Synergies and trade-offs between the sustainable development goals and reaching zero net greenhouse gas emissions in Sweden

Background The Swedish climate target to reach zero net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2045 implies large transformations of current industry, energy and transport sectors. Electric vehicles, wind and solar power, biomass, carbon capture and storage, climate neutral concrete and green hydrogen are all considered technological key components in transitioning away from fossil energy. The purpose of this study is to present synergies and trade-offs from large-scale implementation of these key components in Sweden, expressed as positive or negative impacts on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The study used expert opinions elicited from thematic workshops as input, which were put through a qualitative analysis to construct causal relationships and further tested against published literature to gain empirical support. Results The results shows that 11 out of the 17 SDGs will be affected positively or negatively. In Sweden, 37 of the identified impacts were positive and 16 impacts were negative. For international spillover impacts, the pattern was reversed with 7 positive impacts and 28 negative impacts. A large-scale implementation of the key components brings synergies to economic growth and job creation as well as sustainable industrialization and innovation. There are, however, several trade-offs identified that concerns environmental issues mainly linked to mineral extraction, both domestically and as international spillovers. Conclusions This study highlights the multifaceted linkages between climate mitigation efforts and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. To achieve a sustainable climate transition, a holistic view incorporating the SDGs needs to be employed. Next steps could include stakeholders in policy and industry to identify actions and initiate collaborative approaches to strengthen potential synergies and minimize trade-offs.