
SHAPE
Sustainable development pathways achieving Human well-being while safeguarding the climate And Planet Earth
SHAPE addresses the question of how climate protection and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be achieved together. As the SGDs are much broader and bring together environmental and social targets, this is not a matter of course. The project therefore pays special attention to creating positive synergies between different targets, and minimising or compensating for adverse side effects. Since different pathways towards the SDGs can be conceived (reflecting different societal, economic, technological and institutional trends and preferences) various Sustainable Development Pathways (SDPs) are being modelled and analysed.
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SHAPE will deliver a first set of different Sustainable Development Pathways (SDPs)that simultaneously achieve the Sustainable Development Goals in 2030 (or make as much progress towards them as possible), maintain sustainable development thereafter, and meet the climate targets set out in the Paris agreement.
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Within SHAPE, modellers and social scientists collaborateto allow for better integration of societal goals (e.g. governance aspects) in modelling and assessment of the SDPs.
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The development and assessment process of the SDPsis accompanied and supported by a broad-based stakeholder dialogue.
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Results from modelling a first SDP pathway(Soergel at al. 2021) have demonstrated that moving towards the socioeconomic targets of the Agenda 2030, while at the same time respecting the Paris climate target and other key planetary boundaries is possible, but requires forward-looking, integrative policy design.

About
The SHAPE project responds to the urgent need for pathways exploring how to advance sustainability and climate change mitigation jointly, and to identify comprehensive sets of adequate interventions. There is more than one way to achieve these goals even on a global level. Depending on the prioritisation of different technical, political, socio-economic and socio-cultural options for action and initial conditions, different pathways are conceivable.
Assessing not only one but several possible pathways, focusing on different technical, political, socio-economic and socio-cultural options and priorities, the project will provide a knowledge base and orientation for stakeholders from various societal spheres and with different perspectives on sustainable development. The broad network of societal actors involved in SHAPE’s stakeholder dialogue will make an important contribution to spreading this knowledge. Through this, the SHAPE SDPs will contribute to advancing the implementation of the UN SDG agenda and the Paris Agreement.
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News & Events
2 December 2022
Save the date: SHAPE final event will take place on February 16th, 2023
The SHAPE final event will take place on February 16th, 2023. In the morning session of the final event, the overarching results of the SHAPE…
16 February 2023
New Sustainable Development pathways reflecting different societal perspectives
- Online
Parent programme
AXIS
Assessment of Cross(X) - sectoral climate Impacts and pathways for Sustainable transformation
The ERA-NET Consortium AXIS (Assessment of Cross(X) - sectoral climate Impacts and pathways for Sustainable transformation) aims to promote cross-boundary, cross-community research with the overall goal to improve coherence, integration and robustness of climate impact research and connect it to societal needs. To this effect, AXIS aims to overcome boundaries between science communities through inter- or transdisciplinary research projects.
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