource management and protect and restore water-related ecosystems. The objective of the Cantareira System Environmental Protected Area (Cantareira System EPA) is to ensure regional water resource sustainability, collaborate with sustainable guidelines for urban development, and conserve remnants of the Atlantic Forest. The Cantareira System EPA includes the municipalities of Atibaia, Bragança Paulista, Joanópolis, Mairiporã, Nazaré Paulista, Piracaia, and Vargem located in the northern region of the metropolis of Sao Paulo, Brazil. There is substantial industry in the region, and the area is presently going through an intense urbanization process. This process is in sharp contrast with what remains of the previous rural occupation. Today the rural occupation is made up of different types of agricultural activities and hobby farms. Sustainable agriculture like agroecology is compatible with the conservation area, and alternatives of this kind are essential for environmental protection. This chapter analyzes the involvement of community efforts in the Cantareira System EPA to adopt agroecology practices. The chapter especially focuses on community efforts in the municipality of Piracaia to adopt agroecology practices that help conserve water resources. The knowledge acquired and the conclusions drawn from applying agroecology practices will later be extended to other municipalities located in the Cantareira System EPA. The conservation area diagnosis included agricultural and agroecology activities in the municipality of Piracaia. It analyzed strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The unique characteristics of agroecology producers were highlighted and included aspects that originated in programs for sustainable agriculture production and environmental services payment, the recovery of degraded areas, and actions taken to conserve water resources and biodiversity. In order to promote sustainability, it is essential to disseminate information and implement processes that ensure water resource quality and quantity as well as environmental safety.

The Regional Development Councils, Coredes, play a relevant role in the urban development process in the southern region of Brazil, impacting the quality of urban life by working with actions that encourage the harmonious and sustainable progress of the cities. Its idealization occurred in 1994 with the objective of promoting the creation of initiatives aimed at regional development. The division of the Regional Councils was based on the geographical proximity of the regions and their similar socioeconomic characteristics. Thus, the Producao and Alto Jacui Councils are highlighted in this process in the Northwest of the Rio Grande do Sul state. The present chapter of reference nature aims to make a comparative parallel of the spatial distribution of green areas between two medium-sized cities in the state, Cruz Alta and Passo Fundo, belonging to their respective Coredes. The research intends to obtain as a result an analysis of the green area indicator, which reports the general characteristics of the public green areas, analyzing the process of reduction of green areas and, consequently, the removal of the population of the daily contact with nature, especially in public leisure places, therefore contributing for the urban spatial organization to be more democratic and heterogeneous.

The construction of hydroelectric plants in Brazil, driven by the search for development and economic growth, has constituted a barrier to the achievement of some UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), among them: health and well-being, drinking water and sanitation, and zero hunger, mainly for traditional and indigenous populations. This chapter aims to demonstrate how the construction of hydroelectric power plants in some contexts gives way to a double indigenous exposure, increasing their vulnerability, worsening water and food scarcity, besides affecting their health in a process of accumulation and resurgence of impacts. This research investigated whether the construction of hydroelectric plants added to the impacts of climate change, compromising the access to water and food, and degrading the culture heritage of the Tuxá indigenous people, placing them in a critical situation of vulnerability. Indigenous vulnerability is analyzed, since it is observed that fundamental insecurity becomes a potential trigger of vulnerability in Brazil, a reality that has become more common in several South American countries. It is noted that the construction of the Itaparica hydroelectric plant (1988), known today as Luiz Gonzaga, caused the indigenous people of Tuxá in Rodelas/Bahia to lose a large part of their territory after its inauguration. Additionally, it generated internal conflicts and recurrent socio-environmental impacts related to the lack of land and the lack of access to clean water, a factor that was added to the challenging climatic characteristics of the middle-low section of the São Francisco basin, causing some families to face difficulties in obtaining an adequate supply of food and water. Therefore, this chapter allows to identify that it is necessary to develop adequate social and environmental impact analyses for future hydroelectric projects, in addition to developing public policies and measures that improve the living conditions of those already affected, in order to achieve the aforementioned SDGs. Methodology: The exposed results were achieved through the application of a mixed methodology (qualitative-quantitative), in which the primary data, of a qualitative nature, was collected through interviews, life stories, and focus groups of Tuxá in Rodelas community between 2018 and 2019. The results were complemented with quantitative secondary data extracted from different national and international institutions.

