Extending the Sustainable Development Goals to 2050 — a road map

In this comment in Nature, the authors call on UN member states, in the run-up to the UN Summit of the Future in September, to adapt and extend the SDG framework to 2050. This will entail setting interim targets for 2030 and 2040 and final targets for 2050 that align with science and maintain high, yet achievable, national and global ambitions.

To support those discussions, here they highlight six priorities that they consider crucial, along with examples of actions and timelines. Certain goals can and should be met by 2030. Others will need more time, including achieving net-zero carbon energy systems. The structures of international finance need reform. And emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) must be incorporated.