ICSU co-authors paper on sustainable development goals

One of the main outcomes of the Rio+20 Conference was the agreement to develop a set of sustainable development goals (SDGs). Such a tool could be useful to measure progress towards sustainable development at a global level. ICSU co-authored a paper published in Nature last week that discusses how the goals may be formulated taking into account science-based knowledge.The authors argue that the protection of the Earth life support system and the alleviation of poverty must be the twin priorities of the SDGs. According to them, it is not enough to just extend the MDGs because humans are transforming the planet in ways that would undermine gains that have been made through development. To read the publication please visit http://www.igbp.net/news/news/news/sustainabledevelopmentgoalsforpeopleandplanet.5.561163a13d60576e12c4.html.