China achieves over half of UN sustainable development goals ahead of time

According to the "Big Earth Data in Support of the Sustainable Development Goals Report (2024)", recently released on the UN website, China has achieved 126 indicators ahead of schedule for the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. These indicators account for more than half of the 227 indicators evaluated in the report.

During the UN's Summit of the Future held in New York last weekend, Chinese scientists shared the Big Earth Data in Support of the Sustainable Development Goals Report (2024) to global representatives. Organized by the International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals, the report fills data gap at the UN and provides important data support to advance the SDG process.

The report uses multi-source satellite remote sensing data and artificial intelligence algorithms to quantitatively evaluate indicators for SDGs in China and around the world.

Progress toward the 2030 goals has been modest, with only 17 percent of the targets met over the past eight years. In contrast, China has made significant achievements in sustainable development with 55.5 percent indicators achieved, according to the assessment results.

The report highlights that from 2017 to 2021, the global industrial heat sources decreased by 9.05 percent, with China contributing 33.61 percent of this fall.

From 2000 to 2023, there was a significant increase in global offshore wind power deployment, driven largely by China. By the end of this period, China's cumulative installed capacity of offshore wind power accounted for about half of the global total.

In September 2015, the UN's 193 member states adopted the Transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which outlines 17 SDGs and 248 associated indicators. By 2024, the 2030 agenda had entered its second half.

"Measurement is only possible with data, and it is essential to achieving the SDGs," said Guo Huadong, director-general of the research center and an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

In discussions with UN officials during the summit, he emphasized that decision-makers highly value the big data reports provided by China. "That's why the UN has been publishing our reports on its official website for six consecutive years."

Csaba Korosi, president of the 77th UN General Assembly, said that the report provides clear and practical information for scientists and decision-makers, guiding efforts to advance the 2030 Agenda and plan subsequent actions.

"With only six years left until the final deadline of the UN's 2030 agenda, 2024 is a critical period for the international community to accelerate progress in the second half of the sustainable development agenda. This can be achieved through technological innovation, international cooperation, and policy reforms. We believe that by continuously leveraging technological innovation, especially in science and technology, we will accelerate the process of achieving the SDGs," Guo said.