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Resource nexus perspectives towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

Debate around increasing demand for natural resources is often framed in terms of a ‘nexus’, which is perhaps at risk of becoming a buzz word. A nexus between what? Over what scales? And what are the consequences of such a nexus? This article analyses why readers should care about the nexus concept in relation to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We discuss a five-nodes definition and propose perspectives that may lead to a reload of climate policy with buy-in from supply-chain managers and resource-rich developing countries. Our research perspectives address modelling approaches and scenarios at the interface of bio-physical inputs and the human dimensions of security and governance.

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Fig. 1: The nexus: interlinkages across resources and the SDGs.
Fig. 2: Main SDGs and the nexus.
Fig. 3: Interlinkages and impacts of using resources.
Fig. 4: A set of scenarios supporting decision-making processes.

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Correspondence to Raimund Bleischwitz.

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Bleischwitz, R., Spataru, C., VanDeveer, S.D. et al. Resource nexus perspectives towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Nat Sustain 1, 737–743 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-018-0173-2

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