This chapter focuses on the successes, challenges, and opportunities facing small island developing states that are in pursuit of environmental sustainability through attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Using The Bahamas as a case study, this chapter magnifies stakeholder perceptions of the relationship between SDG goal attainment, environmental policy, and the peculiarities of policy development and implementation in an archipelagic nation. An exploratory mixed methods approach occurred using the archipelago of The Bahamas as the geographical study area. Data collection occurred through structured email interviews with government, civil society, and the private sector members. A thematic analysis interpreted participant responses within the broader social context of the Bahamian islands studied and, in comparison, to published literature on the subject. Broad interpretation of the thematic categories identifies SDG implementation challenges, deficiencies, replicable successes, and opportunities specific to archipelagos that are also developing states. Kendall’s coefficient of correlation “W,” is then calculated, revealing the level of agreement between the four stakeholder groups per their thematized responses to each question. Implications of stakeholder agreement levels are then discussed. Thematically, policy implementation, greater research, and financing support were identified as the best ways to effectively address environmental issues related to SDG attainment across the Bahamian archipelago; key deficiencies related to challenges with policy implementation, research, and education and awareness. Success stories shared by participants related principally to policies, projects, and programs, with their replication requiring strategic financing through use of penalty funds, as well as increasing networking collaborations and partnerships. New policies, programs, and initiatives suggested by participants focused on funding, incentives, research, public awareness and education, and measures to improve quality assurance. A key limitation of this research is its focus on specific SDGs (namely, 6, 7, 13, 14, and 15) and its engaging of stakeholders in certain geographical areas of The Bahamas, namely Exuma, Grand Bahama, Eleuthera, and New Providence islands. In alignment with SDG-17: Partnership for goals, a practical implication of this chapter does its advocacy for creation of a national environmental-focused data repository inclusive of technologically empowered collaborative platform that can support citizen science. Findings also complement efforts at the University of The Bahamas to develop a national data repository, ongoing environmental research concerning SDG implementation in The Bahamas (Wyatt et al., Ecol Soc 26, 2021), and studies recommending a greater focus on protecting and developing its blue economy activities (Bethel et al., Water 13:1399, 2021).

Since 1995, the Colombian government has used the System for the Identification and Classification of Potential Beneficiaries (SISBEN) to target and direct social spending toward individuals from the most vulnerable sectors of the population. In the fourth and latest version of the SISBEN, the Colombian government began to use artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics technologies to spot inconsistencies in the SISBEN database and identify individuals who might be providing false or misleading information to better channel public spending earmarked for antipoverty programs. The use and application of AI is envisaged to foster innovation, efficiency, and effectiveness.The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of targets set out to achieve inequality and poverty reduction and sustainability, as well as create more resilient institutions and public policies. A key aspect of achieving this policy agenda is the explicit use of information and communication technologies, particularly AI. The use of AI is seen to contribute to more effective public policies and processes. It has shown enormous potential for transforming public policies and processes in low- and middle-income countries such as those in the Latin American and Caribbean region.The impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) on the provision of public goods and services has been discussed in the context of generating well-being or in terms of the digital welfare state. This concept is best understood as rights guaranteed and rendered more accessible by the state through the emergence of information and communication technologies in the implementation and design of public policies. Despite ongoing data ethics and privacy concerns, the Colombian state has made significant progress in the provision of normative and institutional frameworks for the collection, aggregation, exchange, and innovation in the use of government data.

Climate change is a major challenge for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) cities. Thus, it is of vital importance to find ways to build urban resilience across the region. Nature-based solutions (NbS) which seek to protect, manage, and restore natural ecosystems, addressing climate change and environmental degradation while promoting human well-being, have been encouraged as suitable solutions across the globe. In this sense NbS are linked to the achievement of SDGs, including SDGs 11 and 13 that focus on sustainable urban development and climate change, respectively. Aiming to generate a better understanding of NbS potential for making LAC cities more climate resilient and sustainable, this chapter explores the opportunities and challenges they offer through the case of Coyuca’s urban-lagoon system located in the Metropolitan Area of Acapulco, in the pacific coast of Mexico. The analysis builds on field visits and semi-structured interviews. The chapter highlights that NbS are concrete actions that are currently being implemented on the ground, contributing to the achievement of SDGs 11 and 13, and ultimately the 2030 Agenda, and this despite the absence of the use of the NbS concept. It also stresses that NbS implementation in Coyuca is not supported by a diagnosis or structured plan, which contrasts with regional and national initiatives supported by clear methodologies and robust strategies. Lastly, the chapter highlights the need to develop inclusive modes of governance, mobilizing state and non-state stakeholders, to raise awareness and articulate environmental and socioeconomic needs and expectations of people and communities.

