Speaker
Description
Keywords: Planetary Defense, Post-SDGs, fundamental connection, the Year 2025, Apophis,
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted unanimously by United Nations member states at the General Assembly in September 2015, represent a set of international goals aimed at creating a sustainable and better world by 2030. Considering the significance of the SDGs, several space-related challenges are intrinsically linked to their objectives. Among these, planetary defense, which addresses the survival of humanity and its civilization, shares a fundamental connection with the SDGs.
However, the current SDGs do not explicitly include planetary defense and other space-related challenges, and any connection to these issues must be inferred indirectly. This omission can be attributed to two main reasons. First, the discussion on asteroid impacts at the United Nations has been delayed. A key turning point in this context was the 2013 Chelyabinsk meteor event in Russia, which highlighted the catastrophic potential of extraterrestrial impacts. Nonetheless, the timing was too late to influence the incorporation of space-related issues into the SDGs. Second, scholars and practitioners engaged in space-related fields have not yet sufficiently advocated for the integration of such issues into the SDG framework.
As the 2030 deadline for the current SDGs approaches, international discussions have begun on envisioning the "post-SDGs" framework. This presents a significant opportunity to include space-related challenges in the next iteration of global goals. A major milestone in this process is the UN SDGs Summit scheduled for the autumn of 2027, during which the outline of the post-SDGs agenda may be developed. The adoption of the new SDGs framework is expected at the 2030 UN General Assembly. Additionally, the close approach of the asteroid Apophis in April 2029 could serve as a meaningful event to garner global attention on planetary defense.
Among the space-related challenges to be included in the SDGs, planetary defense is of paramount importance. Many aspects of this issue and its countermeasures have already been extensively discussed at the Planetary Defense Conferences (PDCs), providing a valuable foundation for narrowing down priorities. Beyond planetary defense, other space-related challenges intersect with the SDGs, such as the impact of solar flares on Earth, space debris management, sustainable space development on the Moon and Mars, the utilization of space for energy solutions, and so on.
Given the timeline for the post-SDGs agenda, the year 2025 emerges as a particularly critical juncture. It is essential to capitalize on numerous opportunities to strengthen efforts toward realizing SDGs that include planetary defense and other space-related challenges.