Earth Day 2021: Research & ideas aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Earth Day live will broadcast at 12pm ET on April 22nd, 2021

Earth Day is observed on April 22nd every year to ‘empower individuals with the information, the tools, the messaging and the communities needs to make an impact and drive change’. Founded by US Senator Gaylord Nelson, Earth Day was first organized in 1970 to promote ecology and raise awareness of the growing problems of air, water, and soil pollution. 

Today, the environmental crisis encompasses much wider issues that affect our health, our communities, and our built environment and this is reflected in Earth Day’s more rounded focus. They work to broaden the definition of environment, diversify their engagement and outreach with marginalized communities, and ‘mobilize individuals around the world on issues from voter registration to environmental education’. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) have also adopted a broader definition of sustainability, recognizing that efforts to reduce inequality must work together with tackling the climate emergency.  

At SAGE, we are driven by the belief that social and behavioral science has the power to improve society, and we focus on publishing and amplifying impactful research. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way many of live and work and it will also alter how we fight to restore our earth now and, in years to come. The UN Sustainable Development Goals have provided an international framework to measure societies biggest challenges. We’ve used this framework to collate social and behavioral science research that can help reach the targets set for 2030.