This chapter is about the Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5) “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” in Latin America and the Caribbean. It begins with an analysis of the characteristics of the region as well as the stakeholders that participate in the follow up and periodical evaluation of advances and obstacles in the implementation of the Agenda 2030. The status of the SDG 5 in the region and its progress and evolution is considered, especially due to the pandemic of COVID19, which has had a very important negative impact in the lives of women and girls. It will also review other SDGs in relation to their impact on gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls from Latin America and the Caribbean, one of the main objectives of the Agenda 2030, making an in-depth analysis so it is possible to have more information as well as a critical perspective. Many indicators and data for the whole region as well as the countries are revised. In order to analyze and consider the implementation status at the country level, it is convenient to include two paradigmatic countries, Argentina and Brazil, to demonstrate how sensible and fragile the advances in SDG 5 implementation in Latin America and the Caribbean are. They are presented as cases of study and the information is based on the alternative reports prepared by civil society groups in 2022 meanwhile not the Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) of Argentina and Brazil presented in the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) 2022.

This chapter assesses the main challenges of Goal 9 in Latin America in light of the dynamics entailing structural change. The authors depart from the increasing environmental awareness, which has been raising important global and institutional arrangements, such as the 2030 Agenda or the Paris Agreement, among others. As a consequence, cleaner industrial production has become a must to comply with such increasing environmental stringency. At the same time, the authors recognize the importance of structural change to explain the patterns of development in the Latin American region. For this purpose, the existing links between structural change and Goal 9 are carefully analyzed. These results are used to identify the main critical points and bottlenecks when implementing the Sustainable Development 2030 Agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean. Therefore, the Latin American economic and social reality emerging after the COVID-19 pandemic has been set out, as well as the main features of structural change in both the region and Goal 9.The remainder of this contribution is described as follows: the post-pandemic situation of the region has been discussed, as well as the role played by Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9 and structural change. Then, SDG 9 has been analyzed in the region. To do so, the systemic methodology that defines the SDGs has been followed. First, the links between infrastructure, industrial development, and innovation were examined in the context of Goal 9. Second, the most important targets in the region and the indicators associated with them have been presented. To complete the analysis, the authors build on the main relationships between SDG 9 and the rest of the goals. Afterward, the importance of structural change in the development of Latin America has been presented. Its main features and drivers, such as structural transformation, industrialization, technical progress, or international competitiveness, were also explained. From these results, the critical points and bottlenecks in the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda have been discussed. Thus, the authors aim to identify the main areas in which policy actions need to be implemented to accelerate the adoption of the SDGs.

Climate change demands financialization of mitigation and adaptation efforts around the world. In the aftermath of the COP27 meeting, innovative green investment strategies are now set out to redistribute unequal economic climate change gains and losses. This chapter proposes a taxation-and-bonds strategy to redistribute some of the short-term climate change economic gains in some countries to alleviate climate change losses in other parts of the world. A tax-debt mechanism could feature some countries’ financing green bonds via carbon taxation that subsidize those territories that lose from climate change the most as climate bonds payment recipients. The bonds are proposed to be issued by global governance institutions, for instance, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and administered by the United Nations (UN) or the World Trade Organization (WTO). Five indices are empirically created as a basis to determine which countries should be using a taxation strategy and what countries should be granted climate bonds premiums. Index 1 ranks countries based on the country’s initial position on a climate change gains and losses index and the country’s CO2 emissions. Index 2 ranks countries based on the country’s initial position on a climate change gains and losses index and climate flexibility in temperature ranges and its CO2 emissions. Index 3 ranks countries based on the country’s initial position on a climate change gains and losses index and the country’s CO2 emissions as well as the country’s CO2 emission changes. Index 4 ranks countries based on the country’s initial position on a climate change gains and losses index and the country’s CO2 emissions as well as the estimated lending rate of bonds in that country. Index 5 ranks countries based on the country’s initial position on a climate change gains and losses index and the country’s consumption-based trade-adjusted CO2 emissions. The countries economically gaining from climate change and being climate flexible as well as countries with high CO2 emissions and not changing CO2 emission levels as well as consuming goods and services from other countries as well as having favorable bank lending rates could be taxed to transfer funds via climate bonds for regions of the world that are losing from global warming and are not climate flexible as well as countries with low CO2 emissions and lowering CO2 emission levels that are producing goods and services that are consumed in other parts of the world as well as having unfavorable bank lending rates and hence higher industry financing costs. The proposed taxation and bonds strategy could aid in broad-based and long-term market incentivization of a transition to a clean energy economy.

Agritourism represents an alternative for rural territories with landscape resources where agriculture has left a great legacy. One of these territories is Fortín in Veracruz, Mexico. Agritourism can help to achieve some Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as no poverty (Goal No. 1), zero hunger (Goal No. 2), gender equality (Goal No. 5), and decent work and economic growth (Goal No. 8). Despite this, there is not a public policy in Fortin that promotes agritourism entrepreneurships. Therefore, a spatial analysis was made to have an integral vision of the agritourism in the territory. Also, a diagnosis of public policies and focus groups were realized to develop a proposal of public policy guidelines for agritourism entrepreneurship. The results of the spatial analysis show that the areas with the greatest potential are the localities of Fortín de las Flores, Camino a Tlacotengo, and San Marcial. In addition, rural areas need more infrastructures to receive visitors. Boosting agritourism in Fortín would help small producers to be able to have complementary income in dealing with the current global crisis of COVID-19 and take advantage of the new tourism trends.

The Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) movement and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were developed in the early years of the twenty-first century. The 2030 Agenda2030 Agenda has given sport a marginal role in the fulfillment of the SDGs. Miscellaneous resources, including SDP platforms, have proliferated as well. The SDP platform – Sportandev.org – containing over 1000 initiatives worldwide documents a growing awareness of the SDGs. The review of many of such initiatives reveals that the commitment to the SDGs is more rhetorical than factual. At a midsize state university in Guanajuato, in Mexico, a methodology was conceived to purposefully design a truly inclusive sporting activity, aligned with the spirit of the 2030 Agenda2030 Agenda and with at least six SDGs (3, 4, 5, 10, 16, 17). The methodology paved the way for the creation of a groundbreaking SDP organization, which aims at effectively bridging and delivering results between the SDP movement and six of the SDGs. Tiro en Braille (Braille Shot) methodology is based on three components: (1) teaching/learning, (2) research involving professors and students working together in an equal and balanced partnership, and (3) the design of truly inclusive sporting activities under the plus sport approach to SDPPlus sport approach to SDP. Tiro en Braille is also a sporting activity, 100% designed by university students, inspired by a pre-Columbian game/sportPre-Columbian game/sport (SDG 4), which aims to activate normally sedentary students (SDG 3), with the equal participation of women and men (SDG 5), in an activity designed to be played in an all-ability format (SDG 10), with the purpose of strengthening democratic values and principles (SDG 16), and with the co-participation of different stakeholders, such as universities as well as small and midsize local enterprises (SDG 17). The end “goal” is to design, to assess, and to share a groundbreaking initiative, suitable to replicate around the Americas and the Caribbean Region.

Latin American countries face extreme challenges in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) due to inequalities in access to information and economic resource allocation and a lack of effective political management. While Mexico is active in terms of the SDGs, the SDG related to land degradation has not been met. In 2015, Mexico ranked third in Latin America for the largest area of degraded land (47%), reducing the potential productivity of the soil, increasing arid lands, and compromising biological and/or economic productivity. This case study analyzes the Tomatlán Basin (257,915 ha) to evaluate the influence of agriculture on land degradation from 2000 to 2020 using the open-access tool Trends.Earth, which calculates trends in vegetation productivity and soil organic carbon changes using the global inputs MODIS and SoilGrids, respectively. Land cover transitions were calculated with regional inputs, and land cover maps were generated with Landsat imagery and the Dzetsaka classification tool in QGIS. The results show improvement in land conditions due to increased vegetation productivity related to ecological succession processes on 207,000 ha (80.6% of the territory), which is nine times larger than degraded territory (23,172 ha), indicating progress toward the 15.3 SDG target. The results were validated by using Google Earth Pro to identify degraded areas, achieving 92.5% accuracy. Trends.Earth is a useful tool for monitoring land degradation at different scales in countries with limited information and economic resources, allowing the identification of degraded areas so that appropriate practices and activities can be implemented.

This study aims to analyze the current situation presented by the state of the art with respect to the factors of competitiveness in small- and medium-sized hotel companies, applying for a systematic and international literary review focusing on Latin America. This study opted for a systematic review involving the analysis of documents, articles, dissertations, and international academic works that presented theoretical and empirical research results. The research was conducted between January and May 2021 using online databases and search engines. The selected studies focus on finance, strategic management, innovation, and marketing as the main factors that generate competitiveness in hotel small- and medium-sized enterprises. Certain implications for Latin America were also discussed. The SDGs reinforce the competitiveness of hotel SMEs by directly impacting the four main factors of competitiveness. Therefore, a compilation of recent works is carried out to identify the main factors that affect the competitiveness of these entities that, in these times, because of COVID-19, face serious competitiveness problems, as well as contribute to the state of the art and knowledge gaps on the subject.

The goals established in the 2030 Agenda recognize persistent and urgent problems governments, companies, and societies face. The 2030 Agenda sets the goal 10, “Reduce inequality within and among countries,” and the specific goal 10.2, which aims to, “by 2030, empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, regardless of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, economic, or another status.”One of these problems is inequality in all forms, such as access to and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). This inequality between those who access and benefit from technologies has been called the Digital Divide, which is considered a multidimensional phenomenon, i.e., there are several ways of studying its causes and consequences. Governments have designed public policies to overcome the Digital Divide, and although the advances are notable and satisfactory, they are not sufficient in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The case of Mexico is an example of this. Since the beginning of the millennium, the fight against the Digital Divide has been on the Mexican government’s plan with concrete results. In 2000, there were 100 million inhabitants and only 5 million Internet users; in 2020, there were 126 million Mexicans, of which 86 million had access to ICTs. The unexpected COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the social distancing measures led to the suspension of face-to-face activities, so ICTs were the means to maintain essential aspects such as trade, economy, government, education, leisure, and social relations. These actions further highlighted the existing Digital Divide and deepened the need to continue efforts to close the gap between those who do and do not have access to technologies.

The socioeconomic situation in Latin America has historically been characterized by certain instability and inequalities between and within countries. This scenario is not compatible with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). There are multiple reasons for these imbalances. This chapter analyzes the socioeconomic evolution of Venezuela in the framework of SDG 8. Venezuela went from a buoyant position to the currently precarious living conditions of the population. The interrelationships between Venezuela’s development and the effects of economic policies on the achievement of SDG 8 in the global SDG framework can help explain the current situation. In the context of recession and hyperinflation, it has devastated the purchasing power of wages and the quality of life of its inhabitants, harming the achievement of all SDGs. Understanding this situation and how far Venezuela is from achieving the SDGs requires a review of the public policies implemented, such as the one presented here.

An increase in consumerism and the use of plastic severely affect the faunal diversity of the planet due to the lack of proper disposal techniques. Inserted in the discussion of SDG 12, ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns, this chapter aims to analyze strategies and the environmental impact of the use of reusable bags in direct sales systems between farmers and consumers, through literature review and success case. The SDGs were addressed by the UN in the 2030 Agenda with goals and indicators that contemplate society and the environment. One month later, this action resulted in approximately 20% less use of plastic bags at the producer’s fair. It has brought a vision of sustainability to the activity, and in parallel to this, it broadened the farmers’ and consumers’ knowledge about production and consumption. The social action also disseminated the importance of using returnable bags.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) call for improving human nutrition and food security through equitable and sustainable use of ecosystems. With increasing demand for food, more must be produced with less arable land available. Some figures produced by the FAO indicate that, by 2050, more than 5 billion tons of food will have to be produced to feed the 10 billion people who will inhabit the world in the coming decades. This chapter aims to analyze the climatic trends in Mexico between 2000 and 2020 and the prevalence of food insecurity by gender in light of SDGs 2, 5, 10, and 17 and envision strategic alliances to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic on food security. The main results show an increase in the variables related to climate change, with worrying climate projections for the end of this century. Food security trends show improvement in indicators between 2012 and 2018. However, there was a significant setback in 2020 due to the economic recession during the COVID-19 pandemic. Gender differences are affecting female-headed households, thus jeopardizing the achievement of the 2030 Agenda regarding SDG 2, “Zero Hunger.”